Awards Season 2024: Razzies Winners

Ah, Oscars Eve. A day for last-minute preparations, looking over acceptance speeches, sorting out outfits, and generally hoping your name follows the famous declaration "And the Oscar goes to..."

As is traditional, the Golden Raspberry Awards are also handed out on this day, to dishonour the worst in cinema of the previous year. And this year, as well as the undeniable stink of cinematic effluence, there's a definite whiff of both blood and honey as well... 

Here are this year's "winners"

Worst Picture: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey 

Worst Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey)

Worst Actor: Jon Voight (Mercy)

Worst Actress: Megan Fox (Johnny & Clyde)

Worst Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone (Expend4bles)

Worst Supporting Actress: Megan Fox (Expend4bles)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey

Worst Screen Combo: Pooh and Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers (Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey)

Worst Screenplay: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey

Razzie Redeemer: Fran Drescher

This year's Razzie Redeemer, Fran Drescher, was previously nominated for Worst Actress at the Razzies for the as-bad-as-it-sounds romantic comedy The Beautician And The Beast (1997). However, as the current president of SAG/AFTRA (the American actors' union), she has been rightly praised for her strong leadership throughout the 2023 actors' strike. 

Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey was the big winner, taking home five awards (and "winning" each category it was nominated in). Expend4bles takes home two Razzies, including another win for Sylvester Stallone. As the French say, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose".

Congratulations (commiserations?) to the "winners". 

So, that just leaves the big one: the 96th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon. And, much like today, there'll be one particular movie that's going to come up a lot...

Awards Season 2020: Razzies Nominations

Providing some much-needed levity in what can often be an awards season that takes itself entirely too seriously, this year's Golden Raspberry Awards nominations have been announced this morning. The Razzie voters have considered "a bumper crop of cinematic crud" (yep, even the Razzies thought 2019 was a bad year for film) and come up with their list dishonouring the worst in film. 

It will, I suppose, come as little surprise to most that a certain CGI-heavy feline-inspired musical features heavily. 

Here are the full nominations for the 40th Annual Razzie Awards 

WORST PICTURE

Cats

The Fanatic

The Haunting Of Sharon Tate

A Madea Family Funeral

Rambo: Last Blood

WORST ACTRESS

Hilary Duff (The Haunting Of Sharon Tate)

Anne Hathaway (The Hustle and Serenity)

Francesca Hayward (Cats)

Tyler Perry (as Madea) (A Madea Family Funeral)

Rebel Wilson (The Hustle)

WORST ACTOR

James Franco (Zeroville)

David Harbour (Hellboy)

Matthew McConaughey (Serenity)

Sylvester Stallone (Rambo: Last Blood)

John Travolta (The Fanatic and Trading Paint)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

James Corden (Cats)

Tyler Perry (as Joe) (A Madea Family Funeral)

Tyler Perry (as Uncle Heathrow) (A Madea Family Funeral)

Seth Rogen (Zeroville)

Bruce Willis (Glass)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (Dark Phoenix)

Cassi Davis (A Madea Family Funeral)

Judi Dench (Cats)

Fenessa Pineda (Rambo: First Blood)

Rebel Wilson (Cats)

WORST SCREEN COMBO

Any Two Half-Feline/Half-Human Hairballs (Cats)

Jason Derulo & His CGI-Neutered Bulge (Cats)

Tyler Perry & Tyler Perry (or Tyler Perry) (A Madea Family Funeral)

Sylvester Stallone & His Impotent Rage (Rambo: Last Blood)

John Travolta & Any Screenplay He Accepts

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL

Dark Phoenix

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Hellboy

A Madea Family Funeral

Rambo: Last Blood

WORST DIRECTOR

Fred Durst (The Fanatic)

James Franco (Zeroville)

Adrian Grunberg (Rambo: Last Blood)

Tom Hooper (Cats)

Neil Marshall (Hellboy)

WORST SCREENPLAY

Cats

The Haunting Of Sharon Tate

Hellboy

A Madea Family Funeral

Rambo: Last Blood

WORST RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE AND PUBLIC PROPERTY

Dragged Across Concrete

The Haunting Of Sharon Tate

Hellboy

Joker

Rambo: Last Blood

RAZZIE REDEEMER

Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

Keanu Reeves (John Wick 3 and Toy Story 4)

Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)

Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)

Will Smith (Aladdin)

Cats ("the widely derided feline flop"), A Madea Family Funeral (Tyler Perry's 12th- and apparently last- Madea film; guess the Razzies voters didn't want to miss their chance to let him know what they really think) and Rambo: Last Blood ("Stallone's assaulting to the senses/insulting to the intelligence blood-drenched sequel") lead the pack with eight nods apiece. 

There are a couple of films- particularly Hellboy and Dark Phoenix- who can probably thank the unmitigated disasters that are Cats and A Madea Family Funeral from keeping them out of more categories. 

A new category has been added this year to point out films that show a reckless disregard for human life and public property (so, in future years, expect to see any big-budget blockbuster that razes a city to the ground with nary a thought). It's utterly petty, I know, but man I really REALLY hope Joker wins. [Whilst there are several previous Oscar nominees and winners included in this mishagoss, Joker is the only Oscar-nominated film this year to also get a Razzie nod]

Considering the accelerated timetable for this year's Oscars, the Razzies have said "to hell with it" and are announcing things in their own sweet time. As it stands, there's no date given for the 40th Razzies ceremony but it's going to be televised!We'll definitely be covering it though.

This is the first of several awards posts for the weekend, as tonight (Saturday 8th February) is the Film Independent Spirit Awards and tomorrow is the big one- the 92nd Academy Awards. We're almost there...

Mini-Countdown: Five Longest Waits In Oscar History

One of the most striking things about this year's Oscar nominations was how many of the acting nominees were receiving a nomination after a long period of time. Joe Pesci (29 years), Al Pacino (27 years), Anthony Hopkins (22 years), Tom Hanks (19 years), Kathy Bates (17 years), and Renée Zellweger (16 years) all chalked up another nod after the best part of two (and in some cases, three) decades. 

However, these are not close to the longest times some actors have had to wait between their recognition by the Academy. Here are the five longest waits between acting nominations in Oscars history (as of 2020):

1. HENRY FONDA: 41 YEARS

Fonda received his first Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for playing Tom Joad in The Grapes Of Wrath (1940) [but would lose out to James Stewart for The Philadelphia Story (1940)]. It would be a colossal 41 years until the Academy saw fit to nominate him for a second time, again as Best Actor. [He received a Best Picture nomination as producer of 12 Angry Men (1957) in between the two]. His performance as Norman Thayer Jr. in On Golden Pond (1981) would win him the Oscar; however, he wasn't present at the ceremony and his daughter and co-star Jane Fonda accepted the award on his behalf. As of 2020, Fonda is the oldest winner of the Best Actor Oscar (he was 76 when he won). 


2. SYLVESTER STALLONE: 39 YEARS

Sylvester Stallone got his first acting Oscar nomination when he starred as struggling small-time boxer Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) (which also gained him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination as well). However, Peter Finch's electric performance in Network won through. Fast forward nearly forty years, and Stallone brought Rocky back to ask as mentor to Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) in Creed (2015), giving a fine performance which netted him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, which (frankly) he should have won [which went to Mark Rylance instead for Bridge Of Spies (2015)]. Whilst an Oscar still proves elusive, Stallone nevertheless has a rather elite claim to fame: as of 2020, he is one of only six actors (the others being Peter O'Toole, Paul Newman, Bing Crosby, Al Pacino and Cate Blanchett) who have been nominated for two Oscars for playing the same character in different films. 


3. HELEN HAYES: 39 YEARS

The First Lady of the American Theatre was also an Oscar-winning actress, winning a Best Actress Oscar for one of her first film roles, The Lullaby [also known as The Sin Of Madelon Claudet] (1931). Despite a career which included Arrowsmith (1931), A Farewell To Arms (1932) and Anastasia (1956), it would be nearly four decades before Hayes received her second acting nomination, this time in the Best Supporting Actress category for playing elderly stowaway Ada Quonsett in star-studded disaster movie Airport (1970). At the 43rd Academy Awards in 1971, Hayes won (netting the film's only win from 10 nominations), becoming the first performer to win Oscars in lead and supporting categories. 


4. JACK PALANCE: 38 YEARS

Palance got three Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations throughout his career: he was nominated for two years on the run [for noir thriller Sudden Fear (1952) and Western drama Shane (1953)] and then... nothing for 38 years. Until his performance as grizzled trail boss Curly Washburn in City Slickers (1991). Palance's nod for Best Supporting Actor would be the film's only Oscar nomination- and Palance won! His acceptance speech will go down in Oscars history as one of the most WTF moments when he proceeded to do a series of one-armed push-ups during the speech (which he claimed convinced studio insurance agents that he was well enough to work on the film). 


5. ALAN ARKIN: 38 YEARS

In many of these cases, the gap has come between an actor's first and second nomination. In the case of Alan Arkin, his 38 year wait came between his second and third nominations. Arkin got his second Best Actor nod for The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (1968) in which he played a deaf-mute. His third nomination- and his first in the Best Supporting Actor category- came for his wonderfully warm and cantankerous performance as the drug-using Grandpa Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), which he won! [Arkin received his second Best Supporting Actor nod six years later for his role in Argo (2012)]

Review: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 (UK Cert 12A)

Guardians Of The Galaxy was a massive pleasant surprise for me when it came out in the summer of 2014. I knew very little about the background to the characters, so went in with very few expectations. It was my film of the year for 2014, and it did big business at the box-office. So it makes sense that they'd be back for another movie
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On the run from the Sovereigns after stealing some batteries they pledged to protect, the Guardians find themself under attack. However, help arrives in the shape of Ego, a benevolent protector... and Star-Lord's father. As Star-Lord gets to know his long-lost old man, the other Guardians have their own issues to deal with- ranging from sibling rivalry to regaining honour- whilst keeping an eye out for the Sovereign threat.

The returning cast all slip back into their characters effortlessly, so it's time to focus on the new characters coming in. Elizabeth Debicki lays on the icy hauteur beautifully as Sovereign priestess Ayesha, whilst Kurt Russell steals almost every scene he's in as Ego. Pom Klementieff is a lovely addition as Ego's companion Mantis, an empath who has the same very literal outlook on life as Drax (and who forms a lovely duo with Dave Bautista). Sylvester Stallone's role as Stakar Ogord, a Ravager who has a run-in with Yondu (Michael Rooker, rarely better), hints at something bigger to come- and, knowing there will be a Volume 3 coming at some point, lays the groundwork nicely.

Visually it's a real feast for the eyes and deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can find (I saw it on a SuperScreen which was well worth it). From icy plains to lush verdant planets, the golden glow of the Sovereigns to Nebula's chrome and blue make-up, everything looks fantastic. The action set pieces are all done really well too, even if the opening one is a bit of a cheat. You'll know why when you see it.

Just like the first film, the soundtrack is an integral part of the movie. Starting out with 'Mr Blue Sky' by ELO and taking in tracks by Fleetwood Mac, Glen Campbell, George Harrison, and Sam Cooke (among others), it's eclectic and absolutely rocking.

The film is full of great little moments too. I don't want to get too spoilery, but look out for these three things which made me smile immensely: 'trash panda', a very surprising cameo, and the adorable Baby Groot's struggle with which button to press (part of which is teased in the trailer). Also, there are five- yes, five- mid- and post-credits scenes, so stick around for them. All bar one are just standalone little jokes, which will raise a smile- but one does also hint at a future enemy for the Guardians to face.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 isn't a lazy cash-in sequel; it isn't just 'more of the same as the first one'. Writer-director James Gunn has created a cheeky, raucous romp with an unexpected heart. It gets a little bloated, especially during the second act (with all storylines competing for time) but it can be forgiven for that as the surrounding material is so good. Another triumph for MCU. Bring on Spider-Man: Homecoming!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Awards Season 2016: Tez's Official Oscar Predictions 2016

Tonight, the great and good of Hollywood will convene to celebrate the best of film-making in 2015 at the 88th Annual Academy Awards, which will be hosted for the second time by Chris Rock. It has become a tradition for me to predict the nominations and the winners in the main six categories (the four acting categories, Best Director and Best Picture).  I've done this since 2003 with varying degrees of success. So, without further ado, here are my predictions for who will win.

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

With no disrespect to any of the other nominees, this is a two horse race between Alicia Vikander and Kate Winslet. Both have previous wins behind them (Vikander got the SAG and Critics' Choice; Winslet the BAFTA and the Golden Globe). Both performances are strong, even if I found Winslet's more mannered and more actorly, less naturalistic than Vikander's. There would be a certain amount of pleasure in seeing Winslet win her second Oscar on the same night DiCaprio wins his first. However, because Vikander won the SAG Award- voted on by actors, many of whom make up the Academy voting list- I'm gonna put her ahead. However, I won't be at all surprised if Winslet nabs it. 


Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Simply put, I found Stallone's performance in Creed to be exceptional and he actually does act as a supporting character to Donny. He's witty, wise and heartbreaking- he also has a lot of goodwill in Hollywood and a lot of people would love to see him take the main prize tonight (as Critics' Choice and Golden Globe wins have shown). Interestingly, he's won both awards he's been nominated for; I really hope he makes the perfect three tonight.


Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room)

Closest you can get to a cast-iron bet tonight. Larson's moving and emotive performance, having to convey such a difficult situation yet bearing it so bravely, has completely swept the awards season boards- SAG, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Independent Spirits- so any other name tonight would be a huge surprise. And I do mean huge. 


Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

OK. Do I think Leo deserves to win? No, I don't. His performance in The Revenant is perfectly decent but he's done better performances. Do I think he will win? Without a shadow of a doubt. We're in the same situation as Scorsese and The Departed; it almost feels like 'his turn'. Similar to Larson, he's swept the boards where he's been nominated so it's a fairly foregone conclusion.


Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

With BAFTA, Golden Globe and DGA wins, it does look like it'll be second time around for Inarritu tonight. Interesting fact: if he does win, Inarritu will be the first director since Joseph L. Mankiewicz to win back-to-back Best Director Oscars and the first in over sixty years.  His direction is solid enough and his partnership with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezski is one of the strongest I've seen. I would be shocked to see another director win tonight.


Best Picture: Spotlight

This might come back to bite me, but I genuinely think Spotlight deserves to win the Best Picture Oscar over The Revenant. Whether it will, I don't know. Spotlight is an absolute masterclass in cinema: its script is superb (and will, with any justice, bag the Best Original Screenplay Oscar), the acting performances throughtout the ensemble are on point, the direction is solid, the themes of the film are topical without being polemical or heavy-handed. Were I a member of the Academy, this is where my vote would be going. However, it does look likely that The Revenant might get it. 


Last year, I got 4 out of 6 (all four acting awards) but fell foul of Inarritu and Birdman. I'm not making the same mistake on Best Director this year. However, I'm not sure on Best Picture or on Best Supporting Actress. I reckon another 4 out of 6. 

There'll be a full blog tomorrow discussing my thoughts on the ceremony and a list of all the winners.

Tez

Review: Creed (UK Cert 12A)

Michael B. Jordan reunites with director Ryan Coogler (after the powerful drama Fruitvale Station) for Creed, the next film in the Rocky franchise.

However, rather than focusing on Rocky himself, Creed focuses on Adonis 'Donny' Johnson (Jordan), the son of the legendary Apollo Creed. When we first meet Donny, he's working in an office but travelling to Tijuana on the weekends to take part in boxing matches. Realising that's where his true passion lies, Donny quits his job and moves to Philadelphia to start training as a boxer. Donny wants to be trained by the best and so seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), who is now retired and running a restaurant. Eventually Rocky agrees to mentor Donny and this unlikely pairing takes Donny to the fight of his career.

I've never been a massive fan of the Rocky films; they've been entertaining enough but they've never really stuck with me (to the point where I had to be reminded of a major plot point from a previous Rocky film as we were sat in the cinema). However, Creed is a real pulse-racing, edge-of-your-seat movie which I enjoyed a whole lot more than I was expecting to.

Essentially, it's a soft reboot of Rocky. It takes all the beats of the original film and uses them in a slightly different way (or puts a slightly different twist on them). This is no bad thing; it gives fans of the previous films a feeling of recognition, whilst making it fresh for first-time viewers. It's like Star Wars: The Force Awakens but for a sports movie.

Jordan is just brilliant in the lead role. He's an absolute firecracker on screen, quick to anger, incredibly powerful yet vulnerable as well. The conflict of being associated with the name Creed is central; does he want to trade on his old man's name or make it on his own? Is he worthy to take the name Creed? You absolutely root for him throughout. His relationship with musician Bianca (a lovely supporting turn by Tessa Thompson who isn't just window-dressing) adds another element and some of his interactions with Stallone are just dynamite. 

What can I say about Stallone's performance? Well, firstly, the awards hype he's been getting is absolutely deserved. The way Rocky is used in this film is exactly how a supporting role should be used; support the main character but have enough of a storyline of your own without overshadowing the lead. Stallone has played Rocky off and on for the best part of forty years and he knows the character inside and out. He's funny, he's wise, he's incredibly moving (yep, he made me cry). 

Coogler's direction is slick, and there are a couple of really cool technical tricks he employs. The fight sequences are particularly strong (which you'd expect in a boxing movie: one of Donny's first fights (a two-round bout) is filmed in one continuous take, bobbing and weaving around the fighters expertly without pausing for breath. The long walk from the dressing room to the ring in the final fight- which takes place at Goodison Park (home ground of Everton FC)- is another great moment. 

If you know the Rocky films, you'll get a lot out of Creed (there's a couple of nice nods to the past). However, it's not absolutely essential. Creed is accessible, high-octane, powerful and a whole load of fun. I loved it. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez 

Programme 39: Lucy, The Expendables 3, and Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

The Watchers Film Show: Ep 39 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

Our latest programme is now available to view! 

In another packed show, we discuss Luc Besson's latest movie, Lucy, starring Scarlett Johannson and Morgan Freeman; Rhys gives his opinion on The Expendables 3, and (as promised) we discuss our thoughts on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. 

Hope you enjoy it!

Programme 20 - The Bourne Legacy, The Expendables 2 and The Wedding Video

In this action-packed edition, we review The Bourne Legacy and The Expendables 2; we also take a look at British comedy The Wedding Video and pay tribute to the late, great Tony Scott.

In addition to the latest film news, keep watching for a very special announcement at the end of the show...

Enjoy! 

Rhys' Retro Collection #2: Broken Arrow and Cobra

BROKEN ARROW (1996)

Broken Arrow was written by Graham Yost (who wrote Speed) and directed by the then can-do-no-wrong John Woo. It’s 1996 and at that time John Travolta is in full come back mode. This film is a massive ‘I'm cool, I'm back’ statement from Travolta.

The film centres on the deliberate crash of a stealth bomber to steal nuclear weapons. Travolta plays the villainous traitor bomber pilot, while Christian Slater plays the hero pilot who is trying to stop him. Slater gives a very good go at playing the young hero – but I’m afraid to say I can see why Slater didn’t do much after this. He just doesn’t have what it takes to be a leading man. I would have liked to see someone else take on Travolta and make me believe they’re a worthy match.

The film has the flair and style of a John Woo movie – stunning visual cues and themes are as ever used here – the director likes to set up characters with visual cues (i.e. introducing characters with music cues and slick visuals to demonstrate who they are; Travolta slow motion walks into frame while looking menacing – that sort of thing).  Which now I’m afraid to say is very dated – but the film came out in 1996, which is sixteen years ago! What is more worrying for me is the film is almost twenty years old and reminds me I’m mortal! Anyway, enough of me realising how old a tech VHS is, the film…

The plot is set in almost real time – you’re thrown from action scene to action scene chasing down Travolta before he can set off a nuke – very familiar stuff for action fans. Which in some ways makes it a little- dare I say- boring? When I watched this when I was younger I loved this film, but now it’s just a little dull and way too predictable! Don't get me wrong, I’m a Woo fan and the Travolta and Woo re-team a year later with Face/Off is superb and has stood the test of time! But this film just feels lacklustre now. I was disappointed with it and I’m afraid it hasn’t made it onto the re-buy on DVD list!

Rating: 2 out of 5

COBRA (1986)

Now this is an example of my guilty pleasures in movies – a 1980’s action movie starring Sylvester Stallone! When this film came out, it was a film based on the original script for Beverly Hills Cop. While Stallone was attached to star in that film, he worked on the script – when the studio decided his Beverly Hills Cop was not what they wanted, Stallone left the project – but took his screenplay with him, which then became Cobra! This is a prime example of a film in my old collection that I should hate, be ashamed of and downright say ‘by today’s standards etc etc’. However, I won’t.

Why? Because it’s dated, it’s badly plotted, badly acted and badly directed by George P. Cosmatos (who, a year previously, directed Stallone in Rambo: First Blood Part 2 to great success). So why does this film still make me smile? Because if you’re expecting anything else from a 80s action movie, you’re a moron! This does what it sets out to do: low on plot, high on action. Bad guy doing bad things, good guy takes him out! And there is nothing wrong with that.

Stallone plays the lead title role, a cop who specialises in chaos and taking on the jobs other cops don't want! (Love it – just cliché heaven). The film has everything you expect: an over the top villain, played hammily brillantly by Brian Thompson; a damsel in distress (played by the then Mrs. Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen), bad pun one-liners; a montage, and more deaths than there rightly should be. The film is awful – however quite simply it’s 'that bad, it’s good!' You can't help but smile while watching 80s Stallone. This film is worth a re-watch, but I feel I won’t rush to replace it on DVD even though I enjoyed it again.

Rating: 3 out 5

Rhys