Awards Season 2022: The 94th Academy Awards

Well... that was certainly something...

Did anyone have "angry actor smacks award host for insulting his wife, then proceeds to win an Oscar" on their Oscar bingo? No? Nor did I. But that's one of the things about live events: anything can happen. 

The telecast began with a spectacular performance of Best Original Song nominee "Be Alive" from King Richard by Beyoncé from the Compton tennis courts where Venus and Serena Williams practiced when they were growing up. Talk about starting with a bang!

This was the first time in three years that the Oscars had a host and, if I'm honest, I really didn't feel that having a host (or hosts) added anything to the evening. And to be honest, that's nothing to do with who they had as hosts: it was always going to be a poisoned chalice for whoever took the job and Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall didn't do too badly. Let's put it this way: they were more Jimmy Kimmel than James Franco & Anne Hathaway. 

The three-act structure seemed to have gone by the wayside, with all three hosts periodically popping up throughout; the providers of the music changed each hour, but that was about it. There were a couple of funny lines (Amy Schumer referring to herself as "Melissa McCarthy said no" raised a chuckle, as did her "Did I miss anything?" when she reappeared after the Smith-Rock debacle; the not-so-subtle two fingers up to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill was also a joy), but generally the skits felt clunky and unfunny- Regina Hall playing up to being the thirsty singleton went on too long, and somehow we were meant to be OK with her feeling up Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa when you just know that if a male host tried to do the same with (for example) Helen Mirren and Zendaya, people would be frothing at the mouth.   

I actually didn't necessarily mind how they edited in the eight awards that were given out in the hour before the telecast began (although perhaps the irony of having the Best Achievement in Editing as one of the eight whilst relying on editors to seamlessly put that footage into the live show was lost on them). I did mind the utterly haphazard manner in which they interspersed them throughout, and I further minded that a lot of the material that was added in lieu of those eight awards were irrelevant puff.

The much vaunted performance of Encanto's "We Don't Talk About Bruno" was not, in fact, a full performance of the song. It started out as a performance, but then metamorphosed into this rap-heavy mishmash of "Celebrating The Oscars". That was one of a couple of utterly baffling decisions made throughout the night: why have three extreme sportsmen to host the 60 Years Of Bond montage? And why not immediately follow that montage with the live performance of "No Time To Die"? 

The whole "Oscars Cheer" moment- which, apparently, was The Flash entering speed force in Zack Snyder's Justice League- added nothing, and neither did the Fan Favourite Award (which armies of Snyder fans hijacked with Army Of The Dead after the four-hour Justice League cut was deemed ineligible as it was a re-release). I found the choice of music for the In Memoriam section to be a bit odd, but I did like the individual tributes to Sidney Poitier, Ivan Reitman, and Betty White. 

The guest hosts varied from funny to excruciating- Shang-Chi's Simu Liu and Tiffany Haddish fell into the latter camp (mostly because of Haddish's increasingly erratic behaviour), although I did like having a trio of live-action Disney princesses (Cinderella's Lily James, Aladdin's Naomi Scott, and The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey) to announce Best Animated Feature.  

But the big talking point of the night is going to be what happened when Chris Rock presented the Best Documentary Feature award. Will Smith stormed the stage and smacked Rock in the face after Rock made a "GI Jane 2" crack about Jada Pinkett Smith (Pinkett Smith has alopecia and has been very honest and open about her struggles with the condition, and looked ever-so-slightly pissed off at Rock's remark). On Sky Cinema, the censors weren't quick enough to catch either of Smith's f-bombs, or Rock's dazed "Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me". Initially, I wasn't sure whether it was a bit, but it soon became clear that it wasn't. Smith's tearful speech as he returned to the stage to claim the Best Actor Oscar featured an apology, but to the Academy and fellow nominees. 

Onto the awards themselves.

Six out of six for the first time in a long time. Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur, and Jessica Chastain all gave very emotional acceptance speeches, all touching on themes of acceptance and finding your place in the world. I was also pleased that "No Time To Die" won Best Original Song, and I was chuffed that Kenneth Branagh- who has been nominated in seven different categories- won his first Oscar, for the screenplay of Belfast. I was also over the moon that CODA won Best Picture. It was a real feel-good end to a rocky show.  

This Oscars featured a number of firsts: we saw the first openly queer woman of colour (Ariana DeBose) win an acting award; the first Deaf actor (Troy Kotsur) win an acting award; this is the first time consecutive Best Director Oscars have been won by female directors (Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion), and it's the first time a film distributed on a streaming platform (CODA, via Apple TV+) has won Best Picture.

Unsurprisingly, Dune was the biggest winner of the evening, taking home six awards (four of which were won before the telecast started). CODA won three Oscars, winning each category it was nominated in, as did The Eyes Of Tammy Faye which won in both its categories. 

Despite multiple nominations, Don't Look Up, Nightmare Alley, Being The Ricardos, Flee, Licorice Pizza, The Lost Daughter and The Tragedy Of Macbeth all went away empty-handed. 

Below is the full list of winners at the 94th Academy Awards (the eight categories marked with the asterisks were given out ahead of time):

Best Motion Picture of the Year: CODA

Best Actor: Will Smith (King Richard)

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Siân Heder (CODA)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Encanto

Best International Feature Film of the Year: Drive My Car

Best Cinematography: Dune

* Best Film Editing: Dune

* Best Production Design: Dune

Best Costume Design: Cruella

* Best Makeup and Hairstyling: The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

* Best Original Score: Dune

Best Original Song: "No Time To Die" (No Time To Die)

* Best Sound: Dune

Best Visual Effects: Dune

Best Documentary (Feature): Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

* Best Documentary (Short Subject): The Queen Of Basketball

* Best Animated Short Film: The Windshield Wiper

* Best Live Action Short Film: The Long Goodbye

Congratulations to all winners!

Well, that is awards season done and dusted for another year. Thank you for coming with me on this journey. Tonight certainly hasn't been boring, that's for sure.

Until next time.

Awards Season 2022: Directors' Guild Awards (DGA) Winners, BAFTA Film Awards Winners, and Critics Choice Awards Winners

 

Amazing, isn't it? You wait a week for some awards news and then- like buses- three lots turn up at once! Our awards cup metaphorically (and potentially physically) runneth over...

Yep, lots of awards goodness for y'all today, so let's jump in!

DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS

On Saturday (12th March), the Directors' Guild Awards (DGA) were handed out. The film winners are:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Films: Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries: Barry Jenkins (The Underground Railroad)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary: Stanley Nelson (Attica)

Campion becomes the third female director to win the DGA, and is surely odds-on favourite to win the Oscar. [Spoiler alert: this isn't Campion's first Best Director win of the weekend.] This year also marks the first time that female directors have won both the Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film awards. 

BAFTA FILM AWARDS

Yesterday evening (13th March 2022), at the Royal Albert Hall, the 75th British Academy Film Awards were given out in a star-studded ceremony, hosted for the first time by Rebel Wilson. 

Lady Gaga, Salma Hayek, Stephen Graham, Troy Kotsur, Ariana DeBose, Joanna Scanlan, Caitriona Balfe, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Rachel Zegler, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lashana Lynch, Tom Hiddleston, and Kodi Smith-McPhee were among some of the stars in attendance to celebrate the best in film in a very different ceremony to the two-day, socially-distanced, and Zoom-heavy event held in 2021.

Here's a full list of BAFTA winners.

Best Film: The Power of the Dog

Outstanding British Film: Belfast

Leading Actor: Will Smith (King Richard)

Leading Actress: Joanna Scanlan (After Love)

Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Director: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza

Adapted Screenplay: CODA

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer: Jeymes Samuel (writer/director) (The Harder They Fall) 

Animated Film: Encanto

Documentary: Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Film Not In The English Language: Drive My Car

Cinematography: Dune

Costume Design: Cruella

Editing: No Time To Die

Make Up And Hair: The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

Original Music: Dune

Production Design: Dune

Sound: Dune

Special Visual Effects: Dune

Casting: West Side Story

Short Animation: Do Not Feed The Pigeons

Short Film: The Black Cop

Rising Star: Lashana Lynch

Dune was the big winner of the night, taking home five Baftas. West Side Story, CODA, and The Power Of The Dog all took home two apiece. 

Despite multiple nominations, there was no love for Passing, House Of Gucci, Don't Look Up, Cyrano, or The French Dispatch. 

A couple of surprises in the BAFTA results: one bloody lovely one with Joanna Scanlan taking home Best Actress (and, yes, whilst the BAFTAs do tend to skew towards British talent, it's still a remarkable achievement). By that same token, I was surprised that Will Smith won Best Actor, as I was expecting it to go to Benedict Cumberbatch. Dune's dominance in the craft awards wasn't so much of a surprise, and it's something I would think will carry through to the Oscars. 

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

Also yesterday (13th March 2022), the 27th Critics Choice Awards were handed out. Taye Diggs returned for a fourth consecutive time as host, joined by Nicole Byer (Nailed It!, Brooklyn Nine-Nine). 

These were originally due to be given out at the start of January but the ceremony was delayed due to COVID-related concerns. It just so happened that the new date coincided with the BAFTAs. Awkward...

Here are a full list of the Critics' Choice Awards movie winners: 

Best Picture: The Power Of The Dog

Best Actor: Will Smith (King Richard)

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Best Acting Ensemble: Belfast

Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Best Original Screenplay: Belfast

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Power Of The Dog

Best Comedy: Licorice Pizza

Best Foreign Language Film: Drive My Car

Best Animated Feature: The Mitchells Vs. The Machines

Best Score: Dune

Best Song: "No Time To Die" (No Time To Die)

Best Production Design: Dune

Best Editing: West Side Story

Best Costume Design: Cruella

Best Hair & Makeup: The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

Best Visual Effects: Dune

Best Cinematography: The Power Of The Dog

Best Young Actor/Actress: Jude Hill (Belfast)

The Power Of The Dog was the big winner, with four awards. Belfast and Dune have three apiece. 

So where does all of this leave the Oscars race? Honestly, anything can happen and it's not a done deal until you hear "And the Oscar goes to..." (although even then it's not always guaranteed; hi, La La Land). That said, I would say Will Smith, Troy Kotsur, Ariana DeBose, and Jane Campion wouldn't be overly presumptuous to clear some space on the mantelpiece for a certain statuette. The big variable is Best Actress; unlike the other acting categories, there hasn't been a runaway winner (although Chastain's win here, coupled with the SAG Award, potentially boosts her chances). As it stands, I've only seen two of the five Best Actress nominees so I can't really judge at the moment. Definitely have a bit of catching up to do...

Congratulations to all winners!

We are getting to the sharp end of the 2022 awards season, with just two weeks until the 94th Academy Awards. But before we get there, next weekend (19th/20th March) will see the other major guilds- the Producers' Guild and the Writers' Guild- announce the winners of their respective awards. 

You can rest assured the update about those will be a damn sight shorter than this one!

Awards Season 2022: Academy Award Nominations

As announced earlier this afternoon, here are some of the official nominations for the 94th Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE

Belfast

CODA

Don't Look Up

Drive My Car

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Nightmare Alley

The Power Of The Dog

West Side Story

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) 

Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem (Being The Ricardos)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power Of The Dog)

Andrew Garfield (tick, tick... Boom!)

Will Smith (King Richard)

Denzel Washington (The Tragedy Of Macbeth)

BEST ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)

Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers)

Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos)

Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)

Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog)

J.K. Simmons (Being The Ricardos)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Judi Dench (Belfast)

Kirsten Dunst (The Power Of The Dog)

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

A full list of nominees can be found here. 

So, if I've done my maths right, I make that 26/35 (74%). I've had better years, but it's still a decent showing. 

A couple of big surprises- notably the absence of Lady Gaga in Best Actress (with House Of Gucci only receiving one nod in total [in the Make-up and Hairstyling category, and thankfully ignoring Jared Leto's atrocious supporting turn]). I also wonder if now Kristen Stewart will be giving a shit about Oscar nominations- now she actually has one! I was holding off on watching Spencer because, based on the trailers, it felt like it was going to be a  case of a very good performance in a not-very-good film. I will report back. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see both Jesse Plemons and J.K. Simmons named in Best Supporting Actor, and am also chuffed to see Jessie Buckley get her nod for The Lost Daughter. I'm surprised that it's Judi Dench who's been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, as it's been Caitriona Balfe's name in contention right up til now. 

For those stat nerds amongst you, the 2021 version of West Side Story received fewer overall Oscar nods than the 1961 original (with seven v. 11), but the 2021 version of Dune has considerably more than its 1984 predecessor (10 v. a solitary Best Sound nod). 

The Power Of The Dog leads the pack with 12 nominations, with Dune in second place with 10. 

Congratulations to all nominees!

The 94th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday 27th March 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. 

For the first time since 2018, the Oscars will have a host, who has yet to be announced. I've heard a rumour that Steve Martin might be back with his Only Murders In The Building co-stars Martin Short and Selena Gomez. That would be an interesting take.  

You'll be pleased to know there's a good fortnight before there's any more awards nonsense; our next stop will be the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards which will be given out on Tuesday February 22nd.

Awards Season 2022: Tez's Official Academy Award Nomination Predictions

Tomorrow morning, the nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced. This year, they will be announced by Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish, Girlfriends) and Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, American Horror Story)

Since 2003, I have tried to predict who will be nominated in several of the major categories (Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting awards). It's a sobering thought that I've been at this for nearly two decades. 

Below is my list of who I think will be named tomorrow.

As of this year, the Academy have committed to there being 10 Best Picture nominees. 

BEST PICTURE

Being The Ricardos

Belfast

CODA

Don't Look Up

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

The Power Of The Dog

tick, tick... Boom!

West Side Story

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem (Being The Ricardos)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power Of The Dog)

Andrew Garfield (tick, tick... Boom!)

Will Smith (King Richard)

Denzel Washington (The Tragedy Of Macbeth)

BEST ACTRESS 

Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)

Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

Lady Gaga (House Of Gucci)

Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza)

Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar)

Jamie Dornan (Belfast)

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)

Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Caitriona Balfe (Belfast)

Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Kirsten Dunst (The Power Of The Dog)

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Ruth Negga (Passing)

As we now have 10 Best Picture nominees (in addition to the 20 for acting and 5 for directing), I will be happy with any score over 20. Last year, it was 29/33 (88%). 

With Best Picture, I struggled to get 10 nominees (basically padding the list with a couple of entries). We might see Nightmare Alley or House Of Gucci sneak in in place of possibly Being The Ricardos and/or tick, tick... Boom! but I'm fairly confident of at least 7 of the names on there. 

I decided to go with the DGA nominees, although a surprise left-field nomination for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) could be possible, or Maggie Gyllenhaal receiving a nod for The Lost Daughter. 

I feel confident in 4 of the 5 Best Actor nods, although Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), or Peter Dinklage (Cyrano) could well take Bardem's place. Similarly, with Best Actress, there's a strong core- Chastain, Colman, Kidman, Gaga- and, whilst I've gone for Alana Haim, it wouldn't be a massive surprise to see either Jennifer Hudson (Respect) or Kristen Stewart (Spencer) in that place.

For me, Best Supporting Actor is the category that's potentially the most open; I feel that Hinds, Kotsur, and Smit-McPhee are locked in, but there's two other slots which have had a variety of different names attached. 

Sadly one of those names is Jared Leto for House Of Gucci which, frankly, is mind-boggling; it's easily one of the worst performances I've seen on film in the last decade, deserving of as much scorn and derision as the Razzies have mustered, rather than Academy consideration.  

Bradley Cooper could sneak in for his turn as Barbra Streisand's boyfriend in Licorice Pizza, or (and I'd be delighted if this did happen) J.K. Simmons gets another nod, for playing William Frawley (the actor who played Fred in I Love Lucy) in Being The Ricardos. 

As for Best Supporting Actress? Potentially you could see Ann Dowd (Mass) or Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), but I feel it's unlikely. 

The nominations will be announced tomorrow afternoon (around 1:20pm GMT) - there'll be a post up as soon as I can afterwards with the official nominations.

Awards Season 2022: BAFTA Film Awards Nominations

The nominations for the 75th British Academy (BAFTA) Film Awards were announced this afternoon, by Tom Allen (Bake Off: The Professionals, Live At The Apollo) and A.J. Odudu (Big Brother's Bit On The Side, Strictly Come Dancing) at the organisation's newly redeveloped London headquarters, BAFTA195 Piccadilly.

Like last year's announcement, this year's took place at a much more agreeable time of 12:10pm. After a couple of technical issues, and a lot of cringy "banter", nominees in several major categories were announced. 

Here's a selection of the nominees:

BEST FILM

Belfast

Don't Look Up

Dune

Licorice Pizza

The Power of the Dog

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

After Love

Ali & Ava

Belfast

Boiling Point

Cyrano

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

House of Gucci

Last Night in Soho

No Time To Die

Passing

LEADING ACTOR

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava)

Mahershala Ali (Swan Song)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up)

Stephen Graham (Boiling Point)

Will Smith (King Richard)

LEADING ACTRESS 

Lady Gaga (House of Gucci)

Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza)

Emilia Jones (CODA)

Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World)

Joanna Scanlan (After Love)

Tessa Thompson (Passing)

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mike Faist (West Side Story)

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)

Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Woody Norman (C’mon C’mon)

Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Caitríona Balfe (Belfast)

Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Ann Dowd (Mass)

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Ruth Negga (Passing)

DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

Audrey Diwan (Happening)

Julia Ducournau (Titane)

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)

Aleem Khan (After Love)

A full list of nominees in all categories can be found here.

As they did last year, BAFTA had previously announced longlists for all categories, so you can see what was in contention for nominations here. 

Dune leads the field with 11 nominations across all categories, with The Power Of The Dog in second with 8.

Some interesting omissions- notably Olivia Colman, Andrew Garfield and Kirsten Dunst in the acting categories, and Kenneth Branagh in Best Director- although I don't think this will affect their Oscar chances too greatly. I was happy to see Aaron Sorkin's script for Being The Ricardos recognised in the Best Original Screenplay category, and Everybody's Talking About Jamie in Outstanding British Film. 

The nominees for the 2022 Rising Star award - the only BAFTA awarded by public vote- have also been announced: this year's nominees are Ariana DeBose, Harris Dickinson, Lashana Lynch, Millicent Simmonds, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Find out more about them, and cast your vote here.

The 75th BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out on Sunday 13th March 2022 in an in-person ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, with Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect, Bridesmaids) taking hosting duties. 

[Somewhat awkwardly, this is also the date that the rescheduled Critics Choice Awards will also take place.]

Congratulations to all nominees!

We are getting to the sharp end of the awards nominations now, with the Razzies due to announce theirs on Monday (7th February) and the Oscars on Tuesday (8th February).

I'll be making my Oscar nomination predictions as usual; expect them at some point on Monday. 

Awards Season 2022: Producers Guild Awards (PGA), Directors Guild Awards (DGA) and Writers Guild Awards (WGA) Nominations

 

Typical, isn't it? You wait for some awards season news, and then three come along at the same time. Today [Thursday 27th January 2022] saw the three major Guilds- the Producers Guild (PGA), Directors Guild (DGA), and Writers Guild (WGA)- announce their award nominations for this year. 

So here we go...

* * *

PRODUCERS GUILD AWARD (PGA)

Here are the nominations for the 33rd Producers Guild of America Awards

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

Being The Ricardos

Belfast

CODA

Don't Look Up

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

The Power Of The Dog

tick, tick...Boom!

West Side Story

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Encanto

Luca

The Mitchells Vs The Machines

Raya And The Last Dragon

Sing 2

Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures 

(previously announced)

Ascension

The First Wave

Flee

In The Same Breath

The Rescue

Simple As Water

Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Writing With Fire

The PGAs will be given out on Saturday 19th March (moved from their original date of Saturday 26th February). 

* * *

DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS (DGA)

Here are today's DGA Awards nominations:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film

Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)

Rebecca Hall (Passing)

Tatiana Huezo (Prayers For The Stolen)

Lin-Manuel Miranda (tick, tick...Boom!)

Michael Sarnoski (Pig)

Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby)

The winners will be announced at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday March 12th.

* * *

WRITERS GUILD AWARDS (WGA)

And finally, here are the nominees for this year's Writers' Guild Awards (WGA).

Long-time readers of the awards season nonsense on here will know that the screenplay categories are not ones that I try and guess nominees (or winners) for, but as a writer, I'm interested to see what's got the nod.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Being The Ricardos

Don't Look Up

The French Dispatch

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA

Dune

Nightmare Alley

tick, tick... Boom!

West Side Story

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Being Cousteau

Exposing Muybridge

Like A Rolling Stone: The Life And Times Of Ben Fong-Torres

Due to how the Writers Guild of America works (where non-members are not permitted to be nominated for a WGA Award), there are several major films that were ineligible (but will be eligible for the Oscars): these include The Power Of The Dog, Belfast, Cyrano, The Lost Daughter, Parallel Mothers, Passing, and A Hero.

The Writers' Guild Awards will be handed out on Sunday 20th March.

Congratulations to all nominees!

Our next awards announcement is a week away, when the BAFTA Film Awards nominations are announced on Thursday February 3rd.

Awards Season 2022: Golden Globes Winners

Last night (Sunday 9th January 2022), the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced the winners of the 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards, for both television and film.

There was no traditional ceremony, no red carpet, no telecast, and no media. The winners were released via Twitter and a press release afterwards. The show itself focused on the HPFA's philanthropy. As one unnamed commentator said, "This was essentially the most expensive Instagram production ever."

Here is the full list of film winners.

Best Motion Picture (Drama): The Power Of The Dog

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy): West Side Story

Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Best Actor (Drama): Will Smith (King Richard)

Best Actor (Comedy or Musical): Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… Boom!)

Best Actress (Drama): Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos)

Best Actress (Comedy or Musical): Rachel Zegler (West Side Story)

Best Supporting Actor: Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog)

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Best Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer (Dune)

Best Original Song: "No Time To Die" (No Time To Die)

Best Foreign Language Film: Drive My Car

Best Animated Feature Film: Encanto

The Power Of The Dog and West Side Story were the big winners of the evening, with three Globes apiece. 

Yesterday should also have been the 27th Critics Choice Awards ceremony, but - in a statement released just before Christmas- a decision was made to postpone the ceremony, given the current public health crisis (something that has also seen the Grammys and the Sundance Film Festival cancel in-person events). A new date is still to be announced. 

Congratulations to all winners!

Next up with awards season is the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations, which will be revealed on Wednesday (12th January)

Awards Season 2022: Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, and Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations

 

Well, this was a surprise. Awards season 2022 has properly snuck up on me. I didn't even have a chance to do my usual "For Your Consideration" post. Ah well, no matter. What's important is that we're here. 

Over the last two days, we've had three sets of awards nominations. So here we go!

GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS

Yesterday (Monday 13th December 2021) saw the announcement of the nominees for the 79th Golden Globe Awards, awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). HFPA president Helen Hoehne and Snoop Dogg announced the nominees. 

As longtime readers of the blog will be aware, the HFPA split their awards, giving certain categories for both Drama and Musical or Comedy, rather than just going for the out-and-out drama as most awards tend to do.

Below is a selection of the film nominees: 

Best Picture - Drama

Belfast

CODA

Dune

King Richard

The Power Of The Dog

Best Picture - Musical or Comedy

Cyrano

Don't Look Up

Licorice Pizza

tick, tick… Boom!

West Side Story

Best Director

Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)

Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

Best Actor - Drama

Mahershala Ali (Swan Song)

Javier Bardem (Being The Ricardos)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power Of The Dog)

Will Smith (King Richard)

Denzel Washington (The Tragedy Of Macbeth)

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up)

Peter Dinklage (Cyrano)

Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… Boom!)

Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza)

Anthony Ramos (In The Heights)

Best Actress - Drama

Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)

Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos)

Lady Gaga (House Of Gucci)

Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

Marion Cotillard (Annette)

Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza)

Jennifer Lawrence (Don't Look Up)

Emma Stone (Cruella)

Rachel Zegler (West Side Story)

Best Supporting Actor

Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar)

Jamie Dornan (Belfast)

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)

Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog)

Best Supporting Actress

Caitriona Balfe (Belfast)

Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Kirsten Dunst (The Power Of The Dog)

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Ruth Negga (Passing)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

The Power Of The Dog leads the pack with seven nods, whilst Belfast is one behind on six. King Richard, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza, and West Side Story have four apiece. 

It has been something of a torrid year for the HFPA, with reports of its lack of membership diversity and issues over transparency (amongst others) leading to various boycotts and NBC announcing they would not broadcast the 2021 Golden Globes. It was telling that many TV stations didn't send a camera crew to the announcement, although it was available to be streamed online (and there's still the matter of COVID to deal with). Nonetheless, the HFPA will still hand the Golden Globes out on Sunday 9th January 2022. But they won't be the only awards body to do so...

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CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS

As if the Golden Globes weren't excitement enough, yesterday also saw the announcement of the movie nominations for the 27th Annual Critics' Choice Awards.

Here are a selection of their nominees:

Best Picture

Belfast

CODA

Don't Look Up

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Nightmare Alley

The Power Of The Dog

tick, tick… Boom!

West Side Story

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)

Guillermo del Toro (Nightmare Alley)

Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

Best Actor

Nicolas Cage (Pig)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power Of The Dog)

Peter Dinklage (Cyrano)

Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… Boom!)

Will Smith (King Richard)

Denzel Washington (The Tragedy Of Macbeth)

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)

Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza)

Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos)

Lady Gaga (House Of Gucci)

Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

Best Supporting Actor

Jamie Dornan (Belfast)

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)

Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Jared Leto (House Of Gucci)

J.K. Simmons (Being The Ricardos)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog)

Best Supporting Actress

Caitriona Balfe (Belfast)

Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Ann Dowd (Mass)

Kirsten Dunst (The Power Of The Dog)

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Rita Moreno (West Side Story)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

Belfast and West Side Story both have 11 nominations, whilst The Power Of The Dog and Dune have 10 apiece.

On a personal note, I'm over the moon to see Rita Moreno get a nod for her role in the new version of West Side Story (she plays Valentina, the owner of the drugstore that Tony works at). Here's hoping she gets an Oscar nod as well. 

The 27th Critics' Choice Awards will be handed out on Sunday 9th January 2022, in a ceremony co-hosted by Taye Diggs (returning to hosting duties for the fourth time) and Nicole Byer. The Critics' Choice Awards will be broadcast on The CW and TBS. 

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FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS

If yesterday's double whammy wasn't enough awards news, today (Tuesday 14th December) saw the announcement of the nominees for the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards, announced by Beanie Feldstein, Regina Hall, and Naomi Watts. Truly our cup runneth over. 

As you're probably aware by now, these awards recognise films made wholly or partly outside the traditional studio system. The budget for eligible films is $22.5 million (meaning films like The Power Of The Dog, Don't Look Up, tick, tick... Boom!, Belfast, and The Harder They Fall would be ineligible for Independent Spirit consideration). 

Below is a selection of nominations:

Best Feature

A Chiara

C'mon C'mon

The Lost Daughter

The Novice

Zola

Best Director

Janicza Bravo (Zola)

Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)

Lauren Hadaway (The Novice)

Mike Mills (C'mon C'mon)

Ninja Thyberg (Pleasure)

Best Male Lead

Clifton Collins, Jr. (Jockey)

Frankie Faison (The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain)

Michael Greyeyes (Wild Indian)

Udo Kier (Swan Song)

Simon Rex (Red Rocket)

Best Female Lead

Isabelle Fuhrman (The Novice)

Brittany S. Hall (Test Pattern)

Patti Harrison (Together Together)

Taylour Paige (Zola)

Taylor Reece (Catch The Fair One)

Best Supporting Male

Colman Domingo (Zola)

Meeko Gattuso (Queen Of Glory)

Troy Kotsur (CODA)

Will Patton (Sweet Thing)

Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian)

Best Supporting Female

Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

Amy Forsyth (The Novice)

Ruth Negga (Passing)

Revika Anne Reustle (Pleasure)

Suzanna Son (Red Rocket)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

Zola leads the nominations with seven, The Novice has five, whilst The Lost Daughter and Wild Indian each have four. 

Also, for anyone who cares, the Swan Song that Udo Kier has received a Best Actor nod for is not the same as the Swan Song that Mahershala Ali got a Golden Globe Best Actor nom for- Kier plays an ageing hairdresser who escapes his nursing home to do a former client's hair one last time, whilst Ali plays a terminally ill man who clones himself in order to save his wife and son from grief (he also plays the clone). 

Changing things up a little, the Film Independent Spirit Awards will be given out in a ceremony on the Santa Monica beachfront on Saturday 6th March 2022.  

Congratulations to all nominees!

So, we are off again on the awards trail. Luckily the next stop isn't until January (when the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards will be handed out).