Awards Season 2023: Razzies Winners

So, it's Oscars Eve. The great and good of Hollywood will be primping, preening, and preparing for one of the biggest nights of the year. It's also the day that the Golden Raspberry (Razzie) Awards get handed out, dishonouring the cinematic crapulence of the previous year.  

So here are this year's "winners":

Worst Picture: Blonde

Worst Director: Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun (Good Mourning)

Worst Actor: Jared Leto (Morbius)

Worst Actress: The Golden Raspberry Awards

Worst Supporting Actor: Tom Hanks (Elvis)

Worst Supporting Actress: Adria Arjona (Morbius)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Disney's Pinocchio

Worst Screen Combo: Tom Hanks and his latex-laden face (and ludicrous accent) (Elvis)

Worst Screenplay: Blonde

Razzie Redeemer: Colin Farrell

You may be wondering "Awards Guru Tez, why are the Golden Raspberry Awards the 'winners' of the Worst Actress award?" Well, gather round, my award fans, and I'll tell ye a tale...

When the nominations were announced on 22nd January, Ryan Kiera Armstrong was included in the Worst Actress category for her performance as Charlie in the 2022 remake of Firestarter; she is 12 years old. 

A little history lesson: the Razzies have previous in nominating child actors: at the 3rd Razzie Awards (1983), they gave the Worst Supporting Actress award to 11-year old Aileen Quinn for her performance in Annie. Other minors who have been nominated include:

• Gary Coleman (Worst Actor for On The Right Track [1981], when he was 13);
• Jake Lloyd (Worst Supporting Actor for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace [1999] when he was 10)
• Macaulay Culkin (a Worst Actor nominee for three films- Getting Even With Dad [1994], The Pagemaster [1994], and Ri¢hie Ri¢h [1994]- all when he was 14); and 
• Olivia d'Abo (nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for her roles in Conan The Destroyer [1984] and Bolero [1984]- in which she appears nude- when she was 15). 

Unsurprisingly (and rightly so), the backlash was quick and fierce. Razzies co-founder John J.B. Wilson made a statement that said "The intent was to be funny. In this particular instance, we seem to have misstepped very badly." No shit, Sherlock. 

Armstrong was subsequently removed from the ballot, and the organisation will no longer allow actors under the age of 18 to be nominated in any category. And, as something of a public mea culpa, the Razzies have given themselves this award. 

Other nominees for the Razzie Redeemer this year- which is given to a former Razzie nominee or winner who has come back from critical and/or commercial failure-  were Val Kilmer (going from The Island Of Dr. Moreau to the subject of acclaimed documentary Val) and Mark Wahlberg (from three-time Worst Actor nominee to biopic Father Stu). 

Blonde, Elvis, and Morbius each won two Razzies apiece. Elvis has the dubious distinction of winning in each category it was nominated for. 

Congratulations to all "winners"!

So, that just leaves the big one: the 95th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon. 

Awards Season 2022: Razzies Nominations

What's that I smell in the air? Could it possibly be the whiff of cinematic feculence? 

Ah yes, it's that time of year again when the Golden Raspberries seek to dishonour the worst films of the previous year. 

So here are the full nominations for the 42nd Annual Razzie Awards:

WORST PICTURE

Diana The Musical

Infinite

Karen

Space Jam: A New Legacy

The Woman In The Window

WORST ACTRESS

Amy Adams (The Woman In The Window)

Jeanna de Waal (Diana The Musical)

Megan Fox (Midnight In The Switchgrass)

Taryn Manning (Karen)

Ruby Rose (Vanquish)

WORST ACTOR

Scott Eastwood (Dangerous)

Roe Hartrampf (Diana The Musical)

LeBron James (Space Jam: A New Legacy)

Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen)

Mark Wahlberg (Infinite)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ben Affleck (The Last Duel)

Nick Cannon (The Misfits)

Mel Gibson (Dangerous)

Gareth Keegan (Diana The Musical)

Jared Leto (House Of Gucci)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams (Dear Evan Hansen)

Sophie Cookson (Infinite)

Erin Davie (Diana The Musical)

Judy Kaye (Diana The Musical)

Taryn Manning (Every Last One Of Them)

WORST SCREEN COUPLE

Any Klutzy Cast Member & Any Lamely Lyricized (or choreographed) Musical Number (Diana the Musical)

LeBron James & Any Warner Cartoon Character (or Time-Warner product) He Dribbles on (Space Jam: A New Legacy)

Jared Leto & Either His 17-Pound Latex Face, His Geeky Clothes or His Ridiculous Accent (House of Gucci)

Ben Platt & Any Other Character Who Acts Like Platt Singing 24-7 is Normal (Dear Evan Hansen)

Tom & Jerry (Tom & Jerry: The Movie)

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL

Karen

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Tom & Jerry: The Movie

Twist

The Woman In The Window

WORST DIRECTOR

Christopher Ashley (Diana The Musical)

Stephen Chbosky (Dear Evan Hansen)

Coke Daniels (Karen)

Renny Harlin (The Misfits)

Joe Wright (The Woman In The Window)

WORST SCREENPLAY

Diana The Musical

Karen

The Misfits

Twist

The Woman In The Window

WORST PERFORMANCE BY BRUCE WILLIS IN A 2021 MOVIE

American Siege

Apex

Cosmic Sin

Deadlock

Fortress

Midnight In The Switchgrass

Out Of Death

Survive The Game

With a staggering nine nominations, Diana The Musical leads the pack with nine. Tone-deaf "thriller" Karen (about a hysterical racist white woman who terrorises her new Black neighbours) and Rear Window rip-off The Woman In The Window tie for second place with five apiece. 

Frankly, if any performance did belong on this list, it's Jared Leto. Whilst the whole of House Of Gucci is slightly "heightened", his performance comes from the Joe Dolce School of Acting and feels like it belongs in an entirely different film. It's jarring, annoying, and I genuinely don't understand why Ridley Scott didn't rein him in. 

There's also a very real possibility- although I really hope not- that we might be looking at Leto getting a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod tomorrow (which will echo Glenn Close last year for her turn in Hillbilly Elegy).

A slightly dodgy claim to fame here: Infinite, which gets three nods, was partially filmed in Cardiff (with a section of Newport Road [a main road in the city centre] closed for several days in October 2019).  I have been meaning to check the film out, just for that scene, but I mightn't bother now...

Also, considering lockdowns and everything that went on, part of me is slightly impressed that Bruce Willis featured in enough cinematic crap to get his own category. 

As is tradition, the Razzies will be handed out the day before the Oscars, meaning that we'll see which of these stinkers walks away with the prizes on Saturday 26th March 2021. 

As is also tradition, I'll be posting my predictions for the main six categories for the 94th Academy Awards a little later today, ahead of the announcement tomorrow afternoon.

Awards Season 2017: Razzies Nominations

As is now traditional (the day before the Oscar nominations), this year's Golden Raspberry Awards nominations have been announced. Ever since 1981, the Razzies dishonour the very worst of film in the preceding 12 months and, by the old Gods and the new, there was a lot of subpar crap to hit the cinema screens in 2016. 

So much so, there's been a change to the Razzies' usual format. As the press release for the Razzies nominations states 'The crop of cinematic crap in 2016 was so extensive that this year's 37th Annual Razzie® Awards is expanding from 5 nominees to an unprecedented 6 contenders in each of its 9 Worst Achievement in Film categories.'

Yep, last year was that bad, they've had to expand the number of nominees. 

So here is the full list of nominations:

WORST PICTURE 

   Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice  

   Dirty Grandpa 

   Gods of Egypt 

   Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party 

   Independence Day: Resurgence  

   Zoolander No. 2 

WORST ACTOR  

   Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)   

   Gerard Butler (Gods of Egypt, London Has Fallen) 

   Henry Cavill (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)   

   Robert  de Niro (Dirty Grandpa)

   Dinesh D'Souza [as Himself] (Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party) 

   Ben Stiller (Zoolander No. 2) 

WORST ACTRESS  

   Megan Fox (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) 

   Tyler Perry (BOO! A Medea Halloween)

   Julia Roberts (Mother's Day)  

   Becky Turner [as Hillary Clinton]  (Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party) 

   Naomi Watts (Divergent Series: Allegiant, Shut-In) 

   Shailene Woodley (Divergent Series: Allegiant)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS   

   Julianne Hough (Dirty Grandpa)  

   Kate Hudson (Mother's Day)  

   Aubrey Plaza (Dirty Grandpa)  

   Jane Seymour (Fifty Shades of Black) 

   Sela Ward (Independence Day: Resurgence)  

   Kristen Wiig (Zoolander No. 2) 

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR 

   Nicolas Cage (Snowden)  

   Johnny Depp (Alice Through the Looking Glass) 

   Will Ferrell (Zoolander No. 2)

   Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)   

   Jared Leto (Suicide Squad)  

   Owen Wilson (Zoolander No. 2) 

WORST SCREEN COMBO 

   Ben Affleck & Henry Cavill (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)  

   Any 2 Egyptian Gods or Mortals (Gods of Egypt) 

   Johnny Depp & His Vomitously Vibrant Costume (Alice Through the Looking Glass) 

   The Entire Cast of Once Respected Actors (Collateral Beauty)  

   Tyler Perry & That Same Old Worn Out Wig (BOO! A Medea Halloween)

   Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson (Zoolander No. 2)  

WORST DIRECTOR  

   Dinesh D'Souza & Bruce Schooley (Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party) 

   Roland Emmerich (Independence Day: Resurgence) 

   Tyler Perry (BOO! A Medea Halloween)

   Alex Proyas (Gods of Egypt)  

   Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)   

   Ben Stiller (Zoolander  No. 2) 

WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF  or SEQUEL  

   Alice Through the Looking Glass 

   Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Dawn of Justice   

   Fifty Shades of Black 

   Independence Day: Resurgence 

   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows 

   Zoolander No. 2 

WORST SCREENPLAY  

   Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice    

   Dirty Grandpa  

   Gods of Egypt  

   Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party 

   Independence Day: Resurgence  

   Suicide Squad

Zoolander No. 2 gets the most nods with 9, with Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice behind on 8. I was expecting to see Ghostbusters plastered all over this, but not a single nomination.   

There's no details as yet for the Razzie Redeemer Award- maybe 2016 was such a bad year there's nobody worth nominating? Who knows? If these details do come through, I'll update the post accordingly.

So that just leaves tomorrow's announcement of the nominees for the 89th Academy Awards. So it's time for me to get off the fence, decide on who I think will be nominated and share it with you fine people.

Review: Suicide Squad (UK Cert 15)

SPOILER WARNING! This review discusses and/or mentions a few important plot points. If you would prefer not to have these spoiled, please stop reading now and come back once you've seen the film.

Set after the events of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Suicide Squad tells the tale of Task Force X- a clandestine group of the worst of the worst- brought together to combat any further metahuman attacks. These include sharpshooting sniper Deadshot (Will Smith), Australian criminal Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), the deformed Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Latino firestarter El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), ancient witch Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) and the unhinged Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). However, when a member of their own team turns against them, the squad is forced into action to save Midway City from destruction.

First off, let me say this: I enjoyed Suicide Squad more than I enjoyed Batman V Superman. Suicide Squad has several moments of levity and humour which were sorely lacking from the previous film. The camerawork has improved as well- not so much reliance on kinetic shakycam which is always a plus in my books- and there are a lot of decent performances. That said, there's still a lot that I disliked about the film.

My main gripe? An over-reliance on 'tell, don't show'- a cardinal error in any form of screenwriting- and far too many characters. A lot of characters get stiffed as far as characterisation goes (for instance, the character Slipknot is introduced only to be killed off a few minutes later). We are told about Katana's soul-sucking sword but don't really get to see it in action. We are told about the relationship between Harley and the Joker but only get to see snippets. Aside from one bit at the end where he swims beneath a flooded chamber, Killer Croc has very little to do (and that bit could have been reworked to accommodate a different character). Fewer characters would have meant a bit more time fleshing out the ones we're supposed to care about and empathise with.

The acting is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some superb performances and some pretty wooden ones. Several characters get lumbered with some pretty clunky dialogue, which it's difficult to make sound interesting or natural. The main victim of this is Joel Kinnaman. Rick Flag has a permascowl and major antagonism with Deadshot which tends to revolve around dialogue which goes 'I don't like you', 'Well, I don't like you' and... that's about it. You never once believe in his relationship with Dr. June Moone- Enchantress' alter ego and hands-down the worst archaeologist in the world- which is his primary motivation to be onboard with this crazy scheme (again, I think it doesn't work because it once again falls under 'tell, don't show'.)

Cara Delevingne is frankly miscast as Enchantress; she doesn't have the screen presence or the acting chops to pull off playing the main villain- all she has to do prior to the big showdown is spout some cod philosophy and gyrate on the spot. And whilst we are on the subject of villains, Jared Leto's Joker- who has featured very heavily in pre-release marketing and advertising- is maybe on screen for about 15 minutes, but that's more than enough as his mannered tics started to grate on me a little. Bizarrely, it felt like watching the Joker being played by Johnny Depp in a later Tim Burton movie. Leto's look is quite something- I can see cosplayers having a ball with it- but the substance is not quite there. Leto is reportedly upset with the amount of his material excised from the final cut and has distanced himself from the project somewhat.

But it's not all bad- Will Smith is at his wise-cracking best as Deadshot (it's probably his best performance in years) whilst Jay Hernandez gives a decent turn as a man desperate to keep his powers under control for fear of letting loose and hurting people again. However, my favourite performances come from Margot Robbie- who gets the lion's share of the laughs and is quirky without being annoying- and Viola Davis who is steely and strong as the Squad's boss Amanda Waller, a woman you disobey at your peril.

Stylistically, it's interesting- the introduction to the various members of the squad is done with some funky on-screen visuals. However, it falls foul of Batman V Superman syndrome in shooting the majority of the final scene in poor lighting, making it difficult to see what's going on. There's also some kind of shoddy CG work on the mindless bubble-headed creatures that Enchantress spawns towards the end. The Batman and Flash cameos work without being too intrusive and the mid-credits scene- between Bruce Wayne and Amanda Waller- hints at some interesting things to come. But, just as with Batman V Superman, it does feel as if DCEU are trying too hard to create an ongoing linked cinema franchise. A little more subtlety wouldn't go amiss.

One thing I do want to highlight is the use of music. There's an eclectic soundtrack ranging from 'Sympathy For The Devil' to Eminem's 'Without Me' with pitstops for Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid', The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' and a sadly pared down 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. It's frenetic and constantly chopping and changing but provides an interesting backdrop. But where was 'Ballroom Blitz'?

My gold standard for deciding how much I enjoyed a film is: do I want to see the film again in the cinema and do I want to own it on DVD? Sadly, when it comes to Suicide Squad, the answer is no. There's a lot I enjoyed about it but I don't see me coming back for repeated viewings.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Tez

Awards Season 2014: The 86th Annual Academy Awards

So, last night saw the 86th Annual Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. All in all, this year's Oscars telecast was full of heart, soul and a whole lot of fun.

A large part of that came from Ellen DeGeneres, taking hosting duties for the second time. No ill-advised boob songs this year, just a (seemingly) effortless charm and wit which had the audience engaged. There aren't many award ceremony hosts who would make a crack about ordering pizza for the crowd- and actually follow up on it. I loved her hosting the first time round (back in 2007); this time she seemed more at ease and there were some great one-liners (even if her crack about Liza Minnelli looking like a female impersonator was a little cutting). There's also the small matter of this epic selfie which crashed Twitter:

The theme of this year's ceremony was 'cinematic heroes' and there were several nice montages showing animated heroes, everyday heroes and superheroes. There was also a tribute to honour 75 years of The Wizard Of Oz with an absolutely knockout performance of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' by Pink (which was one of the highlights of the night for me). Pharrell Williams brought the place to its feet with his performance of 'Happy' from Despicable Me 2 whilst Idina Menzel (take note, Mr Travolta) absolutely killed it in her solo performance of 'Let It Go'.

Some of the guest presenters were absolutely great- I thought Robert de Niro was fantastic with the spiel about how bad it is to be a writer before the Adapted Screenplay award, Bill Murray was just fabulous when presenting the Best Cinematography award and gave a heartfelt tribute to the late Harold Ramis, and Glenn Close gave a very dignified and heartfelt introduction to the In Memoriam section- but a lot of the hosts seemed to have a bit of an issue with the autocue, and the least said about Jamie Foxx, the better.

So, on to the awards themselves:

I have to be honest, I was surprised to find myself 6 for 6 again this year- but I was absolutely overjoyed when Lupita Nyong'o won. Her acceptance speech was very moving and heartfelt and was just lovely, as was Jared Leto's (who could kick back and chill for the rest of the night as his was the first award announced). I did cringe a little bit during Matthew McConaughey's acceptance speech (it's a purely personal thing but I do find any mention of God to be a little but much) but I liked the sentiment behind a lot of the rest of it. Cate Blanchett's speech was erudite and strong, simultaneously recognising the whole awards season hoopla for the insubstantial nonsense that it actually is but also celebrating the art of cinema. However, I have to say I think my favourite acceptance speech came from Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez after their win for Best Original Song (the epic 'Let It Go' from Frozen). 

Gravity was the big winner of the evening, taking 7 of the 10 awards it was nominated for (including Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron). There were three awards apiece for 12 Years A Slave (including Best Picture) and Dallas Buyers Club and two each for The Great Gatsby and Frozen: interestingly, both films were only nominated for two Oscars (Gatsby for Production Design and Costume Design, and Frozen for Animated Film and Original Song) and won both! 

Despite 10 nominations, American Hustle came away with nothing. Similarly, nothing for Captain Phillips, Philomena, Nebraska or The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Below is the full list of winners at the 86th Annual Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year: 12 Years A Slave 

Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) 

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) 

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) 

Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years A Slave) 

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) 

Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze (Her)

Best Adapted Screenplay: John Ridley (12 Years A Slave) 

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Frozen 

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: The Great Beauty

Best Cinematography: Gravity 

Best Editing: Gravity 

Best Production Design: The Great Gatsby

Best Costume Design: The Great Gatsby

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Dallas Buyers Club 

Best Original Score: Gravity 

Best Original Song: 'Let It Go' (Frozen) 

Best Sound Mixing: Gravity 

Best Sound Editing: Gravity 

Best Visual Effects: Gravity 

Best Documentary (Feature): 20 Feet From Stardom

Best Documentary (Short Subject): The Lady In Number 6

Best Animated Short Film: Mr Hublot

Best Live Action Short Film: Helium


Congratulations to all winners!

Tez

Review: Dallas Buyers Club (UK Cert 15)

There was once a time when there'd have been a better chance of hell freezing over than seeing the words 'Matthew McConaughey' and 'Oscar nominee' in the same sentence. Performances in films like How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Failure To Launch, Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past and Sahara certainly didn't trouble the Academy. However, over the past three years, McConaughey has gone from dimwatt romantic lead to Serious Actor, giving strong performances in The Lincoln Lawyer, Killer Joe, Magic Mike, and Mud, culminating with a Golden Globe win and Oscar nomination for Dallas Buyers Club.

Set in the 1980s, Dallas Buyers Club is based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, a Texas man diagnosed with HIV and given thirty days to live by his doctors. Declaring that there's nothing that could kill him in that time, Woodroof looks for a way to prolong his life and finds drugs and treatments in Mexico which could help - the only problem is, they're not approved by the FDA and therefore cannot be sold legally in the US. But by using a loophole that allows personal use only, Woodroof starts to import the drugs and sets up the titular buyers club- where people pay a fee to join a club but then receive the drugs 'for free'. However, it's not long before the FDA come knocking... It's an intense and powerful drama with a refreshing lack of schmaltzy, saccharine sentiment underpinned by three bravura performances.

McConaughey's central performance as Woodroof is exceptional and he is truly deserving of all the plaudits that have come his way. Gaunt and hollow-eyed, McConaughey lost nearly three stone to show the character's physical deterioration (and that physical change was still evident when he filmed The Wolf Of Wall Street). Woodroof is an unlikely hero- a racist, homophobic redneck- but such is the intensity of McConaughey's performance, you can't help but root for the bloke (even if you don't like him all that much). The scene which reveals how he contracted HIV is nicely underplayed and quite elliptical, like much in the film. It's a truly remarkable and committed performance.

No less committed in his role is Jared Leto as Rayon, a transgender woman who Woodroof meets at the hospital and who helps out when Woodroof begins the buyers club. Their relationship is initially spiky but then falls into a kind of respect. This is his first film role in nearly five years, and Leto is just brilliant, a fragile yet ferocious performance, equally deserving of his awards plaudits. The other strong performance is from Jennifer Garner who plays Dr. Eve Saks, who helps to treat Woodroof in his initial diagnosis. There's a great spark between Garner and McConaughey but the film neatly eschews a romantic storyline for something less cliched and much more emotionally affecting. Other great performances come from Griffin Dunne as Dr. Vass, Woodroof's contact in Mexico, Denis O'Hare as Eve's boss Dr. Sevard and Michael O'Neill as FDA officer Richard Barkley.

The film was shot in 25 days for around $5 million and was repeatedly turned down by Hollywood studios because of the subject matter. This is an important story and deserves to be told (although, like most films, there has been some dramatic license used). Much like other heavyweight dramas out at the moment, this is a film to admire if not exactly enjoy but is worth seeing for the tremendous central performances.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Tez