News From Comic-Con 2019

San Diego Comic-Con celebrated its 50th birthday this year, running from July 18-21 for four days of geeky goodness. Here's some highlights of this year's event.

MARVEL PHASE 4 - AND BEYOND?

Having missed out last year's Comic-Con, Marvel Studios made a triumphant return to Hall H on Saturday evening, as studio head Kevin Feige (along with some guest stars) detailed the forthcoming MCU movies and TV shows (for Disney+) which will be released over the next couple of years.

Some things that had been rumoured were confirmed, a few things were announced that sent fans into a frenzy, and a couple of things were teased which could be interesting down the line. They also shared the rather stunning news that Avengers: Endgame has become the top-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation, ending Avatar's decade-long reign.

So buckle up, here's the scoop on Phase 4 (or whatever the hell we're meant to be calling it now).

BLACK WIDOW
Directed by Cate Shortland
Release date: May 1, 2020

Scarlett Johansson was on hand to show the first footage from Black Widow (which is currently in production and has shot for 30 days so far). The teaser shows Johansson and Florence Pugh (who's playing Yelena Belova, a 'sister' to Natasha) knocking the hell out of each other, before ending with a shot of one of the film's major antagonists: Taskmaster. No word on who is under the mask, though.

It could potentially be David Harbour. The Hellboy and Stranger Things star is playing Alexi, part of the Soviet Union's Red Guardian project (think a Russian Captain America). Oscar winner Rachel Weisz will be playing Melina Vostokoff (aka Iron Maiden), a veteran of the Red Room training, whilst O.T. Fagbenle (The Handmaid's Tale) will be playing Natasha's fixer, Mason.

One thing that has been clarified is exactly WHEN this film takes place. Many thought that it might be a prequel/origin story, but it's since been announced that the action of the film takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. This'll fill in some of the gaps in Natasha's story as she went on the run after helping Captain America and Bucky escape. Plus part of the film takes place in Budapest. Wonder if we'll end up remembering Budapest very differently afterwards?

ETERNALS
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Release date: November 6, 2020

After months of speculation, leaks, rumours, and theories, the panel confirmed that Angelina Jolie would indeed be joining the MCU as part of the cast of Eternals. She'll be playing Thena, one of the immortal aliens sent to Earth by the Celestials to protect humankind from the Deviants. Sounds epic. And with a timeline set to span eons, epic might be the right word.

Joining Jolie- who was making her Comic-Con debut at the panel- are Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari (who'll be playing the first Deaf hero in the MCU), Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak (the leader of the group), Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. A very diverse cast for a very epic movie. As someone who knows absolutely nothing about the Eternals, I'm very excited to see this come to life

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Release date: February 12, 2021

This project had been previously announced (well, that there would be a Shang-Chi movie coming) but we had the announcement of the full title and some major casting, including the leading man. Chinese-Canadian actor and stunt performer Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience, Taken) will be taking the lead role as Shang-Chi. Apparently, the ink may still be a little wet on Liu's contract as he was only signed last week!

Shang-Chi (created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin) first hit the comicbooks in 1973 and is the son of Fu Manchu, trained in martial arts by his father then sent into the world to do his bidding. There'll be some updating of the character to avoid any of those pesky 1970s Asian stereotypes. 

Comicbook aficionados may also have had their interest piqued by the 'Legend of the Ten Rings' part of the title. The villainous Mandarin is known to use the Ten Rings in his nefarious plots. But, hang on, we've already seen the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Well, no. Ben Kingsley's character was an actor hired as a front. But Shang-Chi will introduce the real Mandarin- and he'll be played by veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs, Lust, Caution and Chungking Express). They'll also be joined by Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean's Eight) in an as-yet-unannounced role. Interesting times ahead.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Release date: May 7, 2021

Scott Derrickson (who directed the first Doctor Strange movie) started his film career in horror movies: The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us From Evil were all directed by him. And it sounds like he's going back to his roots- and Strange's roots- for the next film, using 'the gothic and the horror and the horrific' of the original comicbooks to make 'the first scary MCU film'.

Sounds as if Benedict Cumberbatch might need a helping hand as the Sorceror Supreme goes to places unknown... luckily, Scarlet Witch will be there for him (as Elizabeth Olsen has confirmed she'll be appearing as Wanda, and that the Disney+ show WandaVision links to the film). No other details were given, but there's still plenty of time as it's nearly two years away.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Directed by Taika Waititi
Release date: November 5, 2021

Natalie Portman is back in the MCU. I repeat: NATALIE PORTMAN IS BACK IN THE MCU. For me, this was one of the biggest surprises of the panel (if not Comic-Con as a whole). Earlier last week, it had been rumoured that Taika Waititi had signed on to direct a fourth Thor film (after his success with Thor: Ragnarok). So, to have it confirmed was no surprise. But to have Portman back is major, given her less-than-enthusiastic response in the past. But maybe the idea of playing Thor was enough to get her back?

No, I've not gone mad. Natalie Portman will play the Mighty Thor. This is based on a 2014 comicbook storyline where Thor loses his powers and Jane Foster is deemed worthy to wield Mjolnir, so takes on the mantle of the God(dess?) of Thunder. Alongside Portman and Chris Hemsworth (naturally), Tessa Thompson will also be back, reprising her role as Valkyrie (who, at the end of Avengers: Endgame, became the ruler of New Asgard). No word on whether Tom Hiddleston will pop up, but you never know...


ONE MORE THING...

As if all of this wasn't enough, Feige couldn't help but tease a few more ongoing projects: sequels to Black Panther and Captain Marvel are in development (no surprise to either of those), as is James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. But there's also going to be a Fantastic Four movie and a movie about... mutants (read: X-Men). Then to REALLY end things on a high, they announced this....

BLADE!

Well, not only did they announce the project - they also announced the new leading man. Double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) will be playing the vampire hunter (previously played on screen by the utter legend that is Wesley Snipes). No confirmed release date but a very exciting announcement.

So there we have it! As if this wasn't enough, there's still this year's Disney expo (D23) in August - so there might be more news then!

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OTHER FILM NEWS

IT: CHAPTER TWO

One of the first trailers to hit from SDCC this year was the frankly nerve-jangling one for It: Chapter Two:

Set 27 years after the events of the first film, the now adult Losers Club (played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader amongst others) return to Derry to face off with the evil Pennywise for the last time. Bill Skarsgård still looks absolutely terrifying as the demonic clown, and you can even see a glimpse of the scene which apparently uses the most amount of fake blood ever in the movies. Poor Jessica Chastain...

HALLOWEEN

Sticking with horror for the moment, it was announced that- due to the success of last year's Halloween reboot- two more films are on their way. Entitled Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, they'll be released in 2020 and 2021 respectively.  

TOP GUN MAVERICK

A trailer dropped for next year's Top Gun: Maverick. 34 years since the first film, Maverick still has that need for speed:

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

At the Terminator: Dark Fate panel, it was revealed that Edward Furlong would be returning to his iconic role as John Connor for the first time since Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was 28 years ago. What's interesting is that Dark Fate is essentially a direct sequel to Judgment Day (thus disregarding Rise Of The Machines, Salvation, and Genisys). Considering the critical drubbing Genisys got, a reboot of it mightn't be too bad an idea.  

JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT

I didn't know this was in the works, so it tickled me immensely to see that Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes were reuniting for another Jay and Silent Bob movie. Taking a satirical look at reboots, remakes, and sequels, the film will see Jay and Silent Bob return to Hollywood to stop a reboot of the Bluntman And Chronic movie from getting made. Trailer is here (it's Not exactly Suitable For Work, but would you expect anything less?)

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TV NEWS

It's rare that Comic-Con will give me more TV stuff to be excited about than movies, but that was definitely the case this year. There's a lot of really good TV stuff on its way. 

STAR TREK: PICARD

Sir Patrick Stewart got an absolutely storming reception when he appeared to talk about Star Trek: Picard. Since the project was announced, fans have been foaming at the mouth for more information, and we were not left disappointed. The fact that several familiar old faces popped up in the trailer was the icing on the cake.

HIS DARK MATERIALS

A rather lavish trailer for the new HBO/BBC co-production of His Dark Materials, based on the best-selling and award-winning novels by Philip Pullman. It's got a fantastic cast, headed by James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Logan's Dafne Keen as Lyra. With the scope and range of a TV show, hopefully it'll do the source material justice.

WATCHMEN

It's rare that you'll hear me say this, but I admire Zack Snyder for his work on Watchmen. Famously thought unfilmable, he made a decent fist of it back in 2009 and- whilst it was never going to please everyone- it was as faithful as it could be (up to a point, of course). 

Ten years on, HBO have greenlit a new Watchmen series. However, this is a continuation of the acclaimed graphic novel (rather than a remake). Set in contemporary America, costumed heroes are outlawed and the doomsday clock continues to tick. With a cast including Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Frances Fisher, Louis Gossett Jr, and Tim Blake Nelson, it definitely looks worth a watch!  

THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE

I was chuffed when this project was announced. With a star-studded voice cast (Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Hamill, Taron Egerton, and Alicia Vikander to name but a few) and the same attention to detail and craftsmanship that made the original film such a beloved classic, August 30th can't come quickly enough for me.

THE WITCHER

For those looking for their next sword-and-sorcery fix, The Witcher looks to deliver that in spades. Henry Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia, and he's supported by Freya Allan, MyAnna Buring, Lars Mikkelsen, and Jodhi May. 

This show will be based on the novels and short stories by Andrzej Sapkowski, rather than the video games (in fact, showrunner Lauren Schmidt has said the show will not be adapting the video games). Henry Cavill was on hand during the panel to talk about the project: 

Sorry... where was I? 

OTHER TV NEWS 

Other bits of interesting TV news: 

• It's been confirmed (to nobody's great surprise) that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. will conclude its run after Season 7.

• FX's spy cartoon series Archer has been renewed for an eleventh season! For the past few years, they've played with genre as the main character has been in a coma but, for Season 11, we're back to the real world- and Archer will be waking up! 

• Rick Grimes' spin-off movie (from The Walking Dead) will be released in cinemas only. Maybe that should have come under movie news instead?

So, there we go. Lots to look forward to in the coming year!

Awards Season 2019: The 91st Academy Awards

It's always nice when an Oscars ceremony keeps you on your toes. Tonight's broadcast came with a couple of surprises which kept my interest. 

Let's address this point first, because it's usually the first thing that is scrutinised post-mortem. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the show worked without a host. In fact, it proved that the event doesn't really need one (although Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler would be good choices based on their bit this year). I didn't miss the opening monologue, but then I don't think many people did with Queen and Adam Lambert kicking the show off in spectacular style. 

The links were the usual mix of pretty funny and utterly dire- I thoroughly enjoyed Melissa McCarthy's and Brian Tyree Henry's outlandish get-up to announce Best Costume Design (a mad mix of all five nominees), and Michael B. Jordan's and Tessa Thompson's little bit before announcing Best Original Score was also good. I liked the little shake-up with the presenters of each section- tradition usually has the previous year's Supporting winners giving this year's ones. I did think the way the In Memoriam section was handled was very good this year too, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra playing a piece by John Williams as the film rolled. 

I was also pleased that the Academy dropped the frankly stupid idea of presenting four awards during the commercial breaks; I know BAFTA have a truncated two-hour window but the show isn't broadcast live and they can pick and choose which awards to put in their 'also awarded' section. In fact, the show ran to around 3hrs 20mins, which isn't bad going.

Onto the awards themselves.

So what surprised me? Well, the screenplay categories for a start. Whilst I don't try and predict them, I had a sneaking thought you'd be looking at The Favourite and If Beale Street Could Talk as winners (although I'd have given Adapted Screenplay to Can You Ever Forgive Me? to be honest). I was pleasantly surprised that Olivia Colman won- as indeed was she, by the looks of things- as, like most people, I was expecting Glenn Close to finally take home an Oscar. I was also surprised at Green Book winning Best Picture, although I did enjoy it as a film (and I enjoyed it more than Roma, which I admired more than liked). A brief vandalisation of Wikipedia renamed Green Book 'Wack Ass Oscar Bait' which seems a bit harsh. I also thought the Visual Effects Oscar might have gone to Avengers: Infinity War. 

I got four out of six in my predictions. I'll take that, although I should have had the courage of my convictions and gone with Green Book for Best Picture. Mind you, I don't mind at all being wrong about Best Actress because it was worth it to see Olivia Colman's utterly endearing and very British acceptance speech. Humble, a bit scatty, and incredibly self-effacing, she will have won a lot more fans by the end of this evening. Rami Malek's acceptance speech was similarly touching, especially his heartfelt shoutout to girlfriend Lucy Boynton towards the end. 

Spike Lee won his first competitive Oscar tonight and made the most of it, even dropping in a quick MF-bomb before it could get beeped! I also loved Richard E. Grant's wonderful reaction to seeing Barbra Streisand. I'm also chuffed that Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse picked by Best Animated Feature and I thought Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's storming performance of 'Shallow' from A Star Is Born was superb. 

You can chalk this up as another surprise: Bohemian Rhapsody is the biggest winner of the night with four Oscars! Tied for second place is Green Book, Roma, and Black Panther with three Oscars each. 

Despite multiple nominations, there was nothing for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Mary Poppins Returns, Isle Of Dogs, Cold War, and The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. 


Below is the full list of winners at the 91st Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Green Book

Best Actor: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Best Actress: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Best Original Screenplay: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, and Peter Farrelly (Green Book)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: Roma

Best Cinematography: Roma

Best Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Production Design: Black Panther

Best Costume Design: Black Panther

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Vice

Best Original Score: Black Panther

Best Original Song: 'Shallow' (A Star Is Born)

Best Sound Mixing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Sound Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Visual Effects: First Man

Best Documentary (Feature): Free Solo

Best Documentary (Short Subject): Period. End Of Sentence. 

Best Animated Short Film: Bao

Best Live Action Short Film: Skin

Congratulations to all winners!


So that brings awards season 2019 to a close. Thank you all for your patience and indulgence and I hope you've enjoyed our coverage. And now it's time for bed, as it's nearly 5:30am! 

Tez

Awards Season 2019: Tez's Official Oscar Predictions

Tonight, the great and good of Hollywood will convene to celebrate the best of film-making in 2018 at the 91st Academy Awards. 

There is no main host this year, the first time in 30 years. The last time this happened was the 61st Academy Awards and the opening number featured- and I kid you not- a duet between Rob Lowe and Snow White to the tune of 'Proud Mary'. Talk about things being seen that cannot be unseen... Here's hoping that producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss come up with something a little less surreal! 

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. Last year, I got 5 out of 6.

So, without further ado, here are my predictions for who will win.

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

With wins at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and Independent Spirits behind her, King seems the most likely winner of the Supporting Actress Oscar. Her performance as Sharon, mother of the pregnant Tish, supporting her daughter through pregnancy and trying to prove her fiance's innocence, has been widely praised and has usually been singled out amongst the ensemble cast performances. 

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

He's won the BAFTA, the Golden Globe, SAG, and Crtics Choice Awards so I don't see the Oscar going elsewhere. Ali's performance as Dr. Don Shirley, the quiet, reserved, classical pianist who butts heads against the brasher Tony Lip, is superb. It's nuanced, sophisticated, and precise. He would be an incredibly worthy winner (and only the second Black actor to win two Oscars; the other being Denzel Washington). 

Best Actress: Glenn Close (The Wife)

If any other name than Glenn Close is announced for Best Actress, I will be most surprised. The Golden Globe, SAG, Independent Spirit, and Critics Choice Awards have all gone her way- and only BAFTAs British slant to spoil the clean sweep. Her performance as Joan Castleman- devoted wife and mother who starts to question her life when her husband wins the Nobel Prize for Literature- is superb. There's a scene where she's being questioned by an interviewer and it's a masterclass in subtext; so much going on behind her eyes. Surely, on the seventh time of asking, it's time for Glenn Close to get the Oscar? 

Best Actor: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

I just want to say this before I start. I have several issues with Bohemian Rhapsody as a film- but none of them are to do with Rami Malek's central performance as Freddie Mercury. He is just sublime. Flamboyant, edgy, camp without being grating, and exuding a sensuality that's difficult to ignore, Malek's performance helps bring the larger-than-life personality of Mercury to life. He is good; the film not so much. But I do feel he should be duly recognised for his performance. 

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Cuarón's second directing Oscar seems fairly secure, after winning the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, the Critics Choice, and the Directors' Guild (DGA) Awards for his work on Roma. It's an intensely personal project for Cuarón- not only directing but writing, producing, and acting as cinematographer and co-editor. The direction is clear, and he gets strong performances for a cast largely comprised of first-time actors. Much like with Glenn Close, any other name will be a surprise. 

Best Picture: Roma

Like last year, this comes down to two films: for me, it's between Roma and Green Book for Best Picture. Both films are well-made and have strong performances and a strong aesthetic style. That said, there's arguments to be made against both too: there's been a load of negative stories about Green Book (from Viggo Mortensen using a racial slur during an interview, to the writer's re-tweeting of Donald Trump's lie about Muslims celebrating 9/11, and director Peter Farrelly's previous less-than-professional on-set behaviour) which might put the mockers on it. On the other side, a foreign language film has never won Best Picture, and the fact that it's been made for Netflix has got some cinema purists up in arms. But I think it might be time for a shake-up. Of the two films, I preferred Green Book, but I do think Roma will take the top prize tonight. 


In terms of some of the other categories, I'm thinking that Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse will take Best Animated Feature, Roma will almost certainly get Best Foreign Language Film (if it doesn't take the top prize as well) and 'Shallow' from A Star Is Born will probably get Best Original Song. 

I'll be watching the broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre tonight (well, early hours of tomorrow morning) and I'll do a post about the ceremony and my thoughts as soon as I can afterwards. Now, time for a power nap and then a vat of something caffeinated!

Awards Season 2019: BAFTA Film Awards Winners

Tonight (Sunday 10th February), at the Royal Albert Hall, the 72nd  British Academy Film Awards were given out in a star-studded ceremony, hosted by the luminously sublime Joanna Lumley for the second time. 

Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Amy Adams, Olivia Colman, Bradley Cooper, Octavia Spencer, Rami Malek, Rachel Weisz, Mahershala Ali, Alfonso Cuarón, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Barry Jenkins, Claire Foy, Melissa McCarthy, Michelle Yeoh, Spike Lee, Richard E. Grant, and Steve Coogan were among some of the stars in attendance to celebrate the best in film.

Here's a full list of BAFTA winners:

Best Film: Roma

Outstanding British Film: The Favourite

Leading Actor: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Leading Actress: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Original Screenplay: The Favourite

Adapted Screenplay: BlacKkKlansman

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer: Michael Pearce (writer/director), Lauren Dark (producer) (Beast)

Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Documentary: Free Solo

Film Not In The English Language: Roma

Cinematography: Roma

Costume Design: The Favourite

Editing: Vice

Make Up And Hair: The Favourite

Original Music: A Star Is Born

Production Design: The Favourite

Sound: Bohemian Rhapsody

Special Visual Effects: Black Panther

Short Animation: Roughhouse

Short Film: 73 Cows

Rising Star: Letitia Wright

Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema: Number 9 Films (Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen)

BAFTA Fellowship: Thelma Schoonmaker


And if you're wondering how the results are out here so soon when the TV broadcast is still going on... well, the ceremony actually starts around 6:00pm and the BBC broadcast is a truncated 2 hours, so by the time the broadcast starts to air, the show is almost finished. I was following a live-blog from one of the newspaper sites. Unfortunately I'm not writing this from the Royal Albert Hall. One year...

On a personal level, I'm massively chuffed for both Letitia Wright and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse for winning their respective awards (I voted for Wright to win the Rising Star Award). 

The Favourite was by and far the runaway winner of the night, with seven awards. Roma walked away with four, whilst Bohemian Rhapsody had two. 

Congratulations to all winners!

The next Awards season post will be next weekend, to quickly update you on the winners of this year's Writers' Guild (WGA) Awards which are handed out next weekend (17th February)

Awards Season 2019: Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) Awards Winners

Last night (27th January), the Screen Actors' Guild Awards were announced. Here are the film winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: 

Black Panther

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: 

Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: 

Glenn Close (The Wife)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: 

Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: 

Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Film:

Black Panther

A couple of interesting results from the night. No surprises in Mahershala Ali and Glenn Close's wins. I do however find it interesting that SAG went for Rami Malek for Best Actor. That, and the Golden Globe win, must put him ahead in the Oscars race. Also, I was pleased to see Emily Blunt named Best Supporting Actress. She's an actress that I like and enjoy watching and it's also good to see A Quiet Place get a bit of recognition. 

Before anyone starts shitposting that the End is Nigh because Black Panther did so well, I want to point something out. The other nominees in the Outstanding Cast category (equivalent to their Best Picture) were A Star Is Born, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Crazy Rich Asians. Green Book, and Roma- two films with very good chances of taking the Best Picture Oscar- were not nominated for that particular SAG award. As good as a film as I think Black Panther is, I would argue that it's the least likely of the eight Oscar nominees to win. 

Our next stop on Awards Season is the Directors' Guild (DGA) Awards this coming Saturday (2nd February).

Awards Season 2019: Critics' Choice Movie Award Winners

Last night (13th January), the Critics' Choice Awards were handed out. Here's a full list of film winners:

Best Picture: Roma

Best Actor: Christian Bale (Vice)

Best Actress: Glenn Close (The Wife) and Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) (tie)

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Acting Ensemble: The Favourite

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Best Original Screenplay: First Reformed

Best Adapted Screenplay: If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Comedy: Crazy Rich Asians

Best Actor In A Comedy: Christian Bale (Vice)

Best Actress In A Comedy: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Best Action Movie: Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie: A Quiet Place

Best Foreign Language Film: Roma

Best Score: First Man

Best Song: 'Shallow' (A Star Is Born)

Best Production Design: Black Panther

Best Editing: First Man

Best Costume Design: Black Panther

Best Hair & Makeup: Vice

Best Visual Effects: Black Panther

Best Cinematography: Roma

Best Young Actor/Actress: Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)


Roma was the big winner of the night with four awards, whilst Vice and Black Panther took home three apiece (and Vice winning two awards for Christian Bale's performance as Dick Cheney). 

In terms of the acting awards, Golden Globe winners continue their streak (and take another step towards the Oscars) - although, sadly, Olivia Colman may get overshadowed when the awards body doesn't separate comedy and drama as the momentum is certainly behind Glenn Close at the moment. In other categories, nothing seems massively controversial. I was pleased with the wins for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, 'Shallow', and A Quiet Place (in a bit of a oh-that's-nice kind of way). 

Congratulations to all winners!

So, next up with awards season, it's the PGA Awards this coming Friday (19th January) so I'll do a quick post about that over the weekend. 

Awards Season 2019: Golden Globes Winners

Last night, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced the winners of the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards, for both television and film, in a ceremony hosted by Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine).

Here is the full list of film winners.

Best Motion Picture (Drama): Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy): Green Book

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Best Actor (Drama): Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Best Actor (Comedy or Musical): Christian Bale (Vice)

Best Actress (Drama): Glenn Close (The Wife)

Best Actress (Comedy or Musical): Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Screenplay: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly (Green Book)

Best Original Score: Justin Hurwitz (First Man)

Best Original Song: 'Shallow' (A Star Is Born)

Best Foreign Language Film: Roma

Best Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Jeff Bridges


Green Book was the main winner of the evening, with three awards, whilst Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma won two each. 

The Golden Globes can be a good barometer for the way awards season is going, as it is generallly one of the first major awards to be handed out. Last year, all four acting Oscar winners won at the Golden Globes (although it should be pointed out that it was the Best Actor and Actress- Drama that took home the Academy Award). So that puts Rami Malek and Glenn Close in a good position, although going into the event, I think few people would have tagged them as winners. 

In fact, many outlets are calling Close's win the biggest surprise of the night (with many assuming that it would be Lady Gaga's night). But how much of a surprise is it really that an actress of the calibre of Glenn Close giving what many critics have called the performance of her career (and with a career like hers, that's no mean feat) should win an award that she's been nominated for? If she hadn't been nominated at all and Gary Oldman had just decided to give the award to her... now that would be a surprise!

[On a connected but separate note, can we stop using the term 'snub' for when people don't win? It's frankly a bit of an insult to those that do. You may think that your person did a better job, but to use the word 'snub' is to undermine and undervalue the work of those that did win.]

Whilst Oh's and Samberg's opening might have lacked the bite of previous years, they made for an affable and pleasant pairing. Other standout moments include Regina King committing to make sure that everything she produces in the next two years will be 50% women; Jeff Bridges' humble (if not a bit bizarre) acceptance speech where he 'tagged' the audience and suggested that people be 'rudders' for society to change, and  Christian Bale thanking Satan for giving him 'inspiration' for playing Dick Cheney in Vice, which makes a change from people thanking God, I guess. 

In addition to Bale and Colman's film wins, Richard Madden and Ben Whishaw won Golden Globes for their performances in Bodyguard and A Very English Scandal respectively, so A Good Night For The Brits(TM).

Finally, the legend that is Carol Burnett was the inaugural recipient of a new Golden Globe Award which has been named after her. It's the television equivalent to the Cecil B. DeMille Award and will honour a lifetime achievement in television work. Her acceptance speech was touching and wonderful, and she deserves this plaudit. And if they're looking for nominees for next year, might I humbly suggest either Bob Newhart or Lily Tomlin?



There'll be more awards stuff tomorrow (Tuesday 8th) as the Directors' Guild Award announce their nominees, whilst the Writers' Guild Awards were announced today. I'll recap both tomorrow then share the BAFTA nominations on Wednesday. 

Awards Season 2017: The 89th Annual Academy Awards

Well, that was quite something. 

There's several things for which this Oscars ceremony will be remembered for, but giving the biggest award of the night to the wrong film will be right up there for years to come. Due to some form of cock-up, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly named La La Land as the Best Picture winner, only to then find out that Moonlight had won it instead! Cue a lot of embarrassment and a very gracious deferral from the producers of La La Land. 

This was the first time in a few years that I was actually able to watch the broadcast live (via Sky Cinema). I thought Jimmy Kimmel was an affable host. Despite his very self-effacing demeanour, the vast majority of his jokes hit (and he was able to admit the ones that didn't). His opening monologue was political without being tubthumping, and I did particularly enjoy his banter with Meryl Streep and the comment that, given the Trump administration, at least the Oscars don't look so racist now. I quite liked the mean tweets section and the stunt with the tour bus mostly worked, if it did drag on a little. 

As you can imagine, several of the speeches were political in nature, some more subtle than others. The most pointed came when the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year was announced. Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (who directed The Salesman) was initially unable to attend the event due to the imposed travel ban. When the ban was lifted, he chose to boycott the event and instead sent Iranian engineer Anousheh Ansari to represent him. When The Salesman won, Ansari read a politically charged statement on Farhadi's behalf. 

Other noteworthy happenings from the ceremony: sound mixer Kevin O'Connell won his first Oscar (for Hacksaw Ridge) on his twenty-first nomination; Best Documentary Feature winner O.J.: Made In America is now officially the longest film to win an Oscar (coming in at an impressive 7hrs 47mins); Damien Chazelle is now the youngest Best Director winner at the tender age of 32. 

I wasn't surprised by 'City Of Stars' winning Best Original Song, although I think of the two songs nominated from La La Land I actually prefer 'Audition'. The musical numbers were scattered nicely through the evening, with Justin Timberlake kicking the evening off with a performance of 'Can't Stop The Feeling' then a wonderfully assured performance of 'How Far I'll Go' from Moana, sung by 16-year old Auli'i Cravalho. There was also a very moving In Memoriam section, beautifully accompanied by Sara Bareilles singing 'Both Sides Now' by Joni Mitchell. 

I was also really pleased by the Best Costume Design win for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, although it still feels very wrong that you can now call Suicide Squad an Oscar-winning film (picking up Best Make-Up and Hairstyling)

As for my predictions... well, 5 out of 6 is alright (especially given the Best Picture farrago). As I said in my predictions, if any film was going to usurp La La Land from Best Picture, it would be Moonlight. All other predictions were correct and I thought Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis and Emma Stone all gave very lovely acceptance speeches. 

Despite the mistake at the end, La La Land was still the runaway winner of the night with six Oscars to its name. Moonlight had three, with Manchester By The Sea and Hacksaw Ridge both winning two. Despite multiple nominations, there was nothing for Lion, Hell Or High Water, Hidden Figures or Jackie. 

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Below is the full list of winners at the 89th Annual Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Moonlight

Best Actor: Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea)

Best Actress: Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis (Fences)

Best Director: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Best Original Screenplay: Manchester By The Sea

Best Adapted Screenplay: Moonlight

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Zootopia

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: The Salesman

Best Cinematography: La La Land

Best Editing: Hacksaw Ridge

Best Production Design: La La Land

Best Costume Design: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Suicide Squad

Best Original Score: La La Land

Best Original Song: 'City Of Stars' (La La Land)

Best Sound Mixing: Hacksaw Ridge

Best Sound Editing: Arrival

Best Visual Effects: The Jungle Book

Best Documentary (Feature): O.J.: Made In America

Best Documentary (Short Subject): The White Helmets

Best Animated Short Film: Piper

Best Live Action Short Film: Sing


Congratulations to all winners!

So that's it. Awards season is over for another year (and what a way to end it too!). As William Makepeace Thackeray says at the very end of Vanity Fair: 'Come children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out.'

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed. It's been something of a long night.

Tez