The Watchers Review Of 2020

 

The Watchers Review of 2020 is now available! You can listen to it via iTunes or Podbean.

In an unprecedented year, our review of the year is also somewhat different - we still talk about our favourite films of the year but also take a look at how the world of cinema has been affected by world events and what we're now looking forward to in 2021 (circumstances permitting, of course!)

Have a listen and let us know what your films of 2020 are, or what you're looking forward to in the new year!

Awards Season 2020: BAFTA Film Awards Nominations

Morning!

An early start today, as the nominations for the 2020 BAFTA Film Awards were announced at 7:35(ish) GMT by Ella Balinska (Charlie's Angels) and Asa Butterfield (Hugo)

Here's a selection of the nominees:

BEST FILM

1917

The Irishman

Joker

Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood 

Parasite

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

1917

Bait

For Sama

Rocketman

Sorry We Missed You

The Two Popes

LEADING ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)

Adam Driver (Marriage Story)

Taron Egerton (Rocketman)

Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)

LEADING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose)

Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)

Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)

Charlize Theron (Bombshell)

Renée Zellweger (Judy)

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood)

Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)

Al Pacino (The Irishman)

Joe Pesci (The Irishman)

Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit)

Florence Pugh (Little Women)

Margot Robbie (Bombshell)

Margot Robbie (Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood)

DIRECTOR

Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)

Sam Mendes (1917)

Todd Phillips (Joker)

Martin Scorsese (The Irishman)

Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

Joker leads the nominations with 11, whilst The Irishman and Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood have 10 apiece, and 1917 has nine. 

There's always a British slant to the BAFTAs (go figure), plus there's always the issue of film eligibility or release, so some of the choices here may seem like outliers. Personally, I'm quite chuffed to see The Two Popes feature as much as it does. Interestingly, BAFTA are the first major awards body to recognise Margot Robbie's performance in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood; all the others have given her the nod for Bombshell instead. 

The nominees for the 2020 Rising Star award - the only BAFTA awarded by public vote- have also been announced: Awkwafina, Kaitlyn Dever, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Jack Lowden, and Micheal Ward. Find out more about them, and cast your vote here. 

The BAFTAs will be handed out on Sunday 2nd February 2020 in a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London, hosted by Graham Norton for the first time.

Congratulations to all nominees!


More awards news later today as two of the major guilds- Producers' and Directors'- announce their nominations.

Review: The Two Popes (UK Cert 12A)

Based on Anthony McCarten's 2017 play The Pope, The Two Popes is directed by Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener) and stars Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as the two pontiffs.

In 2005, upon the death of Pope John Paul II, cardinals from all over the world are called to the Vatican for the conclave to elect his successor. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pryce) travels from Buenos Aires and is considered to be an alternative to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Hopkins), who is eventually elected and takes the papal name Benedict XVI. Seven years later, in a time of turmoil for the Catholic Church, Bergoglio seeks Benedict's permission to retire and travels to Rome to discuss this. Conservatism meets liberalism as the two men clash in what would prove to be a pivotal moment in the Catholic church.

You can tell that it's based on a play. Indeed, I commented to my husband after I watched it (but before I found out it started life on the stage) that it could be a play. It feels very stage-like, although Meirelles lifts it from being a static affair. McCarten adapts his own script, and there's some very interesting discussions between the two men, with their stance on the world (Bergoglio is more into breaking walls down, for instance). Of course, a lot of it is imagined and surmised- there's a couple of real flights of fancy, especially towards the end, which are amusing but there's virtually no chance of them being real (you'll lnow them when you see them). 

The film focuses a lot of Bergoglio (you learn a lot more about his early life and history, and his role during the Argentine military junta of the 1970s, a lot of which I didn't know) and Pryce is utterly superb in the role. A softly-spoken charismatic figure, Bergoglio is seen as much more personable than Benedict. He's forthright, however, when he needs to be; the discussion over paedophile priests and what Benedict knew and when is a particularly strong moment. It, of course, helps that Pryce looks very much like Bergoglio to start with. It's a quietly brilliant performance, and amongst Pryce's best work. 

I must also praise Argentinian actor Juan Minujín, who plays the young Bergoglio in flashback, seeing him before he is called to the church and during the military junta (and afterwards). His performance is exclusively in Spanish as well, which is impressive. 

We learn less about Benedict, which seems like a failing; it would have been interesting to see his early history (especially as he had been conscripted into the Hitler Youth as a teenager; there's a few snide comments about him being a Nazi, but there's no evidence to suggest he was an enthusiastic participant). That said, Hopkins is still given some meaty material, as the embattled Pope dealing with various Vatican leaks. He refuses to give Bergoglio permission to retire as he feels it would be a vote of no confidence in his papacy. Teutonic, inscrutable, and irascible, there's still a twinkle of charm behind it (which is down to Anthony Hopkins, no doubt). He matches Pryce and it's a joy to see the two men share the screen.

It is a beautiful-looking film; the sets are sublime- especially the Sistine Chapel interior, which was faithfully recreated at the Cinecitta studios in Rome- as are the costumes (everything from the Cardinals to the Swiss Guard look superb). You also don't really need to know anything about the situation before watching either- the situation is set up quickly and it's easy to follow (although anyone who has had even a passing interest in world affairs over the last decade will be aware of some of the story points). 

Ultimately, this won't be everybody's cup of tea, and I can imagine the pitch might have raised a few eyebrows. But I liked it; it's well-written and impeccably acted by two masters of the stage and screen. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Awards Season 2020: Golden Globe Nominations

Today sees the announcement of the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). 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 list of some of the nominees:

Best Picture - Drama

1917

The Irishman

Joker

Marriage Story

The Two Popes

Best Picture - Musical or Comedy

Dolemite Is My Name

Jojo Rabbit

Knives Out

Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood

Rocketman

Best Director

Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)

Sam Mendes (1917)

Todd Phillips (Joker)

Martin Scorsese (The Irishman)

Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)

Best Actor - Drama

Christian Bale (Le Mans '66 [a.k.a. Ford V Ferrari])

Antonio Banderas (Pain And Glory)

Adam Driver (Marriage Story)

Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

Daniel Craig (Knives Out)

Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)

Taron Egerton (Rocketman)

Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

Best Actress - Drama

Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)

Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)

Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)

Charlize Theron (Bombshell)

Renée Zellweger (Judy)

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

Ana de Armas (Knives Out)

Awkwafina (The Farewell)

Cate Blanchett (Where'd You Go, Bernadette?)

Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart)

Emma Thompson (Late Night)

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood)

Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)

Al Pacino (The Irishman)

Joe Pesci (The Irishman)

Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood)

Best Supporting Actress

Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell)

Annette Bening (The Report)

Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)

Margot Robbie (Bombshell)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

Marriage Story leads the field with six nominations, whilst The Irishman and Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood have five apiece (although a lot of people will raise eyebrows that Robert De Niro is not among The Irishman's nominations)

The winners will be announced on Sunday 5th January 2020, with Ricky Gervais returning to host the ceremony for the fifth time.

Congratulations to all nominees!


There's more awards stuff on Wednesday (11th December) with the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) Awards nominations announced.