Awards Season 2020: Razzies Nominations

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

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

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

WORST PICTURE

Cats

The Fanatic

The Haunting Of Sharon Tate

A Madea Family Funeral

Rambo: Last Blood

WORST ACTRESS

Hilary Duff (The Haunting Of Sharon Tate)

Anne Hathaway (The Hustle and Serenity)

Francesca Hayward (Cats)

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

Rebel Wilson (The Hustle)

WORST ACTOR

James Franco (Zeroville)

David Harbour (Hellboy)

Matthew McConaughey (Serenity)

Sylvester Stallone (Rambo: Last Blood)

John Travolta (The Fanatic and Trading Paint)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

James Corden (Cats)

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

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

Seth Rogen (Zeroville)

Bruce Willis (Glass)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (Dark Phoenix)

Cassi Davis (A Madea Family Funeral)

Judi Dench (Cats)

Fenessa Pineda (Rambo: First Blood)

Rebel Wilson (Cats)

WORST SCREEN COMBO

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

Jason Derulo & His CGI-Neutered Bulge (Cats)

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

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

John Travolta & Any Screenplay He Accepts

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL

Dark Phoenix

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Hellboy

A Madea Family Funeral

Rambo: Last Blood

WORST DIRECTOR

Fred Durst (The Fanatic)

James Franco (Zeroville)

Adrian Grunberg (Rambo: Last Blood)

Tom Hooper (Cats)

Neil Marshall (Hellboy)

WORST SCREENPLAY

Cats

The Haunting Of Sharon Tate

Hellboy

A Madea Family Funeral

Rambo: Last Blood

WORST RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE AND PUBLIC PROPERTY

Dragged Across Concrete

The Haunting Of Sharon Tate

Hellboy

Joker

Rambo: Last Blood

RAZZIE REDEEMER

Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

Keanu Reeves (John Wick 3 and Toy Story 4)

Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)

Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)

Will Smith (Aladdin)

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

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

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

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

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

Awards Season 2018: Razzies Winners

It's Oscars weekend, so that means high fashion, overindulgent speeches... and the puncturing of the self-important awards stuff with the announcement of the worst films of the year. So, the 'winners' of the 38th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards were announced today (in their now-traditional Oscars Eve ceremony).

Here's the full 'winners' list:


Worst Picture: The Emoji Movie

Worst Director: Anthony Leonidis (The Emoji Movie)

Worst Actor: Tom Cruise (The Mummy)

Worst Actress: Tyler Perry (Boo! 2: A Madea Halloween)

Worst Supporting Actor: Mel Gibson (Daddy’s Home 2)

Worst Supporting Actress: Kim Basinger (Fifty Shades Darker)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Fifty Shades Darker

Worst Screen Combo: Any Two Obnoxious Emojis (The Emoji Movie)

Worst Screenplay: The Emoji Movie

The big 'winner' of the night was The Emoji Movie which 'won' all four categories it was nominated in. Despite multiple nominations, Transformers: The Dark Knight dodged several bullets. Baywatch got a special award- the Rotten Tomatoes Award: Razzie Nominee So Bad You Loved It! There wasn't a Razzie Redeemer award this year - apparently nobody was worth redeeming. 

Later today (3rd March), the Film Independent Spirit Awards will be handed out, so there'll be a post about that probably tomorrow morning (4th March). 

We're almost there, people. Almost there!

Awards Season 2018: Razzies Nominations

For every yin, there must be a yang. For every Best Of... list, there must be a Worst Of... in order to maintain balance. So, thankfully, we have the Golden Raspberry Awards to act as a pin to prick the self-important hoopla of awards season. 

Ever since 1981, the Razzies dishonour the very worst of film in the preceding 12 months. As is traditional, the nominations are announced the day before the Oscar nominations (and the awards handed out the day before the Oscars). 

The nominees for the 38th Annual Razzie Awards are below:

WORST PICTURE

Baywatch

The Emoji Movie

Fifty Shades Darker

The Mummy

Transformers: The Last Knight

WORST ACTRESS

Katherine Heigl (Unforgettable)

Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades Darker)

Jennifer Lawrence (Mother!)

Tyler Perry (Boo! 2: A Madea Halloween)

Emma Watson (The Circle)

WORST ACTOR

Tom Cruise (The Mummy)

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales)

Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades Darker)

Zac Efron (Baywatch)

Mark Wahlberg (Daddy’s Home 2 and Transformers: The Last Knight)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Javier Bardem (Mother! and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales)

Russell Crowe (The Mummy)

Josh Duhamel (Transformers: The Last Knight)

Mel Gibson (Daddy’s Home 2)

Anthony Hopkins (Collide and Transformers: The Last Knight)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kim Basinger (Fifty Shades Darker)

Sofia Boutella (The Mummy)

Laura Haddock (Transformers: The Last Knight)

Goldie Hawn (Snatched)

Susan Sarandon (A Bad Moms Christmas)

WORST SCREEN COMBO

Any Combination of Two Characters, Two Sex Toys or Two Sexual Positions (Fifty Shades Darker)

Any Combination of Two Humans, Two Robots or Two Explosions (Transformers: The Last Knight)

Any Two Obnoxious Emojis (The Emoji Movie)

Johnny Depp & His Worn Out Drunk Routine (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales)

Tyler Perry & Either The Ratty Old Dress or Worn Out Wig (Boo! 2: A Madea Halloween)

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF, OR SEQUEL

Baywatch

Boo! 2: A Madea Halloween

Fifty Shades Darker

The Mummy

Transformers: The Last Knight

WORST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky (Mother!)

Michael Bay (Transformers: The Last Knight)

James Foley (Fifty Shades Darker)

Alex Kurtzman (The Mummy)

Anthony Leonidis (The Emoji Movie)

WORST SCREENPLAY

Baywatch

The Emoji Movie

Fifty Shades Darker

The Mummy

Transformers: The Last Knight

So it's nine nominations for Transformers: The Last Knight, with Fifty Shades Darker coming second with eight. I'm strangely glad not to see Justice League get a nod. The Razzies voters continue their ongoing contempt for Tyler Perry, Johnny Depp and anything Michael Bay touches. Good to see some things never change. 

So that just leaves tomorrow's announcement of the nominees for the 90th Academy Awards. I'll post my predictions for the main six categories a little later today. 

Review: Gone Girl (UK Cert: 18)

Gone Girl is a dissection of marriage from the man who gave us Gwyneth Paltrow’s head in a box; that’s probably the best way to sum up David Fincher’s new film. From the outset you know this is no straightforward mystery, as Fincher opens the film with a close up of Rosamund Pike’s head, Ben Affleck, in voiceover, asking the questions that go through every husband’s mind; “What are you thinking?” “What have we done to each other?” We’re shown the streets and homes of wealthy America - huge homes, small minds – before Affleck’s Nick Dunne arrives at the bar he owns, the small talk with his sister (Carrie Coon) revealing cracks in his marriage. We cut to the crime scene, which sums up the film as a whole; what appears clear cut and straightforward is, in truth, far from it. A coffee table is smashed, but there is no sign of blood, a struggle, or Nick’s wife.

Adapted from the bestselling book by Gillian Flynn (Flynn also wrote the screenplay), Gone Girl is a smart, exceptionally complex two-and-a-half hours, putting other big name thrillers to shame with just how much subtext Fincher wants you to think about: how the media tries to package speculation as fact; a person’s desire to be loved, and the despair and desperation someone could resort to so that they feel loved; the mask we wear when we walk out our front door, compared to our real face when we’re in the privacy of our home. These are just a small number of the many subjects that Gone Girl explores. This is a film that demands more than one viewing.

Fincher has always managed to coax career best performances out of his cast, and his latest is no exception. Anyone who looks at Ben Affleck and still thinks of Armageddon or Pearl Harbor will be stunned by his portrayal of Nick Dunne. There are two sides to Nick, the innocent man searching for his wife, naively stumbling through the minefield that is the media, and the weary husband who, once or twice, has considered killing his wife. Played by the wrong actor, you could end up hating every minute Nick is onscreen, but Affleck makes him constantly intriguing. At times, Nick is a morally loathsome man, but Affleck holds the film together, makes you stick with him as you try working out what the consequences of his actions will be.

Rosamund Pike also skilfully portrays the two sides of her character, Amy Dunne. When we’re first introduced to Amy, she’s this beautiful tomboy who enjoys being rebellious at formal, black tie affairs. Yet you know there’s something not quite right about Amy from her dialogue, giving a flawless smile, then saying something that destroys that perfect woman image, hinting at a sinister, hidden side to her personality.

Neil Patrick Harris makes a brave move, drawing a line through how fans see him, having played Barney in How I Met Your Mother for nearly a decade. As Desi Collings, Harris gives a credible portrayal of a man who still clings to the idea that his first true love will come back to him. Despite the wealth and the heated bathroom flooring, Desi is a pathetic, peculiar man in his longing for Amy. Harris is not on screen as much as other actors in Gone Girl, but he is one of the many things you will remember about the film.

Carrie Coon is excellent as Nick’s quick-tempered sister, Margo, who is both incensed by her brother’s behaviour during the police investigation, but always stands by him, looking after him. Tyler Perry brings some light relief as defence lawyer to the rich and guilty, Tanner Bolt; smiling and laughing when it’s least appropriate. Perry’s scenes could have jarred with the rest of the film, yet the performance he gives is understated rather than scene stealing over-the-top.

The obsessive Fincher fans will watch Gone Girl and probably criticise it as being his weakest film, visually. This is far from true. While there’s none of the tearing up the rulebook that you saw in Se7en or Fight Club, Fincher does something far more subtle. With every frame, Fincher recreates the glossy homes and lifestyles you read about in the weekly magazines – perfect hair, not a spec or mark on anyone’s clothes – but films in largely muted colours (even sunny days look pale), giving this cold, detached feel to the visuals. Occasionally Fincher pulls something out of the bag to make you stop for a second and marvel at what you are watching. Nick and Amy’s first kiss beside a backstreet bakery, sugar floating in the air like snow, is a beautiful moment. In contrast, Gone Girl also features this year’s most violent and nauseous murder scene (you sit through the film wondering why it’s an 18 certificate… Then you find out!), though, thanks to the lighting and some fast-paced fade ins/outs, it’s spectacular to watch.

The only complaint you could throw at Gone Girl is the ending. For a two-and-a-half-hour film, Fincher keeps up the pace for a good two hours before things suddenly start to flag. The last half-hour feels like it’s winding down, so much so, you end up wondering why the credits haven’t started rolling? I was waiting for one last twist, a sting in the tail, but this doesn’t happen. How Nick Dunne ends up in the film’s finale is bleak and unsettling, but would have had more impact if the film came to a head, stopping at the right moment instead of trailing off.

Gone Girl is, for most of its running time, a tense thriller with one twist after another, after another. Not your usual, straightforward twists, but the sort of mess-with-your-head moments where you have to respect Fincher for putting that up on the screen. Fincher’s latest isn’t quite up there with The Game, Se7en, or Fight Club, but there’s not much in it; Gone Girl is his best work for a long while, and one of the best films of 2014.

4 out of 5

Matt