And the Award Goes To … Part Three

The Series

As mentioned, and harped on, I have an issue with (almost) every nominated series being from a streaming network, however, here are my takes.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

This is the most problematic category in the whole thing.  How do you put the moving but incredibly brief performance of Bill Camp in “The Queen’s Gambit” up against the powerhouse performance of Daveed Diggs in “Hamilton”?  And why was Daveed Diggs the only one nominated from “Hamilton”?  No Lin-Manuel Miranda?  No Leslie Odom Jr.??? And yes, Ethan Hawke got “Good Lord Bird” made but the undeniable star, the one who was the glue which made it work, was the kid, Joshua Caleb Johnson.  How is he NOT nominated???  Fortunately, there is an easy out.  Mark Ruffalo was effing BRILLIANT playing twins in “I Know This Much is True”.  As soon as I saw the first episode, he had me.  Mark Ruffalo wins.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

Kerry Washington, “Little Fires Everywhere”.  Cate Blanchett was good, Anya Taylor-Joy is an up-and-comer, but Kerry Washington carried the ball beautiful in her roundabouts with Reese Witherspoon and it was remarkably different from “Scandal”, showing vulnerabilities Olivia Pope never had.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles for playing a role that is virtually impossible.  He got the subtlety, the pain, the ego of a man so well known that even a passing imitation is fraught with challenges.  Rege Jean-Page gets a nod here.  He manages to transcend being just too pretty, but “Bridgerton” was just too much fluff.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

This was challenging.  Three actors from “The Crown”, which I loved, and two from “Ozark” which I didn’t.  Gillian Anderson was brilliant as Thatcher but I take issue with her “what nationality is she” game.  She will win but it’s worth looking at the other actors.  Olivia Coleman is brilliant, always, but has won before.  And reportedly hated playing the Queen.  Which leaves Emma Corrin as Diana.  She gets it.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Nicholas Hoult in “The Great”.  He entirely consumed every scene he was in, making Peter the most intriguing and detestable creature ever seen on television.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Since I pretty much hate “Dead to Me” and “Schitt’s Creek” I’m going for Kaley Cuoco, in “The Flight Attendant” here.  But “Schitt’s Creek” will win.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

This came down to “Lovecraft Country” or “The Crown”.  Both are compelling and have top-notch casts.  “The Crown” won my vote because of its ability to remain transformative and brilliant in its fourth season.  Not many shows can keep the energy going this long.  “The Crown” not only continues strong, it grows richer and MORE relevant as time passes.  Brava, Bravo.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

“The Flight Attendant” is a worthy runner-up but “The Great” wins this hands-down.  There is a kind of magic in how the dialog is batted around, making the show impossible to turn away from.  One of the most overlooked, I think, yet one of my favorites.

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

This was surprisingly difficult in some ways.  All five nominated series have lots and lots of kick/shoot/blow ‘em ups.  And they are all a little different from each other.  “The Boys” celebrated the grotesque, having at least one body turned inside out with every episode.  “Cobra Kai”, a spin-off of “The Karate Kid” films, has plenty of martial arts but they are run of the mill rather than inventive.  In “The Mandalorian” an incalculable number of storm troopers meet their demise.  “Lovecraft Country” allows the haunted to fight back for a change, resulting in a sloppy red mess more often than not.  My vote here, however, goes to “Westworld”.  At first a simple western they have graduated and grown up, as it were.  With the addition of Samurai they have now added swords and mix that with urban warfare in a way which is fresh and unexpected.  “Thandie Newton with a Katana” is all you need to say.  “Westworld” wins.

And the Award Goes To … Part Two

First, the films

Given that most of these films never saw the inside of a movie theatre, and likely never will, this is a watershed year in terms of “what is considered a motion picture”.  More and more we are seeing small-screen films nominated for the big awards.  These are only watched by those who have streaming services, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not the majority of Americans.  There are deep questions here about the relevance of film in the modern era … but I digress. 

Here I present my votes for the SAG-Aftra Film Acting Awards for this year.  Inevitably, less than half of these will actually win, but hey, it’s a free and open vote, so there!  (Will some disgruntled actor start yelling “Stop the Steal”???  We’ll see …)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

This one was easy.  Chadwick Boseman.  He was totally swallowed up by the role and virtually unrecognizable.  It’s called acting.  The huge names (Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, etc) couldn’t compare to an actor “becoming” someone else.  Pure brilliance.  Rest in Power.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

This one was tricky.  All five women are outstanding actors and gave great performances.  It was more of elimination than selection.  This wasn’t the best Amy Adams performance, Vanessa Kirby’s pain was visceral but hard to watch, Frances McDormand was, well, Frances McDormand.  Which left Viola Davis and Carey Mulligan.  Viola Davis was stunning, compelling, but … a) she’s a powerhouse but was not the star of this film and b) she’s won a few of these and I’m a firm believer in opening the door to newcomers.  And so my vote goes to Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman”.  I won’t be at all unhappy if Viola Davis wins here though.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

This one was pretty easy.  Daniel Kaluuya in “Judas and the Black Messiah”.  Again, unrecognizable from his previous roles.  My only complaint here is that LaKeith Stanfield should have been nominated (the aforementioned Judas).  I would have voted for him.  Arliss Howard should have been nominated, too, for his Louis B. Mayer in “Mank”.  But they weren’t nominated.  Kaluuya is a bigger name.  More on that later.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

And this is where I hit the wall.  It was a five-way tie.  Maria Bakalova MADE the Borat film.  Olivia Coleman turned in yet another outstanding performance which was completely different from every other role I’ve seen her play (and they were all different from each other).  Yuh-Jung Youn portrayed possibly the most complex, conflicted dutiful wife I have ever seen.  And Helena Zengel, who had very little dialog, spoke volumes in her critical role.  Leaving Glenn Close.  She has won SAG Awards but never an Oscar.  And she deserves an Oscar.  She really really does.  She’s like the Meryl Streep quality actor who everyone seems to forget about.  Yet here she is, in her 70s, still turning out brilliant performance after brilliant performance – and all of them unique and different.  Momentum at SAG might help her chances at Oscar time.  And so it goes to Glenn Close.  Although the others deserved to win, too.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 

This wasn’t too hard.  “Minari”.  I liked “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom a lot.  And “One Night in Miami” and “Da 5 Bloods” were homages to black lives with terrific ensemble performances.  But.  There is something about the family unit.  Something about people trying to build a better life.  In a time period of repeated losses this one spoke to me about the complexities of people who love one another but hate each other a little now and then.

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

“Wonder Woman 1984”.  Duh.

And the Award Goes To … Part One

Before launching into my picks for the year I wanted to take a moment.  It’s just bizarre.  Most of these award-nominated productions began filming, and many wrapped, long before Covid.  And yet.  There is a theme.  A similarity.  There always is, of course, in one of those weird parallel cognition ways.  You tell me – does any of the following ring a bell?

The majority of films and shows this year have vast silences, huge vistas, small rooms, people trapped by incalculable personal loss, people who don’t fit into the world, people experiencing deep grief and isolation. 

The style is naturalistic, to the point of feeling like these were a series of documentaries, not films.  They have little structure, dialog and minimal progression.  Many can be seen more as a slice of life than a clear story.  A tremendous number are set in the recent past as if to say we need to pause and reflect to times which most of us remember.  There are always a lot history based tales, biographies, but they seem to dominate this year.  It creates an actor dilemma – play the motivation or play the person?

There are not a lot of laughs.  There never are.  I deliberately book-ended my viewing with the “fun stuff” (“WW84” and “The Great”) but even the fun stuff had dark streaks and sadness here and there. 

They are all good, of course.  Hundreds of worthy projects are culled to create this final list.  They have to be extraordinary to make the cut.  So the films and shows I liked the best aren’t necessarily THE best, they are simply what I found to be engaging.  And since that changes for everyone, given their interests and life experiences, it is truly impossible to say which film is “the best”.  Nonetheless, I’ll go there.  (Keep in mind my “favorites” are not reflected in my votes.  My final votes were for actors in films I didn’t care for.  Confused enough?  Read on …)

What I didn’t like --

Again, these aren’t bad, they just didn’t float my boat:  “Ramy”, “Schitt’s Creek”, “I May Destroy You”, “Dead to Me”, “Better Call Saul”, "Ozark" and “Cobra Kai” (okay, that last one is pretty weak …)

Brilliant but brutal --

Very glad to have watched them but felt like my guts were being ripped out:  “Pieces of a Woman”, “Judas and the Black Messiah”, “Minari”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, “Sound of Metal”, “Lovecraft Country” and “I Know This Much is True”.

“Meh” –

Definitely worth watching but were either “off” for me, personally, or simply didn’t engage, leaving me fidgety: “Da 5 Bloods”, “News of the World”, “The Father”, “The Little Things”, “One Night in Miami …”, “The Undoing”, “The Flight Attendant”, “Bridgerton”, “The Good Lord Bird”, “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Hillbilly Elegy” which I liked more than the critics but had, IMHO, low energy.  “Mank” has been nominated for the most Oscars.  I get it but felt that it's more art than substance.  And way, way, way too white.

Biggest Winner???

“Nomadland” will likely walk away with many many awards.  Deservedly so.  But seriously not my thing.

Snubs –

I was engrossed by this year’s “Fargo”, which didn’t get any nominations.  At the very least there should have been some acting nods.  Network and even cable TV is virtually non-existent, which is a shame.  There are a number of TV shows I watch regularly which move me, touch me, engross me.  MJ Rodriguez and the entire ensemble from “Pose”?  Stunning.  They shouldn’t be ignored.  And the assumption that only Dramas have real, well, Drama, continues.  Does that mean that the actors on Sci-Fi aren’t worthy?  Is Wonder Woman’s pain any less than that of Diana on “The Crown”?  How is it that “People of Earth”, “Resident Alien” and “Miracle Workers” are overlooked?  It is a bias I will never accept. 

My Faves –

Again, not the best necessarily, but the ones which I connected to the most on a personal level: “Promising Young Woman”, “Trial of the Chicago 7”, “WW84”, “Borat:  Subsequent Moviefilm”, “Hamilton”, “Westworld”, “Mrs. America”, “The Great”, “The Crown”, “Little Fires Everywhere” and “This Is Us”, which has the distinction of being the ONLY non-streaming show nominated. 

Honorable Mentions for Buckets O Blood –

Winner: “Lovecraft Country” (I only got through half of it and had to call it quits).  Runner Ups:  “The Boys”, “Da 5 Bloods” and “Westworld”.

Honorable Mentions for Royal Sexcapades –

“Bridgerton” has all the chatter but “The Great” wins here.  Not only are the “encounters” more, um, non-traditional in “The Great” but there are more of them, including an impressive number before the credits roll on most episodes. 

Enough said.  Read on, in posts above, my picks for the SAG-Aftra Awards this year. 

"Young Rock" and "Kenan"

NBC has a new Tuesday night line-up featuring two sitcoms worthy of a watch.  The first is "Young Rock" the story of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.  Full of the ego and attitude Mr. Johnson cultivates in his public persona it was a little hard to take at first but the format, taking a theme and featuring how it impacted his life as he grew up, works.  The actors playing Johnson at different ages shine and points are made well without being moralistic.  It's funny yet grounded.  I suspect it will grow on me.

The second show, "Kenan" is also grounded, showing popular SNL performer Kenan Thompson in a very different role.  He's not ridiculous.  He has daughters, a job, a loss he is struggling with.  It could be a real launching pad for the actor to move on to other things but the first episode had many cringe-worthy moments.  It will be interesting to see, over time, if the show settles and is able to balance the comedy with the family elements.  To his credit the supporting cast is terrific -- from the smart-aleck daughters to brilliant addition of Don Johnson who is like peanut butter to Kenan's jelly.  I'm also thrilled to see Kimrie Lewis, who I adored in "Single Parents".  The show didn't exactly stick the landing but there is promise.  I'll keep watching for now.

The CW

I've finally figured out one of the problems with the CW shows.  I watch the CW more than any other network.  I love a good superhero show because they can be both engaging and escapist.  The CW has done well with the Arrowverse, creating depth in each series and providing a fresh take with every show.  And yet, while I love the shows, I find they kind of fade for me.  They start out great and then they just, kind of lose steam??? 

After I watched "The Flash" premiere I finally figured it out.  It is, to some degree, the revolving casts.  More than most shows (with the exception of maybe "Grey's Anatomy") the CW shows have a constant changeover in actors.  One might think it keeps the stories fresh, which could be true to some degree, but it also distances the viewer.  I love to connect not only to the story but to the characters.  I want to love them or hate them and I look forward to seeing them every week, discovering, along with them, the challenges and joys they encounter.  When I'm constantly trying to get to know a new set of characters I get tired.  And I stop caring.  Who is Allegra?  Don't really know.  And she's not growing on me.  Some new faces do -- I've come to like Cecile, but that took two years.  Will Allegra be around that long?  Probably not.  All of the Arrowverse shows tend to cycle through multiple major players every year.  

So, my two bits for the producers out there.  Find the humanity in your heroes and let us connect to that.  If a character is peripheral, so be it.  Just don't highlight someone and then walk away.  It's not good storytelling.