The output this year was ... well. A commentary, below, then the actors I voted for.
Yes, I vote for the SAG Awards, which are “similar” to
Oscars and Emmys, although not quite the same. I
get free screenings for all nominated films and TV/Streaming shows. As with previous years, I am wondering, more
and more, what is wrong with Hollywood.
Trends:
- Long, long, long. Films under two hours are getting rare. Films approaching three hours are becoming common. Few are worth the extra time. Edit, for crying out loud!
- Horror is a thing. Not my thing. I may hate Westerns more, but not much more. I don’t mind psychological darkness, but I really don’t need to see bodies being ripped apart (except for in “Deadpool” films, where it is so over-the-top, it doesn’t actually mean anything). Life is scary enough. You can keep your horror.
- “Cringe” is another thing. Maybe because of “White Lotus”. You watch and … just feel icky.
- #MeToo is dead. Women, in film after film after film, are doormats. Ignored, underestimated or only in the project to be sexualized (I’m looking at you, “Marty Supreme” … that being said, how did Gwyneth Paltrow get a nomination and Odessa A’zion not???) The streaming series do better at giving women their due than the films.
- The anti-hero (started by “Dexter” or “Breaking Bad”???) continues to grow in terms of lead characters. Which concerns me. A lot. Is society just so broken that we can’t have heroes anymore? And no, I’m not talking superheroes. I’m talking films where there are people who are trying – trying to be good, trying to succeed, trying to grow, trying to love, trying to improve, you name it. “Forrest Gump”, “Schindler’s List” – two films where you could hope along with the characters. Where you gave a d*** about where their path took them. Where you dreamed of a better outcome for characters. In movie after movie after movie these days there are just bad people who start bad, act bad, end bad. Nothing changes. Watching a steady stream of this makes you feel like humanity is so not worth it. Neither is spending the hours I spent watching these films.
Films I totally loathed:
“One Battle After Another”, “Marty Supreme”, “Bugonia”, “Weapons” and “If
I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” Also not a fan
of: “The Beast in Me”, “Black Rabbit”,
“Dying for Sex”, “Monster: The Ed Gein
Story” and “Slow Horses.”
Cringey: “The Studio”
and “Palm Royale.”
The good stuff?
“Sinners”. Yes, horror. But beautifully filmed, stunningly told. A+ production all around. “Frankenstein”. Another gorgeously filmed tale, with a
heart. “Blue Moon”. Maybe niche, but an actor’s dream
production. “Hamnet”. A gentle, beautiful look at loss and how
everyone handles it differently. “Adolescence”. Absolutely f****** BRILLIANT. “All Her Fault”. One of the few shows where the women rise up. “The Pitt”.
Needless to say, just really really really good.
Also worth the time:
“The Diplomat”, “Nobody Wants This”, “A Man on the Inside”, “Pluribus”, and
“Paradise.”
My votes, below.
Film:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Rol
· ETHAN HAWKE / Lorenz Hart - "BLUE MOON"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading
Role
· JESSIE BUCKLEY / Agnes - "HAMNET"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
· JACOB ELORDI / The Creature - "FRANKENSTEIN"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting
Role
· ODESSA A’ZION / Rachel Mizler - "MARTY SUPREME"
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
· SINNERS
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
· STEPHEN GRAHAM / Eddie Miller - "ADOLESCENCE"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
· SARAH SNOOK / Marissa Irvine - "ALL HER FAULT"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
· NOAH WYLE / Dr. Michael
"Robby" Rabinovitch - "THE PITT"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
· KERI RUSSELL / Kate Wyler - "THE DIPLOMAT"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
· SETH ROGEN / Matt Remick - "THE STUDIO"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
· CATHERINE O'HARA / Patty Leigh - "THE STUDIO" (Note: Literally the day I am posting this, Catherine O'Hara died. Devasted. She was literally the anchor of "The Studio" RIP, my lady)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
· THE PITT
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
· ABBOTT ELEMENTARY
