Having watched everything I could (see previous post) it is time to cast my ballot. People always ask "what was your favorite?" It is an impossible choice given the high quality of nearly every entry. Exceptions only for Hustlers, Dead to Me and Schitt's Creek, which were just ... bad (IMHO). How they got nominated, I will never know. That being said, I would pick Rocketman, Just Mercy and Joker for best films, with a serious nod to Jojo Rabbit. Rocketman was fresh, clever and engaging in an era with far too many rock star biopics. Just Mercy was a tender production which had me caring, deeply, for every character and on the edge of my seat -- this was lacking in many of the so-called "best" films this year. Joker was ... riveting. Didn't take my eyes off the screen. Viewers shouldn't dismiss this film as "one of those DC superhero movies". It isn't, on any level. It fits in with one of the unofficial themes of the year by addressing mental illness, front and center. And then there is Jojo Rabbit. Many (many many many) people are offended by this film but I tend to think they don't get it. The tone may be light but the Nazis still look like awful human beings. Lastly, if you are feeling depressed by all of this, watch solid feel-good films Harriett and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, both of which have some strong performances and terrific cinematography.
For the "best of" television and streaming series I would pick Unbelievable or Chernobyl. Unbelievable probably had one of the biggest impacts on me personally, challenging the idea that a woman who recants a rape is lying about the attack. The current situation in Cyprus, with the 19 year-old accuser, is now seen by me with new eyes thanks to this mini-series. Chernobyl was the hardest to watch, in two ways. First, it doesn't spare the horrific and cameras linger on bodies which no longer look human, flesh being eaten away by radiation, the sounds of Geiger counters clicking madly as men take on suicide missions. It's also hard to watch because of 20/20 hindsight. We know what happened and so much of it was avoidable, driven by the social morays of Soviet Russia, a place where failure was unacceptable. It also resonates today, both with my recent visit to China, seeing the systemic denial of basic truths there, and with Russia as it retreats back to that time, covering up yet another nuclear accident recently in Siberia. All of that being said, I would vote for Chernobyl as best overall production if there were such an award in this ceremony, but there isn't. It is simply really well put together, from direction to acting to writing to, well, everything.
I digress. But a strong theme of the year besides "It's Complicated" was to see how the past informs the present, and there are so many unlearned lessons. Lots of politics, lots of #MeToo and two separate projects about Roger Ailes. Familiar faces -- directors and actors. Actors Jessie Buckley, Olivia Coleman, Brett Cullen, Robert de Niro, Mark Duplass, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Moss, Al Pacino, Margaret Qualley, Margo Robbie and Sam Rockwell each appear in two of the nominated projects with Laura Dern in a whopping three.
I do wish that the awards weren't competitive. I wish we could say "you folks ALL did a great job" instead of saying one is better than another. That being said, I had to make choices. (And they will inevitably not be the actual winners as I have unique sensibilities). For me, the most interesting thing about the list below is that there is no single film or series which dominates. There were bright stars in every production with no single production standing out as being "the hit of the year." For me, anyway. Awards are announced on TNT and TBS at 8pm Sunday, January 19th. They will additionally be streamed on People.com and EW.com.
Outstanding Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series: I love Mahershali Ali in everything. Then there's Sam Rockwell, a non-dancer, who was transformative in Fosse/Verdon and very ... unique ... in Jojo Rabbit. Russell Crowe did a great job inside the skin (and prosthetics) of a truly horrible man in a year when we saw two different takes on FOX News and Roger Ailes. That being said, Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) made the transition from innocent teen to long-term inmate, hardened but with hope, in a stunningly beautiful performance. Mr. Jerome won my vote.
Outstanding Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series: Patricia Arquette or Michelle Williams will win this, but Joey King (The Act) should win. She gets my vote not only for shaving her head but by portraying, very subtly, the complex emotions of loving and hating the woman who raises you.
Outstanding Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method). Always. Alan. Arkin.
Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Rachel Brosnahan is consitently brilliant as Mrs. Maisel but Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also created and wrote Fleabag, does this amazing thing where she plays a scene but does outtakes directly into the camera. It's a hard thing to break the fourth wall and yet somehow not. And she does it brilliantly. Ms. Waller-Bridge wins.
Outstanding Comedy Ensemble: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel works because every single solitary actor brings their A-game. Period.
Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series: This one was very hard. Both Billy Crudup and Steve Carrell enriched The Morning Show significantly (and ironically, given that this is a female driven narrative). And there is David Harbour, whose deeply flawed daddy-figure on Stranger Things is almost impossible to define. In the end I had to go with Steve Carrell, who not only got robbed last year for Beautiful Boy but his depiction of a nice guy with a seriously creepy streak was impeccable. His comedy work is really good. His drama work is shockingly great.
Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series: Why, oh why, are Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter in the same category? (The Crown) Because this awards ceremony doesn't have a supporting actor category for television, only film. It's a shame. And I have to whine, again, that Regina King (Watchmen) isn't nominated, as she would have my top vote in a minute. I am also disappointed that Merritt Weaver didn't get a nod for Unbelievable. I love her work in everything she does. Elizabeth Moss is great, too, but she has won a bunch of times (deservedly) for The Handmaid's Tale. Helena Bonham Carter wins here for a tender, delicate, and more reigned in (pun intended) portrayal of a sad, tortured woman. Her best performance, IMHO, ever.
Outstanding Drama Ensemble: Unbelievable should have been nominated instead of Big Little Lies, but it wasn't, so I went back and forth between Stranger Things and The Handmaid's Tale. Both have large casts where each character plays an important role. I ended up with Stranger Things because these kids are growing up and they are still giving 100%, a challenge as their characters age and develop. That, and I'm not sure the show, unlike The Handmaid's Tale, has ever won. They probably won't win here, either, but they deserve to.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood and The Irishman may be considered "great filmmaking" but they were hugely predictable and I wasn't able to connect with either in any meaningful way. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was delightful, in great part because of Tom Hanks' spot-on portrayal of Mr. Rogers, but it was Just Mercy which had huge emotional resonance, bringing me to tears, and Jamie Foxx's performance was a significant part of that. Bravo, sir. You get my vote.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Margot Robbie has shown incredible range of late (Tonya Harding to Elizabeth I to Harley Quinn) and stole the show in Bombshell but Laura Dern has had a terrific year -- Little Women, Big Little Lies AND a creepily manipulative divorce lawyer in Marriage Story. For body of work, and very overdue acknowledgement of a four decade career ... Laura Dern.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Lead Role: Super tough. Taron Egerton made Rocketman, in many ways. Adam Driver did his best work, IMHO, in Marriage Story. Christian Bale almost made me care about car racing in Ford v Ferrari. Almost. But not enough. But then there was Joker, a stunning film in which Joaquin Phoenix is seen, close-up, in nearly every shot. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. For this film, and body of work, Joaquin Phoenix.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Lead Role: Not too hard. I was underwhelmed by Bombshell and, despite the tremendous prep by Renee Zellweger, by Judy. Scarlett Johansson was impressive in Marriage Story but less so than her counterpart, Adam Driver, whose character seemed to have a stronger sense of self. (IMHO her role in Jojo Rabbit was more interesting). Lupita Nyong'o played a million levels in Us and would have been my first choice had it not been for Harriett, where Cynthia Erivo dominated, truly "becoming" the eponymous character. Ms. Erivo edged out Ms. Nyong'o by a slim margin.
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Here is where I wish SAG/Aftra would separate Dramas from Comedies/Musicals. Rocketman was brilliant (and, I have to say, better than the very very good Bohemian Rhapsody from last year) and I would vote for that if given the chance. Because of the limits, however, Rocketman didn't make the cut. The irony here is that the films which were nominated didn't bowl me over much. I'll be glad to say they are extremely well-made. The Irishman is, of course, another gangster classic by Scorsese. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood is a suprisingly gore-light "fairytale" by Tarantino. Parasite does a great job of addressing the inherent inequities of societies in a sad way but feels like it goes too far. The oddball weak link here was Bombshell, which wasn't, IMHO, nearly as good as The Loudest Voice (same topic). That left me with Jojo Rabbit and I was glad to cast my vote for this very weird but somehow fresh film which made me laugh, cry, and ponder. Led by Roman Griffin Davis, an affable and smart eleven year old, every member of the cast brings something unique and special to the production.
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: This will go to Avengers but they never provide screeners so I picked Ford v Ferrari to spite them. Of the nominees it was the one with the most complicated stunts, based on all the car action, and I'm guessing that more of these stunts were practical, rather than computer-generated, than those in Avengers.
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: Glow. Always Glow.
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