12th Annual Awards Psychic Halfway Award Winners

Best Picture
Winner - Da 5 Bloods

Runners Up - First Cow, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, and Driveways

Commentary - Spike Lee has hit a home run yet again. Da 5 Bloods is not a perfect film, Lee doesn't make precision, pitch perfect films (Inside Man is his close to precision film making). Lee doesn't want to make those types of films. He wants to make films that get under your skin, that make you feel their anger, passion, and struggle. He makes visceral, raw, boisterous films that have, for the last 30 years, told an amazing stories of his community, his culture, and his passion. Da 5 Bloods is yet another masterpiece from the auteur. It is a brilliant ensemble piece that is relevant, entertaining, and incredibly important in today's world. I hope when Oscar season rolls around that it is still very much in the conversation. It deserves to be. 

Best Director
Winner - Spike Lee "Da Five Bloods"

Runners Up - Kelly Reichardt “First Cow”, Bora Kim “House of Hummingbird”, and Andrew Patterson “The Vast of Night”

Commentary - See Best Picture

Best Actor
Winner - Delroy Lindo “Da 5 Bloods”

Runners Up - Pete Davidson “The King of Staten Island” and Ben Affleck “The Way Back”

Commentary - Delroy Lindo has been a quality veteran actor for a long time, and if you want to see more of his work, you should check out The Good Fight over at CBS Access. Nothing he has done though has compared to his profound, mesmerizing work in Da 5 Bloods. By year's end, Netflix may push him in Supporting, depending on how the season plays out. Either way, if Lindo's name is not called for an Oscar nomination, there is something wrong with the world. He is that good. 

Best Actress
Winner - Sidney Flanagan “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”

Runners Up - Julia Garner “The Assistant” and Elisabeth Moss “The Invisible Man” and "Shirley"

Commentary - I loved Beach Rats, and I'm thrilled to see Eliza Hittman return with yet another great film in Never Rarely Sometimes Always. While this film owes a lot of credit to Hittman, it would not have been the same without the presence of breakthrough star Sidney Flanagan in her first film role. She excellently conveys the raw energy of Hittman's direction, as well as the pain, and the emotion that are needed to nail this difficult subject. I think we have witnessed the beginning of a brilliant new career. 

Best Supporting Actor
Winner - Brian Dennehy “Driveways”

Runners Up - Chadwick Boseman “Da 5 Bloods”, Clarke Peters “Da 5 Bloods”, Bill Nighy “Emma”

Commentary - Unfortunately this year we lost the great Brian Dennehy, a wonderful stage and screen actor whose characters were memorable. Luckily for us, Dennehy left us with one final amazing role in Driveways. Like so many of his characters, this gruff next door neighbor trope was elevated by subtly, heart, and impeccable talent. He will be missed. 

Best Supporting Actress
Winner - Lily Gladstone “First Cow”

Runners Up - Essie Davis “Babyteeth” and “True History of the Kelly Gang” and Bel Powley “The King of Staten Island”
Commentary - Like she did several years ago in Certain Women, Lily Gladstone took a supporting role and elevated it, making it one of the performances in a great ensemble that you couldn't get out of your mind. She is one of Kelly Reichardt's muses, and as this role proves, this is a director/actor duo that needs to continue to work together and turn out fantastic work. 

Best Screenplay

Winner - Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen “Driveways”

Runners Up - Eliza Hittman “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond “First Cow”

Commentary - Driveways, which was nominated for Best First Screenplay at last year's Indie Spirits (they use festival launches not release dates for their eligibility), has a great script from first time screenwriters that perfectly balances the film's sentimentality with a huge dose of humanity that is much needed in our current world. 

Best Ensemble
Winner - Da 5 Bloods

Runners Up - Driveways, The True History of the Kelly Gang, and Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn)

Commentary - See Best Picture

Best Animated Film
Winner - Onward

Runner Up - A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Commentary - Of the bunch, Onward, which is not the best Pixar by any means, is the winner, that still offers a sweet and fun tale.