Best Picture - Drama
Winner - Drive My Car
Runners Up - The Power of the Dog, C'mon C'mon, CODA, The Hand of God,King Richard, and The Card Counter
Commentary - After a weird pandemic year, this year's Oscar race and film landscape is so much more robust. This category is so stacked with films I loved or respected. The Power of the Dog might win the Best Picture Oscar, and it is a film that I truly respected and was fascinated by (I didn't love it, not one I would re-watch over and over again). C'mon C'mon is an underrated gem of a film, The Card Counter was another fascinating watch, King Richard and CODA made your heart beat, and The Hand of God was an emotional and beautiful autobiographical story. But only one film has lingered on my mind continuously, and that is Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car. The first two hours of this slow build of a film were interesting, beautifully shot, but not much happens substantively in terms of the plot. But this is done on purpose, and with incredible skill. Hamaguchi is slowly building these characters, slowly drawing you into their world, only to completely drop your jaw. This film was a gut punch at the end, and it's final haunting hour left me staring at the screen long after the final credits. For those of us who have had profound loss in their life, particularly the loss of loved ones, and particularly the ones with whom we had complicated relationships, this film is one of the most honest, haunting, and profoundly authentic portrayals of grief. It explores the many phases of grief, the many twists and turns it does on our emotional state. The term masterpiece gets thrown around a lot, and often it is an over exaggeration. I don't know if Drive My Car is a masterpiece, but I do know that it is easily one of the best films of the year, and will not be forgotten by film lovers anytime soon.
Best Picture - Comedy/Musical
Winner - tick, tick, boom!
Runners Up - In the Heights, Licorice Pizza, Shiva Baby, and West Side Story
Commentary - This was a banner year for musicals. In the Heights was a hell of a good time and West Side Story was a much-needed update from the master Steven Spielberg. While I loved those moves, (as well as comedies Licorice Pizza and Shiva Baby, both fantastic), my favorite of the bunch was easily Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut, tick, tick...boom! An infectious and reverential ode to one of Broadway's greatest minds who was taken too soon, this adaptation of Jonathan Larson's autobiographical musical is such a beautiful film to watch. Andrew Garfield's lead performance is mesmerizing, the music is soaring, the production top notch. It is a film for theater geeks, which is maybe why it has not had the same awards success as West Side Story. But for those of us who consider ourselves a member of the group, this film is exactly why we love Broadway musicals. A winning debut that demands to be seen.
Best Picture Action/Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Winner - Dune
Runners Up - The Green Knight, No Time to Tie, Titane
Commentary - The un-filmable novel. Frank Herbert's Dune for years was considered un-filmable, and the previous try was always used as the proof of this claim. But if anyone could tackle the mythology, the visuals, and the quiet doom of this science fiction masterpiece it was Denis Villeneuve, whose style on Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 served as templates. He knocked it out of the park. It was engaging, brilliantly cast, and its visuals and sound work were jaw-dropping. It's success has spawned a sequel, and maybe even more, proving that in the hands of Denis Villeneuve, Dune is un-filmable no more.
Best Picture - Animated
Winner - The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Runners Up - Encanto and Flee
Commentary - Encanto was great, and I am honoring Flee elsewhere (see below). At the end of this Oscar season though, my favorite of the bunch is still The Mitchells vs. The Machines. It was a rollicking good time, chocked full of great action set pieces, laugh out loud humor, a great voice cast, and a memorable and a surprisingly deep story. Pure entertainment joy at its finest.
Best Picture - Documentary
Winners - (TIE) Flee and Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Runner Up - The Rescue
Commentary - Two of the most mesmerizing films I had the pleasure of watching this year were remarkable documentaries. I loved them both so much, I could not reward just one. Flee is a haunting, and brilliant use of animation to tell a hard and necessary story of an LGBTQ immigrant, and his harrowing story of escape. Most importantly, it is the story of repressed memory, and how the past could always derail the present and the future. Brilliant, groundbreaking, and inclusive, Flee is a masterpiece. Another masterpiece also emerged in the nonfiction filmmaking world this year. Questlove, one of my favorite musicians from one of my favorite bands The Roots, directed, for the first time, a brilliant ode to a forgotten festival celebrating black culture, music, and pride. With brilliant restored archival footage, and interviews with concert goers and musicians, Quest takes the traditional documentary style, and elevates it with energy, with cultural relevance, and with what is clearly a love and respect for the subject matter. Neither of these works should be missed.
Best Director
Winner - Jane Campion "The Power of the Dog"
Runner Up - Ryûsuke Hamaguchi "Drive My Car", Denis Villeneuve "Dune", Jonas Poher Rasmussen "Flee", Questlove “Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”, and Paul Thomas Anderson "Licorice Pizza"
Commentary - A tough category this year, and ultimately, I went with a film that I did not love, but I completely respected as a film. That's hard, to distinguish between love and respect, but when I think about the director that best executed their vision, no one beats Jane Campion this year. This is why she is probably winning the Best Director Oscar next weekend. The control, the beautiful visuals, the slow build and the complete trust she had in her actors, show why she, despite only making a few films over her career, is a master of film, and one of our finest directors.
Best Actor - Drama
Winner - Will Smith "King Richard"
Runners Up - Nicholas Cage “Pig”, Benedict Cumberbatch "The Power of the Dog", Joaquin Phoenix "C'mon C'mon"
Commentary - Will Smith has been a lot of things. He was a successful rapper, sitcom star, action star, and eventually a bona fide film icon. Will Smith is one of those actors that does not mind making a third Bad Boys movie (actually a pretty decent film), and then turn around and make something like King Richard. Some actors are stars, some actors are talented, Will Smith is both. This year, he put his heart and soul into a project to portray Richard Williams, a often controversial public figure who happened to be one of the driving forces behind Venus and Serena Williams. Smith is fantastic in the role. He brings so much to this, and worked with the Williams family to make sure it was authentic, honest, and reverential. King Richard is all of those things, because of Will Smith. If he wins next weekend, it will be a well-deserved honor for not only this performance, but for a thirty-year career that has been a pleasure to follow.
Best Actress - Drama
Winner - Jessica Chastain "The Eyes of Tammy Faye"
Runners Up - Penelope Cruz "Parallel Mothers", Emilia Jones "CODA", Mary Twala “This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection"
Commentary - Another tough category. Cruz is fantastic, Jones is a bright new star, and Mary Twala is a legend whose loss is hard. But, I grew up, and still live, outside of Charlotte, NC, and like many of my friends and family, we are well acquainted with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Tammy Faye was one of those people, that despite a lot of controversy, had a lot of love in her heart, even if that love clashed with the hardline conservative beliefs of the evangelical movement. Jessica Chastain understood that legacy, especially her legacy of love towards the gay community, and her desire to help AIDS victims. She brilliantly captures the mannerisms, the style, the voice, but most importantly, Chastain found the heart of Tammy Faye, the good and the bad, and gave her the big-screen treatment that she deserved. It was a remarkable and reverential performance.
Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
Winner - Andrew Garfield "tick, tick...boom!"
Runners Up - Leonardo DiCaprio "Don't Look Up", Peter Dinklage "Cyrano", Anthony Ramos “In the Heights”
Commentary - Jonathan Larson was a larger-than-life legend, and Andrew Garfield (who knew he could sing!) brilliantly captures Larson's energy, his devotion, his passion, and his pain. It was an incredible, and surprising performance that proves that Garfield is one of our finest actors, and that he truly is a chameleon of a performer who cannot ever be underestimated.
Best Actress - Comedy/Musical
Winner - Rachel Sennott “Shiva Baby”
Runners Up - Alana Haim "Licorice Pizza", Patti Harrison “Together Together”, , and Rachel Zegler "West Side Story"
Commentary - Shiva Baby, a top ten film for me this year, was a film that I loved. It was so awkward, so funny, so honest, and managed to make its point for no money, better than some of the bigger films did this year. Emma Seligman's script and claustrophobic direction are pitch-perfect, but it is Rachel Sennott's brilliant lead turn that brings the entire project together. She plays a flawed, funny, relatable character balancing out love, lust, family obligation, Jewish tradition, and death in a high-wire balancing act that would stump a lesser actor. Clearly Sennott is an incredible talent, who proved that she does not need to be ignored.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner - Troy Kotsur "CODA"
Runners Up - Mike Faist "West Side Story" and Kodi Smit-McPhee "The Power of the Dog"
Commentary - CODA is such a heart-warming experience, and yet not super cheesy, because the warmth and the love are so honest on screen. Troy Kotsur, a hard-working character actor, finally gets his big break, and his role as the dad in this film is jaw-dropping, heart-breaking, and is the performance this year that makes you stand up and cheer. This is why he is most likely going to be Oscar Winner Troy Kotsur in a week. A honor that is well-deserved.
Best Supporting Actress
Winner - Ariana DeBose "West Side Story"
Runners Up - Aunjanue Ellis "King Richard" and Kirsten Dunst "The Power of the Dog"
Commentary - I really did like West Side Story, much better than the original. Although I will say, that my favorite part of the original is Rita Moreno. I think she is everybody's favorite part. So Ariana DeBose had a herculean task of tackling a role that won one of our most iconic actors her Academy Award, a role that was beloved by so many. Damn if she didn't knock it out of the park. Working with Rita Moreno in the ensemble, DeBose brought her own energy, her own take on the role, while still maintaining the heart and soul of Moreno's performance. It was a stunning performance, and when she wins the Oscar next week, she will continue the tradition of her mentor of breaking down barriers, and dazzling the world.
Best Ensemble
Winner - West Side Story
Runners Up - Belfast, The French Dispatch, The Harder They Fall,
Commentary - Spielberg and his team did an excellent job of blending legends with beloved veterans and fantastic new talent. This ensemble, top to bottom, made West Side Story such a stirring film experience.
Best Voice Acting/Motion Capture Performance
Winner - Stephanie Beatriz "Encanto"
Runners Up - Abbi Jacobson "The Mitchells vs. The Machines", Awkwafina "Raya and the Last Dragon", and Danny McBride "The Mitchells vs. The Machines"
Commentary - I love Stephanie Beatriz, an actor on one of my favorite television shows, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Her performance as Mirabel is so key to the film's successes. With just her voice, she rings the anxiety, the hope, and the emotion to an incredibly emotional story. A deeply felt and quietly brilliant voice performance.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner - Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe "Drive My Car"
Runners Up - Sian Heder "CODA", Jon Spaihts, Denis Villenueve, and Eric Roth "Dune", and Jane Campion "The Power of the Dog"
Commentary - See Best Picture - Drama
Best Original Screenplay
Winner - (TIE) Mike Mills "C'mon C'mon" and Paul Thomas Anderson "Licorice Pizza"
Runners Up - Emma Seligman “Shiva Baby” and Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe, and Alex Hirsch “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
Commentary - PTA is getting a lot of praise for his nostalgic, funny, and warm Licorice Pizza. That praise is deserved, and while many may not fully understand the story, those who do understand PTA's brilliance as a screenwriter. But I also thought that C'mon C'mon was a film that unceremoniously was left out of many of the top awards this year. Mike Mills' script was so heartwarming, funny, honest, and brilliantly captured this quiet and sweet relationship between an uncle and a nephew that was just a joy to watch.
Best Cinematography
Winner - Greig Fraser "Dune"
Runners Up - Ari Wegner "The Power of the Dog", Bruno Delbonnel "The Tragedy of Macbeth", and Janusz Kaminski "West Side Story"
Commentary - Duh.
Best Visual Effects
Winner - Dune
Runners Up - The Matrix Resurrections, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: Far From Home
Commentary - Double Duh.
Worst Film of the Year
Loser - Dear Evan Hansen
Runners Up - Chaos Walking, SAS: Red Notice, Thunder Force
Commentary - Pasek and Paul, Tony-Award winning musical, starring legends like Julianne Moore and Amy Adams. Dear Evan Hansen should have been a slam dunk of a film, joining the legion of great musical adaptations that soared on the screen this year. While the music is still fantastic, the rest of this hot mess of a film could only be labeled a disaster. From the casting issues that led to questionable makeup design, to the manipulative and odd structuring of the story, to the the just downright poorly plotted story twists, this film just never got off the ground. It might not technically be the worst film of the year (did anyone even try to sit through SAS: Red Notice?), but it earns this distinction because it had every opportunity to be a decent film, and it wasted every single one of them.
Top 20 Films of 2021 (March-December)
1. Drive My Car
2. (TIE) Flee and Summer of Soul (Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
3. tick, tick...boom!
4. Dune
5. Licorice Pizza
6. The Power of the Dog
7. The Mitchells vs. The Machines
8. West Side Story
9. C'mon C'mon
10. Shiva Baby
11. The Hand of God
12. King Richard
13. CODA
14. In the Heights
15. The Card Counter
16. Passing
17. Parallel Mothers
18. The Green Knight
19. Encanto
20. Belfast
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