16th Annual Awards Psychic Halfway Award Winners

Best Picture

Winner - Challengers

Runners Up - Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Hit Man

Commentary - Dune: Part Two proved that the first was not a fluke, Furiosa was a big surprise, and Hit Man should have been seen on the big screen. But so far this year, the one film I keep going back to is Luca Guadagnino's sultry, heart-pounding Challengers. Brilliantly acted by three of today's hottest talents, the tale that he weaves with breathtaking tennis scenes, sexual innuendos, and ferocious competitiveness is so freaking entertaining, right up until the sexually ambiguous ending. Guadagnino is hit or miss for me (although his talent is always present even if I don't always connect), but he proves he is in fine form with Challengers, his most entertaining and commercial film to date. While it is his most accessible film of his career, he doesn't lose his style or his knack for making the audience uncomfortably entangled. A great step forward for a talented director. 

Best Director

Winner - Luca Guadagnino "Challengers"

Runners Up - Denis Villeneuve "Dune: Part Two", George Miller "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", Richard Linklater "Hit Man"

Commentary  - See Best Picture

Best Actor

Winner - Glen Powell "Hit Man"

Runners Up - Mike Faist "Challengers", Josh O'Connor "Challengers"

Commentary - Glen Powell has easily become the movie star of the moment, and he brings with him the kind of good-looking, laid back charm that made actors like Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey superstars in previous decades. In Hit Man, he proves that he is not just a pretty face though, as he brings razor-sharp wit and magnetic screen presence that make Hit Man endlessly watchable. 

Best Actress

Winner - (TIE) June Squibb "Thelma" and Zendaya "Challengers"

Runners Up - Kirsten Dunst "Civil War", Julia Louis-Dreyfus "Tuesday", Julianne Nicholson "Janet Planet", Anya Taylor-Joy "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"

Commentary - Zendaya is undeniable as the master manipulator in Challengers, and it proves why she is one of the industry's most sought-after performers. She is wicked, funny, brutal, sexy, and magnetic on screen. But the performance so far this year that melted my heart was the fantastic June Squibb in Thelma. Bringing warmth, humor, toughness, and a huge dose of vulnerability and heart, Squibb lights up the screen, and proves that you are never too old to make an impact. 

Best Supporting Actor

Winner - Richard Roundtree "Thelma"

Runners Up - Tom Burke "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", Willem Dafoe "Kinds of Kindness", Tom Hardy "The Bikeriders"

Commentary - Richard Roundtree was a great veteran character performer, who died not long after finishing shooting Thelma. Known by most as John Shaft in the original film, Roundtree was so much more than just one role. With an expansive and prolific career of over 50 years, Roundtree had over 160 credits to his name. In Thelma, we got to see why he was such a beloved screen presence for all that time. He was funny, supportive, and good foil for Squibb's Thelma, and had a heart the size of California that shone through, not just in Thelma, but in every role. He will be missed. 

Best Supporting Actress

Winner  - Maya Hawke "Inside Out 2"

Runners Up - Hong Chau "Kinds of Kindness", Charlee Fraser "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"

Commentary - Inside Out 2 has some detractors, but I really think that it is a fantastic film. It is hard to top the original, and it doesn't do that, but it proves that Pixar still has some magic left. The film still hits the high and low notes of growing up with the same heartfelt magic that made the first such a special film for many. One of the new additions to the emotions was Maya Hawke's Anxiety, who almost steals the show. Hawke perfectly captures Anxiety, the way Phyllis Smith does with Sadness, and proves to be the pivotal emotion in Riley's rollercoaster ride. Hawke is a talented actress, and it is hard to convey as much as she did through just her voice. But she knocked it out of the park. 

Best Screenplay

Winner - Richard Linklater, Glen Powell, and Skip Hollandsworth "Hit Man"

Runners Up - Radu Jude "Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World", Annie Baker "Janet Planet"

Commentary - Action Comedies don't normally win screenplay awards, but most of them do not have the charm of this one, and most of them don't have the talented Richard Linklater behind the script. A great blend of genres, beautifully twisted characters, moral complexity, and laugh out loud comedy, Hit Man's screenplay is deceptively great. 

Best Animated Feature

Winner - Inside Out 2

Runner Up - Chicken for Linda!

Commentary - See Best Supporting Actress

Best Ensemble

Winner - Dune: Part Two

Runners Up - Kinds of Kindness, The Bikeriders, Civil War, Thelma, Hit Man, Challengers

Commentary - Dune: Part 2 is going to get a lot of credit because of the visuals, Villenueve's direction, but not enough credit is given to its fantastic, and deep cast of actors that make the film not just a visual masterpiece, but, at its core, a human story. That is hard to do in a heady science fiction film, but this group proves it can be done, and done well.