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The 7th Annual Edgy Award Nominations
Alas, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Time to take stock of what’s been seen and shower you all with my opinions. On schedule for once.
To remind everyone, while there may only be 6 previous editions of the Edgies available online, the awards are cataloged by yours truly going all the way back to 1940. The recipients’ nomination and win counts are grouped according to each category, with the exception of the two music categories and the four acting categories being linked. So while Martin Scorsese may be getting only his 3rd nomination for producing, that certainly does not include the wealth of nominations he’s accumulated for directing.
Without further ado, here are my nominations for the best craftsmanship and talent on display in 2016:
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Audition“
featured in “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz (2nd nom), Lyrics by Benj Pasik (2nd nom) and Justin Paul (2nd nom)
“City of Stars“
featured in “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz (2nd nom), Lyrics by Benj Pasik (2nd nom) and Justin Paul (2nd nom)
“Drive It Like You Stole It”
featured in “Sing Street”
Music and Lyrics by Gary Clark (1st nom)
“Heathens“
featured in “Suicide Squad”
Music and Lyrics by Tyler Joseph (1st nom)
“Letter to the Free“
featured in “13th”
Music and Lyrics by Common (2nd nom)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Arrival“
Johann Johannsson (2nd nom, 1 win – “Sicaro”)
“Jackie“
Mica Levi (2nd nom)
“Midnight Special“
David Wingo (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
Nicholas Britell (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Mark Korven (1st nom)
__________
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“Green Room“
Nancy J. Hvasta Leonardi (1st nom) and Stephen Prouty (1st nom)
“Hacksaw Ridge“
Shane Thomas (1st nom)
“The Light Between Oceans“
Michael Marino (4th nom)
“Suicide Squad“
Alessandro Bertolazzi (1st nom) and Christopher Allen Nelson (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Francois Deganais (1st nom) and Michael J. Walsh (1st nom)
__________
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Arrival“
Alexander Lafortune (1st nom) and Louis Morin (1st nom)
“The BFG“
Mark Gee (1st nom), Joe Letteri (9th nom, 5 wins – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar,” “LOTR: The Return of the King,” and “LOTR: The Two Towers”), Kevin McGaugh (1st nom) and Kevin Andrew Smith (1st nom)
“The Jungle Book“
Andrew R. Jones (3rd nom, 1 win – “Avatar”), Robert Legato (5th nom), Dan Lemmon (3rd nom, 1 win – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) and Adam Valdez (1st nom)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“
Neil Corbould (4th nom, 2 wins – “Gravity” and “Gladiator”), John Knoll (6th nom, 1 win – “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest”), Hal T. Hickel (4th nom, 1 win – “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest”) and Mohen Leo (1st nom)
“The Shallows“
Scott E Anderson (4th nom, 2 wins – “Starship Troopers” and “Babe”), Nathan McGuinness (2nd nom) and David Nelson (1st nom)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Arrival“
Sylvain Bellemare (1st nom)
“Hacksaw Ridge“
Robert MacKenzie (1st nom) and Andy Wright (1st nom)
“Midnight Special“
Jeremy Bowker (1st nom) and Will Files (2nd nom)
“A Monster Calls“
Oriol Tarrago (1st nom)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“
David Acord (2nd nom, 1 win – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Matthew Wood (8th nom, 1 win – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS MIXING
“Arrival“
Bernard Gariepy Strobl (1st nom) and Claude La Haye (1st nom)
“Blair Witch“
Andy Hay (1st nom) and Greg Townsend (1st nom)
“Green Room“
Bob Chefalas (2nd nom, 1 win – “Apollo 13”) and Roland Vajs (1st nom)
“Midnight Special“
Will Files (2nd nom) and Brandon Proctor (1st nom)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“
David Parker (7th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”), Christopher Scarabosio (4th nom) and Stuart Wilson (3rd nom)
__________
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Allied“
Joanna Johnston (3rd nom)
“Florence Foster Jenkins“
Consolata Boyle (1st nom)
“Jackie“
Madeline Fontaine (1st nom)
“Silence“
Dante Ferretti (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Linda Muir (1st nom)
__________
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Arrival“
Paul Hotte (1st nom) and Patrice Vermette (1st nom)
“Hail, Caesar!“
Jess Gonchor (1st nom) and Nancy Haigh (8th nom)
“Jackie“
Veronique Melery (3rd nom, 1 win – “A Very Long Engagement”) and Jean Rabasse (1st nom)
“La La Land“
Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (2nd nom) and David Wasco (2nd nom)
“The Witch“
Mark Kirkland (1st nom) and Craig Lathrop (1st nom)
__________
BEST EDITING
“American Honey“
Joe Bini (1st nom)
“Arrival“
Joe Walker (4th nom)
“Hell or High Water“
Jake Roberts (1st nom)
“Midnight Special“
Julie Monroe (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
Joi McMillon (1st nom) and Nat Sanders (1st nom)
__________
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Arrival“
Bradford Young (2nd nom)
“Jackie“
Stephane Fontaine (1st nom)
“La La Land“
Linus Sandgren (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
James Laxton (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Jarin Blaschke (1st nom)
__________
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“13th“
Spencer Averick (1st nom), Howard Barish (1st nom) and Ava DuVernay (1st nom)
“Cameraperson“
Kirsten Johnson (1st nom) and Marilyn Ness (1st nom)
“Gleason“
Seth Gordon (2nd nom, 1 win – “King of Kong: A Fistful of Dollars”), Mary Rohlich (1st nom) and Clay Tweel (1st nom)
“Newtown“
Maria Cuomo Cole (1st nom) and Kim A. Snyder (1st nom)
“Tower“
Megan Gilbride (1st nom), Keith Maitland (1st nom) and Susan P. Thomson (1st nom)
__________
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Arrival“
Eric Heisserer (1st nom)
“Loving“
Jeff Nichols (2nd nom)
“Moonlight“
Barry Jenkins (1st nom) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (1st nom)
“Nocturnal Animals“
Tom Ford (1st nom)
“Silence“
Jay Cocks (2nd nom) and Martin Scorsese (3rd nom, 1 win – “Goodfellas”)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Everybody Wants Some“
Richard Linklater (6th nom, 1 win – “Boyhood”)
“Hell or High Water“
Taylor Sheridan (2nd nom)
“Jackie“
Noah Oppenheim (1st nom)
“Manchester by the Sea“
Kenneth Lonergan (2nd nom)
“Paterson“
Jim Jarmusch (1st nom)
__________
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
“American Honey“
Chad Cox, Raymond Coalson, Veronica Ezell, Arielle Holmes, Gary Howell, Crystal Ice, Sasha Lane, Shia LaBoeuf, McCaul Lombardi, Shawna Ray Moseley, Will Patton, Johnny Pierce II, Isaiah Stone, Kenneth Kory Tucker, Christopher David Wright
“Everybody Wants Some“
Temple Baker, Will Brittain, Zoey Deutsch, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, J. Quinton Johnson, Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell, Juston Street
“Manchester by the Sea“
Casey Affleck, Anna Baryshnikov, Matthew Broderick, Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan, Kara Hayward, Stephen Henderson, Gretchen Mol, Ben O’Brien, Michelle Williams, C.J. Wilson
“Moonlight“
Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex R. Hibbert, Andre Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monae, Jaden Piner, Trevonte Rhodes, Ashton Sanders
“The Witch“
Kate Dickie, Lucas Dawson, Bathsheba Garnett, Ellie Grainger, Ralph Ineson, Harvey Scrimshaw, Anya Taylor-Joy
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Viola Davis – “Fences”
3rd nom
Greta Gerwig – “20th Century Women”
1st nom
Naomie Harris – “Moonlight”
1st nom
Riley Keough – “American Honey”
1st nom
Michelle Williams – “Manchester by the Sea”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”
__________
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali – “Moonlight”
1st nom
Tadanobu Asano – “Silence”
1st nom
Ralph Fiennes – “A Bigger Splash”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Schindler’s List”
Shia LaBeouf – “American Honey”
1st nom
Michael Shannon – “Nocturnal Animals”
4th nom
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Amy Adams – “Arrival”
6th nom
Annette Bening – “20th Century Women”
4th nom, 1 win – “American Beauty”
Rebecca Hall – “Christine”
1st nom
Ruth Negga – “Loving”
1st nom
Natalie Portman – “Jackie”
(4th nom, 2 wins – “Black Swan” and “Closer”)
__________
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
2nd nom
Joel Edgerton – “Loving”
1st nom
Andrew Garfield – “Silence”
2nd nom
Jake Gyllenhaal – “Nocturnal Animals”
4th nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”
Viggo Mortensen – “Captain Fantastic”
1st nom
__________
BEST DIRECTOR
Andrea Arnold – “American Honey”
1st nom
Robert Eggers – “The Witch”
1st nom
Barry Jenkins – “Moonlight”
1st nom
Pablo Larrain – “Jackie”
1st nom
Denis Villeneuve – “Arrival”
3rd nom
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
“13th“
Spencer Averick (1st nom), Howard Barish (1st nom) and Ava DuVernay (1st nom)
“American Honey“
Lars Knudsen (2nd nom), Pouya Shahbazian (1st nom) and Jay Van Hoy (2nd nom)
“Arrival“
Shawn Levy (1st nom), Dan Levine (1st nom), David Linde (1st nom) and Aaron Ryder (1st nom)
“Jackie“
Darren Aronofsky (2nd nom), Paul Franklin (2nd nom), Ari Handel (1st nom) and Mickey Liddell (1st nom)
“Manchester by the Sea“
Matt Damon (1st nom), Chris Moore (1st nom) and Kevin J. Walsh (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
Dede Gardner (2nd nom, 1 win – “12 Years a Slave”), Jeremy Kleiner (2nd nom, 1 win – “12 Years a Slave”) and Adele Romanski (1st nom)
“Paterson“
Joshua Astrachan (2nd nom) and Carter Logan (1st nom)
“Silence“
Barbara De Fina (2nd nom), Randall Emmett (1st nom), Martin Scorsese (3rd nom) and Irwin Winkler (6th nom, 2 wins – “Goodfellas” and “Raging Bull”)
“Tower“
Megan Gilbride (1st nom), Keith Maitland (1st nom) and Susan P. Thomson (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Daniel Bekerman (1st nom), Lars Knudsen (2nd nom), Rodrigo Teixeira (1st nom) and Jan Van Hoy (2nd nom)
__________
NOMINATION TALLY
Films with more than 2 nominations a piece:
Arrival – 11
Moonlight – 9
Jackie – 8
The Witch – 8
American Honey – 6
Manchester by the Sea – 5
Silence – 5
La La Land – 4
Midnight Special – 4
13th – 3
Loving – 3
Nocturnal Animals – 3
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 3
20th Century Women – 2
Everybody Wants Some! – 2
Green Room – 2
Hell or High Water – 2
Paterson – 2
Suicide Squad – 2
Tower – 2
Michael Shannon Gets Incredibly Adorable
Okay, it took me a while getting around to watching this, but thank god I finally did. As many of you may or may not know, Michael Shannon is one of the finest actors currently blossoming in Hollywood. He previously received a surprise Oscar nomination for Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road” and is currently in the running for his second for his astonishing performance in this year’s psychological mind-screw “Take Shelter.” Currently, he’s fighting with Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender and Gary Oldman for the final spot.
Now, I’m currently on the fence for whether I want that to happen, for he’s dueling with some stiff competition. However, this video may just put me over the edge. I’d like to see Jean Dujardin attempt to be this ridiculously adorable, adorable of course being the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of Michael Shannon. If you can’t see the satire in what I just said, then you need to go on Netflix and start watching some of his films. On top of that, you can check out the video, below:
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Washington D.C. Film Critics Announce Nominees
I had a feeling that these guys were going to stick their heads up this week. They have a tendency of announcing early and without warning. While the results of their voting is apparently still being tallied and the winners will be announced on Monday, we can take a look at the nominees right now.
Well, there’s not much question as far as what film will likely go all the way here, and that is the emerging critical darling “The Artist.” The film received eight nominations, practically in every category that it was eligible. “Hugo” comes in second with six nominations, continuing to baffle me. I’m sure that I’m going to be saying that a lot this awards season.
The overrated, but still exceptionally cool, “Drive” picked up four nominations, including one for it’s phenomenal director Nicholas Wending Refn. “The Descendants” also continued its string of love with five nominations. Octavia Spencer receives her first of what I’m sure will be a long string of nominations for her work in “The Help,” likewise for Viola Davis. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing both of those ladies with gold in their hands come Oscar night.
A surprisingly absent film from these nods is a little title about a war and a horse. Not sure if you’ve heard of it. For a critics group that largely trends towards the Oscars, it’s highly unusual to find Mr. Spielberg’s latest largely vacant from these nominations. True it picked up a few tech nods, yet this film is believed by many to potentially be the nomination leader next month. One can’t say that the group has a beef with the director, either, for they were the first and one of the only to award “Munich” Best Picture back in 2005.
The big story here is Tom McCarthy’s “Win Win” picking up a nomination for Best Picture, beating out the above mentioned “War Horse” and a number of others. Quite a coup for this little delight of a film. Yet, as intriguing as this nomination is, I doubt it will pan out much for the rest of the year, at least in terms of Best Picture. However, a screenplay nomination for McCarthy is becoming more and more likely.
Some underdog victories abound here that are worth mentioning. Michael Shannon asserts himself as a certifiable contender, getting a nod for his fantastic work in “Take Shelter.” It’s also very refreshing to see Andy Serkis get his first and hopefully not last nomination as a motion captured ape in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” His is certainly the most interesting campaign of the season, and if it succeeds, it will make Oscar history. While I despise the precedent that it will set, I admit that I can’t help feeling proud of Andy Serkis. If it’s going to happen, it should happen to him. From Gollum, to Kong, and now Ceasar, the man has truly put his heart and soul into his work and has ultimately changed the face of cinema in a lot of ways.
Hands down, my favorite pick of the evening has got to be Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids.” A good movie that this lady really took to another level with her incredible comedic skills. Her performance, if it continues down this track, could end up being one of the funnest nominations since Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder.” Kudos to the WAFCA for getting the ball rolling, there.
Check out the full list of nominations after the cut:
Best Film
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“Win Win”
Michael Shannon to Play Villain in “Superman”
Once again, it’s pretty weird that I’m trying to be as on the ball as this on “Man of Steel” production updates, given that I’ve never been a huge fan of the comics or the character. I remember Amy Adams getting cast as Lois Lane and rushing to announce it, all the while, I’m asking myself why I care. Who knows? Maybe I’ve just completely given up on any potential aspiring from “The Dark Knight Rises,” what with its recent absurd string of press releases. I may end up eating those words but, come on. Pittsburgh as Gotham City? Yeah, good luck with that.
And now the news that they’re bringing back Ra’s Al Ghul as a villain in this film. He was one of the only things that heavily annoyed me in “Batman Begins” and now they’re bringing him back for another go-around? At least they picked a decent actor in Chris Pence, who did a hell of a job as the man behind the sunglasses (Armie Hammer’s body double) in “The Social Network.”
Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent. As I said, I have no overwhelming interest in the new “Super-Man” film, however, this recent news has me quite tickled. Michael Shannon, the audacious and exciting young actor from “Bug” “The Woodsman” and “Revolutionary Road” (which he received and Oscar nomination for), has been cast to play the villainous General Zod in Zack Snyder’s reboot. As I said, I know nothing about the comics. However, a segment of the report by Mike Fleming at Deadline.com shines some light on the character:
Snyder stated, “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”
Not sure how much this raises my expectations for the film. However, I’ll say that if there were a reason to go see it now, it would be for this fine actor.