- Neptune Frost, by Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams | The Pink Cloud, by Iuli Gerbase
- Bad Axe, by David Siev | The Banshees on Inisherin, by Martin McDonagh
- Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul., by Adamma Ebo | TÁR, by Todd Field
- Aftersun, by Charlotte Wells | The Eternal Daughter, by Joanna Hogg
- Crimes of the Future, by David Cronenberg | White Noise, by Noah Baumbach
- After Yang, by Kogonada | Everything Everywhere All At Once, by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan
- Glass Onion, by Rian Johnson | Triangle of Sadness, by Ruben Östlund
- Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, by Mark Gustafson and Guillermo del Toro | Le Pupille, by Alice Rohrwacher
- Decision to Leave, by Park Chan-wook | Speak No Evil, by Christian Tafdrup
- Nanny, by Nikyatu Jusu | The Wonder, by Sebastián Lelio
- Ali & Ava, by Clio Barnard | Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, by Sophie Hyde
- Fire of Love, by Sara Dosa | Nope, by Jordan Peele
- Happening, by Audrey Diwan | Lingui: The Sacred Bonds, by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
- The Princess, by Ed Perkins | Riotsville, USA, by Sierra Pettengill
- Hit the Road, by Panah Panahi | Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, by Pawo Choyning Dorji
- Girl Picture, by Alli Haapasalo | Hatching, by Hanna Bergholm
- Till, by Chinonye Chukwu | The Woman King, by Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Emergency, by Carey Williams | Free Chol Soo Lee, by Julie Ha amd Eugene Yi
- Both Sides of the Blade, by Claire Denis | Stars at Noon, by Claire Denis
- Kimi, by Steven Soderbergh | The Northman, by Robert Eggers
Category: Special Coverage
Favorite Films of 2021
Putting together a list of favorite films from the year is always a tricky task. I feel as though I’m constantly scrolling back through my viewing of the past 12 months and trying to figure out which films made a lasting impact – which films continue to move me when I look back on them, which films leave me continuing to ponder their mysteries, which films have me eager return to them.
And these past two years of pandemic viewing has made things even more challenging. On the one hand, there are more avenues than ever to find and discover new films. A number of the films on my list were viewed as part of virtual film festivals or online screening series. But on the other hand, as theaters began reopening and accessible viewing options for new and limited releases has been dwindling, those of us with disabilities or conditions that put us at greater risk from COVID are finding ourselves left behind.
So I tried to be conscious of all these factors while selecting the films for my list this year. I only chose films that, as of the end of 2021, were accessible to individuals who could not attend physical theaters – either through a regular streaming service or a virtual cinema option. This meant leaving off some fantastic films that I was fortunate enough to see via screeners, festivals, and screening series – but I’ll be sharing more about those over the coming year as they’re more readily available to see.
And, as always with these lists, this is an intensely personal grouping of films. These are the works that spoke most directly to me. With the exception of the first film on this list (which is my most personal selection here), I’ve organized the list in pairings that resonated for me. I first saw Justin Chang, film critic at the Los Angles Times, do this several years ago, and it’s a practice that has stuck. I love the way films can end up unintentionally speaking to one another as we watch them during the year, with themes and ideas building on each other as we blithely go about our moviegoing. And I like to try capture that a bit in my own list of favorites.
So, without any further introductions, here are my favorite films of 2021.
And these past two years of pandemic viewing has made things even more challenging. On the one hand, there are more avenues than ever to find and discover new films. A number of the films on my list were viewed as part of virtual film festivals or online screening series. But on the other hand, as theaters began reopening and accessible viewing options for new and limited releases has been dwindling, those of us with disabilities or conditions that put us at greater risk from COVID are finding ourselves left behind.
So I tried to be conscious of all these factors while selecting the films for my list this year. I only chose films that, as of the end of 2021, were accessible to individuals who could not attend physical theaters – either through a regular streaming service or a virtual cinema option. This meant leaving off some fantastic films that I was fortunate enough to see via screeners, festivals, and screening series – but I’ll be sharing more about those over the coming year as they’re more readily available to see.
And, as always with these lists, this is an intensely personal grouping of films. These are the works that spoke most directly to me. With the exception of the first film on this list (which is my most personal selection here), I’ve organized the list in pairings that resonated for me. I first saw Justin Chang, film critic at the Los Angles Times, do this several years ago, and it’s a practice that has stuck. I love the way films can end up unintentionally speaking to one another as we watch them during the year, with themes and ideas building on each other as we blithely go about our moviegoing. And I like to try capture that a bit in my own list of favorites.
So, without any further introductions, here are my favorite films of 2021.
11. Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma | Passing
They may explore their themes in very different ways, but Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma and Passing are two films from this past year about the codes and struggles of Black Americans living in a racist and oppressive society. Topaz Jones, Simon Davis, and Jason Sondock’s Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma is a short work of creative non-fiction that places surreal vignettes of absurd comedy alongside compelling interviews with Black activists to create a portrait of the contemporary Black experience. Rebecca Hall’s Passing tells the story of two Black women living in the 1920s, one of whom passes for white and is married to a white man. One film is a joyful delight, the other moody and atmospheric, but both are thoughtful reflections on the ways Black Americans navigate white society and its systemic oppressions.
Where to Watch Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma
Where to Watch Passing
10. The Lost Daughter | Shiva Baby
Both The Lost Daughter and Shiva Baby create intense, anxiety-inducing cinematic landscapes from which to explore women’s experiences as they navigate the world and the feelings or experiences they’re expected to suppress. In Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, a woman’s idyllic vacation is interrupted by brash neighbors, and she’s forced to reflect on the choices she made as a young parent and her conflicted feelings around motherhood. With Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, a college student runs into her sugar daddy and ex-girlfriend at the shiva she attends with her parents, forcing her to confront family expectations and her own sense of aimlessness. While one film is more clearly a drama and the other comedy, both films ramp up the tension through their use of thriller and horror genre conventions to explore the terrifying burdens society places upon women.
Where to Watch Shiva Baby
Where to Watch The Lost Daughter
9. Bergman Island | Labyrinth of Cinema
Two films that explore the power of art and cinema – the power to reshape our own experiences and even to transform the world – Bergman Island and Labyrinth of Cinema both look back into cinema’s history and craft meta-narratives that are beguiling, delightful, joyous, and deeply moving. Mia Hansen-Løve’s Bergman Island follows two filmmakers romantically involved spending time on the island Ingmar Bergman called home, and as the narrative folds in on itself, we’re left to reflect on the nature of art, the latitude given to male artists, and the burdens placed on women. Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema is a kaleidoscopic journey through the history of Japanese cinema and provides a profound meditation on violence, war, and those who suffer most from nationalism and aggression. Both films leave you with a profound sense of the possibilities of cinematic storytelling and the hope of art to inspire change.
Where to Watch Bergman Island
Where to Watch Labyrinth of Cinema
8. Delphine’s Prayers | Zola
While Delphine’s Prayers and Zola both explore the nature of sex work, they are also fundamentally studies of storytelling, the dynamics of power, and the way race and gender complicates those dynamics. Rosine Mbakam’s Delphine’s Prayers is a documentary of rigorous and formal simplicity that consists of a series of interviews between the director and Delphine, her long-time friend, about the events that led Delphine into a life of prostitute. In Janicza Bravo’s Zola, two dancers go on a road trip to earn some extra money, but one of the women isn’t prepared for the complications that arise when her new friend brings along a roommate – who might also be the friend’s pimp. The act of storytelling is vital in both of these films – in the one, it produces incredible empathy and connection, in the other, it’s exuberant and playful, with an ironic detachment. But both challenge our limited perceptions and the explore the ways that race and gender become major dynamics within racist and misogynistic societies.
Where to Watch Delphine’s Prayers
Where to Watch Zola
7. The Power of the Dog | Summertime
The Power of the Dog and Summertime both explore loneliness, isolation, and the yearning for connection – albeit in two very different tonal registers and with two very different outcomes. The four characters at the center of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog each make flailing attempts to address their loneliness and sense of isolation, and in doing so, contribute to the film’s tragic final act. Carlos López Estrada’s Summertime features an ensemble of young adult poets, each isolated and longing for community, drawn together one night out of a mutual love for beauty, the spoken word, and the perfect burger. One film is a tragic Western, haunting and spare. The other utilizes the structure of a musical (with spoken word poetry substituted for singing) and is a vibrant delight. However, both films use their respective formats to examine how destructive this unmet desire for connection can be, and how joyous and moving it is to finally find your community, your people… your home.
Where to Watch Summertime
Where to Watch The Power of the Dog
6. Censor | Spencer
Two isolated women are haunted by the ghosts of their past in both Censor and Spencer, films about women yearning to break free from those pasts, their grief, their loss, from systems that no longer see them as human. In Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor, a British censor views a film that bears a striking resemblance to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of her sister, and she soon begins to experience a heightened reality influenced by the violent and disturbing images she consumes for work. Pablo Larraín’s Spencer follows Princess Diana as she spends the Christmas holiday at the Queen’s estate and finds her agency ever more restricted and haunted by the past, looking for an escape and a way to break free. Both films tell their stories from their protagonist’s closely subjective points of view, featuring tour de force performances from their leads. While one is clearly a horror film, the other uses tropes from haunted house narratives to explore the terror of losing one’s agency and freedom. And while they end on very different notes, these are two films that explore the very real misogyny and sexism that women everywhere face – be it from colleagues, clients, servants, or spouses.
Where to Watch Censor
Where to Watch Spencer
5. The American Sector | The Card Counter
The American Sector and The Card Counter hold mirrors up to American society, showing us what it is that we truly value as a nation, what “victories” we choose to memorialize, what crimes and atrocities we choose to forget, and who pays the price for the sins of our nation. A formally constrained work of non-fiction filmmaking, the filmmakers behind The American Sector, Pacho Velez and Courtney Stephens, traveled the country, filming sections of the Berlin Wall and capturing conversations that touch on questions of why and what we memorialize, as well as our efforts to possess history. In Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, a formerly incarcerated military interrogator spends his days living out a purgatory in an endless series of casinos, biding his time, until the possibility for revenge (or potentially redemption) presents itself. These are two films that reflect back to us hard truths about America’s soul at the present moment – all without preaching or laying out their arguments in neat, clean bullet points. These are spare, simple films that ask you to reflect on your own values, that ask you to think deeply about our past, our collective guilt, and the kind of nation we want to build moving forward – tearing down walls and connecting with one another.
Where to Watch The American Sector
Where to Watch The Card Counter
4. All Light, Everywhere | A Cop Movie
Works that explore the ethics of their own creation, All Light, Everywhere and A Cop Movie are documentaries that deconstruct their form in order to reveal deeper truths than you’re liable to find in your standard social issue doc. Theo Anthony’s All Light, Everywhere explores surveillance, the history of the camera, and the ways this is all bound up with the history of policing, warfare, and weaponry – all while consistently pulling back to reveal the fundamental gaps in our attempts at so-called objectivity. With Alonso Ruizpalacios’s A Cop Movie, actors are hired to recreate scenes from the lives of two Mexico City police officers, and the film shifts to give us the opportunity to hear the actors’ doubts about playing police officers and to raise questions about telling such stories at a time with so much rampant corruption. Both films are constantly pulling back to reveal the world that many documentaries keep hidden outside the frame – be it the way the filmmakers coach an interview subject on how to enter a room or the training actors undergo so they can play credible police officers. Neither film provides us with easy answers to any of the questions they raise. But both films do cause us to reflect deeply on our relationship to objectivity and help us remember that there are always going to be gaps in our vision.
Where to Watch A Cop Movie
Where to Watch All Light, Everywhere
3. Annette | Titane
Questions of forgiveness and redemption lie at the heart of Annette and Titane, two films which feature selfish and destructive protagonists at their center committing horrific acts and reaching out for connection, forgiveness, and grace. Leos Carax’s rock musical Annette follows the tumultuous relationship between a standup comedian, his opera singer wife, and their young daughter – all leading to tragic consequences. In Julia Ducournau’s French horror film Titane, a young woman (who also happens to be a serial killer) goes on the run and pretends to be the son of a man who’s child disappeared a decade earlier. Both films use heightened aesthetic elements to explore their themes – the use of a puppet in Annette as the daughter highlights the ways adults attempt to control their children, and the body horror in Titane graphically illustrates the ways that we can never truly run from the pain and sorrow we inflict on others. Both films ask whether or not forgiveness is possible – in the face of such wreckage, can we ever truly receive redemption for the wrongs we have done to others? And when others have wronged us, can we release our anger and offer forgiveness in return?
Where to Watch Annette
Where to Watch Titane
2. Procession | The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
Art, cinema, and the very process of crafting the films in question become part of the healing process for the participants in both Procession and The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin). In Robert Greene’s Procession, a group of survivors who had been sexually abused by Catholic priests work with a drama therapist and the filmmaker to film fictionalized recreations and short vignettes that allow them to take back their agency and power. With C. W. Winter and Anders Edström’s The Works and Days, the filmmakers embedded themselves in a rural Japanese community in order to recreate the final year Tayoko Shiojiri had with her husband, providing her with a measure of closure and healing. In both cases, the onscreen participants and performers are active, vital collaborators with the filmmakers, working together to write and craft the sequences and scenes that will be shot for each project. One film has a much more traditional pacing and rhythm, while the other uses its eight hour running time to focus on moments of quiet and stillness. But both films are deeply moving and contain powerful reflections on the ways that community can help us heal (from trauma, from grief) and that the process of creating together can be a beautiful act of catharsis.
Where to Watch Procession
Where to Watch The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
1. Mogul Mowgli
My choice for favorite film of the year is my most personal selection for this list, a film I saw not long after I was rushed to the emergency room with a life-threatening medical condition and began the long journey to recovery that continues to this day – maybe that’s why I couldn’t find any other film that felt right to pair with it. Bassam Tariq’s Mogul Mowgli came to me at just the right moment in my life. A film about a British-Pakistani rapper who develops a rare auto-immune disease just as his career is taking off, this is a film that understands chronic illness and disability in a way that few films ever seem to get right. It understands the anger and the grief and the deep sense of loss when your body stops functioning the way it has always functioned, when you suddenly have to put your life – your dreams and aspirations – on hold. This is a film that understands the ways that loved ones sincerely want to help, but so often come with platitudes, vague encouragements, or bits of advice that run contrary to the health care professionals who are attempting to give you the best (and most realistic) shot at recovery. Tariq’s use of surreal imagery to explore the protagonist’s loss of control over his body is haunting, and it also connects him to a familial legacy that he has been running from most of his life. This is an astonishing work that understands disability, deferred dreams, and the complications of family expectations – a film that has given me much succor during a year of my own disability and dreams deferred.
Where to Watch Mogul Mowgli
Honorable Mentions
A list like this is, by its very nature, incomplete. There were too many incredible films to include on the main list, so here are a few honorable mentions:
- Pig and Riders of Justice* both complicate our relationship with revenge narratives and stories of traditional masculinity, allowing us to truly grieve alongside their protagonists.
- Ascension and Faya Dayi* are two gorgeous and meditative documentaries that rely more on their poetic imagery to explore their themes than on any talking heads.
- Attica and In the Same Breath are two essential political documentaries, one on race and its ramifications for today, one on propaganda and the COVID-19 crisis – both are emotionally overwhelming.
- C’mon C’mon and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy are two lovely films about the imperfect and fumbling ways we attempt to make connection with one another.
- Deep injustice is explored and exposed in the stunning documentary from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Downstream to Kinshasa and the heartbreaking Iranian film on the death penalty, There Is No Evil*.
- Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time and Rocks are two more films about the search for connection – and the fears that come with making yourself vulnerable.
- Steve McQueen produced three (and directed one) incredible documentaries to complement last year’s Small Axe anthology of films, all about the struggle of the Black British community – Uprising, Subnormal: A British Scandal, and Black Power: A British Story of Resistance.
- One of my favorite music documentaries of the past year is the gleefully delightful The Sparks Brothers.
- Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is one of the silliest and most delightful comedies I’ve seen in years.
- The Rescue is a thrilling documentary with incredible re-creations of the daring underwater cave rescue of the Thai soccer team that is unexpectedly moving.
- The Green Knight is a visually stunning visual feast about learning to lose yourself to find yourself, to willingly sacrifice yourself for others.
- Some of my favorites from this last year’s Oscar race that were released widely in 2021 include Another Round**, The Father**, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Quo Vadis, Aida?** – all fantastic films.
Notes:
*Films watched during the Seattle International Film Festival. I didn’t take enough notes from these viewings to write a review for these films.
** Films watched during my annual Oscar run. I didn’t take enough notes from these viewings to write a review for these films.
Cinema Cocktail 2021 Virtual Film Festival
Welcome to the second installment of the Cinema Cocktail Virtual Film Festival. We started the virtual film festival in 2020 while cinemas were closed due to the spread of COVID-19 and festivals around the country were closing down due to safety concerns. Even though cinemas are beginning to reopen and film festivals around the country have embraced virtual screenings, it was such a delight to program two weeks of film last year – staying connected with our online community of cinephiles and movie lovers using the streaming services we already know and love – that we decided to continue on and program a second edition.
The titles for this year’s festival have all been added, so browse by date, title, special events, or special programming. And if you’d like to join us for any of the festival galas, please fill out the RSVP form below.
We hope you’ll join us! We may be physically distant – but we’re connected by cinema!
Cinema Cocktail 2020 Virtual Film Festival
Updated May 20
Welcome to the very first edition of the Cinema Cocktail 2020 Virtual Film Festival. During this time when cinemas are closed due to the continued spread of COVID-19 and festivals around the country are closing down due to safety concerns, we thought what better way to stay connected with our online community of cinephiles and movie lovers than with an at-home festival, using the streaming services we already know and love.
The festival runs from May 15-31 and all films have been added to the lineup as of today. There has been on programming change – the Eliza Hittman retrospective originally scheduled for May 22 has been rescheduled for May 30, due to the sudden unavailability of Never Rarely Sometimes Always. It will be available as a less-expensive digital purchase beginning May 26, so we’ve adjusted the programming somewhat to accommodate the change in availability.
This was originally planned as a way for me to enjoy the same type of film festival vacation I take every year with the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), and I’d encourage anyone who is able to consider donating to the GoFundMe that has been set up to help support SIFF’s year-round staff members in programming, education, development, and communications and marketing who have been fired due to the festival closure and the cessation of year-round operations. Half of all of our proceeds from festival merchandise and tickets to our Centerpiece Screening will go to help support this cause. You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-siff-staff
We hope you’ll join us! We may be physically distant – but we’re connected by cinema!
Announcing the Cinema Cocktail 2020 Virtual Film Festival
Every May for the past few years, I’ve taken some much-needed vacation time to attend the Seattle International Film Festival. The festival coincides with my birthday, and what better way to celebrate another trip around the sun than 25 days of incredible film from every corner of the globe? But with the COVID-19 spread necessitating the shutdown of public gatherings, this year’s festival was cancelled. Rather than give up my yearly celebration of cinema, I’ve decided to take the two weeks off and program my own virtual film festival to coincide with the time I’d be taking off under normal circumstances.
So here at Cinema Cocktail, I am pleased to announce the first-ever Cinema Cocktail Virtual Film Festival – May 15-31. Using streaming services like the Criterion Channel, Mubi, Ovid, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Shudder, and more – as well as the occasional Video on Demand title – I’ll be curating a selection of films that include silent cinema, classics, contemporary film from around the world, long form storytelling, family films, and midnight movies. There are a few principles that are guiding my selection as I narrow down the final choices:
-
-
- All programmed films must be films that I have not yet seen, though exceptions will be made if I can track down some films that are exceptionally difficult to see;
- If at all possible, 50% of all films programmed should be directed or co-directed by female filmmakers. black and indigenous filmmakers, and filmmakers of color; and,
- If at all possible, programmed films should represent as many geographic regions as possible.
-
I do know that I am setting myself up for some challenges here and I may not achieve all three goals, but I do believe they’re worthy goals to strive towards nonetheless.
While the full lineup won’t be announced until early May, I am very pleased to announce both our Opening Night and our Closing Night films!
Opening Night Film and Festivities
We’ll kick off the festival with Autumn de Wilde’s Jane Austen adaptation, Emma., a stylized and luminous comedy that’s that been getting high marks from critics. As Justin Chang wrote for NPR, “This is the first feature from the photographer and music-video director Autumn de Wilde, and while she has an obvious eye for beauty, she has an equally sharp eye for the absurd.” We’ll also include a link to a 33-minute Q&A with de Wilde and star Anya Taylor-Joy for anyone who wants to learn more about the film.
Closing Day Screenings and Celebrations
We’ll be closing out the festival with a retrospective on the French filmmaker Céline Sciamma. Throughout the day we’ll view all of her feature films (Water Lilies, Tomboy, and Girlhood), one of her shorts (Pauline), and an in-depth interview between Sciamma and Tricia Tuttle, director of the BFI London Film Festival. Finally, we’ll end the evening with Sciamma’s latest film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. “Sciamma has a keen eye for the ways that women have always cared for each other under the radar of society, dealing with unwanted pregnancies and building little communities in plain sight.” (Emily VanDerWerff, Vox)
If there’s enough interest, I also intend to host a few panel conversations and group discussions through the festival, and we’ll see what other ways we can build in some aspects of intentional community building that you get with a traditional film festival. I do hope you’ll consider joining me for as much of this two-week festival as you’re able. Stay tuned for more information!
Oscars 2020: Predictions, Preferences, and Winners
It’s been a whirlwind of viewing and a blur of awards activity since the nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced just a few short weeks ago, and this is the first year in quite some time that I have fallen behind in my viewing schedule. Some of that is due to additional podcasting and working responsibilities, but much of it is due to the tighter awards season window. Thankfully, the academy is going back to a late-February ceremony next year which will give us all a little more breathing room.
I was able to squeeze in most of the major nominees – and will still try to fit in a few of the short films before the ceremony begins at 5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, but I know I’ll be playing catch up throughout most of the year. While it was lovely to finally see Marriage Story and The Irishman – both films absolute masterpieces that I am eager to revisit years from now – I was struck by the mediocrity of many nominees that I caught up with during this year’s Oscar run – from the current frontrunner 1917 (a technical exercise in search of a soul) to films like Ford v Ferrari, Bombshell, and Judy.
Still, no matter how bad (or mediocre) the nominees or winners, I love the Oscars and will be rooting for my favorites (Parasite and Little Women and The Irishman) to sweep all of the categories. So here are the films that I think will win, should win, and some possible spoilers. I’ll also be updating this throughout the night with the actual winners. And you can listen to the conversation Robert Taylor and I had on the subject earlier today.
Happy Oscars, everyone!
Complete List of Predictions, Preferences, Possible Spoilers, and Winners
Best Picture
-
-
- 1917
- Ford v Ferrari
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Parasite
-
Prediction: 1917
Preference: Parasite (or The Irishman, or Jojo Rabbit, or Little Women, or Marriage Story, or Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood)
Spoiler: Parasite
Winner: Parasite
Best Director
-
-
- Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
- Sam Mendes – 1917
- Todd Phillips – Joker
- Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
- Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Prediction: Sam Mendes
Preference: Bong Joon-ho
Spoiler: Bong Joon-ho
Winner: Bong Joon-ho
Best Actor in a Leading Role
-
-
- Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
- Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Adam Driver – Marriage Story
- Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
- Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
-
Prediction: Joaquin Phoenix
Preference: Adam Driver (or Antonio Banderas)
Spoiler: None
Winner: Joaquin Phoenix
Best Actress in a Leading Role
-
-
- Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
- Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
- Charlize Theron – Bombshell
- Renée Zellweger – Judy
-
Prediction: Renée Zellweger
Preference: Scarlett Johansson (or Saoirse Ronan)
Spoiler: Charlize Theron
Winner: Renée Zellweger
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
-
-
- Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
- Al Pacino – The Irishman
- Joe Pesci – The Irishman
- Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Prediction: Brad Pitt
Preference: Joe Pesci (or Al Pacino)
Spoiler: None
Winner: Brad Pitt
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
-
-
- Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
- Laura Dern – Marriage Story
- Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
- Florence Pugh – Little Women
- Morgot Robbie – Bombshell
-
Prediction: Laura Dern
Preference: Laura Dern (or Florence Pugh, or Scarlett Johansson)
Spoiler: Scarlett Johansson
Winner: Laura Dern
Best Adapted Screenplay
-
-
- The Irishman – Steven Zalilian
- Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi
- Joker – Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
- Little Women – Greta Gerwig
- The Two Popes – Anthony McCarten
-
Prediction: Jojo Rabbit
Preference: Little Woman
Spoiler: Little Woman
Winner: Jojo Rabbit
Best Original Screenplay
-
-
- 1917 – Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- Knives Out – Rian Johnson
- Marriage Story – Noah Baumbach
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino
- Parasite – Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-wan; story by Bong Joon-ho
-
Prediction: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Preference: Marriage Story (or Knives Out, or Parasite)
Spoiler: Parasite
Winner: Parasite
Best Cinematography
-
-
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Joker
- The Lighthouse
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Prediction: 1917
Preference: The Lighthouse
Spoiler: None
Winner: 1917
Best Film Editing
-
-
- Ford v Ferrari
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Parasite
-
Prediction: Parasite
Preference: Parasite
Spoiler: The Irishman
Winner: Ford v Ferrari
Best Costume Design
-
-
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Prediction: Little Women
Preference: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Spoiler: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Winner: Little Women
Best Production Design
-
-
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Parasite
-
Prediction: 1917
Preference: Parasite
Spoiler: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Winner: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
-
-
- 1917
- Bombshell
- Joker
- Judy
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
-
Prediction: Bombshell
Preference: None (None of the nominees really stood out to me this year)
Spoiler: None
Winner: Bombshell
Best International Feature Film
-
-
- Corpus Christi
- Honeyland
- Les Misérables
- Pain and Glory
- Parasite
-
Prediction: Parasite
Preference: Parasite
Spoiler: None
Winner: Parasite
Best Animated Feature Film
-
-
- How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World
- I Lost My Body
- Klaus
- Missing Link
- Toy Story 4
-
Prediction: Toy Story 4
Preference: I Lost My Body
Spoiler: Klaus
Winner: Toy Story 4
Best Documentary – Feature Film
-
-
- American Factory
- The Cave
- The Edge of Democracy
- For Sama
- Honeyland
-
Prediction: American Factory
Preference: Honeyland
Spoiler: For Sama
Winner: American Factory
Best Documentary – Short Subject
-
-
- In the Absence
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
- Life Overtakes Me
- St. Louis Superman
- Walk Run Cha-Cha
-
Prediction: St. Louis Superman
Preference: In the Absence
Spoiler: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Winner: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Best Music – Original Score
-
-
- 1917 – Thomas Newman
- Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir
- Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
- Marriage Story – Randy Newman
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams
-
Prediction: Joker
Preference: Marriage Story (or Little Women)
Spoiler: 1917
Winner: Joker
Best Music – Original Song
-
-
- Breakthrough – “I’m Standing With You,” music and lyric by Diane Warren
- Frozen II – “Into the Unknown,” music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
- Harriet – “Stand Up,” music and lyric by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo
- Rocketman – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” music by Elton John, lyric by Bernie Taupin
- Toy Story 4 – “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” music and lyric by Randy Newman
-
Prediction: Rocketman
Preference: Rocketman
Spoiler: Harriet
Winner: Rocketman
Best Sound Editing
-
-
- 1917
- Ford v Ferrari
- Joker
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
-
Prediction: Ford v Ferrari
Preference: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Spoiler: 1917
Winner: Ford v Ferrari
Best Sound Mixing
-
-
- 1917
- Ad Astra
- Ford v Ferrari
- Joker
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Prediction: Ford v Ferrari
Preference: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Spoiler: 1917
Winner: 1917
Best Visual Effects
-
-
- 1917
- Avengers: Endgame
- The Irishman
- The Lion King
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
-
Prediction: 1917
Preference: Avengers: Endgame
Spoiler: Avengers: Endgame
Winner: 1917
Best Animated Short Film
-
-
- Dcera (Daughter)
- Hair Love
- Kitbull
- Memorable
- Sister
-
Prediction: Hair Love
Preference: Memorable
Spoiler: None
Winner: Hair Love
Best Live Action Short Film
-
-
- Brotherhood
- Nefta Football Club
- The Neighbors’ Window
- Saria
- A Sister
-
Prediction: Brotherhood
Preference: None (I’ve only seen one of the nominees)
Spoiler: Sariahs
Winner: The Neighbors’ Window
Cinema Cocktail, Episode 2 – Oscar Predictions
Josh Hornbeck is once again joined by screenwriter and critic Robert Taylor for a discussion about the 92nd Academy Awards. With the shortened Oscar window, the two have had less time to see the films, but still give their predictions and preferences for who will (and should) win the Oscar in each category.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Episode Links
Where to Find Us Online
-
-
- Robert Taylor: Website
- Josh Hornbeck: Twitter | Instagram | Letterboxd
-
Support the Show
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Oscars 2020: Nominations
Nominations are in for the 92nd Annual Academy Awards and as the awards season has become shorter, everything about the season has become more and more predictable. Waking up the this morning’s list of nominees felt like checking off the list of presumptive frontrunners and gallery of names who have been circling the conversation since mid-November. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some very deserving films on this list, and it isn’t to say that there aren’t some serious disappointments as well. But none of the nominations (or even any of the snubs) came as much of a surprise if you’ve been paying attention to the conversation at all over the coming months.
Perhaps the biggest surprise here is the sheer number of nominations that Joker received. The film received a decidedly negative reaction from critics and the film’s sophomoric nihilism seemed too dark to resonate much with Oscar voters. But never underestimate the need for white, entitled comic book fans to feel that the things they love are taken seriously. There was such an Oscar backlash when The Dark Knight failed to received a nomination for Best Picture that this feels like an overzealous course correction in favor of a film that pretends to have something meaningful to say.
There are also quite a few nominations for 1917, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Parasite, and Marriage Story – making them all viable contenders for some major awards, though I maintain that the bulk of the academy will favor the sturdy war drama 1917 as the safe bet – especially among the crafts and the Best Director/Best Picture awards. Netflix is still seen by many in the industry as a disrupter and while the rumblings are quieter this year, I don’t believe that Academy voters are ready to fully embrace the streaming giant as the new studio in town. After all, last year was the first year that any Netflix film cracked the Best Picture race at all. They still have a long way to go.
I was very happy to see that Greta Gerwig’s Little Women picked up a few more nominations than expected – especially a nomination for Best Picture – but was dismayed that she was passed over for Best Director. In fact, though it wasn’t a surprise, it was still quite frustrating to see so many female filmmakers, so many directors of color, and so many performers of color sidelined this awards season. Awkwafina’s performance in The Farewell was outstanding, as was Zhao Shuzhen, who played her grandmother in the film. And I knew that Chinonye Chukwu’s Clemency would be a long shot with Oscar voters – both for Best Picture and Best Director – but I had hoped that Alfre Woodard might have squeaked into the Best Actress category with her magnificent performance. Still, my biggest disappointment was the omission of Mati Diop’s Atlantics from the Best International Film category – a film that was one of most gorgeous and haunting films of the year.
The best surprise of the day was seeing how well represented Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was in the nominations, with six total nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design, and Best International Film. Bong is an immensely talented filmmaker and Parasite is a fantastic film, so it’s lovely to see him recognized so fully. And it’s also lovely to see South Korea receive recognition at the Oscars for the very first time. Parasite was one of my favorite films of the past year, so I will definitely be carrying my torch for its intricate, clock-work perfection throughout the coming weeks and holding out hope – faint though it may be – that it sweeps its categories and truly surprises us all this year.
Complete List of Nominees
Best Picture
-
-
- 1917
- Ford v Ferrari
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Parasite
-
Best Director
-
-
- Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
- Sam Mendes – 1917
- Todd Phillips – Joker
- Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
- Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Best Actor in a Leading Role
-
-
- Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
- Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Adam Driver – Marriage Story
- Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
- Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
-
Best Actress in a Leading Role
-
-
- Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
- Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
- Charlize Theron – Bombshell
- Renée Zellweger – Judy
-
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
-
-
- Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
- Al Pacino – The Irishman
- Joe Pesci – The Irishman
- Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
-
-
- Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
- Laura Dern – Marriage Story
- Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
- Florence Pugh – Little Women
- Morgot Robbie – Bombshell
-
Best Adapted Screenplay
-
-
- The Irishman – Steven Zalilian
- Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi
- Joker – Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
- Little Women – Greta Gerwig
- The Two Popes – Anthony McCarten
-
Best Original Screenplay
-
-
- 1917 – Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- Knives Out – Rian Johnson
- Marriage Story – Noah Baumbach
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino
- Parasite – Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-wan; story by Bong Joon-ho
-
Best Cinematography
-
-
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Joker
- The Lighthouse
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Best Film Editing
-
-
- Ford v Ferrari
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Parasite
-
Best Costume Design
-
-
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Best Production Design
-
-
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Parasite
-
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
-
-
- 1917
- Bombshell
- Joker
- Judy
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
-
Best International Feature Film
-
-
- Corpus Christi
- Honeyland
- Les Misérables
- Pain and Glory
- Parasite
-
Best Animated Feature Film
-
-
- How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World
- I Lost My Body
- Klaus
- Missing Link
- Toy Story 4
-
Best Documentary – Feature Film
-
-
- American Factory
- The Cave
- The Edge of Democracy
- For Sama
- Honeyland
-
Best Documentary – Short Subject
-
-
- In the Absence
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
- Life Overtakes Me
- St. Louis Superman
- Walk Run Cha-Cha
-
Best Music – Original Score
-
-
- 1917 – Thomas Newman
- Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir
- Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
- Marriage Story – Randy Newman
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams
-
Best Music – Original Song
-
-
- Breakthrough – “I’m Standing With You,” music and lyric by Diane Warren
- Frozen II – “Into the Unknown,” music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
- Harriet – “Stand Up,” music and lyric by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo
- Rocketman – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” music by Elton John, lyric by Bernie Taupin
- Toy Story 4 – “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” music and lyric by Randy Newman
-
Best Sound Editing
-
-
- 1917
- Ford v Ferrari
- Joker
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
-
Best Sound Mixing
-
-
- 1917
- Ad Astra
- Ford v Ferrari
- Joker
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Best Visual Effects
-
-
- 1917
- Avengers: Endgame
- The Irishman
- The Lion King
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
-
Best Animated Short Film
-
-
- Dcera (Daughter)
- Hair Love
- Kitbull
- Memorable
- Sister
-
Best Live Action Short Film
-
-
- Brotherhood
- Nefta Football Club
- The Neighbors’ Window
- Saria
- A Sister
-
Golden Globes 2020 – Winners, Thoughts, and Reflections
Ah, awards season – that stretch of time on the movie calendar from mid-Novmber to early-February where studios launch their prestige films in theaters in hope of securing placement on critics lists and gathering smaller awards nominations in the inevitable march toward Oscar glory. In the film world, there are a wide range of reactions to this season of pseudo-serious cinema that dominates the conversation. The over-enthusiastic movie lovers take this time as an excuse to binge-watch as many films as possible – the good, the bad, and the Bohemian Rhapsody. The more serious cinephiles shake their heads and launch into a diatribe or two about the meaninglessness of all things awards. But the one thing during awards season on which all cineastes can agree is that the Golden Globes are terrible.
Unlike many of the awards that are given out in the run-up to the Oscars, the Golden Globes aren’t run by any critics groups or industry professionals. Instead, they’re run by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a group of journalists who write entertainment news for foreign magazines, website, and newspapers, and seem more eager to rub elbows with celebrities than adhere to any sort of journalistic standards or ethics. But when they sold television rights for their awards ceremony to NBC, they positioned themselves as the final stop before the Academy Awards and the must-watch ceremony if you want to stand a chance at winning your Oscar pool – no matter how rarely the Golden Globe winners actually line up with the Oscar winners.
As Oscar season has become progressively shorter over the last few years, the Globes have taken on an outsized importance during awards season, as Academy voters look for any guidance to sort through the glut of screeners and films they must wade through when preparing to cast their ballots. Hence, films like Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody won major awards at last year’s Academy Awards – despite critical derision – due in no small part to their major wins at the higher profile Golden Globes. They may not be predictive, but they do suggest some overall trends that are shaping this awards season narrative, and – much as it pains me to admit – bear some further consideration and reflection.
The biggest surprise of the evening was the virtual shutout of Netflix in the motion picture categories. Five Netflix films received a total of fifteen nominations, and only one of those nominees won an award – Laura Dern for her supporting role in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. Considering the prestige and the buzz behind Marriage Story and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, it’s a surprise that neither film did better among the HFPA voters. But the battle between Netflix and the old guard of Hollywood has been going on for several years now. Steven Spielberg famously lobbied against Roma last year because of its debut on the streaming service. With the Golden Globes seeming to take such a firm stance against Netflix and against two of the most lauded films of the year, it seems that, once again, the Oscar deck is stacked against Netflix.
All of which leads us to our next surprise – the wins of 1917 for Best Director (Sam Mendes) and Best Drama. It’s the latest film to open of any of the Best Picture contenders and hasn’t had the same buzz and momentum as frontrunners such as The Irishman, Marriage Story, and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (which did win for Best Comedy). The win here suggests that more conservative awards voters will be looking for something of quality, gravitas, and technical achievement that they can support instead of the Netflix films. A World War I drama put together in a gimmicky, simulated single tracking shot seems destined to fit the fill.
Finally, Joaquin Phoenix’s win for Joker has bumped him ahead of the competition in the best actor race, while Leonardo DiCaprio’s loss to Taron Egerton has dramatically diminished his odds. For the longest time, it seemed to be that Adam Driver’s turn in Marriage Story and Antonio Banderas’s performance in Pain and Glory were the real frontrunners, but now Phoenix seems to the one to beat come Oscar night.
A surprise of the much more pleasant variety, I can only hope that Awkwafina’s win for Best Actress in a Comedy for The Farewell bodes well for her chances when nominations are announced on January 13.
At the end of the day, we won’t know how much influence the Globes really had on the Oscars until February 9, when the ceremony is over and we take stock of the final winners. But there has been a growing trend of influence over these last few years, and it’s a helpful barometer as we enter into this even more compressed awards season, ready to sprint for the next three weeks of movie watching.
Full List of Winners and Nominees
Winners are listed in bold and are immediately followed by an asterisk.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
-
-
- 1917 *
- The Irishman
- Joker
- Marriage Story
- The Two Popes
-
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
-
-
- Dolemite Is My Name
- Jojo Rabbit
- Knives Out
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood *
- Rocketman
-
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
-
-
- Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
- Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
- Charlize Theron – Bombshell
- Renée Zellweger – Judy *
-
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
-
-
- Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
- Christian Bale – Ford v Ferrari
- Adam Driver – Marriage Story
- Joaquin Phoenix – Joker *
- Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
-
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
-
-
- Awkwafina – The Farewell *
- Cate Blanchett – Where’d You Go, Bernadette
- Beanie Feldstein – Booksmart
- Emma Thompson – Late Night
- Ana de Armas – Knives Out
-
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
-
-
- Daniel Craig – Knives Out
- Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
- Leonard DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Taron Egerton – Rocketman *
- Eddie Murphy – Dolemite Is My Name
-
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
-
-
- Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
- Annette Bening – The Report
- Laura Dern – Marriage Story *
- Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
- Margot Robbie – Bombshell
-
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
-
-
- Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
- Al Pacino – The Irishman
- Joe Pesci – The Irishman
- Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood *
-
Best Director – Motion Picture
-
-
- Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
- Sam Mendes – 1917 *
- Todd Phillips – Joker
- Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
- Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
-
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
-
-
- The Irishman
- Marriage Story
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood *
- Parasite
- The Two Popes
-
Best Motion Picture – Animated
-
-
- Frozen II
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
- The Lion King
- Missing Link *
- Toy Story 4
-
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
-
-
- The Farewell
- Les Misérables
- Pain and Glory
- Parasite *
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
-
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
-
-
- 1917
- Joker *
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- Motherless Brooklyn
-
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
-
-
- Cats – “Beautiful Ghosts”
- Frozen II – “Into the Unknown”
- Harriet – “Stand Up”
- The Lion King – “Spirit”
- Rocketman – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” *
-
2020 Oscar Shortlist Announced
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in nine categories, narrowing the field dramatically and giving us an even better indication of what the Oscar race will look like when nominations are announced on January 13.
There aren’t any big surprises here or major snubs here, though we do see the continuing trend of popular biographical documentaries (Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am and Ask Dr. Ruth) overlooked in favor of the political documentaries. And while the omission of Alejandro Landes’s Monos is certainly regrettable, the current list of shortlisted films for International Feature Film is still incredibly strong.
Here are all of the films shortlisted for Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Visual Effects.
Documentary Feature
-
-
- Advocate
- American Factory
- The Apollo
- Apollo 11
- Aquarela
- The Biggest Little Farm
- The Cave
- The Edge of Democracy
- For Sama
- The Great Hack
- Honeyland
- Knock Down the House
- Maiden
- Midnight Family
- One Child Nation
-
Documentary Short Subject
-
-
- After Maria
- Fire in Paradise
- Ghosts of Sugar Land
- In the Absence
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
- Life Overtakes Me
- The Nightcrawlers
- St. Louis Superman
- Stay Close
- Walk Run Cha-Cha
-
International Feature Film
-
-
- Czech Republic – The Painted Bird
- Estonia – Truth and Justice
- France – Les Misérables
- Hungary – Those Who Remained
- North Macedonia – Honeyland
- Poland – Corpus Christi
- Russia – Beanpole
- Senegal – Atlantics
- South Korea – Parasite
- Spain – Pain and Glory
-
Makeup and Hairstyling
-
-
- 1917
- Bombshell
- Dolemite Is My Name
- Downton Abbey
- Joker
- Judy
- Little Women
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Rocketman
-
Music (Original Score)
-
-
- 1917
- Avengers: Endgame
- Bombshell
- The Farewell
- Ford v Ferrari
- Frozen II
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- The King
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- Motherless Brooklyn
- Pain and Glory
- Star War: The Rise of Skywalker
- Us
-
Music (Original Song)
-
-
- Aladdin – “Speechless”
- The Black Godfather – “Letter to My Godfather”
- The Bronx USA – “Da Bronx”
- Frozen II – “Into the Unknown”
- Harriet – “Stand Up”
- The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part – “Catchy Song”
- The Lion King – “Never Too Late”
- The Lion King – “Spirit”
- Motherless Brooklyn – “Daily Battles”
- Parasite – “A Glass of Soju”
- Rocketman – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”
- Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am – “High Above the Water”
- Toy Story 4 – “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away”
- Wild Rose – “Glasgow”
-
Animated Short Film
-
-
- Dcera (Daughter)
- Hair Love
- He Can’t Live without Cosmos
- Hors Piste
- Kitbull
- Memorable
- Mind My Mind
- The Physics of Sorrow
- Sister
- Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days
-
Live Action Short Film
-
-
- Brotherhood
- The Christmas Gift
- Little Hands
- Miller & Son
- Nefta Football Club
- The Neighbor’s Window
- Refugee
- Saria
- A Sister
- Sometimes, I Think About Dying
-
Visual Effects
-
-
- 1917
- Alita: Battle Angel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Captain Marvel
- Cats
- Gemini Man
- The Irishman
- The Lion King
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Terminator: Dark Fate
-