MC Awards for 2018 - The Ballot

[Spinal]

Best Picture
Cold War
The Favourite
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Rider
Roma
You Were Never Really Here

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ryan Gosling, First Man
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here
Lakeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You

Best Actress
Sakura Ando, Shoplifters
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Joanna Kulig, Cold War

Best Supporting Actor
Hugh Grant, Paddington 2
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Josh Hamilton, Eighth Grade
Tim Blake Nelson, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Jesse Plemons, Game Night
Steven Yeun, Burning

Best Supporting Actress
Elizabeth Debicki, Widows
Claire Foy, First Man
Jeon Jong-seo, Burning
Zoe Kazan, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Best Ensemble
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
If Beale Street Could Talk
Paddington 2

Best Original Screenplay
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite
Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alex Garland, Annihilation
Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Jung-mi Oh & Chang-dong Lee, Burning
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Best Cinematography
Lukasz Zal, Cold War
James Laxton, If Beale Street Could Talk
Benjamin Loeb, Mandy
Joshua James Richards, The Rider
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Suspiria

Best Editing
Tom Cross, First Man
Joi McMillon & Nat Sanders, If Beale Street Could Talk
Brett W. Bachman, Mandy
Eddie Hamilton, Mission Impossible: Fallout
Joe Bini, You Were Never Really Here

Best Art Direction
Annihilation
Black Panther
Roma

Best Costume Design
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Paddington 2

Best Hair/Makeup
The Favourite
Suspiria
Vice

Best Visual Effects
Annihilation
Avengers: Infinity War
First Man

Best Original Score
Annihilation
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mandy
Suspiria

Best Song
"All the Stars", Black Panther
"Always Remember Us This Way", A Star is Born
"Shallow", A Star is Born
"Sunflower", Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings", The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Best Sound
Annihilation
First Man
Roma
Suspiria
You Were Never Really Here

Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Best Documentary
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Shirkers
Three Identical Strangers
Won't You Be My Neighbor?

[Henry Gale]

Messaged with my three Best Pic picks!

And very happy with the nominations in general, especially since apparently my choices were consensus enough that every category includes multiple nominations of my own. Special shout-out to both Original and Adapted Screenplay for being my exact nominations replicated! (With the exception of my Cold War nom missing in Original since only four nominations made the cut.)

[Ezee E]

Well done guys.

[Spinal]

If you want to impact the Best Picture nominees, sent me a private message by 12:00 pm PST/3:00 pm EST listing your three top films from the shortlist above, in order of preference. Voting is still very tight, so it's safe to say that any further votes will make a big difference. This category is really all over the map in terms of support. Thanks to those who have already messaged me.

[Spinal]

Here are your final Best Picture nominees ...

Cold War
The Favourite
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Rider
Roma
You Were Never Really Here


I will edit them in above. If your favorite did not make the cut, be assured that it was most likely by the slimmest of margins. I wouldn't be shocked if we have to do another run-off to determine a winner after the votes are in.

OK, I will now accept votes via private message in order to preserve suspense. However, do consider holding off on your vote if there are nominated films that you may have a chance to see in the next couple of weeks. After the awards are revealed, I will share everyone's ballot. Deadline will be Sunday, March 24th at 5:00 pm PST/8:00 pm EST.

If you would like to help present awards, please copy/paste the following into a post below and put your user name next to the awards you want to present. Sign up for as many as you want. Take the whole list if you really want to. I'll send you the winners once the votes are tallied:

BEST PICTURE
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST ART DIRECTION
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
BEST HAIR/MAKEUP
BEST EDITING
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
BEST SOUND
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST DOCUMENTARY

[Spinal]

Films with multiple nominations:

If Beale Street Could Talk - 9
The Favourite - 8
First Man - 7
Annihilation - 5
Roma - 5
You Were Never Really Here - 5
A Star is Born - 4
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - 4
Cold War - 4
Suspiria - 4
Black Panther - 3
Burning - 3
Eighth Grade - 3
Mandy - 3
Paddington 2 - 3
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse - 3
BlacKkKlansman - 2
First Reformed - 2
The Rider - 2
Sorry to Bother You - 2

[Dukefrukem]

BlacKkKlansman (17 yays 2 nays and only 2 noms)

[Spinal]

BlacKkKlansman (17 yays 2 nays and only 2 noms)

It was close in some big categories: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Editing.

[Ezee E]

I should probably see Burning.

May edit my votes if I get to it..

[baby doll]

I still say "First Reformed" for original screenplay is category fraud.

[Pop Trash]

We're PM'ing Spinal w/ one vote per category? I don't get it.

[Ezee E]

We're PM'ing Spinal w/ one vote per category? I don't get it.

If you want to present.

[Ezee E]

I'll do Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, and Supporting Actress.

[baby doll]

I'll take sound and best supporting actor.

[Dukefrukem]

I'll take Ensemble

[Spinal]

We're PM'ing Spinal w/ one vote per category? I don't get it.

There was a run-off for the Best Picture nominations. That's over now.

PM me votes for each category by Sunday, March 24.

If you want to present an award or two, indicate which categories you want.

[Spinal]

Updated with presenters ...

BEST PICTURE
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - baby doll
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Ezee
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST - Duke
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Ezee
BEST ART DIRECTION - Ezee
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
BEST HAIR/MAKEUP
BEST EDITING - Ezee
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
BEST SOUND - baby doll
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST DOCUMENTARY

[Spinal]

This is a reminder that you have until Sunday to catch up on any nominees and PM me a ballot.

[Peng]

I forgot, did I send you one already?

[Spinal]

I forgot, did I send you one already?

You have not sent me a full ballot. (You may be remembering the Best Picture runoff vote.)

[Henry Gale]

I forgot to as well! Still time? (If so I will send soon.)

[Spinal]

Deadline is Mar 24.

[Henry Gale]

Deadline is Mar 24.

Ah sorry, I read "Sunday" and jump to worry it was yesterday. Sweet!

[Spinal]

This is the ballot reminder for people who are only online on the weekdays. Ballots due by Sunday.

[Spinal]

Last day! Be a hero. Break ties.

[Ivan Drago]

You got mine, right? Just checking.

[Spinal]

Yep.

[Spinal]

Ah sorry, I read "Sunday" and jump to worry it was yesterday. Sweet!

Send me your vote, damn it! :)

[Spinal]

There's currently ties in 7 categories. I need more voters. I'm keeping this open to try to catch stragglers. I'll keep it open another week or until I get 3-5 more people voting.

Here are the people who have cast ballots so far:

Spinal
Lazlo
Ezee E
Ivan Drago
baby doll
Pop Trash
dreamdead
Peng
Isaac
Zac Efron
Dukefrukem

[Dukefrukem]

Heh, did mine cause more ties than help?

[Henry Gale]

Send me your vote, damn it! :)

Done! (Sorry!)

[Spinal]

Heh, did mine cause more ties than help?

Yeah, last year you broke a ton of ties. This year, you wrecked me.

[Spinal]

After Henry's vote, there are 6 ties. Voting still open.

[Spinal]

NEW PLAN

I'm going to start announcing winners. If we come to a category with a tie, we'll announce the films with the most votes. I'll then post a 24-hour tie breaker thread.

Here's how that will work:

If you voted for one of the top films in the initial vote, you will not be able to vote in the tie breaker thread. If you voted for a film that did not make the cut, you will be allowed to help break the tie. If you did not submit a ballot at all, you will be allowed to help break the tie. In each case, I will provide a list of people not eligible to vote.

If the tie is still not broken at the end of 24 hours, the last vote cast will be thrown out and will not count. Therefore, I will have people vote by posting in the thread and not in a poll. Feel free to use the thread to comment, sway the vote, make threats and bribes, whatever.

All other categories will be presented as usual. I'll reveal who voted for what film as we go. Since there's only 12 voters, it's more like a festival jury as opposed to a giant voting block. But the results are better than the Oscars, so there you have it.

If you volunteered to present a category, I'll be sending you results sometime today most likely. If your category has a tie, don't worry about creating a tie breaker thread. I'll handle that. Present the results however you like. I'm a bit tapped out, so my own award presentations will be pretty bare bones.

Results starting soon.

[Ezee E]

Whoo hoo for no ties!

[Spinal]

BEST DOCUMENTARY

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/MV5BOTZhNzBlMmYtMmQ5OS00YWY2LT hlOGEtZTQ5NWMxNTNiMjMxXkEyXkFq cGdeQXVyNjg5OTQzOTU._V1_SY1000 _SX1500_AL__zpserhjac5g.jpg
Free Solo (Alex Honnold attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb El Capitan.)

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/minding-the-gap-keire-1_zps7jnqvaea.jpg
Minding the Gap (Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust-Belt hometown.)

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/MV5BODQ0YjJiYTEtYjNkYi00MjJkLW IyMjgtYTNmMzk2NmNiZmVhXkEyXkFq cGdeQXVyODEwNTQ0MzM._V1_SX1777 _CR001777999_AL__zpsvw30lwjm.j pg
Shirkers (A woman explores the events surrounding a film she and her friends began making with a mysterious stranger decades ago.)

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/la-1530128659-3gvu8u05qv-snap-image_zpsfxp8vfwp.jpg
Three Indentical Strangers (In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth.)

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/johnson_rogers_fld002-06_life_1992-06-10_neg_125053-3c33_08_speedy_delivery_r15270 94725_wide-e52dbd3ac525d378800ecd85e79131 4_zpsc8225gvy.jpg
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers.)

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST DOCUMENTARY

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/minding-the-gap-keire-1_zps7jnqvaea.jpg
Minding the Gap

Votes:
Minding the Gap - dreamdead, Peng, Zac Efron, Henry Gale
Free Solo - Lazlo, Ezee E, Dukefrukem
Won't You Be My Neighbor - Ivan Drago, Pop Trash
abstain - baby doll, Spinal, Isaac

[Spinal]

BEST ANIMATED FILM

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/incredibles_zpsye089o1e.jpg
Done properly, parenting is a heroic act.
Incredibles 2

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/isle_zpsjfxpqzp2.jpg
Don't ask me to fetch that stick.
Isle of Dogs

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/mirai_still_zpsxaqgcnjq.jpg
I present you your little sister.
Mirai

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/ralph_zpskouuqgva.jpg
No, the kitty gets the milkshake! The bunny gets the pancake!
Ralph Breaks the Internet

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/spiderman_zps3zg5jd4k.jpg
Save it for Comic-Con.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider:Verse

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST ANIMATED FILM

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/spiderman_zps3zg5jd4k.jpg
Spider-Man: Into the Spider:Verse

Votes:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Lazlo, Ezee E, Ivan Drago, dreamdead, Peng, Zac Efron, Dukefrukem, henry Gale
Isle of Dogs - baby doll, Spinal, Pop Trash, Isaac

[Spinal]

BEST ORIGINAL SONG


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQbjS0_ZfJ0
Confrontation ain't nothin' new to me.
"All the Stars", Black Panther


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vheNbQlsyU
You found the light in me that I couldn't find.
"Always Remember Us This Way", A Star is Born

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A
Ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?
"Shallow", A Star is Born


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXoWvfEYVU
Some things you just can't refuse.
"Sunflower", Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K91etXNIkaY
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings", The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Always Remember Us This Way", A Star is Born
"Shallow", A Star is Born

Our first tie. Shortly I will start a tie-breaker thread for this category.

Votes:
"Always Remember Us This Way" - Lazlo, Zac Efron, Dukefrukem
"Shallow" - Spinal, Peng, Henry Gale
"All the Stars" - Ezee E, Ivan Drago
"Sunflower" - dreamdead
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" - Pop Trash
abstain - baby doll, Isaac

[Spinal]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCuBalItZA8
Annihilation
Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcev7yEPeF8
First Man
Justin Hurwitz

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MOgE892j4E
If Beale Street Could Talk
Nicholas Britell


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ARrtnMkzM
Mandy
Jóhann Jóhannsson

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTZl9KMjbrU
Suspiria
Thom Yorke

And the winner is ...

[baby doll]

BEST SOUND

The nominees are...

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/annihilation.jpg?w=1000
Annihilation

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/first-man-2018/hero_first-man-image-2.jpg
First Man

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/12/14/universal/es/14Krauze-ES-4/merlin_145873902_7076fbfd-5487-4985-a32b-c3d094c0d57e-master1050.jpg
Roma

https://nowtoronto.com/downloads/96969/download/Dakota%20Johnson%20in%20Suspir ia.jpg?cb=b33a3b14f57f2b257783 4a6131416276&w=640
Suspiria

https://directedbywomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/You-Were-Never-Really-Here-4.jpg
You Were Never Really Here

And the winner is...

https://cdn10.phillymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Ghost3.jpg
Roma Was Never Really Annihilated

[Spinal]

BEST SCORE

If Beale Street Could Talk
Nicholas Britell

Votes:
If Beale Street Could Talk - Ivan Drago, Pop Trash, Peng, Isaac, Zac Efron, Henry Gale
Suspiria - Ezee E, Spinal
Annihilation - dreamdead
First Man - Lazlo
Mandy - Dukefrukem
abstain - baby doll

[Spinal]

BEST SOUND ended in a tie. A new tie-breaker thread will begin soon.

Votes:
Annihilation - dreamdead, Henry Gale, Spinal
Roma - Lazlo, Ivan Drago, Peng
You Were Never Really Here - baby doll, Isaac, Zac Efron
First Man - Pop Trash, Dukefrukem
Suspiria - Ezee E

[Spinal]

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs8w1svW9sw
Annihilation


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOpuDhWzV1I
Avengers: Infinity War

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1CgNrjVHBU
First Man

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Annihilation

Votes:
Annihilation - Pop Trash, Spinal, dreamdead, Isaac, Zac Efron, Henry Gale
First Man - Lazlo, Ezee E, Peng
Avengers: Infinity War - Ivan Drago, Dukefrukem
abstain - baby doll

[Peng]

Whoo that Minding the Gap win was too close.

[Ezee E]

Need to see that.

[Ezee E]

Whoa oh oh!

It’s me Rob Gronkowski, best Tight End that the National Football League has ever seen! JUST LOOK AT ME

http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/sporting_news/cc/f9/rob-gronkowski-022016-ftr_tac47azorvoy1ibmjf7uz0jih. png?t=32745963&w=960&quality=70

And I’m here to present the award for BEST ART DIRECTION!

As if this isn’t enough:

https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/search/print/images/artworkimages/medium/1/rob-gronkowski-james-lagasse.jpg

I’m really here to spike things… I’ve said it before… I’ve spiked a toilet seat before. A gallon of milk. Even eggs. If you say it, I’ve probably spiked it before.

And that’s what we’re looking for from the following movies:

ANNIHILATION:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Zentner/publication/45853913/figure/fig1/AS:669038627803150@15365226478 83/Possible-models-for-the-DM-distribution-in-the-Galaxy-The-thin-curve-shows-the-standard.png

LOOK AT THAT SPIKE!!

BLACK PANTHER
https://media.comicbook.com/2018/04/spike-lee-black-panther-1104899-1280x0.jpeg

Whoa ho hooooo! ANOTHER SPIKE! One more, and… I haven’t seen it, so I’ll let my boy announce it:

https://us.hola.com/imagenes/celebrities/2019013016457/tom-brady-roma-movie-reaction/0-114-877/tom-brady-roma-reaction-t.jpg
ROMA

Oh a-ha!!!!!! Roma for the third SPIKE!

I’m going to do some situps and pushups before I announce the winner. I’ll be right back!

[Ezee E]

http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/sporting_news/8c/92/rob-gronkowski-nike-ftr-youtube-102915jpg_gc3dn8idvyid1t2n5f1d xe16n.jpg?t=-1274816960&w=960&quality=70

OHHH. You want to know who the winner is??? I'll tell you who the winner is!


ANNIHILATION
https://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ANNIHILATION-the-shimmer.png

[Dukefrukem]

Rob never says "look at me"

[Spinal]

BEST ART DIRECTION

Votes:

Annihilation - Ivan Drago, dreamdead, Zac Efron, Henry Gale, Spinal
Roma - Lazlo, Ezee E, Isaac, Dukefrukem
Black Panther - Pop Trash, Peng
abstain - baby doll

[Spinal]

BEST HAIR/MAKEUP

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/favourite_zpsx7usieb2.jpg
The Favourite
'There’s a very specific hairstyle just for that little pocket of time. I started to talk to [Yorgos] about it and he said, "I don’t care about that,"' [Nadia] Stacey recalls. To create what Lanthimos was after, the designer had to contemplate how to 'make something stylized, with a Yorgos slant on it, but make sure that it didn’t look like you’d got the period wrong.'

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/suspiria_zpsscdjjbxq.jpg
Suspiria
On Swinton’s request, the doctor ... got a makeover to look slightly more Teutonic, though here [Mark] Coulier eschewed the 'heavy bone structure of the Eastern Bloc' in favor of a more holistic sense of German-ness. 'I literally just Googled ‘German psychoanalysts', he said. 'If you look at them, you will probably see a bit of Lutz Ebersdorf in there.'

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/vice_zpswotdi3a7.jpeg
Vice
The only disaster I had was with Amy Adams. I tried to do the look of Lynne Cheney when she had her facelift — it was a very severe facelift. I tried doing a look like that on Amy and she looked like a burn victim. - Greg Cannom

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST HAIR/MAKEUP

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/suspiria_zpsscdjjbxq.jpg
Suspiria

Votes:

Suspiria - Ezee E, Ivan Drago, Peng, Zac Efron, Henry Gale
The Favourite - baby doll, Pop Trash, dreamdead
Vice - Lazlo, Dukefrukem, Spinal
abstain - Isaac

[Spinal]

Best Costume Design

Black Panther
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/blackpanther_zpsqxm3gglq.jpg
They sent me some pages pulled out of the Black Panther comic book and I was like, 'Is this what I had to prepare for this?' And I understood the story of the Black Panther and the world of Wakanda by reading the pieces that they sent me. But I also had to go on and do my own research, and so I decided that, you know, with it taking place in a fictitious place in Africa that I could take from all of the elements of Africa and infuse it into the costumes. - Ruth E. Carter

The Favourite
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/the-favourite-costumes_zpsuq2adkrm.jpg
I didn't know whether the costumes would work out until the film was done. It was a risk doing everything in black and white, but luckily the simplicity of the costumes paired well with the sumptuousness of Hatfield House, where we shot. - Sandy Powell

First Man
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/first%20man_zpsjdb1cjls.jpg
Damien wanted that au courant documentary quality to the film, so the colors had to be a bit faded, not techno bright. I proposed to Damien early on that it’s not the Brady Bunch, and the research backed us up, so we took a very conservative approach to the way the people dressed. - Mary Zophres

If Beale Street Could Talk
https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/beale_zpsqjuedsxt.jpg
Early start and visions came straight from James Baldwin. Wherever James Baldwin is descriptive of clothing in the book, we wanted to honor it. - Caroline Eselin-Schaefer

Paddington 2
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/paddington_zpsubk8as9h.png
Make-up, hair and costume must be in symphony or it’d look wrong. Lighting also affects costume, because what color lights you shine on something, or the kind of light you’re using, changes everything. The camera used changes everything as well. A costume designer has to understand all that. - Lindy Hemming

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Black Panther
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/blackpanther_zpsqxm3gglq.jpg

Votes:
Black Panther - Ezee E, Pop Trash, Peng, Zac Efron, Dukefrukem, Henry Gale
The Favourite - Lazlo, Ivan Drago, baby doll
Paddington 2 - dreamdead, Spinal
If Beale Street Could Talk - Isaac

[Spinal]

Best Adapted Screenplay

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/Annihilation18_zps1irdlr9b.jpg
Alex Garland, Annihilation

INT. LIGHTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
LENA scrambles across the room -

- towards the door to the LIGHTHOUSE.

But she doesn’t make it.

The HUMANOID simply appears in front of her, before she
reaches the door.

It is unclear how it got there.

A frozen beat.

Then LENA STRIKES the HUMANOID with all her strength.

And moment later, in a mirror of her actions -
- the HUMANOID STRIKES HER BACK - but with incredible power.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/blackkk_zpsamm4cnhf.jpg
Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman

INT. CSPD INTELLIGENCE UNIT - RON'S DESK - NIGHT
It's late. Ron is the only Officer working, filling out a
Police Report and sipping a mug of Hot Lipton Tea with Honey.
Suddenly... The Undercover Line rings. Ron freezes. Picks up
the line.

RON STALLWORTH
This is Ron.

WALTER (O.S.)
This is Walter. Is this Ron? Your
Voice sounds different over The
Phone.

Ron has to THINK FAST.

RON STALLWORTH
Allergies acting up again.

A steady Beat of Silence on The Line. Then...

WALTER (O.S.)
...Yeah, I get that all the time.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/burning_zps8gqljbbr.jpg
Jung-mi Oh & Chang-dong Lee, Burning

To be honest, when the writer that I worked with, Oh Jung-mi, suggested that I adapt this story, I didn’t quite see what she was seeing because the story seemed to be neither here nor there. It seemed like a play on words and a story about plays on words. At the very beginning, I didn’t even see the fact that the burning of the barns could be potentially symbolized as killing a woman. I didn’t even see that in the very beginning. What stimulated me was when Oh Jung-mi told me about reading the part where the character in the short story says that he was burning “useless barns.” Oh Jung-mi said that expression enraged her because she was imagining that referring to people and especially a young woman. Her rage stimulated me into thinking past that. I thought that this “nothing story” could be expanded to talk about other, bigger mysteries. - Lee Chang-dong

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/beale_zps1lma7ers.jpg
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

VICTORIA
I did see him.

SHARON
You saw him in the police lineup.
That's the first time you saw him,
the only time.

VICTORIA
What makes you so sure?

SHARON
Because I've known him all his
life.

Victoria looking back to Sharon, huffing with a scorn that
runs deep, runs certain and heavy.

VICTORIA
One thing I can tell, lady: you
ain't never been raped.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/spiderman_zps3zg5jd4k.jpg
Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

INT. DORM ROOM - MORNING

Miles gets up and puts his pants on. They are too short.

MILES (V.O.)
That's weird. My pants shrank.

The words "that's weird" are VISUALIZED onscreen. Miles looks
up, SURPRISED by the sound of his own Spider-Man voice-over.

MILES
I think I hit puberty.

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/beale_zps1lma7ers.jpg
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

Votes:
If Beale Street Could Talk - Lazlo, Ezee E, Ivan Drago, Isaac, Henry Gale
Burning - Spinal, Pop Trash, dreamdead, Peng
Annihilation - Zac Efron
BlacKkKlansman - Dukefrukem
abstain - baby doll

[Spinal]

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/eighth_zps9r4czlww.jpg
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade

INT. MALL CORRIDOR.

CLOSE ON - a FIVE DOLLAR BILL going into an INSERT BILL HERE
slot.

Wider reveals, Kayla standing at one of those CLAW MACHINE
games. She stares into the pit of stuffed animals. Furious.
Wanting to cry, wanting to scream.

The claw lowers, grabs onto a stuffed animal, and lifts, the
grip too weak, the claw sliding off it, the animal remaining
where it was.

He approaches.

DAD
Hey.

KAYLA
.......

DAD
Kayla, I’m sorry.

KAYLA
Don’t talk to me.

DAD
I’ll lean against the wall, okay?
No one will know we’re talking.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/badger_zps0cswyqxk.jpg
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite

INT GOLDEN HALLWAY DAY 15

A hallway. A FOOTMAN outside a door. Sarah waits. Anne
enters from her rooms, dramatic dark make up around her eyes.

ANNE
I am ready for the Russian
ambassador.

SARAH
Who did your make up?

ANNE
We went for something dramatic. Do
you like it?

SARAH
You look like a badger.

ANNE
Oh.

Her eyes start to tear.

SARAH
You’re going to cry? Really?

She stops her. They look in a mirror.

SARAH (CONT’D)
What do you think you look like?

ANNE
(sadly)
A badger.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/first_zpsrggfkif3.jpeg
Paul Schrader, First Reformed

INT. PARSONAGE - DEN - NIGHT 10

Toller pours himself a glass of scotch, sips it. Toller’s
bed, unmade, messy, empty.

TOLLER (V.O.)
I look at the lines I last wrote
with disdain. Twelve months? Can I
keep up an exercise that long? I
read these words and see not truth
but pride.

CLOSEUP: diary.

TOLLER (V.O.)
I wish I had not used the word
pride. But I cannot cross it out.
If only I could pray.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/sorry_zpsfss8srr3.jpg
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You

CASSIUS
This is Cassius Green. I’m with
Insight Encyclopedias and I know
you’ve enjoyed our Insight
Birdwatching books, so I just
wanted to help you out

WOMAN ON PHONE
I’m sorry young man, we don’t have
any money. My husband is in the
hospital... he’s 83 with stage 4
cancer and we-

Mrs. Costello continues, starting to sob and then wailing.

Cassius looks at the banner then down at his script. He flips pages frantically through
the pamphlet. 5. Make any problem a selling point.

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/sorry_zpsfss8srr3.jpg
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You

Votes:
Sorry to Bother You - Ezee E, Ivan Drago, Peng, Isaac, Henry Gale
The Favourite - Lazlo, baby doll, dreamdead
Eighth Grade - Zac Efron, Spinal
First Reformed - Pop Trash
abstain - Dukefrukem

[Spinal]

Cinematography, Editing, Ensemble and the Supporting Acting categories are in the hands of my volunteers. So I'm off duty for a bit.

[Lazlo]

Nice, Spinal. Some solid results so far!

[Spinal]

Thanks!

And as I mentioned, there were 6 categories that ended in a tie. We've only revealed two so far. So yes, the rest are in fairly major categories.

[Spinal]

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I looked for the Burning screenplay online for about five minutes before it occurred to me that, even if I found it, it would be in Korean.

[baby doll]

To present the award for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, please welcome... Robert Stack!

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/05/17/5005170d5270afce5febdc3325c6ed e2.jpg

Good acting requires mystery. And for every mystery, there is someone, somewhere, who knows the truth. Perhaps that someone is watching. Perhaps... It's you.

Our first mystery tonight begins in the early 1990s. An English actor named Richard E. Grant took Hollywood by storm, parlaying a starring role in a small cult film, Withnail & I, into a Hollywood career, with small but memorable character roles in films by Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese. He seemed to be everywhere. And then, suddenly, he was nowhere. Vanished without a trace for a quarter of a century.

What happened to him? Was he doing theatre in London? Did he have AIDS? (I mean, he always seemed a little on the swishy side.) Did it just seem like he disappeared because he was appearing in a lot of films I never bothered to see. Or was it... murder?

It wasn't murder. One day out of the blue in 2019, he reappeared in a trailer for a film starring the lady chef from The Gilmore Girls. Something about a writer who takes credit for someone else's work. Or something. The trailer didn't look promising. But there he was. All these years later: still playing effeminate drunks.

Where had he been all these years? I would look it up online but I've been dead more than fifteen years. I didn't even live to see a smart phone. But perhaps someone watching tonight can help solve this mystery. Perhaps even you. Our operators are standing by.

The nominees for best supporting are...

https://www.berlinale.de/media/filmstills/2017_2/berlinale_classics_1/201703049_2_IMG_FIX_700x700.jp g
Hugh Grant, Paddington 2

https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2019/01/24/16/Richard-E-Grant-in-Withnail-and-I-0.jpg
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/8c/be/hamilton-josh-2315-us-news-getty-ftr_5z79isvws5xk1vihgbk9p2usd. jpeg?t=1368984715&w=960&quality=70
Josh Hamilton, Eighth Grade

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tRRSWeXGJzY/TNoSyjO8jbI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/JXs9oX6KTeA/s1600/tim-blake-nelson.jpg
Tim Blake Nelson, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2017/12/gettyimages-645765712-h_2017_0.jpg
Jesse Plemons, Game Night

(Yeah. Eat it, losers.)

https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/13845518_f520.jpg
Steven Yeun, Burning

[baby doll]

And the winner is...

https://fsmedia.imgix.net/3c/34/ea/54/f08e/45fc/a518/be3dab4b92d1/steven-yeun-in-the-walking-dead.jpeg?rect=0%2C236%2C3197% 2C1601&auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&w=650
Steven Yuen, Burning

[Dukefrukem]

Dukefrukem here, presenting the nominees for Best Ensemble

Let's take a look at what MC thought of the nominees.

Peng chimes in first with an overall likeness for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
it is always fascinating to see the Coens' unforgiving universe, with a rare sliver of hope sometimes, operates in the western genre, in which the six tales help enrich each other and the film as a whole so well

Ezee E felt it needed a 2nd rewatch with: BlacKkKlansman
The actors are all fascinating in it, but there's not much to really sympathize for.

Despite mixed reaction of the film as a whole, Dead&MessedUp had positive things to say about the script and characters in The Favourite;
I really enjoyed the clean trajectories of the characters, how Abigail gains and loses our empathy, how the Queen sees royal politics as a sort of occasionally diverting lark while her lessers see it as deadly serious, and how, as bad as these games were for these characters, the dissolution of those games with the victory of one over the other only drags things further into the mud. There are no winners here, just variations on the desperate. I think it's a pretty tight script.

I love the predictions we make on MC and that goes for the film If Beale Street Could Talk where on MCer saw this as an award winner immediately
I have no idea why, but this sure seems to be slept on, both re: award consideration, and simply being a mighty fine motion picture. I like Moonlight, but this is a more confident, richer experience. Everyone is working at the top of their abilities here including a uniformly great cast, lush cinematography, and a lovely, memorable score.


Quite frankly, I'm surprised this next nomination was even possible as only 6 MCers saw Paddington 2 that was enough for one MCer
It's so refreshing to see a character that embodies kindness and generosity in a film that earns its laughs and earns its emotions.

[Dukefrukem]

And the award goes to:

TIEBREAKER TIME!
The Favourite and If Beale Street Could Talk

[Spinal]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Votes:
Steven Yeun - dreamdead, Peng, Spinal, Henry Gale
Tim Blake Nelson - Ezee E, Pop Trash, Dukefrukem
Richard E. Grant - Ivan Drago
Hugh Grant - Lazlo
Josh Hamilton - Isaac
Jesse Plemons - Zac Efron
abstain - baby doll

[Spinal]

BEST ENSEMBLE

Votes:

The Favourite - Ezee E, baby doll, Pop Trash, Henry Gale
If Beale Street Could Talk - Lazlo, Ivan Drago, Peng, Isaac
Paddington 2 - dreamdead, Spinal
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Dukefrukem
BlacKkKlansman - Zac Efron

[Spinal]

Looks like Ezee is away for a while. I'll just go ahead and present his categories today at some point and then move on to the final 4.

[Spinal]

BEST EDITING


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_YrGKVGgwA
Tom Cross, First Man


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2IhMLV-W2g
Joi McMillon & Nat Sanders, If Beale Street Could Talk

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er4hrc2vV74
Brett W. Bachman, Mandy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0bJYTX2b8M
Eddie Hamilton, Mission Impossible: Fallout

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgQ-i9IYLZQ
Joe Bini, You Were Never Really Here

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST EDITING

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/first%20man_zps6zdjmamz.jpg
Tom Cross, First Man

Votes:
First Man - Pop Trash, Peng, Dukefrukem, Spinal
If Beale Street Could Talk - Ezee E, Isaac, Henry Gale
You Were Never Really Here - Ivan Drago, baby doll, Zac Efron
Mission Impossible: Fallout - Lazlo, dreamdead

[Spinal]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/debicki_zpsxo6n71ng.jpg
Elizabeth Debicki, Widows
One of the things that really spoke to me about Alice is how repressed she is by the wife and daughter role that she has to play, and it is this very truthful portrayal of that patriarchal oppression which is quite cultural, but is also everywhere. And that matriarchal repression too, which we don’t really talk about that often today.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/foy_zpseiukdrr3.png
Claire Foy, First Man
Everything I learned was kind of surprising and kind of amazing. Her take on life and her experiences. She’d had a lot of loss in her life and she was still living and breathing and getting on with her day. Whenever that happens I find that extraordinary that people could do that.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/joen_zpsscsyrvtr.jpg
Jeon Jong-seo, Burning
She is both a weak and strong character. A person who is dominant and independent while simultaneously being anxious, lonely and alienated – just like anyone who has endured intense hurt and struggle. She is stout and always trying to take one step forward each day of her life.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/kazan_zpsjf6lx21h.jpg
Zoe Kazan, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
She reminded me of some of the Chekhov characters that I’ve played. There was something in her that feels like a person who is very rich in her life, but who’s not getting to express it in their current situation. It felt to me like she was full of thought and opinion and strength and sense of humor, but really had no access and no experience with those things, in herself.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/beale_zps1lma7ers.jpg
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
I just felt like here was an opportunity to be a part of a piece that displayed black love in all its different ways — in all the nuances that come along with that. And Sharon just seemed to me to be this woman that — she and her husband Joe created this space that no shame lived there. There was no opportunity for shame to exist within their walls.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/weisz_zpska0nvw5l.jpg
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
I think she loves the queen. But she also loves England. But the queen is England, and England is the queen, which is handy.

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/weisz_zpska0nvw5l.jpg
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Votes:

Rachel Weisz - Lazlo, Ezee E, baby doll, Spinal
Elizabeth Debicki - Ivan Drago, Peng
Zoe Kazan - Pop Trash, Zac Efron
Regina King - Isaac, Henry Gale
Jeon Jong-seo - dreamdead
Claire Foy - Dukefrukem

[Spinal]

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWaY0FI5E4Y
Lukasz Zal, Cold War


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptAEAY5Lbsw
James Laxton, If Beale Street Could Talk

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Ny0qJe5n8
Benjamin Loeb, Mandy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t8KocIKHnI
Joshua James Richards, The Rider

[Spinal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TgyAfa6fSw
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pg7-indu7Q
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Suspiria

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

A tie:
Lukasz Zal, Cold War
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Tie-breaker thread will start soon.

Votes:
Cold War - Spinal, Ezee E, baby doll, Zac Efron, Henry Gale
Roma - Lazlo, Ivan Drago, Pop Trash, Isaac, Dukefrukem
The Rider - dreamdead
If Beale Street Could Talk - Peng

[Peng]

Awww I didn't think I would be the only one to vote for Beale Street.

[Dukefrukem]

Gotta say, I'm really loving the way we are breaking these ties. (in the sense that we are actually breaking them)

[Spinal]

BEST ACTRESS

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/sakura_zpseqcebhzi.jpg
Sakura Ando, Shoplifters

She is phenomenal ... I first heard about Sakura Ando through actors or cameramen who are friends of mine or who I worked with. They all said she was amazing. I was still unsure she’d be right for my film because the part of Nobuyo was written for someone who’s in their 40s. However I ran into her in the neighborhood and we just talked for a little while. And then I ran into her a second time. After that I thought she might be the best person for this role and I offered her the job. - Hirokazu Kore-eda

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/collette_zpswdokzlug.png
Toni Collette, Hereditary

I think the idea of motherly love is an ideal, actually, now. Because relationships are complicated. People are complicated. Hormones are complicated. There are certain things we expect from mothers which seem to be quite archaic now, and I love that within this film, there are very individual, real responses from my character. And that she’s not just this two dimensional woman. She’s, at times, incredibly unlikable, and I like that.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/badger_zps0cswyqxk.jpg
Olivia Colman, The Favourite

I much prefer these sorts of roles because there is no pressure to be something you are not, and I am obviously not glamorous. I’m more a jeans and sweater-with-something-spilled-on-it person. For Anne, I wasn’t meant to look nice or be nice, and it was liberating and brilliant. I find it more embarrassing to try to look good. I think I’ve been fortunate to be cast in these roles, because it’s very difficult for young women or men who are seen in one way, and then they are not allowed to age.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/fisher_zpsnqv8i1vs.jpg
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade

One of the things that I really related to was the fact that she is not bullied, she’s just ignored. That was my own personal experience in eighth grade, and just most of school. She’s not shy. That’s not how she would describe herself. She’s trying to be confident, and I think that’s how most people are.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/gaga_zpsvbsisp2a.png
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born

To be honest, I really felt afraid to take the stage with Jackson Maine because I was also going on with Bradley Cooper. At the time, I was always very aware that I was in the midst of a tremendously talented human being.
I was able to play off of not only memories of what it felt like to be nervous to go on stage, but I also just had it right there. I was standing on the side of the stage during that moment in “Shallow.” I was watching him rip, roar on the guitar and sing. I really felt nervous. I really felt afraid. It really just took me back to that place. It was just so real the way that it was all set up that it was easy.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/cold%20war_zpskzs21aqi.jpg
Joanna Kulig, Cold War

I started to watch [Lauren Bacall] before speaking, and it helps me because sometimes when I was on the set and I was too energetic, there were too many things I wanted to play or do with the Zula character. It helps me how to be more elegant. Longer pause between lines. In more than out.

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST ACTRESS

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/collette_zpswdokzlug.png
Toni Collette, Hereditary

Votes:
Toni Collette - Ezee E, Pop Trash, Dukefrukem, Henry Gale, Spinal
Sakura Ando - baby doll, dreamdead, Zac Efron
Joanna Kulig - Lazlo, Isaac
Olivia Colman - Ivan Drago
Elsie Fisher - Peng

[Spinal]

If there's a category that sums up my favorite moments from last year's films, it's that one. Just an impossible decision.

[Spinal]

BEST ACTOR

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/cooper_zpszr5fksda.jpeg
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
I think because I'm 40, and I've gone through a lot in my life, I was able to do it with joy. 'Cause some people have asked me: It must have been hard to go to those places? But oddly enough, it was very therapeutic. ...You know, I've had an interesting road, and I've dealt with similar things in my life.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/gosling_zpswa8a7wfq.jpg
Ryan Gosling, First Man
[on saying Armstrong's famous first words on the moon] It’s such a profound thing to say and it always fascinated me. Who is that person who could make this heroic moment not about them, but about everything? And to put it so eloquently and beautifully. It was an honor to be able to say it and try and understand the man who would say something like that.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/hawke_zpsgw6xqbtx.jpg
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
I think that most people who are cognizant, it’s not much work for them to feel a sense of despair. That is not far from us at any given moment. Self-loathing is sadly something that comes pretty easily to human beings. We disappoint ourselves so much about what we feel we are capable of and the person we want to be. We’re not sure whether it’s [because of] our own shortcomings or society’s shortcomings that we can’t be the person we want to be. All that is Reverend Toller’s experience.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/phoenix_zpslsxzk7os.png
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here
What’s the character? At some point, if it’s that outside of me, if it’s a choice, then I’m doing something fucking wrong. If I’m making a decision, if I go, “This is the character now and this is how it goes,” I don’t fucking know. Everything that I’m doing when I’m working is the character....There were times on this, what we’re doing, an intense scene, and in between setups me and Lynne are outside and she’s telling me some funny story from her childhood. I’m not constantly full of rage. I don’t know what happens ... I guess that I’m just always, whatever it is that I’m feeling is the character.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/lakeith_zpsykls5jhs.png
Lakeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You
I liked Cassius’s journey, really. It was one that I could identify with — just wanting to find your place in space. I never was big on “purpose.” I never really needed a purpose. But I have needed to get out of the situation I was in and get into a better one. So I identify with that struggle.

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST ACTOR

Yeah ... it's a tie. 3-way. Tie-breaker thread coming soon.

Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here

Votes:
Bradley Cooper - Lazlo, baby doll, Dukefrukem
Ethan Hawke - Pop Trash, dreamdead, Zac Efron
Joaquin Phoenix - Spinal, Ivan Drago, Henry Gale
Lakeith Stanfield - Ezee E, Isaac
Ryan Gosling - Peng

[Spinal]

BEST DIRECTOR

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/roma_zpshe4l0m6q.jpg
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

You talk about Spielberg, Loach, Erice. All those guys are in my DNA. This is the first film I tried to do without any sense of influence, and the first film [in which] I consciously tried not to pay homage or do anything derivative. So much so that if I found myself doing a shot that reminded me of another film, I would change it. The production designer, Eugenio Caballero, more than once, asked: “Why are you changing the shot? That was beautiful,” and I’d say: “Yes, it’s beautiful because it’s not mine.” Then, when I took the new shot, he’d say: “But this is boring,” and I’d say: “Yes, it’s boring, but it’s mine.” In the end, it’s impossible to escape who you are. And who I am is a person who as a film-maker is infused with the DNA of other film-makers. Probably, I’m too much of a cinephile to be an auteur.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/beale_zps1lma7ers.jpg
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

The thing about this book to me that’s kind of shocking is, it’s James Baldwin writing a thriller. Or James Baldwin at least writing a procedural. Like if James Baldwin was going to write the pilot of Law & Order, this is what it would be. It was about taking care of that story while also allowing for the space to drift out of that and preserve these intimate elements. To not let the polemic overshadow the pristine housing of that intimacy.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/the-favourite-costumes_zpsuq2adkrm.jpg
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite

The initial script was very historically accurate and there was a lot of information about the politics of the time. I really wanted to make it much more focused on these three women, that’s what was most interesting to me — their relationship with politics and power, and how their relationships affect the much bigger picture. I wanted to make all that quite simpler so that it’s a film that feels relevant to us today, so you could imagine this happening anywhere in the world or anytime or place. Pare down the politics so it’s easier to understand the repercussions that come from the decisions that these three, or the actions that these three women take.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/kulig_zpsoofowcgm.jpg
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War

Most scripts aren’t very good, and directors that stick to them end up making films that the scripts deserve. I know that story is the important thing. I invent my story, and then I spend quite a lot of time fluffing up the story, finding scenes. Some of them are very good. Others are dysfunctional and I know I’ll have to deal with them later. I know that I’m not going to crack it with my laptop, so I leave some space for filmmaking, you know?

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/phoenix_zpslsxzk7os.png
Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here

I didn’t want it to be a knight-in-shining-armor story. I think what’s there is the spirit of the character—he loves his mum, and he’s darkly suicidal. Joaquin and I wanted to make this character very unexpected—you don’t know what he’s going to do next. We could cut it very much in different ways. It was brilliant editing it as well. We could play it for laughs, or make it terrifying. We were shooting over 29 days, and it became more like a character study than what it was at the beginning.

And the winner is ..

[Spinal]

BEST DIRECTOR

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/cuaron_zpsiehjurcb.jpg
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Votes:
Alfonso Cuarón - Lazlo, Ezee E, Ivan Drago, Isaac, Dukefrukem
Pawel Pawlikowski - baby doll, Spinal
Yorgos Lanthimos - Pop Trash, dreamdead
Barry Jenkins - Peng, Henry Gale
Lynne Ramsay - Zac Efron

[Spinal]

BEST PICTURE

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/kulig_zpsoofowcgm.jpg
Cold War
In the 1950s, a music director falls in love with a singer and tries to persuade her to flee communist Poland for France.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/favourite_zpsqh2lp1h4.jpg
The Favourite
In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/beale-street-jenkins-ensemble_zpspbakaxef.jpg
If Beale Street Could Talk
A woman in Harlem embraces her pregnancy while she and her family struggle to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/the-rider_zpsramzjfyz.jpg
The Rider
After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/roma_zpshe4l0m6q.jpg
Roma
A year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

https://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p485/joelharmonpdx/phoenix_zpslsxzk7os.png
You Were Never Really Here
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

And the winner is ...

[Spinal]

BEST PICTURE

Well, of course it is a tie. But how about a three-way tie? Tie-breaker thread starting soon.

Cold War
Roma
The Favourite

Votes:
Cold War - Spinal, baby doll, Zac Efron
Roma - Ezee E, Isaac, Dukefrukem
The Favourite - Lazlo, Pop Trash, Peng
You Were Never Really Here - Ivan Drago
The Rider - dreamdead
If Beale Street Could Talk - Henry Gale

[Henry Gale]

Awww I didn't think I would be the only one to vote for Beale Street.

Same for me but with Best Picture..

[Spinal]

Final Results:

Best Picture
Cold War

Honorable Mention:
The Favourite
Roma

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here

Honorable Mention:
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed

Best Actress
Toni Collette, Hereditary

Best Supporting Actor
Steven Yeun, Burning

Best Supporting Actress
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Best Ensemble
The Favourite

Honorable Mention:
If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Original Screenplay
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You

Best Adapted Screenplay
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Cinematography
Lukasz Zal, Cold War

Honorable Mention:
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Best Editing
Tom Cross, First Man

Best Art Direction
Annihilation

Best Costume Design
Black Panther

Best Hair/Makeup
Suspiria

Best Visual Effects
Annihilation

Best Original Score
If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Song
"Shallow", A Star is Born

Honorable Mention:
"Always Remember Us This Way", A Star is Born

Best Sound
Roma

Honorable Mention:
Annihilation
You Were Never Really Here

Best Animated Film
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse

Best Documentary
Minding the Gap

[Spinal]

Nothing wins more than 2 awards.

[Grouchy]

Vermouth, french fries and good show everybody!