Hello hello, LRF world! I am Reuben Schwartz, Awards Columnist for the Golden Reel Awards. While this is the first season I am providing commentary for, I’ve an admirer of the studio’s body of work for a long time now and the Golden Reel Awards have drawn particular interest from me. In this column, I aim to track down the biggest talking points during this awards season and put those story lines in the context of this studio’s illustrious past. So let’s get things started, shall we?
The Storylines
After the announcement of this round of nominees, one thing has become abundantly clear: Batman: Caped Crusader is the definitive film of the season. It might not have got the highest laudits from critics this season but its six nominations are nothing to scoff at. Not only did Batman beat out Booster Gold for the title of Box Office King but he also eclipsed the record of GRA nominations by a superhero film set by fellow The Question. No word yet on if this will cause tension within the DC stable of heroes (If only The Question has a mom named Martha?).
Fueled by its strong cast, Calamity joins Runaway and The Prisoner to tie the record for most GRA nominations at 9. Its main competition appears to be in the form of Spark of Madness, as both original stories will go head-to-head in most major categories (except for Best Actress). However, do not overlook To the Moon’s chances to upset the apple cart and shock the world. Unlike the other two films, it is missing from the both major acting awards and Best Director but it is the only Best Picture nominee to be found in the Best Adaptation race. That means the final award of the night will be the first time we see how it measures up to the other heavy-hitters.
Thanks to the aforementioned cast, Calamity becomes the 8th film to land nominations in three of the big four acting categories. Last season’s big winner Runaway is the only one to win all three awards. The only category Calamity missed out on was Best Supporting Actor, which is shaping up to be the most competitive award of the night. Christopher Walken established himself as a favorite with his mid-season performance in Spark of Madness. But a late season release for To The Moon meant David Harbour (and co-star Carrie Coon in her respective category) skyrocketed to the top of Season-End lists. And that is not to say that the other two don’t have a shot. One is respected thespian Jeremy Irons, who has a real chance at winning Best Villain (Sam Rockwell took home both awards in Season 5 for his memorable turn in Cosa Nostra). And we can’t forget Alden Ehrenreich, who was as ranked the second biggest star in LRF history.
And one of the most interesting story lines can be found in the writing category. Of the five writers nominated in the Best Original Story category, three have either announced or started a hiatus at the studio. Jack Ryder announced his break last season and had two last films released this season, with Before You Help landing him a nomination. Mo Buck’s announcement came this season and he now has the best odds of winning after nominations for both Calamity and Mandingos. And while the retirement of James Morgan seems like ages ago, he technically saw one last job at the studio this season with Ann Morrow re-writing Spark of Madness (which he had originally conceived).
The Surprises & Snubs
Snub: Vince Vaughn - The biggest casualty of the competitive Best Supporting Actor race. Despite most of the film’s promotional materials focusing on Portman, Vaughn’s sympathetic performance garnered sizable buzz upon release. You have to feel for Vaughn as this makes it two seasons in-a-row that he is the odd-man-looking-out after Season 8’s Blood on the Moon. If Vince ever does get a Golden Reel Award, it will be long-awaited and well-deserved.
Surprise: Florence Pugh - On the topic of One for the Ages, Pugh’s nomination was likely the biggest surprise of the acting categories. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Pugh given that the film was fronted by the powerful starring couple of Portman and Vaughn.
Snub: Margot Robbie - Late-season releases often make big plays at the awards circuit but that was not the case with Life After Life. The final release of the season was met with behind-the-scenes controversy and ended up with a muddled final result. While the cast overall is strong, Robbie’s impressive lead performance feels like it was hurt most by the film’s lukewarm reception. Don’t feel too bad for her, though, she still has a real chance at leaving the GRAs with a trophy in hand.
Surprise: Superheroes - Batman’s impressive nomination count has already been pointed out and is definitely one of the surprises of the season. Perhaps the most surprising of all is Jake Gyllenhaal being recognized in his lead performance. This is the first time an actor has been nominated for playing the Dark Knight. APJ’s decision to focus more on Bruce Wayne this time around seems to have paid off. And that’s not all. This season’s other superhero release, Captain Atom, also garnered two nominations despite having less buzz than most of the studio’s other heroes.
Snub: Viggo Mortenson - I’d have to imagine that Mortenson's performance in Tenth Circle just missed out on landing a spot in the Best Actor category. It might have been the large cultural impact of Batman that snuck Gyllenhaal in past him. In all honesty, Batman also might have taken the last spot in the Adaptation category from this film as well. At least Julianne Moore landed a nomination so it was not left out entirely.
The Returns
Previous Winners:
Leonardo DiCaprio - He’s baaaack. In his only other job at the studio, Leo won Best Actor for his performance as Sheriff Dunne in Blackwater. The man has been taking his time with choosing roles as of late and that is no different at this studio. Now 7 seasons later, he has a shot at becoming the second actor to win Best Actor twice after his Inception and The Revenant co-star Tom Hardy.
APJ - Mega-hit Batman: Caped Crusader marks the first time since Season 4 that APJ has been nominated for a writing category. He took home the trophy that season for video game adaptation Alan Wake.
Alden Ehrenreich - His impressive LRF track record continues. After previously being nominated for To the White Sea, Alden won Best Actor in Season 6 for Death Dream. He can now join Benedict Cumberbatch as the only actor to have won for a lead and supporting performance.
Best Original Story - On the back of two co-written projects, the Best Original Story category finds itself stacked with previous winners. James Morgan won in Season 3 for Into Thin Air and Ann Morrow the next season for The Price of Fame. Season 5 saw three in a row for the MBWA with Mo Buck’s win for Cape Torment. And now Chad Taylor, who is already the only writer to have won the award twice, has a chance to make it three after Scion and Cascade.
Ralph Fiennes - Brie Larson is the only winner from the first ever Golden Reel Awards to have returned to the ceremony for an individual performance. Now, the first winner of the Best Villain award is back in contention after his chilling performance as Dr. Fries. Fiennes won the first time for Jack the Ripper, which saw him in the titular role.
Previous Nominees:
Jack Ryder - As discussed earlier, Ryder is back on the scene in what will be his final GRAs for the foreseeable future. His last nomination in the Best Original Story category was for Season 3’s Animus.
Best Adaptation - Outside of APJ, the other three writers in this category have all been nominated before. Taylor’s nominations came for Missoula and Booster Gold II last season. Seth Overton was last nominated in Season 4 for Steins Gate. And H.G. Hansen was nominated for Dark Places in his debut season.
Margot Robbie - After a lengthy absence in front of the screen for Robbie, she now finds herself with two nominations in as many seasons. While she missed out on it this season, she was nominated in the Lead category last season for Adr1ft.
Jennifer Lawrence - This marks JLaw’s second nomination in the Best Actress category. She lost to Elle Fanning in Season 6 when she was nominated for her first studio role in Triangle. Like DiCaprio, she is now 2-for-2 in LRF career as her only two performances have been GRA nominated.
Florence Pugh - And those aren’t the only two to share that distinction this season! Pugh was nominated in Best Supporting Actress just last season for The Tower, her debut role at Last Resort Films. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Florence Pugh. Who knew?
The Newcomers
Jake Gyllenhaal - Jake is a unique nominee this year as it is actually his nominations in Best Actor and Best Ensemble are actually his fifth and sixth GRA nominations. However, this is his first for an individual performance. He was previously nominated for Best Ensemble twice (Heavy Rain, Maria) and Best Starring Couple twice (Heavy Rain, A Farewell to Arms).
Julianne Moore - Like Gyllenhaal, this is Moore’s first nomination for an individual performance. She was previously in the award-winning cast of Cosa Nostra.
Natalie Portman & Kirsten Dunst - Both of these Lead Actress made their debuts all the way back in Season 2 with Bunny Lake is Missing and Flicker, respectively. However, this is the first time either actress has received a GRA nomination of any kind.
Best Director - All four nominees for this category are first-time nominees. David O. Russell is the only one who was nominated for his studio debut as the other three all already have one studio credit to their name.
David Harbour - Perhaps the feel-good story of this awards season is the recognition of Harbour. At 8 films, he is one of the studio’s busiest actors but has never been nominated for an individual performance. He was nominated as part of an ensemble for Season 5 Best Picture winner Cape Torment. Harbour made his debut for the studio in Season 1 with White Jazz.
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