The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 11 Golden Reel Awards Edition)

Alrighty, folks. The nominees have been announced for the 11th Golden Reel Awards. For this awards-centric edition of The Roundup, I will go through each category and tell you who I think should win the award, who I think actually will win the award, and who I think has no chance to win - followed by a brief thought on the category this season.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Who Should Win: The Raven
Who Will Win: Vixen: The Totems of Zambesi
No Chance: Isla Vista

Thought(s): The design of The Raven isn't showy, but it perfectly captures the film in question. Isla Vista, despite it's strong production design, has no chance - mostly because the film is not well remembered.

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Who Should Win: Flash Gordon
Who Will Win: Flash Gordon
No Chance: Beartown

Thought(s): Does anyone remember the soundtrack to Beartown? I don't. The Flash Gordon soundtrack is a rocking good time, so I can't see it not winning.

MOST WANTED SEQUEL
Who Should Win: Martian Manhunter
Who Will Win: Mass Effect 3 - Part 1
No Chance: The Raven

Thought(s): I loved The Raven as much as the next person, and would love a sequel, but it's just not the type of film that wins this award. This is generally a blockbuster award.

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Who Should Win: The Raven
Who Will Win: Buried Child
No Chance: Suzanne

Thought(s): I don't know why exactly, but despite its strong cast, I can't see Suzanne winning this one. It's just not high profile enough, and the supporting cast was surprisingly low in terms of award nominations.

BEST STARRING COUPLE
Who Should Win: Jessica Barden & Madison Iseman - Suzanne
Who Will Win: Christian Bale & Rami Malek - Radisson
No Chance: Taylor Kitsch & Emma Roberts - The Stand

Thought(s): Barden and Iseman were both very committed to their roles, resulting in some memorable scenes. Bale and Malek have the star power though.

BEST VILLAIN
Who Should Win: Matt Damon - Newbury Street
Who Will Win: Shia LaBeouf - The Raven
No Chance: Mahershala Ali - Martian Manhunter

Thought(s): I can't see Ali winning. Everyone is going to remember him as the Martian Manhunter but forget that he also played the villain in the film. My money's on LaBeouf. Crime films tend to do well here. Damon impressed the hell out of me in Newbury Street, so I really hope he takes home something for his efforts.

BEST ADAPTATION
Who Should Win: Buried Child
Who Will Win: Buried Child
No Chance: The Stand

Thought(s): It's nice that The Stand got a nomination here, but this is definitely Buried Child's award to lose here.

BEST ORIGINAL STORY
Who Should Win: The Raven
Who Will Win: Radisson
No Chance: To the Other Side

Thought(s): I'm pulling for The Raven here, but Mo Buck has done well for himself in this category in the past, so I could see Radisson winning it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Bryce Dallas Howard - Newbury Street
Who Will Win: Rosemary Harris - Suzanne
No Chance: Naomi Watts - Long Time

Thought(s): I loved Howard's performance in Newbury Street. She may not be the most popular choice, but I think she should win. Harris had the showiest role, so she'll probably take home trophy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Who Should Win: Norbert Leo Butz - Newbury Street
Who Will Win: Brendan Fraser - Buried Child
No Chance: Billy Crudup - Long Time

Thought(s): Hollywood loves a comeback story, so Fraser will probably win this one, but Butz gave one of my favorite performances in recent years as Matt Damon's conflicted brother. It was a unique role.

BEST ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Patricia Clarkson - Suzanne
Who Will Win: Jessica Lange - Buied Child
No Chance: Emma Roberts - The Stand AND Michelle Williams - To the Other Side

Thought(s): Roberts and Williams were clearly only nominated because of how crazy weak the category is this season. It could very well be a coin toss between Clarkson and Lange.

BEST ACTOR
Who Should Win: Matt Damon - Newbury Street
Who Will Win: Christian Bale - Radisson
No Chance: Clint Eastwood - Buried Child

Thought(s): Matt Damon deserves it, but Bale made the bigger, more mainstream film.

BEST DIRECTOR
Who Should Win: J.J. Abrams - The Stand
Who Will Win: Clint Eastwood - Buried Child
No Chance: Sally Potter - Suzanne

Thought(s): This is arguably the most competitive category in the awards show this season. It really could go any direction. I think Abrams should win since I would argue that he elevated his film the most out of any of the directors up for the award. Eastwood will probably win though due to name recognition and momentum of the film in awards season.

BEST PICTURE
Who Should Win: Buried Child
Who Will Win: Buried Child
No Chance: Newbury Street

Thought(s): I love Newbury Street, but it doesn't have momentum, and it honestly might be too small and dark of a film. Buried Child was not only a surprise box office hit, but has a ton of momentum coming into the show.