The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 17 Golden Reel Awards Edition)

 

Alrighty, folks. The nominees have been announced for the 17th 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: Namor the Sub-Mariner
Who Will Win: Namor the Sub-Mariner
No Chance: All the Pretty Horses

Thought(s): The attention to detail and design on All the Pretty Horses was strong, often times too strong in fact, so I don't see it winning here. Namor just checks all the boxes for this category to me with its epic scale and top-notch big budget design.

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Who Should Win: The Glass Menagerie
Who Will Win: The Hit Maker
No Chance: High School

Thought(s): The soundtrack to High School definitely has some good songs, but it feels too worn-out and similar to other soundtracks from Alex Conn's filmography. The Glass Menagerie would be my choice since the music selected perfectly captures the era, but I'd put my money on The Hit Maker due to the fun nature of the film and its music.

MOST WANTED SEQUEL
Who Should Win: Namor the Sub-Mariner
Who Will Win: Green Lantern Corps
No Chance: Justice League Dark

Thought(s): Before the release of Green Lantern Corps and its Silver Star win for Best Superhero / Action Film, I would have bet the farm on Namor here.

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Who Should Win: Pulp
Who Will Win: The King of Hearts
No Chance: Kylie Dates New York City

Thought(s): I think Pulp should win because it is a true ensemble film, but the star-studded cast of The King of Hearts will probably take this one home. While it's nice to see Kylie Dates NYC get some nomination love, and hopefully this will encourage more writer to work in the rom-com genre, but I don't see it winning an award like this.

BEST STARRING COUPLE
Who Should Win: Tom Cruise & Tom Hanks - The King of Hearts
Who Will Win: Tom Cruise & Tom Hanks - The King of Hearts
No Chance: EVERYONE ELSE

Thought(s):In the first ever team-up of the two biggest movie stars of the last 35 years, there's not way in hell Cruise and Hanks don't take this award home.

BEST VILLAIN
Who Should Win: Sam Claflin - The Sandman
Who Will Win: Hugh Grant - Pulp
No Chance: Rafi Gavron - Green Lantern Corps

Thought(s): This one comes down to Grant and Claflin to me. I thought Grant was hilarious (and he'll probably win because of that humor), but I think Claflin's chilling performance is more deserving of the award honoring villainous performances.

BEST ADAPTATION
Who Should Win: Namor the Sub-Mariner
Who Will Win: The Glass Menagerie
No Chance: Green Lantern Corps

Thought(s):The obvious amount of time and effort that went into Namor has me wanting it to win, but this award tends to lean toward drama and The Glass Menagerie delivers that.

BEST ORIGINAL STORY
Who Should Win: The King of Hearts
Who Will Win: The King of Hearts
No Chance: 1965 and Suburban

Thought(s):The King of Hearts, given its critical reception, is the obvious favorite here. I can picture Pulp making it competitive, but I cannot see 1965 or Suburban having much of a chance here.
 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Hayley Atwell - Pulp
Who Will Win: Susan Sarandon - The Glass Menagerie
No Chance: Cheryl Ladd - Kylie Dates New York City

Thought(s):It was a surprise to see two of the nominees here be comedic roles, especially Ladd's nomination (which I feel is mostly indicative of the weak nature of this category in Season 17). I loved Atwell's performance in Pulp, and she's been nominated for this award twice without winning. Sarandon has the meatiest role though, so she'll probably take home gold.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Who Should Win: Tom Hanks - The King of Hearts
Who Will Win: Tom Hanks - The King of Hearts
No Chance: John Goodman - The Sandman

Thought(s): I would not bet against Tom Hanks for this award. He and Cruise were an excellent 1-2 punch that will probably have the film take home plenty of awards on the season.

BEST ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Florence Pugh - Pulp
Who Will Win: Rooney Mara - The Glass Menagerie
No Chance: Reese Witherspoon - Kylie Dates New York City

Thought(s): Pugh and Mara will be battling it out in the votes for this one. It could go either way, but I'd bet on Mara due to the dramatic nature of her film versus the comedic nature of Pugh's performance.

BEST ACTOR
Who Should Win: Tom Cruise - The King of Hearts
Who Will Win: Tom Cruise - The King of Hearts
No Chance: Johnny Depp - The Sandman

Thought(s): Cruise is going to cruise to a win on this one. Depp's nomination was a surprise, but I don't think he, Bale or LaBeouf have a chance against Cruise this season.

BEST DIRECTOR
Who Should Win: Sam Mendes - The Glass Menagerie
Who Will Win: Bennett Miller - The King of Hearts
No Chance: Christopher McQuarrie - Green Lantern Corps

Thought(s): Bennett Miller is obviously a good director, but he doesn't wow me with his vision or style like a Sam Mendes does.

BEST PICTURE
Who Should Win: The King of Hearts
Who Will Win: The King of Hearts
No Chance: Namor the Sub-Mariner & Pulp

Thought(s): Given its impressive Metacritic score and the love from audiences, I would be shocked if The King of Hearts doesn't take the big award. If there is going to be an upset, I'd bet on The Glass Menagerie. I don't see Pulp of Namor standing much of a chance here.