The Storylines:
When looking at this season's slate of releases and GRA nominees, one thing is clear: Season 21 was the Season of the Wolf. Wolf and Red Wolf were two early season genre releases that were well-represented in this week's nomination announcement. But then again, maybe it was also the Season of the Motorcycle. Between Knievel, Ghost Rider, and Twisted Metal, it was quite the season for daredevils on motorbikes.
But perhaps the most noteworthy daredevil movie of them all doesn't involve any vehicles at all. Rodeo is the clear headliner this season after a strong late season showing in Round 10. It is bit of a confluence of some entertainers at the height of their powers. Dwight Gallo has been on a real hot streak ever since 'Nez Perce', Taylor Sheridan has become one of the most-watched brands in Hollywood, and we all know Tom Cruise's story. I'd advise you to take a look at Cruise's filmography to see a real interesting turn his LRF career has taken in the last ten seasons after starting out in mostly big action flicks. That all being said, Kate Mara might be the component that grabbed the most headlines from this film.
Speaking of Gallo, a clear storyline to emerge from this batch of nominations is that this was Jimmy Ellis's season. He is perhaps most notable for his co-written projects and this season was no different with Red Wolf and Pontiac. But it was The Void that saw Jimmy reach a personal solo best and that could be paired with the respectable Mobster's Violin, which will be touched on later.
This batch of nominations also showcased some of LRF's strongest creative partnerships outside of Ehrenreich-Malone. Nicholas Winding Refn and Roy Horne teamed up for their third feature film and, remarkably, it is the third one to be nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Story/Adaptation. A match made in heaven, as they say. And speaking of heaven, A Lost Sense of Heaven star Florence Pugh has now been nominated for a fourth time for a part in a Chad Taylor film.
There has been some talks around town about this collection of acting nominees being one of the weaker in recent memory. While I have some qualms with that narrative (which will be covered later), one thing that is certainly true is that there are a lot of familiar faces in this year's ceremony - as evidenced by the length of my "Previous Winners" section. Are the Golden Reel Awards in need of some fresh faces or newer blood? Maybe a Best Popular Film award? I kid but it is hard to say what the way to improve this might be (along with the lack of major box office success as of late). No matter what, I'm looking forward to the ceremony as much as I ever am.
The Surprises & Snubs:
Surprise: Leonardo DiCaprio - Not a snub since it wasn’t one of his stronger performances but it is still a little sad to see the streak broken. For the first time in his LRF career, a Leo performance was not nominated for Best Actor.
Snub: The Mobster’s Violin - It was surprising to see this completely shut out but not a total surprise. It ultimately suffered from being just pretty good and hedging most of its nomination hopes on Joaquin Phoenix, whose role wasn’t quite loud enough to crack the Best Actor race.
Snub: Glen Powell - It’s hard to say that this is a major snub since Rodeo notched nine nominations and Powell has the chance to be recognized in the ensemble category. I still thought that Powell provided a great performance in an important third role but it is hard to be upset at seeing the great Stacy Keach getting recognized.
Snub: Haley Bennett and Diane Guerrero - I actually don’t think this was as weak of a Best Actress year as some are saying. Exemplifying that are two performances that would’ve been worthy of a nomination in my eyes. Like The Mobster’s Violin, the issue these films ran into is that they had no momentum anywhere else and it’s never easy to pull off a one-off nomination in one of the main acting categories.
Snub: Tatanka Means - This was always going to be a long-shot when you factor in the lack of name recognition of both actor and source material, in addition to comic book films generally struggling to reach this category. But I personally thought Means was one of the standout performances of the season.
Surprise: Twisted Metal - Did anyone expect 3-time GRA nominee Twisted Metal? Soundtrack and Villain had decent shots in those categories but Best Ensemble felt like a true surprise.
Previous Winners:
Florence Pugh - While not quite DiCaprio’s run, Pugh has now been nominated for either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress in five of her eight roles at the studio. This is her third nomination in the Best Actress category, having won it back in Season 14 for A Lost Sense of Heaven.
Tom Cruise - This is Cruise’s third Best Actor nomination in five seasons. He won the award in Season 17 for his performance in The King of Hearts.
Nicholas Winding Refn - Wolf marks Refn’s sixth Best Director nomination in nine films, an incredible run. Including Wolf, his last five films have all been recognized in the category. He has won it a record three times for Crowley, Excalibur, and Cecil.
Taylor Sheridan - He is not nearly as prolific at LRF as some of his competition but he did previously win Best Director back in Season 15 for Of Rocks and Sand.
Josh Brolin - While his work has been few and far between since then, Brolin did set a high-water mark for the studio when he won the first ever Best Actor trophy for his portrayal of cult leader Jim Jones.
Colin Farrell - This is Farrell’s first nomination for Best Supporting Actor but he is no stranger to the GRAs. He has twice been nominated for Best Actor, winning for The Death of an Honest Man.
Jessica Chastain - On a similar note, Chastain is a four-time Best Actress nominee but this is her first time being recognized for a supporting role. She won the award back in Season 5 for Sinkhole.
Previous Nominees:
Jeff Nichols - Nichols keeps busy at LRF and has twice been nominated for Best Director (for Scion 3 and Coma). Can he finally get the win?
Anya Taylor-Joy - The much-hyped young star returns to the GRAs after being nominated in Season 12 for Ypsilanti.
Maggie Gyllenhaal - While The Void is only her third film for the studio, Maggie was a Best Supporting Actress nominee for her first role at the studio in Crowley.
Newcomers:
Paul Giamatti - This feels like a long time coming for the frequent supporting actor. He has never been nominated for Best Actor at the LRF or Oscars so this could be his real shining moment.
Kate Mara - While her sister is one of the most nominated actresses in LRF history, Kate is making her first appearance here at the GRAs in her fifth role for the studio.
Rachel McAdams - Not only is this her first GRA nomination but it’s also a nomination for her first live-action role at LRF.
Best Supporting Actor - Outside of Colin Farrell, the Best Supporting Actor nominees are all first-time nominees. Between Keach, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jason Mantzoukas, the group represents a fascinating cross-section of careers and acting style.
Madison Iseman - Iseman is a two-time Best Starring Couple nominee but this season has been her real coming out story. Not only did she land a Supporting Actress nomination for Whaling but also Best Villain for Maledicta.
Season 22 Preview:
As of this moment, we don't have a ton of information on next season's releases outside of the opening three releases. Meirad Tako's return to the director's chair with the assistance of producer Ron Howard certainly sounds interesting and could have awards potential. Previous collaborations between Jacob Jones and Tim Burton have been hit-or-miss but this one has some good pedigree behind it and sounds like it is in Burton's comfort zone. Elsewhere, we have quite a few big-budget sequels including some that are a little unconventional. For example, Tekken: Blood Feud is set to be the first theatrical release from a franchise that has been all streaming up until this point. Meanwhile, there will be two historical epics that are getting a part II in Odysseus and Caesar. And finally, we are getting multiple Batman movies next season, which surely bodes well for the box office prospects ahead.
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