The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 31 GRA Edition)

  

 

 

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. And for this season - and possibly future seasons - I have decided to bring back my snubs for each category as well.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Who Should Win: Ocean Pawn
Who Will Win: Marvin the Martian
No Chance: Vindicators

Snub(s): N/A

Thought(s): It seems like the voters are into animated films these days, so I think Marvin the Martian could take a win here, although it should go to Ocean Pawn for its great poster featuring Marisa Abela as a mermaid warrior.

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Who Should Win: Ecstasy
Who Will Win: Scarface
No Chance: Animal Farm
Snub(s): N/A

Thought(s): Whenever possible, it seems like voters here like a good up-tempo soundtrack, and Ecstasy matches that completely.

MOST WANTED SEQUEL
Who Should Win: Friday the 13th: Blood Ties
Who Will Win: Gamera
No Chance: Ghost Rider: Damnation
Snub(s): Justice League War

Thought(s): Friday the 13th: Blood Ties completely revitalized the franchise in my opinion so it deserves the award just to make sure we get to see what comes next. 

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Who Should Win: Justice League Invasion
Who Will Win: At Night All Blood is Black
No Chance: Scarface
Snub(s): Willamette

Thought(s): I think this will be the first big win of the ceremony for At Night All Blood is Black, but it never feels like an ensemble film to me so shouldn't win this award.

BEST STARRING COUPLE
Who Should Win: Johnny Depp & Eva Green - The Diplomat
Who Will Win: Damson Idris & Micheal Ward - At Night All Blood Is Black
No Chance: Ralph Fiennes & Paul Mescal - The Beauty
Snub(s): Jamie Lee Curtis & Harrison Ford - Willamette

Thought(s): The Beauty is out for me due to its lack of acting nominations. I think Depp and Green worked against each other fantastically, so I'd like to see them get the win here.

BEST VILLAIN
Who Should Win: Daniel Cudmore - Friday the 13th: Blood Ties
Who Will Win: Damson Idris - At Night All Blood Is Black
No Chance: Giancarlo Esposito - Justice League War
Snub(s): N/A

Thought(s): I don't like when main characters are nominated as villains. You can't be a protagonist and a villain at the same time. Idris seems to have momentum, but I would much prefer Cudmore get an award for his silent, physical performance as Jason Voorhees.

BEST ADAPTATION
Who Should Win: At Night All Blood is Black
Who Will Win: At Night All Blood is Black
No Chance: Animal Farm
Snub(s): Gamera

Thought(s): At Night All Blood is Black deserves this award for being a critically acclaimed novel adaptation - a rare sight these days in LRF.

BEST ORIGINAL STORY
Who Should Win: Willamette
Who Will Win: The Diplomat
No Chance: The Eye of history
Snub(s): The Life Survey

Thought(s): Willamette is original and audacious, but there is steep competition, especially from the award-friendly The Diplomat.
 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Suzanna Son - Hideaway
Who Will Win: Lily-Rose Depp - Scarface
No Chance: Nell Tiger Free - The Beauty
Snub(s): Amber Heard - Friday the 13th: Blood Ties

Thought(s): This one could go a lot of different ways as there is no clear favorite. Just going on gut instinct with my choices here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Who Should Win: Diego Boneta - Scarface
Who Will Win: Micheal Ward - At Night All Blood is Black
No Chance: Tommy Lee Jones - The House Down the Street
Snub(s): Jay Mohr - The Diplomat

Thought(s): My guess is that this one will come down to Boneta and Ward - I don't think voters are going to bite on Jones or Walken here.

BEST ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Eva Green - The Diplomat
Who Will Win: Kirsten Dunst - The Eye of History
No Chance: Jenna Ortega - Ecstasy
Snub(s): Madison Iseman - Hideaway

Thought(s): Voters like biopics, so Dunst has to be the favorite even if her performance was not as good as Eva Green's in The Diplomat.

BEST ACTOR
Who Should Win: Johnny Depp - The Diplomat
Who Will Win: Damson Idris - At Night All Blood Is Black
No Chance: Harrison Ford - Willamette
Snub(s): Tenoch Huerta - Scarface

Thought(s): My heart says Depp, but my brain tells me that Idris has everything in his favor to win here.

BEST DIRECTOR
Who Should Win: Michael Bay - Justice League War
Who Will Win: Michael Bay - Justice League War
No Chance: Luca Guadagnino - Hideaway
Snub(s): Woody Allen - The Diplomat

Thought(s): My money is on Michael Bay - not just for this one, but the work he has put in over the seasons on the Justice League franchise.

BEST PICTURE
Who Should Win: Justice League War
Who Will Win: At Night All Blood is Black
No Chance: The Diplomat & Scarface
Snub(s): Willamette

Thought(s): Obviously this one is down to At Night All Blood is Black and Justice League War. It really could go either way depending on the mood of the voters. If they are in the mood to give it to a blockbuster, Justice League War has it. Otherwise, At Night All Blood is Black is a fairly safe choice for the serious voter.