Last Resort Films - A Hollywood Movie Studio

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 12 Golden Reel Awards Edition)

Alrighty, folks. The nominees have been announced for the 12th 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 Mutation
Who Will Win: Days Without End
No Chance: Swamp Thing

Thought(s): I personally prefer the production design of a film like The Mutation, that requires more creativity. That said, I suspect Days Without End will come away with this one since it missed out on other nominations, but clearly has its fans.

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Who Should Win: Torso
Who Will Win: Booster Gold: Lost in Time
No Chance: Time Passages

Thought(s): Despite being a musical, the songs in Time Passages are an odd combination and aren't super memorable. I loved the soundtrack to Torso, which sucked you right into the 1930s setting, but Booster Gold has a series of strong soundtracks and with the future of the series a mystery it will probably snag the extra votes to steal it.

MOST WANTED SEQUEL
Who Should Win: Booster Gold: Lost in Time
Who Will Win: Booster Gold: Lost in Time
No Chance: Everyone else

Thought(s): All of the nominees in this category are pretty deserving, but I can't imagine anyone not wanting to see another Booster Gold film.

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Who Should Win: Don't Hang Up
Who Will Win: Doctor Love
No Chance: Cold

Thought(s): Don't Hang Up and Doctor Love are obviously the two clear favorites in this category. Personally, I preferred the character actors that filled up the cast of Don't Hang Up, but generally in a toss up it seems to be the more star-studded cast that comes out on top. In this case, that would be Doctor Love.

BEST STARRING COUPLE
Who Should Win: Michael Keaton & Ryan Reynolds - Don't Hang Up
Who Will Win: Michael Keaton & Ryan Reynolds - Don't Hang Up
No Chance: Keira Knightley & Alexander Skarsgard - Swamp Thing

Thought(s): It's nice that there were three other nominees, but I can't see Keaton and Reynolds not being nominated for their great chemistry in Don't Hang Up.

BEST VILLAIN
Who Should Win: Daniel Craig - Ypsilanti
Who Will Win: Daniel Craig - Ypsilanti
No Chance: James Spader - Don't Hang Up

Thought(s): Craig played perhaps the most memorably cruel villain in the history of Last Resort Films in Ypsilanti. I would be shocked if he didn't win, especially given his small chance of winning in the Best Supporting Actor category (more on that later).

BEST ADAPTATION
Who Should Win: Torso
Who Will Win: Torso
No Chance: Swamp Thing

Thought(s): Torso was written by John Malone. Need I say more?

BEST ORIGINAL STORY
Who Should Win: Don't Hang Up
Who Will Win: Doctor Love
No Chance: Ypsilanti

Thought(s): Ypsilanti might be my favorite film of the season, but like many other categories this season it will come down to Don't Hang Up and Doctor Love. I preferred the script of Don't Hang Up, but Doctor Love has the showier script so I would predict voters may give it an edge.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Hayley Atwell - Ypsilanti
Who Will Win: Debra Winger - Orchid
No Chance: Astrid-Berges Frisbey - Cold

Thought(s): About all I remember about Frisbey in Cold is that she gets killed. Debra Winger will probably win due to her long career and awards friendly role, but I was very impressed with Atwell's understated performance in Ypsilanti.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Who Should Win: Wyatt Russell - Doctor Love
Who Will Win: Michael Keaton - Don't Hang Up
No Chance: Daniel Craig - Ypsilanti

Thought(s): Craig gave a great performance in Ypsilanti, and in most seasons he'd be a front runner for the gold, but this season this is an especially strong category. Keaton has a lot of buzz for his performance, but I was more impressed by Wyatt Russell against-type role in Doctor Love.

BEST ACTRESS
Who Should Win: Anya Taylor-Joy - Ypsianti
Who Will Win: Emma Stone - Under Pressure
No Chance: Anna Kendrick - Depth Perception

Thought(s): My money is on Emma Stone winning based on her star power, but Anya Taylor-Joy gave a truly raw, fearless performance in Ypsilanti.

BEST ACTOR
Who Should Win: Brendan Gleeson - Our Father
Who Will Win: Jake Gyllenhaal - Torso
No Chance: Jon Hamm - Doctor Love

Thought(s): Brendan Gleeson has had a hell of a career as a character actor and he really shined in a rare leading role in Our Father. That said, Gyllenhaal is one of the few true movie stars around, so I won't be surprised if he takes home the trophy.

BEST DIRECTOR
Who Should Win: Steven Soderbergh - Doctor Love
Who Will Win: David Fincher - Cold
No Chance: Jeff Nichols - Scion 3

Thought(s): This is another two horse race between Soderbergh and Fincher. Both films were highly reliant on the skill and tone of their director's work. Soderbergh should probably win based on his ability to balance the tone and characters of Doctor Love, but Cold is pretty vintage Fincher, so I see him winning.

BEST PICTURE
Who Should Win: Torso
Who Will Win: Don't Hang Up OR Doctor Call
No Chance: Torso and Cold

Thought(s): I think Torso would be my favorite film or the nominees, but clearly the buzz and the number of nominations has spoken and this is a two film race between Don't Hang Up and Doctor Love. I generally don't know which film will come out on top, but I can guarantee you it'll be on of those two films.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

For Your Consideration with Reuben Schwartz (Season 12)

Reuben Schwartz here, back with another edition of For Your Consideration. In this column, I will cover the major storylines of this awards season in an attempt to contextualize Season 12 within the studio’s illustrious history. So let’s get things started, shall we?

The Storylines

Maybe I'm crazy but I'd call this one of the strongest field of contenders in a long while. Something about this season just seemed on the right track. Not only did box office bounce back but film quality did as well, which always makes for an interesting awards season. That being said...

It's hard to look past Don't Hang Up and Doctor Love as the two major contenders. They seem poised to duke it out all over the ceremony, with the clear winner already have been decided: Mo Buck, obviously. Either way, with those two being the big standouts, I think it is clear that we must declare Season 12 as The Season of the Comedy.

Comedies rarely climb high in nominations so to see two do it is unheard of. Not to mention: the highest grossing film of the season also relied heavily on comedic elements. I'd say that this kind of inclusion of different genres is good for the GRAs going forward and may open the door for some surprises in the future.

This was also a very strong season for original stories. Both of the previously mentioned films, Ypsilanti, Cold, Orchid, Our Father, Time Passages, Under Pressure, Depth Perception, The Mutation. Excuse my French but...holy shit! I've always found that the studio is at its strongest when it is flexing its original storytelling muscles and that is certainly the case this season. Hopefully there is more of this in the future!

One other trend I noticed among the roles of this season is the common trend to put actresses in victim roles. The two most obvious are in Cold and Ypsilanti, where both of its nominated actresses were the victims of sick murders. Similarly, Anna Kendrick received a nomination for the lead in a horror/thriller, which obviously had some nuance to it. Alice Eve's character in Doctor Love was trying to escape an abusive relationship. And, hell, even Orchid and Under Pressure feature two protagonists who are victims of celebrity culture and overbearing parents. This isn't a comment on the quality of the parts or the performances, just that there seems to be a trend there.

The Surprises & Snubs

Snub: Lupita Nyong’o - This is probably the most glaring snub of this nominations season, given the typical shallowness of the Best Actress pool. Sure, the role itself was very awards-friendly but that doesn’t mean Lupita’s performance was any less worthy of praise. Anya Taylor-Joy probably nabbed the final spot, which was a bit surprising given the minimal amount of dialogue her character was given in Ypsilanti.

Surprise: Jeff Nichols - Per usual, the director category was stacked and so it was a little surprising to see Nichols sneak in for Scion 3's only nomination. Granted, Director is typically the one category of the big ones to land an outside nominee but, even then, that is usually applicable to big names (like Soderbergh for Carmilla in Season 6). For example, Guillermo del Toro seems like a prime candidate for that spot this season. I have a sneaking suspicion that part of this is a lifetime-achievement nomination for the Scion franchise's contributions to LRF. Either way, the studio has to be pretty happy with this given that they've already handed the keys to Nichols for their major Superman project.

Snub: Melanie Laurent - As I just said, the director category was stacked. Fincher. Villeneuve. Soderbergh. Hell, even Tom McCarthy missed out despite his highly-acclaimed film. But I feel like Laurent is the biggest snub, given how much she added to Under Pressure. There were a lot of way that that film could've been a middle-of-the-road sports drama but Laurent was an inspired choice and brought a very level-headed approach to the material.

Snub: Taron Egerton - Speaking of Scion, this felt like the one other area that the film could've gotten recognition (it also had a shot with Production Design). You could say that Egerton was snubbed for Scion 2, but even then the character was still developing his villainous persona. But in Scion 3, Luqan became a strong presence in the franchise, posing a threat to humans and hybrids alike. One might think that he may have lost out to a bigger name like Tom Hanks, who is one of many "villains" in that film but is much more "cold" compared to the edgier younger versions of the villains.

Surprise: Alice Eve & Jon Hamm - Doctor Love was the highest nominated film of the season and these two nominations were probably its two most unexpected. Having the titular role in a highly-acclaimed film is obviously a good spot for Hamm but the part is more of a straight man compared to the colorful characters that surround him. His love interest in Alice Eve was in a weaker category but she also was a bit lost in a sea of big personalities. However, her personal issues are one of the film's more obvious dramatic plot lines (along with fellow nominee Wyatt Russell) so it isn't too surprising.

Snub: Our Father - As previous mentioned, this was a strong season for original stories but I felt that Our Father would've had a shot in that category. I'm guessing that the supernatural elements - no matter how minor - were detrimental to its chances. It did land two acting nominations, and you'd have to think that a name like Michelle Williams had a shot in Supporting Actress as well.

Surprise: Swamp Thing - I don't know if anyone could've guessed that this film would come out with 5 nominations. A late-round bump might be a potential cause but you have to give APJ props for his strong casting in this lesser property.

Snub: Jack Reynor & Michael Stuhlbarg - And finally, the outsiders of the Best Actor category. Between Days Without End and Torso (plus Suzanne last season), Reynor's rise is a storyline to look out for, even if he didn't get nominated this season. Meanwhile, in my opinion, Stuhlbarg was the real standout of Cold despite being one of the lesser name son the marquee.

The Returns

Previous Winners:

Steven Soderbergh - As previously mentioned, Soderbergh makes his return to the GRAs after his Best Picture win in Season 6. The two nominations couldn't be anymore different: for Carmilla, he was the film's only representation while for Doctor Love he is one of nine.

Ryan Reynolds & Jake Gyllenhaal - Both of these leading men (and famous superheroes) have won in ancillary categories in the past. Reynolds won Best Starring Couple with Brie Larson for Uncharted and has a chance to win it again with Michael Keaton. Fellow Best Actor nominee Gyllenhaal won Best Ensemble for Heavy Rain, a film he had the lead part for. Torso marks the fourth time Jake has been nominated for Best Ensemble.

Dwight Gallo & John Malone - Two notable writers for the studio made their first LRF appearances since Season 9 and both landed nominations in categories they've already won. Ypsilanti is notable for being Gallo's first Original Story nomination since Blackwater, which he won for all the way back in Season 2. Meanwhile, we all know Malone's prowess in the Adaptation game, having won four of the first five awards in that category. This is his first adaptation since Season 6, when he won for Death Dream.

Previous Nominees:
Shia LaBeouf - Just last season Shia was in the Newcomers category but here he is with back-to-back Supporting Actor nominations. Last season he was nominated for The Raven.

Emma Stone - Stone is now two-for-two in nominations for her first two films with the studio. She was nominated for Supporting Actress in Haute Couture.

David Fincher - One of the more surprising elements of the season was the quick turnaround between jobs for Fincher, who had just directed The Devil in the White City last season. This was clearly a smart decision as it washed the taste of that one out of our mouths and landed him his second nomination after his LRF debut with Survivor in Season 6.

The Newcomers
ACTRESSES - Well...I mentioned Emma Stone and, believe it or not, she is the only nominated actress who had received any type of nomination in the past. This field spans from A-Listers (Stone) to seasoned veterans like Debra Winger to relative newcomers (Anya Taylor-Joy) and lesser-knowns (Astrid Berges-Frisbey). The right kind of variety, if you ask me.

Wyatt Russell - The Chad Taylor regular has frequently worked for the studio and has landed his first individual nomination for his work as General Rhett Gunn in Doctor Love (plus he received double nominations in the Ensemble category).

Jimmy Ellis - Finally some new blood in the writing categories. Despite being here for three seasons, Ellis is getting to become one of the studio's most steady contributors, having seen his script total increase every season thus far.