WINNERS will be announced on Oscar Night, here is my salute to the best, worst and most ridiculous movies of the 2020 Oscar Season.
Best First Film
The Assistant – Kitty Green
The Father – Florian Zeller
The Kid Detective – Evan Morgan
Shithouse – Cooper Raiff
Sound of Metal – Darius Marder
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Best Supporting Actor
Leslie Odom, Jr. for One Night in Miami
Shaun Parkes for Mangrove
Will Patton for Minari
Paul Raci for Sound of Metal
David Straithirn for Nomadland
Glynn Turman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
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Worst Supporting Actor
Kelsey Grammer for Money Plane
Thomas Jane for Money Plane
Matthew Lawrence for Money Plane
Rami Malek for The Little Things
Danny Trejo for American Pie Presents Girls’ Rules
Christopher Walken for Wild Mountain Thyme
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Best Supporting Actress
Olivia Colman for The Father
Dominique Fishback for Judas and the Black Messiah
Gina Rodriguez for Kajillionaire
Amanda Seyfried for Mank
Letitia Wright for Mangrove
Youn Yuh-jung for Minari
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Worst Supporting Actress
Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy
Jackie Cruz for Tremors 7: Shrieker Island
Denise Richards for Money Plane
Sara Rue for American Pie Presents Girls’ Rules
Gabourney Sidibe for Antebellum
Maddie Ziegler for Music
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Best Costume Design
Emma – Alexandra Byrne
Lovers Rock – Jacqueline Durran
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Ann Roth
Mank – Trish Summerville
The Vast of Night – Jamie Reed
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Best Production Design
The Father – Peter Francis
First Cow – Anthony Gasparro, Lisa Ward, Vanessa Knoll
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Mark Ricker, James F. Truesdale, Wes Hottman, Karen O’Hara, Diana Stoughton, Travis Kerr
Mank – Donald Graham Burt, Dan Webster, Chris Cain, Hogan Lee, Jan Pascale
The Vast of Night – Adam Dietrich, Jonathon Rudak, Tyler Corie
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Most Awkward Dinner
The Father – “Chicken Twice”
I’m Thinking of Ending Things – “Meet the Parents Time Jump”
Kajillionaire – “Birthday Dinner”
The Nest – “Company Dinner”
Promising Young Woman – “My Parents Wanted Me to Be a DJ.”
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Best Sound
Lovers Rock
Mank
Sound of Metal
Tenet
The Vast of Night
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Best Adapted Screenplay
Emma – Eleanor Catton
The Father – Christopher Hampton
First Cow – Kelly Reichardt, Jonathon Raymond
I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Charlie Kaufman
One Night in Miami – Kemp Powers
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Best Original Screenplay
The Assistant – Kitty Green
The Kid Detective – Evan Morgan
Minari – Lee Issac Chung
Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Eliza Hittman
The Nest – Sean Durkin
Soul – Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, Mike Jones
Sound of Metal – Derek Cianfrance, Darius Marder, Abraham Marder
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Worst Screenplay
American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules – Blayne Weaver, David H. Steinberg
Hillbilly Elegy – Vanessa Taylor
The Lie – Veena Sud, Marcus Seibert, Sebastian Ko
Money Plane – Andrew Lawrence, Richard Switzer, Tyler W. Konney, Tim Schaff
Music – Sia, Dallas Clayton
Wild Mountain Thyme – John Patrick Shanley
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Worst Dialogue
Hillbilly Elegy – “Everyone in this world is one of three kinds: a good terminator, a bad terminator and neutral.” – Glenn Close on why she’s seen Terminator 2: Judgement Day over 100 times
Money Plane – “The money plane has you covered. You want to bet on a dude fucking an alligator … Money Plane.” – Kelsey Grammer trying to convince Edge to rob the Money Plane
Money Plane – “Are you really fucking with me right now? Are you fucking with me? I don’t give a fuck who’s on that plane! I’m the baddest motherfucker on the planet! I am Darius Grouch III, The Rumble, and I am taking down the Money Plane! [slams hand on table with each punctuation] Now BRING! ME! MY! MONEY! – Kelsey Grammer right before he’s shot 784 times.
Music – “I don’t care about AIDS!” – Drunk Kate Hudson trying to fuck the HIV-positive neighbor.
Wild Mountain Thyme – “I think I’m a bumblebee.” – Jamie Dornan, in complete earnestness, when asked by frustrated crush, Emily Blunt, what’s he so afraid of.
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Best Film Editing
The Father – Yorgos Lamprinos
First Cow – Kelly Reichardt
Lovers Rock – Chris Dickens, Steve McQueen
Sound of Metal – Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
Tenet – Jennifer Lame
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Best Cinematography
First Cow – Christopher Blauvelt
Lovers Rock – Shabier Kirchner
Mank – Erik Messerschmidt
Minari – Lachlan Milne
The Nest – Matyas Erdely
Nomadland – Joshua James Richards
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Best Original Score
Da 5 Bloods – Terence Blanchard
First Cow – William Tyler
Mank – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Minari – Emile Mosseri
Soul – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
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Best Ensemble Cast
The Father – Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Anthony Hopkins, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams
Kajillionaire – Richard Jenkins, Gina Rodriguez, Debra Winger, Evan Rachel Wood
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Chadwick Boseman, Dusan Brown, Jonny Coyne, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Taylour Paige, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Glynn Turman
Mangrove – Darren Braithwaite, Richard Cordery, Duane Facey-Peason, Jumayn Hunter, Alex Jennings, Malachi Kirby, Nathaniel Martello-White, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Sam Spruell, Letitia Wright
Minari – Noel Kate Cho, Kim Ha-Re, Alan Kim, Will Patton, Steven Yeun, Youn Yu-jung
One Night in Miami – Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom, Jr.
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Best Performance in a Bad Movie
Jane Adams for She Dies Tomorrow
John Carroll Lynch for The Trial of the Chicago 7
Janelle Monae for Antebellum
Robert Pattinson for The Devil All the Time
Rosamund Pike for I Care A Lot
Andrea Riseborough for The Grudge
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Shittiest Boyfriend
Christopher Abbot for Black Bear
Bo Burnham for Promising Young Woman
Charles Dance for Mank
Oliver Jackson-Cohen for The Invisible Man
Jesse Plemmons for I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Dan Stevens for The Rental
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Worst Performance by a Trial of the Chicago 7 Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman
Frank Langella as Judge Cranky Pants
Joseph Gordon Levitt as Young Republican, Probably Gay
Eddie Redmayne as The Human Equivalent of Watery Mashed Potatoes
Jeremy Strong as Jerry Garcia
Frank Langella’s Gavel as The Gavel that Practically Break Dances Out of Frank’s Hands During the Climax
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Made Me Want to Go There
Da 5 Bloods – Vietnam
First Cow – Oregon
The Kid Detective – Canada
Money Plane – An Airplane Casino That’s Actually Just a Storage Shed with Purple Curtains Hung Up
Weathering With You – Animated Japan World
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Thanks for Reminding Me, I Miss It
Another Round – Getting Drunk with Friends at Fancy Restaurants Was Once a Thing
Black Bear – Being on Film Sets Were Once a Thing
Lovers Rock – House Parties Were Once a Thing
Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Nomadland – Road Trips Were Once A Thing Minus Abortions and Dead Husbands
Soul – Live Jazz Music Was Once a Thing
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Best Lead Actor
Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins for The Father
Daniel Kaaluya for Judas and the Black Messiah
Jude Law for The Nest
Delroy Lindo for Da 5 Bloods
Lakeith Stanfield for Judas and the Black Messiah
Steven Yeun for Minari
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Worst Lead Actor
Steven “Edge” Copeland for Money Plane
James Corden for Prom
Pete Davidson for Big Time Adolescence
Pete Davidson for The King of Staten Island
Martin Lawrence for Bad Boys For Life
Denzel Washington for The Little Things
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Best Lead Actress
Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Carrie Coon for The Nest
Viola Davis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Julia Garner for The Assistant
Sidney Flanigan for Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Han Ye-ri for Minari
Frances McDormand for Nomadland
Aubrey Plaza for Black Bear
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Worst Lead Actress
Amy Adams for Hillbilly Elegy
Lizze Broadway for American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules
Piper Curda for American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules
Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman 1984
Kate Hudson for Music
Meryl Streep for Prom
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Best International Film
Bacurau – Brazil
Relic – Australia
Weathering With You – Japan
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Best Director
Lee Issac Chung for Minari
Sean Durkin for The Nest
Rose Glass for Saint Maud
Steve McQueen for Lovers Rock
Kelly Reichardt for First Cow
Chloe Zao for Nomadland
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Worst Director
Mike Elliot for American Pie Presents Girl’s Rules
Ron Howard for Hillbilly Elegy
Patty Jenkins for Wonder Woman 1984
Andrew Lawrence for Money Plane
Don Michael Paul for Tremors 7: Shrieker Island
Sia for Music
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Best Picture
The Father
First Cow
Lovers Rock
Mangrove
Minari
The Nest
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Palm Springs
Soul
Sound of Metal
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Worst Picture
American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules
Antebellum
The Grudge
Hillbilly Elegy
The Lie
Money Plane
Music
Prom
Tremors 7: Shrieker Island
Wild Mountain Thyme
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Most Overrated
Another Round
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Mank
Possessor
Promising Young Woman
Tenet
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Most Underrated
Black Bear
Kajillionaire
The Kid Detective
The Nest
Relic
Shithouse
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WINNERS to be ANNOUNCED on Oscar Night. Let me know YOUR favorites!