2020 Movie List -- The Top 207 of the Year

THE STANDOUTS (16) - This should go without saying, but these are all must-sees.

Sound of Metal ****

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution ***1/2
Tread ***1/2
Boys State ***1/2

Nomadland ***1/2

The Painter and the Thief ***1/2
Athlete A ***
Assassins ***

American Murder: The Family Next Door ***

Into the Deep ***

Class Action Park ***

Promising Young Woman ***
The Invisible Man ***

Safety ***
The Way Back ***

The Standard ***

THE GOOD (66) - These represent quality filmmaking all-around.

Bad Education ***

Minari ***

Red White and Blue ***

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom ***

One Night in Miami ***

Mangrove ***
Possessor ***

Alone ***

The Kid Detective ***

Jungleland ***

Let Him Go ***

The Gentlemen ***
Onward ***

Shadow in the Cloud ***
Robin's Wish ***
Lance (ESPN) ***
Happy Happy Joy Joy***

On the Rocks ***

Another Round ***

Lost Girls ***
The Climb ***
Dinner in America ***

Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth ***

Blow the Man Down ***

Happiest Season ***

The Boys in the Band ***

Freaky ***

Uncle Frank ***
Showbiz Kids ***
Swallow ***
Midnight Family ***
Bacurau ***
Mope ***

Collective ***
Sputnik ***

His House ***
The Trip to Greece ***
7500 ***
The Outpost ***

Host ***

I'm Your Woman ***
The King of Staten Island ***

The Trial of the Chicago 7 ***

Mosul ***

Embattled ***

Standing Up, Falling Down ***
Blue Story ***
Big Time Adolescence ***
VFW ***
Sea Fever ***
True History of the Kelly Gang ***
Never Rarely Sometimes Always ***

Lovers Rock ***

The Last Blockbuster ***

Mulan ***
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga ***

The Wolf of Snow Hollow ***

Vampires vs. the Bronx ***

Education ***

Koko-di Koko-da ***
Have a Good Trip ***

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper ***

Baby God ***

Body Cam ***

The Opening Act ***
Summertime **1/2

THE GOOD... BUT SHOULD'VE BEEN BETTERS (42) - Why weren't these good movies better? I don't really know. But they should've been. Hence, the name of this section.

The Killing of Two Lovers ***
Da 5 Bloods ***

Pieces of a Woman ***

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart ***

Soul ***

Downhill ***

News of the World ***

Run ***

Beastie Boys Story ***

The Shadow of Violence **1/2

New Order **1/2

The Informer **1/2
The Secrets We Keep **1/2

Belushi **1/2
Extraction **1/2

Half Brothers **1/2

Synchronic **1/2
The Devil All the Time **1/2
The Old Guard **1/2
Project Power **1/2

Greyhound **1/2
Bad Hair **1/2

Palm Springs **1/2

The Banker **1/2
The Assistant **1/2
The Night House **1/2
All Day and a Night **1/2
Hammer **1/2

Spiral **1/2

Spree **1/2

Let Them All Talk **1/2

The Last Shift **1/2

Crazy, Not Insane **1/2

The Perfect Weapon **1/2
The Lovebirds **1/2
Spaceship Earth **1/2
The Hunt **1/2
The Rhythm Section **1/2
Arkansas **1/2
Proximity **1/2
Greed **1/2

Save Yourselves! **1/2

THE GUILTY PLEASURES (22) - These are movies that I shouldn't like but I do, for one reason or another. I only feel ashamed because the Internet tells me I'm supposed to.

Unhinged ***
Becky ***
The Tax Collector ***
Bad Boys for Life ***

Hunter Hunter **1/2

Greenland **1/2
Spenser Confidential **1/2

Honest Thief **1/2

Buddy Games **1/2

The Empty Man **1/2
Coffee & Kareem **1/2
My Spy **1/2

Come Play ** 1/2

Mortal **1/2
True Fiction **1/2

Fatale **1/2

Echo Boomers **

Ava **
Impractical Jokers: The Movie **
Butt Boy **
The Postcard Killings **
The Grudge **

THE UNDERWHELMING DISAPPOINTMENTS (43) - Chalk it up to expectations but these movies just didn't cut it for me.

Tenet **1/2

Borat 2 **1/2

Hillbilly Elegy **1/2

Antebellum **1/2
The Rental **1/2
The Whistlers **1/2

The Nowhere Inn **1/2
Zola **
Human Capital **
Young Ahmed **
Underwater **
The Nest **
The Vast of Night **

Mank **

Alex Wheatle **

The Silencing **
The Binge **

Fatman **
The Owners **

Relic **
Amulet **

We Summon the Darkness **

Sonic the Hedgehog **

Wonder Woman 1984 **

The Dark and the Wicked **

The Midnight Sky **

Random Acts of Violence **
Centigrade **
Boss Level **

The Social Dilemma **

Rebecca **
The Wrong Missy **
Scoob! **
Run This Town **

The Lie *1/2

The Lodge *1/2
Tesla *1/2

Sleepless Beauty *1/2

The Vigil *1/2
Wasp Network *1/2

Hubie Halloween *1/2

Songbird *1/2

Archenemy *1/2

THE BAD (18) - For better or worse, I just don't know what these movies were thinking.

Birds of Prey *1/2
Irresistible *1/2

Kajillionaire *1/2

Superintelligence *1/2
An American Pickle *1/2
The Last Days of American Crime *1/2
You Should Have Left *1/2
Force of Nature *1/2

The New Mutants *1/2
Bill & Ted Face the Music *
I'm Thinking of Ending Things *
Run Sweetheart Run *
The Onania Club *
Come to Daddy *
Guns Akimbo *
Fantasy Island 1/2*
Scare Me 1/2*
She Dies Tomorrow (zero stars)

IN PROGRESS (7) - I started watching these but I never quite finished. Make of that what you will... but not always. Sometimes, it's just a matter of viewing circumstance.

The 40 Year-Old Version (30 minutes)

Black Is King (20 minutes)

Jallikattu (30 minutes)

Nocturne (10 minutes)

Shirley (45 minutes)

Shithouse (30 minutes)

Time (15 minutes)

EMBARGOED (0) - Silence is golden... for now.

DON'T FORGET (3) - I first saw these 2020 movies a while back. This list is for me, so I don't forget them.

The Platform ***1/2
Burden ***
Clifton Hill **

OOPS, I MISSED (169): 1BR, Alabama Snake, All the Bright Places, All Together Now, American Pie Presents Girls' Rules, Ammonite, Artemis Fowl, The Audition, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Babyteeth, Bad Therapy, Bang! Bang!, The Bay of Silence, Beanpole, Beats, Billie, Black Bear, Blackbird, Black Box, Bloodshot, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, Brahms: The Boy II, The Broken Hearts Gallery, Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You, Buffaloed, Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn, The Burnt Orange Heresy, The Call, The Call of the Wild, Charm City Kings, Chemical Hearts, Chick Fight, Coastal Elites, Color Out of Space, Come Away, The Craft: Legacy, Critical Thinking, Cut Off, Cut Throat City, Dads, Dave Not Coming Back, Deerskin, Desperados, Dirt Music, Dirty God, Dolittle, Dreamland, Driveways, Emma., Endings, Beginnings, End of Sentence, Enola Holmes, Evil Eye, Exit Plan, A Fall From Grace, Fatal Affair, Feels Good Man, The Fight, Fireball, First Cow, Friendsgiving, The Giant, The Glorias, Godmothered, Gretel & Hansel, Guest House, Hamilton, Henchmen, Herself, The High Note, Holidate, Horse Girl, How to Build a Girl, Infidel, Inheritance, Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo, Into the Labyrinth, I Used to Go Here, J'Accuse, The Jesus Rolls, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Jiu Jitsu, John Lewis: Good Trouble, Judy and Punch, The Last Full Measure, The Last Thing He Wanted, Like a Boss, The Load, Love and Monsters, Lucky Grandma, Made in Italy, Magic Camp, Misbehaviour, Miss Juneteenth, The Mole Agent, Monsoon, Monster Hunter, Mucho Mucho Amor, On the Record, The One and Only Ivan, Ordinary Love, Over the Moon, The Painted Bird, Parallel, The Paramedic, Peninsula, The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Phenomenon, The Photograph, The Prom, Proxima, The Quarry, Radioactive, A Rainy Day in New York, Rebuilding Paradise, Red Penguins, Rent-a-Pal, Residue, Resistance, Retaliation, Rogue, Saint Frances, Seberg, The Secret: Dare to Dream, The Secret Garden, Selah and the Spades, Sergio, The Sleepover, Smiley Face Killers, Spell, Spinster, Spontaneous, The Stand In, Stardust, Stargirl, Stuntwomen, Summerland, The Sunlit Night, Survive the Night, Sweat, Sylvie's Love, Tape, Three Christs, Tigertail, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, Totally Under Control, The Traitor, Triggered, Trolls World Tour, Troop Zero, The Truth, The Turning, Unpregnant, Valley Girl, The Vanished, Viena and the Fantomes, Vivarium, Waiting for the Barbarians, Wander, Wander Darkly, The War with Grandpa, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, Welcome to Chechnya, Wendy, Why Don't You Just Die!, The Wild Goose Lake, Wild Mountain Thyme, The Witches, Wolfwalkers, Words on Bathroom Walls, Work It, Yes, God, Yes, Zappa

COMING SOON (0):

Instant InSneider: TENET (Very Minor Spoilers)

Christopher Nolan's Tenet is a frustrating experience, in that there's no denying its ambition and artistry -- or its needlessly confusing and convoluted story. It's like the love child between Inception and Memento, without the emotion of either film. Instead, Tenet just sweeps you along like a fast-moving current, with no time to grab onto a branch and catch your breath. Of course, in the inverted world of this film, time is decidedly not like a river.

Now, all of that might sound exciting to you, and it is exciting, at first. But after two hours of watching a few characters travel backwards and forwards in time, when Nolan magnifies the trick on a grand scale in the last 30 minutes, the idea no longer feels fresh. And without that exciting spark of originality, the way-too-busy last act falters, because the movie has been so focused on playing games and being an unsolvable puzzle that there's no real story to fall back on. Even the characters have basically been instructed to be bland, unknowable ciphers -- John David Washington's name is The Protagonist, really? -- so rather than bring you in, they keep you at a distance. Kenneth Branagh may have been chewing scenery, but his was the only performance I really liked, because he plays the villain like he's in a Mission: Impossible movie. I loved the score, and the scope, but the sound mix is terrible and no explanation from Nolan or his sound team will suffice.

Tenet features some really cool ideas, but they never quite coalesce, and for Nolan's next trick, I'd like to see him move away from the high-concept movies he's known for, or at least apply that big brain of his to a genre that isn't "action movie." Imagine Nolan reinventing the biopic, and turning that formula on its head! Or a horror movie! He keeps trying to top himself, and that's a fool's errand. There's a way to apply his skills to a smaller story that has more personal stakes than "the whole world could end!" And I know Tenet is about something worse than that. Instead of the world ending, it's possible the world may not have ever existed, which is an interesting idea, but one the film fails to properly explore. In the end, it's a spectacle I'm glad I caught on the big screen, but one I'm not terribly eager to watch again... even though I'll have to if I have any hope of understanding its labyrinth logic and many mysteries.

Instant InSneider: PERRY MASON

I just finished ALL of HBO's PERRY MASON, and it was good. I watched the first episode with Dad and we both thought it was kinda boring/disappointing, so he bailed, but I soldiered on, and it was worth the effort. What you don't realize is that what you're REALLY watching, in a sense, is TRUE DETECTIVE Season 4. If you're thinking of stopping after a few episodes or if you haven't started watching to begin with, reconsider... IF True Detective is your kind of show. I just think Perry Mason shares similar elements. I never watched the original series, but Matthew Rhys was good... again. Really liked him in A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, too. Rhys, Shea Whigham and Juliet Rylance make quite a team, and the supporting turns from Chris Chalk, Gayle Rankin, Stephen Root and John Lithgow are all fantastic. Tatiana Maslany's white-haired preacher will be divisive for some, so just know that your mileage may vary. But overall? Not HBO's best series of the year, but a definite "recommend" from me. Let me know what YOU think...

The InSneider's Top 10 Films and TV Shows of 2019, Plus His Most Anticipated of 2020

You know the drill. This Top 10 is my ever-evolving personal list of favorites in both film and television. I also included my Worst 10 films of the year, plus lists of my most anticipated movies and shows in 2020. Enjoy...

TheInSneider's Top 10 Movies of 2019 

I already released a video about my Top 6 films of the year, so click here to watch that -- but fair warning, there are SPOILERS, especially for The Farewell, so don't watch until you've seen that beautiful film! Without further ado...

1. MARRIAGE STORY

2. WILD ROSE 

3. THE FAREWELL

4. JOKER

5. (tie) TOY STORY 4 and THE NIGHTINGALE

7. JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi thread an absolute needle here, carefully navigating the tricky tone of the source material, and balancing both heart and humor with the more serious themes of the book. This is a brilliant film about war as seen through the eyes of a child, a child who is just trying to fit in before he has his eyes opened to the atrocities and indignities of war and its propaganda.

8. A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD - A minor miracle of a movie. This Mister Rogers movie is totally different than the documentary, starting out as one thing before becoming something else entirely. It lives up to the adjective in its title.

9. BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON - An inspirational true story featuring a breakout performance from Jillian Bell, who proves herself as a gifted dramatic actress.

10. LATE NIGHT - It was between this, Long Shot and The Peanut Butter Falcon here for me, and in the end, I went with the movie that made me cry the most. I was just really impressed with the story Mindy Kaling was telling here, and maybe that's because I'm more interested in the drama behind a fictional writer's room than most people, but yeah, Emma Thompson was great and so was the entire supporting cast.

And now for the Worst 10 Movies of 2019. Apologies in advance...

10. SERENITY - How Steven Knight thought this was a good idea, and then found a group of normally talented actors who also thought this was a good idea, boggles the mind. Misguided on a fundamental level.

9. HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U - The first one was a guilty pleasure of sorts, but this sequel, which some found superior to the original, wears out its welcome early on. The premise is exhausting and worst of all, this alleged horror movie fails to be scary on nearly every level.

8. SHAFT - One of the most homophobic films in recent memory, this movie was ridiculous on one too many levels, with a sense of humor that felt more appropriate for the early '90s. Just a horrific miscalculation on numerous levels.

7. FRACTURED - This instantly forgettable Sam Worthington "thriller" was Netflix's stupidest movie in a month (October) full of sub-par releases, which was really saying something.

6. VILLAINS - I should've loved this movie but I found it grating, and even though I'll always love Maika Monroe for her turns in The Guest and It Follows, I'm still not sure she can act. The tone of this movie was all over the place.

5. BLACK CHRISTMAS - I felt bad for the filmmakers watching this train wreck, because I know they meant well, but the decision to introduce a supernatural angle late in the game was one of the single biggest screenwriting mistakes of the year. I didn't mind how feminist it was, I was expecting that and had prepared myself accordingly. There's actually a kernel of a good idea in this movie, which is why it was so disappointing. 

4. MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL - The most embarrassing studio release of the year, although to be fair, I didn't see Charlie's Angels. Despite having chemistry in Thor: Ragnarok, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson displayed no chemistry here. None. Zero. I might even call it Negative Chemistry. What was this script? My goodness, this was awful.

3. STATE LIKE SLEEP - Just sooooo boring. Like, why am I watching this film? Such a downer, and barely comprehensible to boot.

2. WRINKLES THE CLOWN - A waste of time, pure and simple. This documentary is a wank. A brilliant marketing opportunity without a movie behind it. 

1. RELAXER - The single grossest, most obnoxious movie of the year, which I'm sure would be quoted in the trailer if I'd seen it early enough. Joel Potrykus would wear that quote like a badge of honor. I couldn't stand spending 5 minutes with these disgusting characters, let alone 80, but hey, I'm a professional. Let me know how long you last on that gross couch with that odd-looking man...

Dishonorable Mention: 6 UNDERGROUND  - Remember when Michael Bay made good movies? Jesus Christ...

But hey, at least I made it through those films, which is more than I can say for Showtime's navel-gazing Julian Edelman documentary... and I'm a Patriots fan! Go figure.

And now for the Top 10 Movies I Missed in 2019...

1. The Souvenir
2. Pain and Glory
3. Diane
4. Maiden
5. Transit
6. Atlantics
7. Fast Color
8. Gloria Bell
9. Her Smell
10. Mickey and the Bear

Honorable Mention: Cats, lolz

And finally, my Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020...

1. Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch
2. (3-way tie between racially and/or politically-charged horror movies) Candyman, Antebellum, The Hunt
3. Judd Apatow's Untitled Pete Davidson Movie
4. (4-way tie between VFX-driven blockbusters) Christopher Nolan's Tenet, Dune, No Time to Die and Marvel's Eternals
5. (tie between two very different serial killer movies) Halloween Kills and Lost Girls
6. David Fincher's Mank
7. (tie between psychological thrillers from Focus) Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho and Promising Young Woman
8. The Lovebirds
9. (tie between Netflix thrillers) The Devil All the Time and Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things
10. (3-way tie between long-delayed sequels) Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Top Gun: Maverick and Bill & Ted Face the Music

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now for the TELEVISION portion of this year-end list!

The InSneider's Top 20 TV Shows of 2019

1. Chernobyl (HBO)
2. When They See Us (Netflix)
3. Unbelievable (Netflix)
4. Too Old to Die Young (Amazon)
5. Watchmen (HBO)
6. The Loudest Voice (Showtime)
7. Mindhunter S2 (Netflix)
8. The Act (Hulu)
9. Barry S2 (HBO)
10. The Boys (Amazon)
11. Euphoria (HBO)
12. The Devil Next Door (Netflix)
13. Don't Fuck With Cats (Netflix)
14. Living With Yourself (Netflix)
15. City on a Hill (Showtime)
16. After Life (Netflix)
17. You S2 (Netflix)
18. True Detective S3 (HBO)
19. The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)
20. Black Monday (Showtime)

Top 20 Most Anticipated New Scripted* TV Shows of 2020 - An asterisk indicates my apologies to Netflix's Aaron Hernandez documentary and HBO's McMillion$, while a double asterisk indicates that I've already seen six episodes. There were some tough cuts here, let me tell ya...

1. Hunters (Amazon)
2. The Outsider (HBO)**
3. Utopia (Amazon)
4. Impeachment: American Crime Story (FX on Hulu)
5. Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC)
6. Lovecraft Country (HBO)
7. Ratched (Netflix)
8. Little America (Apple TV+)**
9. The Stand (CBS All Access)
10. Manhunt: Lone Wolf (Spectrum)
11. Zero Zero Zero (Amazon)
12. Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)
13. Run (HBO)
14. Devs (FX on Hulu)
15. Space Force (Netflix)
16. I Know This Much Is True (HBO)
17. Your Honor (Showtime)
18. Inventing Anna (Netflix)
19. Tales From the Loop (Amazon)
20. (tie) Hollywood (Netflix) and Gone Hollywood (FX on Hulu)

Top 10 Most Anticipated Returning TV Shows of 2020

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm S10 (HBO)
2. Fargo S4 (FX on Hulu)
3. Narcos: Mexico S2 (Netflix)
4. Killing Eve S3 (Hulu)
5. Homeland S8 (Showtime)
6. The Boys S2 (Amazon)
7. Barry S3 (HBO)
8. Euphoria S2 (HBO)
9. The Mandalorian S2 (Disney+)
10. City on a Hill S2 (Showtime)

If I Had An Oscar Ballot...

... it would look something like this. Please keep in mind that while I loved certain movies like Long Shot and Glass, which are among my Top 20 movies of 2019, it would be hard to vote for either of them for Best Picture. These have to be somewhat REALISTIC choices, otherwise there would be no point to this exercise. Also of note: I haven't seen films such as Diane, Pain and Glory or The Souvenir, and I have abstained from voting in categories of which I am ill-informed, like the sound and short film categories, or which I haven't seen enough contenders from, such as the Animated Feature race. Feel free to show off your own Oscar ballot in the comments section below, and thanks in advance for reading. I hope you enjoy my nominees.

Important Note: An asterisk (*) denotes my vote to WIN.

BEST PICTURE

The Farewell
Ford v Ferrari
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Judy
Marriage Story*
The Nightingale
The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Two Popes
Wild Rose

Note: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was the last film cut from my 10-picture lineup and as strange as it feels to leave Quentin's latest off my list, I don't know what I'd remove in its place. You'll tell me that films like Judy and Joker and even Wild Rose are more about the brilliant performances at their core, but I think you'd be wrong to overlook the magic that exists in all of those films... all of which stick the landing at the end, ahem. The Irishman, for me, was not a top-tier Scorsese movie, and I didn't care for Knives Out or Bombshell... sorry, Lionsgate. Parasite was very good, but I had problems with the ending, and I liked Sony's Little Women, but didn't love it or anything. WB's contenders Richard Jewell and Just Mercy were both very good, as were Universal's more dynamic duo, 1917 and Queen & Slim, but I'd be very happy if the 10 films listed above were the actual Best Picture nominees. Each one is deserving of a nomination on its own merits, and The Peanut Butter Falcon is the indie story of the year along with The Farewell. So why Marriage Story? It just felt the most human, strangely enough. I even felt a little guilty naming it my #1 movie of 2019, as it truly demands a second viewing, but if not that film, I'm not sure what I'd feel comfortable assigning that lofty title. Marriage Story just hit me like a punch in the gut at the end, and for that reason, I'm giving it the win this year.

BEST DIRECTOR

Jennifer Kent, The Nightingale
James Mangold, Ford v Ferrari
Todd Phillips, Joker*
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

Note: There's no doubt that Tarantino deserved the Best Director Oscar at some point in his career, but I just can't say he deserves it for this particular film, even if he does end up winning, like Scorsese ultimately did for The Departed. Marty, you'll notice, isn't here, since The Irishman felt like a somber imitation of his past glory days. Instead, Taika gets a nod for his wildly inventive work on Jojo Rabbit, which was no easy feat, let me tell you. Mangold delivered another mainstream home run with Ford v Ferrari, while Kent impressed the hell out of me with the rape-revenge tale The Nightingale, which shows off her filmmaking prowess way better than the overrated Babadook ever did. Trust me. But in the end, Todd Phillips shocked the industry with his billion-dollar crime drama masquerading as a comic book movie. Joker is the film that best summed up 2019, and one that people will be returning to for years -- for reasons both noble and worrisome.

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell
Mads Mikkelsen, Arctic
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker*

Note: Did anyone see Mads Mikkelsen in Arctic? If that was Tom Cruise, there'd be a four-month Oscar campaign for that film! He was incredible. And so was Paul Walter Hauser in Richard Jewell, because it's actually hard to play a person of lesser intelligence -- not to say that Jewell was dumb, because he obviously had great instincts, but the film makes him out to be a bit of a doofus, and I'm telling you, it's not easy to pull that off and still earn the audience's sympathy and respect. Anyway, they were both very good, and so was Leo, like always. But this is a race between Phoenix and Driver, and after several viewings, I feel comfortable calling Joaquin's turn in Joker as the performance of the year. All due respect to Driver, who will win an Oscar one day -- but it will be for Best Supporting Actor. Joaquin just goes to The Next Level as Arthur Fleck, and for that, he must be rewarded.

BEST ACTRESS

Jillian Bell, Brittany Runs a Marathon
Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose
Aisling Franciosi, The Nightingale
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Renee Zellweger, Judy*

Note: I keep reading about how it was a rough year for the Best Actress category and how there weren't a lot of great performances to choose from. Um, bullshit. I couldn't even get Jodie Turner-Smith on this list. Or Awkwafina. Or Felicity Jones, who was great in The Aeronauts. Or Mary Kay Place, or Julianne Moore -- though in their cases, I simply haven't seen their films. Franciosi was like a woman possessed in The Nightingale, forced to suffer indignities that no person ever should, and absolutely crushing the opportunity that Jennifer Kent gave her. The same goes for Buckley's star-making turn in Wild Rose, which capped a breakout year for the actress. And Jillian Bell showed that she can be a dramatic force to be reckoned with in the hugely appealing Brittany Runs a Marathon, which was all too under-appreciated this year. But again, like Best Actor, this is a two-horse race, and it's between Renee and Scarlett. Scarlett has never been nominated before, which is bonkers, and she's excellent in Marriage Story (and Jojo Rabbit, too), but Zellweger gamely inhabits the role of Judy Garland. It's spooky. And she's excellent in the part, even (or especially) to a non-Garland fan like myself. Well, consider me a convert and make room on the Zellweger bandwagon, because I think her performance is, like Joaquin's, simply undeniable.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Baykali Ganambarr, The Nightingale
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anupam Kher, Hotel Mumbai
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*
Sam Rockwell, Richard Jewell

Note: The fact that no one is talking about Ganambarr or Kher is a sad comment on how few people actually pay attention, or know what to look for in a great performance. Baykali's work in The Nightingale is absolutely incredible, yet because that film wasn't distributed by a major studio like, say, Captain Phillips, he'll never get a chance from awards bloggers to be the next Barkhad Abdi. Anyway, they're both on here for me, and so is Sam Rockwell -- but not for Jojo Rabbit! C'mon... I loved that movie, but he gives, like, the fourth-best performance... maybe even fifth. But in Richard Jewell, he was perfect as the security guard's indignant lawyer. Rockwell played the part just right, and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, if he wasn't already. It hurt to leave Joe Pesci off this list but none of the performances in The Irishman represented career-bests for anyone outside of maybe Sebastian Maniscalco. And while neither Brad Pitt nor Tom Hanks deliver career-best work of their own, both were wonderful in their own way this year. Pitt just makes it seem effortless though, and that's the difference. Maybe Mister Rogers should've had a shirtless scene on a rooftop. Pitt will coast to his first Oscar win as an actor, you can count on it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers*
Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit
June Diane Raphael, Long Shot
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell

Note: Everyone is just assuming that Laura Dern has this award locked up, but the Academy loves "flashy" when it comes to Supporting Winners, and Lopez certainly leaves it all out on the field, er, stage. She just takes command of the movie and plays on her own image to wondrous effect. Dern is great in Marriage Story -- and Little Women -- but if she winds up winning an Oscar instead of either of Baumbach's two leads, that just wouldn't seem right to me. The Academy loves an upset, and so do I. I also like to spread the love, so as much as I liked ScarJo's work in Jojo Rabbit, I can't make her a dual nominee over acknowledging the excellent work that young McKenzie does as the protagonist's Jewish house guest. I also thought that Zhao Shuzhen was the key ingredient to The Farewell working as well as it did. Her Nai Nai was the grandmother everyone would like to have. Which left one spot. And as good as I thought that everyone was in Parasite, and as great as I thought Nicole Kidman was in Bombshell -- sorry x2 Margot Robbie! --I had to go with my gut and honor the brilliant comedic performance that Raphael gives as Charlize Theron's chief of staff in Long Shot. There's are many reasons why some people truly loved that movie, and one has to be the strength of its supporting ensemble, because even if you don't totally believe the concept of a Rogen-Theron romance, they keep you invested in it. Raphael delivers each line with an acid-tongue, and you can just see her sink her teeth into a juicy role and make a meal of the damn thing. The whole point of working in entertainment media is to shine a light on the unseen, and I thought her work was been unfairly overlooked this season by Oscar bloggers who rarely give comedies their awards due.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Farewell
Marriage Story*
The Nightingale
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

Note: What is there to say? Marriage Story just knocks the wind out of you. It hits you, and it hurts. It hurts good. I love Tarantino's style, but the script is a shaggy dog that goes off the rails in the final turn. The same goes for Parasite. Lulu Wang would be an awful nice surprise, though to me, it feels like the nomination is the win there.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Ford v Ferrari
Jojo Rabbit*
Joker
The Two Popes

Note: This is a hell of a list. The Two Popes was a movie I had to force myself to watch, and it was absolutely delightful. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood started out as one thing and became something totally different, and something beautiful. Ford v Ferrari was just pure, old-school Hollywood entertainment at its finest, and Joker may be the film with more on its mind than any other this season. And yet, the winner to me has to be Jojo Rabbit, because it navigated such a fine line, and it does so with great humor and heart. I totally understand why it wasn't for some people... but I feel bad for those people.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Apollo 11
Cold Case Hammarskjold
Love, Antosha*
Scandalous
Where's My Roy Cohn 

Note: Eh, kind of a blow out for me, to be honest. This film just moved me. Anton Yelchin belonged to my generation. I watched him grow up. I probably teared up once during each of the other docs above, but Love, Antosha brought on the waterworks. They should've sold Kleenex with the popcorn. It just hit me hard. I interviewed Anton a couple of times, and thought he was a really bright, curious guy, who had interesting taste. The film is a love letter, sure, but it's beautifully composed. R.I.P.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE

The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
Les Miserables
Parasite*
Birds of Passage
Portrait of a Lady

Note: Listen, The Platform was the best international film that I saw in 2019, but it doesn't hit Netflix until next year, which leaves Parasite as the default choice. I liked its chief competition, Les Miserables, which beat out Portrait of a Lady on Fire to represent France in this year's race, but to be honest, I preferred both Birds of Passage and The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil. Either way, with The Platform out of contention, Parasite seems to be the only choice given the foreign language films I saw in 2019.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1917*
Ad Astra

Joker
The Lighthouse
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Note: I loved how the cinematography in Joker helped tell that story, and every other film on this list was gorgeous -- Ad Astra, Lighthouse, Portrait of a Lady, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous -- but this year, there's 1917 and everything else. All hail Roger Deakins! Wherever your light meter takes you, I shall follow.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Dolemite Is My Name
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Us

Note: First of all, people will be wearing the red jump suits from Us for the next two dozen Halloweens, and the same goes for Joker costumes. Some will go as Heath Ledger's Joker from the Dark Knight, and some weirdos will go as Jared Leto from Suicide Squad, but there will always be, from now until forever, people dressing up as Joaquin Phoenix from Joker. It's a now-iconic costume. But the cooler people will be dressed as Brad and Leo from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Champion has to be thanking Tarantino and Pitt for bringing back that brand and making it cool again, when the only time I've seen that logo the last 20 years has been on a pair of ratty old sweatpants. Once Upon a Time takes it for me, but only barely...

BEST EDITING

1917
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Uncut Gems*
Us

Note: The action-heavy 1917 and Ford v Ferrari both exhibit exciting editing choices, and I was impressed by the editing of both Joker and Us as well, but this year, there was Uncut Gems and there was everything else. Editing is practically Adam Sandler's chief co-star. It may not be as tall as Kevin Garnett or as sparkly as a diamond-studded Furby, but as the saying goes, editing is like a character in the movie. It's essential to the lifeblood of Uncut Gems. That's why it gets my vote.

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

1917
The Aeronauts
Bombshell*
The Dead Don't Die
Joker

Note: I loved the zombie makeup in The Dead Don't Die, and makeup is, obviously, a big part of Joker. And when the frigid atmosphere begins to affect Eddie Redmayne in The Aeronauts? Great stuff. But turning Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly, to the point where Kelly's own children were wondering what the hell is going on and who is who, that is some genius-level shit. I may not have loved Bombshell, but the makeup deserves an Oscar and then some! Maybe the most impressive feat of anyone in this piece other than Phoenix's performance.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

I Lost My Body
Joker*
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Motherless Brooklyn
Us

Note: It was a very good year for scores. The music in Us is unforgettable. Radiohead is my favorite band, so I'm partial to the sound of Motherless Brooklyn. I loved Dan Levy's work in the animated Netflix movie I Lost My Body, and in addition to beautiful cinematography, The Last Black Man in San Francisco also features a beautiful score. But Hildur Guonadottir's work in Joker is stunning, and to hear it independent of the film makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"I Punched Keanu Reeves," Always Be My Maybe
"Glasgow," Wild Rose*
"Daily Battles," Motherless Brooklyn

Note: To be honest, I'm not that familiar with this year's crop of original songs -- sorry Aladdin and Cats! -- but "Glasgow," which is the final song in Wild Rose, is a fantastic song that provides the perfect ending for the film. Like I said, I'm a huge Radiohead guy, so not voting for Thom Yorke feels somewhat sacrilegious, but Jessie Buckley will turn you into a country fan for life with that one song. Having said that, Randall Park, like Keanu Reeves, is the man, Oscar or no Oscar.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1917
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*
Parasite

Note: I thought the house in Parasite was great, but in the end, The Tarantino takes this one in a landslide. It just nailed the period in meticulous detail. On a crafts level, it's all but untouchable. Which may, of course, be the difference in the real Best Picture race.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1917
Ford v Ferrari
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Terminator: Dark Fate*

Note: This one is my craziest pick yet, but I truly loved the effects work in the new Terminator movie. It's hard putting a new spin on that stuff, but I thought Dark Fate managed to do just that and more. I loved the majestic images in the otherwise disappointing Godzilla movie, and 1917 and Ford v Ferrari were both classy affairs with convincing effects, but this was between Terminator and John Wick for me, and in the end, I had to go with Tim Miller and his madman producer James Cameron. Bless 'em both.

BEST ENSEMBLE (not an actual award)

The Farewell*
Jojo Rabbit
Late Night
Long Shot
Marriage Story

Note: Everyone in Marriage Story was great, and the same goes for Jojo Rabbit. Late Night and Long Shot are the kinds of movies whose ensembles are always overlooked when it comes to awards, but everyone is operating above their batting average in those films. Charlize Theron is, like, amazing in Long Shot, but people can't stop talking about her in Bombshell -- mostly, though not entirely, due to her transformation. Her performance itself is better in this goofy but sweet rom-com. Nor is Emma Thompson getting enough love for Late Night, despite a Golden Globe nomination. But The Farewell featured a special cast with special chemistry and that deserves to be recognized this awards season.

FINAL TALLY (out of 19):

Joker - 3 (Actor, Director, Original Score)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - 3 (Supporting Actor, Costume Design, Production Design)
Marriage Story - 2 (Picture, Original Screenplay)
1917 - 1 (Cinematography)
Bombshell - 1 (Makeup and Hairstyling)
The Farewell - 1 (Ensemble)
Hustlers - 1 (Supporting Actress)
Jojo Rabbit - 1 (Adapted Screenplay)
Judy - 1 (Actress)
Love, Antosha - 1 (Documentary Feature)
The Platform - 1 (International Feature)
Terminator: Dark Fate - 1 (Visual Effects)
Uncut Gems - 1 (Editing)
Wild Rose - 1 (Original Song)