The 2021 Sketchy's: Day One
I’m bringing back the Sketchy’s this year.
If you don’t know the Sketchy’s, these are my own best of film awards working within the same category as the Oscars. They’re a lot of work to put together, but feel really rewarding. I’m bringing them back because I want to. 2021 was a great year for film and I feel comfortable reflecting back and making this list.
Full disclosure: I have not watched enough documentaries, international films, shorts, or animated features this year to feel comfortable including those categories. I’m also including Choreography and Stunt Choreography as categories because they should exist.
The list is going to be released over two days. Today, you’ll get Director, Acting, Writing, and Choreography categories. Tomorrow, you’ll get Visual, Music, and Sound categories.
I’m also removing gendered categories and going 10-wide in every field. Categories like Leading Performance and Supporting Performance that were split into two categories will receive two winners each.
I changed my mind. Two winners in every category. Why? Because I can. Spread the wealth.
::Clears throat::
In a previous ceremony, The Night House was declared the best film of 2021. We neglected to share that honor with tick, tick…BOOM! under the updated two winners in every category rule. Congratulations to both winners in the category.
We would also like to announce a special commendation for AMC’s masterful pre-show advertisement starring Nicole Kidman. We do believe in the magic of movies on the big screen, and that magic is often associated with Nicole Kidman’s masterful acting in contemporary films. While we are not opposed to nominating short films in categories typically reserved for feature films (after the controversy over excluding The Devil’s Carnival from Best Picture on the short vs feature technicality), it is an extremely competitive year and we wanted to make sure this production received its proper recognition. Congratulations to everyone involved in the AMC pre-show ad.
Best Director:
Pedro Almodóvar, Parallel Mothers
David Bruckner, The Night House
Jane Campion, Power of the Dog
Nia DaCosta, Candyman
Julia Docournau, Titane
Corinna Faith, The Power
Ryusuke Hamguchi, Drive My Car
Elza Kephart, Slaxx
Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick, tick…BOOM!
Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby
Winners: Nia DaCosta, Candyman; Jane Campion, Power of the Dog
Nia DaCosta expertly shapes Candyman (2022) into a thrilling, thoughtful slasher film with tons of style and a strong perspective on society.
Jane Campion proves why she is one of the greatest directors of all time in Power of the Dog.
Best Leading Performance:
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman
Stephanie Beatriz, Encanto
Nicolas Cage, Pig
Barbara Crampton, Jakob’s Wife
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick…BOOM!
Brea Grant, Lucky
Rebecca Hall, The Night House
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Tessa Thompson, Passing
Winners: Rebecca Hall, The Night House; Nicolas Cage, Pig
Rebecca Hall is an incredible actor who makes the most out of the central role in a tragic haunted horror film.
Nicolas Cage gives arguably the best performance of his career in Pig as a truffle hunter trying to save his kidnapped pig.
Best Supporting Performance:
Bonnie Aarons, Jakob’s Wife
David Dastmalchian, The Suicide Squad
George Young, Malignant
Ann Dowd, Mass
Olga Merediz, In the Heights
Indya Moore, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Ruth Negga, Passing
Martha Plimpton, Mass
Kodi Smit McPhee, Power of the Dog
Vanessa Williams, Candyman
Winners: Martha Plimpton, Mass; Ann Dowd, Mass
Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd provide a master class in building character arcs and working in an ensemble in Mass.
Best Original Screenplay:
Pedro Almodóvar, Parallel Mothers
Bryan Bertino, The Dark and the Wicked
Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush, Encanto
Ben Collins and Luke Piotrwoski, The Night House
Rose Glass, Saint Maud
Patricia Gomez and Elza Kephart, Slaxx
Brea Grant, Lucky
Ruth Platt, Martyrs Lane
Mark Steensland, Kathy Charles, and Travis Stevens, Jakob’s Wife
Nora Unkel, A Nightmare Wakes
Winners: Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush, Encanto; Brea Grant, Lucky
Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush make a story of intergenerational trauma sing in a Disney film filled with magical realism.
Brea Grant produces one of the most focused critical takedowns of violence against women in cinema and society ever created.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Jane Campion, Power of the Dog
James Gunn, The Suicide Squad
Rebecca Hall, Passing
Sian Heder, CODA
Steven Levenson, tick, tick…BOOM!
David Lowery, The Green Knight
Tom MacRae, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and Nia DaCosta, Candyman
Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby
Erica Schmidt, Cyrano
Winners: Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and Nia DaCosta, Candyman; Erica Schmidt, Cyrano
Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and Nia DaCosta prove that the reboot sequel trend in horror can be a rewarding artistic experience if the time is taken to support the world of the films that came before while embracing a brand new story idea.
The difference between “okay” and “great” in a musical can be the book. Erica Schmidt’s screen adaptation of the stage musical Cyrano helps a solid score find its voice.
Best Choreography:
Kelly Devine, Come From Away
Ryan Heffington, tick, tick…BOOM!
Adam Murray, Cruella
Justin Peck, West Side Story
Kate Prince, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Agathe Rousselle and Doris Arnold, Titane
Christopher Scott, In the Heights
Sherrie Silver, Sing 2
Jamal Sims, Encanto
Annette, choreographer uncredited
winners: Jamal Sims, Encanto; Kate Prince, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Encanto features some of my favorite choreography ever presented in a movie musical. The combination of traditional Columbian folk dance, musical theatre, and contemporary commercial dancing is explosive onscreen.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is the epitome of a crowd-pleasing musical. Kate Prince adapts her own choreography from the hit West End musical into something grand and cinematic in this fun movie musical. Fingers crossed we eventually get a Broadway run of this show.
Best Stunt Choreography:
Awarded to fight choreographers, stunt coordinators, and fight coordinators
Brad Allan, Andy Cheng, Christopher Clark Cowan, Mark Ginther, Isaac Hammon, Kyle Woods, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Helena Barrett, Lucky
Lloyd Bateman, Glen Foster, Mark Norby, Malignant
Keir Beck, Volkhart Buff, Stephen Dunlevy, Jonathon Eusebio, Paul Leonard, and Scott Rogers, The Matrix Resurrections
Freddy Bouciegues, Free Guy
James Fierro and Mike Fierro, Candyman
Kerry Gregg, Anneli Muller, Bela Unger, Luca Unger, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Lee Morrison, Petr Rychly, Franco Maria Salamon, Olivier Schnieder, Patrick Vo, No Time to Die
Guy Norris, The Suicide Squad
Charlie Parrish, Willy’s Wonderland
Winners: Charlie Parrish, Willy’s Wonderland; Helena Barrett, Lucky
If you’re not down for Nicolas Cage bareknuckle boxing animatronics, what are you down for? Willy’s Wonderland is pure chaos, with each cursed robot fighting in an entirely different style in between Nicolas Cage’s breaks for pinball and energy drinks.
Lucky is filled with intense, realistic looking fight scenes between a masked intruder and May. These are important story beats that happen throughout the film, becoming longer, more involved, and more violent as May’s search for any help becomes more expansive and frustrating. The fights are another level of visual storytelling in a dense and bitter satire.
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