Putting together my end-of-year Awards list is a lot of fun, but it’s also a ton of work. In doing my best to catch up on things I hadn’t seen, so I could be as prepared as possible, I fell behind on the actual mechanics of the preparation process. Usually, I try to get this list out before the Oscars but, despite my earnest efforts, I couldn’t quite get there in time. My apologies but, with the benefit of hindsight, I am kind of glad I didn’t hold onto that rigid deadline.
There is no way I can’t at least address how the 2021 film season came to a dramatic end at the 94th Academy Awards. The biggest story of the night exploded on national TV and subsequently on social media as Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock, live during Rock’s segment warm-up, and then proceeded to take home the Oscar for Best Actor about 40-minutes later. Ratings for the show have been trending downward for several years but hit a drastic an all-time low last season, for a variety of reasons, and many in attendance and watching at home assumed it was a bit. It felt that way at first too, but a visibly upset Smith could be seen and heard shouting at Rock after returning to his seat.
I should say that Chris Rock was a consummate professional in that moment. He didn’t strike back at Smith physically, and he would have been well within his rights to do so, but in a flash moment you can see his hand cocked as he’s about to square up. The veteran comedian didn’t go on the offensive verbally either, choosing to hold his tongue as he can be heard saying on the broadcast, “Oh, I could…” before ultimately deciding to move forward with the presentation. I would bet that Netflix or some other company has their checkbook open for Rock’s next stand-up comedy special and I will be there to watch it.
There is a lot of personal history and cultural context that has surfaced or resurfaced in response to the incident and social media has broken into two camps. It is not so cut-and-dried and its not my place to get into all the sordid details of their personal lives, but there’s plenty of that going around on the internet and social media if you are so inclined. Rock and Smith have known one another for quite some time and with the comedian not pressing charges against the King Richard star, they will have to sort things out behind the scenes. The incident does, however, raise a lot of issues moving forward.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has their hands full in addressing that moment as Hollywood has seemingly desensitized people to violence. Their PR and social media team did a piss-poor job in the immediate aftermath tweeting, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form.” Are you sure about that? Then continued in the same Tweet, “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 95th Academy Awards winners,” (it’s the 94th), “who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.” Let’s be clear though. No matter whose side you may be on, by the letter, what Will Smith did was assault. He was then presented with the highest honor in his profession and celebrated for it, receiving a standing ovation, no less, if I remember correctly.
I am not going to lie. After that smack, I wanted to see Smith win just because I felt like I had to hear his acceptance speech in the wake of the slap. While he was clearly emotional (I’m sure for several reasons), what we got was a rambling and mostly incoherent mess about how he wants to be a vessel for love and general vagueries about what “God” is calling on him to do at this point in his life. As if “God” was the one telling him to smack Rock in the mouth. He apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not to Rock, so it was pretty apparent that he was not in fact sorry. At the very least, his words were incongruent with his actions, and it seemed like he was trying to balance justification with the realization that the biggest professional moment of his career had just unfolded like that.
So, what happens next? The Academy itself has also a long history of tacitly supporting and/or turning a blind eye on all kinds terrible things, but has never had it blow up during their biggest night on national television. There are absolutely much worse people than Will Smith whose status as Oscar-winners is not at risk of being revoked and the production’s failure to act in any way at the time of the incident says that they really don’t care that much. The Oscars desperately needed a shot in the arm after the worst viewership ever last year and, well, they were the #1 thing trending on social media. That may be enough for the Academy to just move on, but any future presenter or comedian who’s invited to participate in the future should have some serious reservations.
Anyway…I started doing the Sheist Film Awards four years ago just as a sort of natural progression because I felt like too many films were getting lost in the cracks of “Awards Season”. I started this website to share my love of film and highlight so it was just sort of a natural progression.
If this is your first time here, first of all, thank you! I structure things a little differently from the awards shows but cover some of the same ground. I even condensed the sound awards into one single Best Use of Sound award before the Oscars made that change last season. Anyway, we live in a streaming world nowadays so let’s start there!
BEST OF STREAMING
HULU
When I first saw this movie, I didn’t think it would make it here by the end of the year, but nothing better came along to dislodge it from the top spot. I enjoy a good shoot-em-up movie every now and then and as derivative as Boss Level may be of all the time loop concept movies that have been made recently, Joe Carnahan’s movie is aware of its nature and has fun with that rather than taking itself too seriously.
AMAZON
Nicole Kidman rightfully received a lot of attention for her portrayal of Lucille Ball and both her and co-star Javier Bardem are nominated for Oscars for their performances along with J.K Simmons for his supporting role. In true Aaron Sorkin fashion, the film thrives on its quick-wittedness and sharp dialogue, and the fantastic cast takes it the rest of the way. The problem is that this film, about a comedy icon, takes all the comedy out of the story in favor of behind-the-scenes drama and personal problems. It’s still a well-made film with strong performances but it is certainly not a comedy.
HBO MAX
The 2017 release of Justice League was such a relative disaster, I thought the Snyder Cut was destined to stay on the editing room floor. Four years later, the fan base was still so fervent that Warner Bros and DC finally decided to move ahead with the reclamation project and even released an extended version of Dawn of Justice. Far from the perfect remake, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a substantial improvement and helped restore some faith in the original vision for the DCEU.
DISNEY+
Even though Encanto has the bigger profile, by many accounts, Luca is the real crown jewel for Disney-Pixar’s 2021. Its release straight to streaming also helped test the waters for that plan in the future as Disney+ looks to build its catalog of original programming.
APPLE TV+
Yes CODA did win Best Picture at the Oscars and I am genuinely happy for everyone involved. However, this isn’t a Best Picture category and CODA will have plenty of eyes on it now anyway. So, I saw Come From Away on Broadway and loved it and I am very happy that it now has a platform for more people to see it. This movie was filmed with the original cast on Broadway, similar to the approach Disney+ went with Hamilton, which I had also named as “Best Of Disney+” in its year.
NETFLIX
Even though Netflix had The Power of the Dog and Don’t Look Up nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, the film that I enjoyed the most on Netflix was Lin Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, tick, tick…BOOM! based on Jonathan Larson’s musical of the same name. As a playwright himself, Miranda has a connection to the source material that translates very well on screen and the film has tremendous heart.
I love weird movies that challenge me as the viewer, so that’s a great place to kick off this next section.
WEIRDEST MOVIE
You would be hard-pressed to find a weirder movie than Annette. Written by the musical duo Sparks, which consists of brothers Ron and Russel Mael, the film finally gave them a vehicle for the French new-wave cinema they longed to create. Directed by French filmmaker Leos Carax, the film features several musical numbers, a marionette baby with superpowers, and some of the worst stand-up comedy ever written for the screen. Adam Driver is great in the lead and the film is unlike anything you will probably ever see, but it was just too strange for most people to get wide recognition.
(Runner-up: Lamb – Directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson)
MOST ORIGINAL MOVIE
In what also could have easily been Weirdest Movie, Julia Ducournau’s sophomore film pushes a lot of boundaries. Both times I saw this in theaters, people walked out on it. Maybe it was the automotive sex scene or the white-knuckle moments of self-harm and violence that drew the lines in the sand, but beyond those superficial challenges, there is a dark sense of humor with a lot more heart than you would think. Agathe Rousselle and Vincent Lindon are both terrific and should be nominated for the highest honors in their craft.
(Runner-up: Nine Days – Written & Directed by Edson Oda)
BEST SEQUEL or PREQUEL
Considering everything this movie was able to accomplish, not just within the MCU but within the cinematic history of the character, Spider-Man: No Way Home should have received a bigger push. I know that the Academy doesn’t really want to honor superhero movies if they don’t have to, but this was the most popular film of the year by a wide margin for a reason. The fact that Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, and Jon Watts went out of their way to reconcile the story arcs for characters they didn’t even write, and do that with grace rather than venom, says a lot. I get the superhero fatigue, but this was one of the 10-best films of the year and should be recognized as such.
(Runner-up: Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Directed by Jason Reitman)
BEST REBOOT or REMAKE
Taking on Dune was always going to be tall order for anyone who stepped into the director’s chair, but challenges like that are not too big for Denis Villenueve. The film dominated the technical awards taking home 6 Oscars on its 10 nominations, but its technical brilliance also seemed like an obstacle to its Best Picture pursuits. Somehow, Villenueve wasn’t nominated for Best Director but his crew all made sure to highlight his brilliance in their acceptance speeches. Dune was, in fact, incredible but ended right as things were getting going.
(Runner-up: West Side Story – Directed by Steven Spielberg)
BEST SOUNDTRACK
This is always one of my favorite categories and finding the right music to go with the story you are telling is a quintessential part of memorable filmmaking. Edgar Wright always has strong soundtracks but, from Anya Taylor-Joy’s rendition of “Downtown” to the song by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky Mick & Tich for which the film is named, the soundtrack is part of the film’s DNA.
(Runner-up: Cruella – Music Supervisor Susan Jacobs)
MUST-SEE DOCUMENTARY
2021 was an incredible year for documentaries, not just in quantity but quality as well. The competition was so stiff that this film about the harrowing attempt to rescue a young soccer team from a flooded cave system in Thailand in 2018, made by Oscar winning documentarians Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Vasarhelyi, went mostly unnoticed. Maybe it’s because there is a lot of recreation footage that had to be used, but still, the whole story is just insane. None of my favorite documentaries made the Oscar list, so I will use my time to elevate this film here.
(Runner-up: The Sparks Brothers – Edgar Wright)
BREAKOUT PERFORMERS
A big part of the reason why I loved C’Mon C’Mon so much was the performance of young Woody Norman. Sometimes it is easy to play a kid, but there was a lot of emotional baggage that came with this role and Norman was wonderful in his portrayal of that. Part of the film’s identity is centered around how kids view the world and the future, and Norman is a big part of that.
(Runner-up: Jude Hill – Belfast)
I can’t imagine coming away from Titane thinking Agathe Rouselle’s performance was anything less than stellar. That, of course, assumes that you made it to the end of the film in the first place, which I know many people didn’t. This is another character who is shaped by trauma and finds comfort in the most unlikely of places, and Rouselle plays Alexia with such incredible, guarded ferocity.
(Runner-up: Emilia Jones – CODA)
BREAKOUT DIRECTORS
I went to see Nine Days by myself on a weekday afternoon, before its minuscule theatrical window closed, and I am so glad that I did. Real life-affirming filmmaking is important and Edson Oda managed to take a very challenging concept and fill it with tremendous heart and humour. Clearly made with a small budget, you don’t really question the aesthetic at any point. Instead, there is an appreciation for its simplicity and minimalism. I can’t wait for his next one.
(Runner-up: Jeymes Samuel – The Harder They Fall)
Maggie Gyllenhaal has been around the business a long time and her adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel spoke poignantly about motherhood. It’s a delicate story to tell but Gyllenhaal did a really nice job with finding the right notes and it earned two of her stars Oscar nods.
(Runner-Up: Lauren Hadaway – The Novice)
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
If you were paying attention, Nicolas Cage never really left but his many eccentric performances and low-profile roles made him something of a punchline. Even when we went to see Pig on opening night there was a certain percentage of the crowd who was there to see the “Cage-rage” moment. However, his turn is subtle, nuanced, and soft. It was a welcome reminder for most that Cage is one of the finest living actors in the business. He should have been nominated for an Oscar for this, but I don’t think the Academy is ready to accept that reality just yet.
(Runner-up: Simon Rex – Red Rocket)
BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Among many of the fantastic films forgotten by the Academy this year, The French Dispatch boasted one of, if not, the craziest A-list cast ever. Cleatly, making movies with Wes Anderson is a lot of fun and all his friends showed up to help him out with this one. His films are always quirky and not necessarily for everyone, but there’s an argument to made that this is Anderson’s best work and the litany of strong performances are a big part of that.
PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR
Sometimes, distancing yourself from an iconic pop culture character is a tall order for an actor. Ask Robert Pattinson. However, Adam Driver has done an amazing job distancing himself from Kylo Ren as he becomes the first 2-time Sheist Award Winner (I think), for his roles in Anette, House of Gucci, and The Last Duel. His turn in Anette was borderline Oscar-worthy but clearly strong work. He previously took home Performer of the Year for 2019.
(Runner up: Andrew Garfield – tick, tick…BOOM!, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Mainstream)
Zendaya had a 2021 campaign that expanded her range and signaled her arrival to superstardom. Yes, Malcolm & Marie fell under the eligibility window for last season, but it’s still a 2021 release and that’s what we are looking at for this category. She also had important roles in two of the highest-profile films of the year in Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home and voiced Lola in Space Jam: A New Legacy.
(Runner Up: Jodie Comer – Help, The Last Duel, and Free Guy)
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
I had initially planned to give this award to Ridley Scott who has long been one of my favorite filmmakers and released House of Gucci and The Last Duel which were both very solid enjoyable films. After careful consideration, I decided to amend that decision in favor of Edgar Wright who showed off his filmmaking skill with a fantastic music documentary (The Sparks Brothers) and an original stylish thriller (Last Night in Soho). His ability to land both those genres so effectively in the same year was the deciding factor.
(Runner-up: Ridley Scott – House of Gucci and The Last Duel )
BEST USE OF SOUND
Dune is likely the right choice for this category and just won the Academy Award. However, sound design is an underappreciated aspect of horror filmmaking and the team for Antlers did a fantastic job understanding the value of that in the storytelling. The combination of visual storytelling and sound design really elevated the horror elements of the film and helped make it a pleasant surprise.
(Runner-up: tick, tick…BOOM!)
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
I could have sworn this would have been a layup for Beyoncé, especially after the dramatic performance that opened the ceremony in Compton, but the Oscar went to Billie Eilish and Finneas for their No Time To Die.
(Runner-up: Van Morrison – “Down to Joy” – Belfast)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Radiohead guitarist and keyboardist has transitioned into quite the film composer over the past decade. Greenwood was nominated for his 2nd Oscar for his work on The Power of the Dog and another film he scored, Licorice Pizza, was nominated for Best Picture, but Spencer was the most impactful of his scores and it is also nominated.
(Runner-up: Hans Zimmer – Dune)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Cruella was a much better film than I ever anticipated it being and fashion plays a massive role, not only, for fashion’s sake but as a key element to the story. Jenny Beavan already had 2 Oscars but I was glad to see her take home a 3rd because Cruella was just too good to get overlooked altogether.
(Runner-up: Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan – Dune)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Wes Anderson films are always defined by their exceptional production design and Adam Stockhausen has been there with him for four films now. The intricacy of the sets and the different identities for each segment of the film speak to me more than the impressive singularity of Dune. I appreciate what Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsi Sipos did for the sci-fi epic, but I like the fine details of Stockhausen’s approach.
(Runner-up: Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau – Nightmare Alley)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
I can’t be mad with Dune winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but I think Free Guy does a great job with both its design and execution. It takes place in a world where the visual storytelling is very much at the forefront of the film and it really excels in that department. Overall, it was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.
(Runner-up: Spider-Man: No Way Home)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune is a gorgeous film on-screen and Greig Fraser had to make it look epic. He made sure to showcase the strengths of the natural environment while also smartly selecting the effects shots and, as you can see, the use of light and shadow is second to none.
(Runner-up: Janusz Kamiński – West Side Story)
BEST ANIMATED
Flee came in with so much buzz, I was more surprised than I should have been when Encanto took home the Oscar. Animating a heavy documentary is a very bold choice and it’s tough to pull off, but it could change the way documentaries are told in the future.
(Runner-up: The Mitchells vs. the Machines – Directed by Michael Rianda & Jeff Rowe)
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Ryúsuke Hamaguchi’s adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short story was never going to be popular clocking in at just under three hours, but it’s an incredible film that continued to grow on me after I watched it. There are so many levels to the narrative approach, but each one uplifts and enriches the next. Don’t be shy.
(Runner-up: Flee – Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Written by Rasmussen & Amin Nawabi)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Guillermo del Toro has consistently proven himself to be a master filmmaker and his adaptation of the William Lindsay Gresham novel was nominated for Best Picture, but not Best Adapted Screenplay and he wasn’t nominated for Best Director either… okay. This story plays its cards close to the chest and del Toro and Kim Morgan did an amazing job with it, despite the Academy’s choices. It stuck with me and gave me legitimate nightmare which is how I know that it was great. Anyway, see it for yourself but I am also not mad at CODA taking home the Oscar.
(Runner-up: CODA – Sian Heder)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
I had initially cast my vote for Mike Mills’ C’Mon C’Mon which is still very near and dear to my heart and I am happy for Kenneth Branagh taking home the award for Belfast. However, with the benefit of hindsight, I think Paul Thomas Anderson had the most creative of the bunch with Licorice Pizza. I think some were turned off by the “plotless” story, which is inaccurate, but those unrefined edges are where the film does what others can’t.
(Runner-up: Mike Mills – C’Mon C’Mon)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emma Thompson was criminally overlooked for her performance in Cruella so I am going to take this opportunity to shine a light on her performance. She plays a fantastic villain with impeccable style and makes the film work. Without her setting the tone, Emma Stone’s Cruella never has the meaningful character arc. As a multi-time Oscar-winner, I can understand wanting new blood in the mix, but Thompson deserved to be there.
(Runner-up: Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
This is one of the rare instances where the favorite and my favorite line up all the way through. Troy Kotsur is fantastic in CODA and his physical acting shows just how much can be accomplished without speaking. Like he said in his acceptance speech, the best directors are great communicators and I think he needsto consider himself in the realm of great communicators as well. I am very happy for him.
(Runner-up: Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog)
BEST ACTRESS
I am happy for Jessica Chastain to take home the Oscar for Best Actress because she was amazing in The Eyes of Tammy Faye and completely deserving of the award. She was the favorite for a reason. That said, my vote went to Kristen Stewart for her portrayal of Princess Diana. Those are big shoes to step into and she did it with grace all while conveying the immense pressure Diana was under. The performance is more restrained than Chastain’s but I don’t think that makes it any lesser.
(Runner-up: Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
BEST ACTOR
The events of the Oscars notwithstanding, Will Smith did give the defining performance of the year as Richard Williams. Obviously, he invested a lot of himself in the character and the telling of the story and you see that on screen.
(Runner-up: Andrew Garfield – tick, tick…BOOM!)
BEST DIRECTOR
Steven Spielberg is arguably the greatest living director in the business and there’s a reason for that. His mastery of craft and his love of the original shine through in his version of West Side Story. Even though the film wasn’t among my top-10, I can still appreciate the level of craftsmanship and precision he brought to it. Many will disagree, but it’s a rare instance of when a remake surpasses its predecessor.
(Runner-up: Denis Villenueve – Dune)
BEST PICTURE
I know, I know, this movie wasn’t even nominated but this was a much harder choice than I thought. The vast majority of my personal favorites fell outside of the Best Picture nominations and there is usually a good amount of crossover. Add to that, I could see strong arguments made for most of the contenders. CODA is the nominee that I wanted to win so I am very, very happy to see it take the Oscar. Of the nominees, my vote would have gone to Dune for its balance and my personal preference for Sci-Fi. That said, C’Mon C’Mon is my choice for its well-roundedness, its emotionally layered script and its fine-tuned heart strings. Whatevs.
(Runner-up: Dune – Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Written by Jon Spaihts, and Eric Roth, and Denis Villenueve)
If you made it this far, I offer you my sincerest thanks! I usually do some kind of Best of the Rest category, but it’s a little jumbled this year so I think I will do something separately. Once again, thanks for reading! I still believe word of mouth is the best way to help, so if you enjoy what I’m doing, please tell somebody. And if you have a comment, I’d love to hear it! Liking, subscribing, and sharing go a long way too. As usual, be well, be safe, and have fun no matter how you get your movies!