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Shadows Awards40th Shadows Awards for 2020
galeca online film critics fipresci london critics baftas oscars The best and worst of the year...

Complete lists posted on Thursday, 31 December 2020
All reviews are available on the site.

40th shadows awards

B E S T   F I L M
nomadland Nomadland

dir Chloé Zhao

It's hard to imagine another filmmaker who could so adeptly take a nonfiction book and turn it into such a drop-dead gorgeous freeform narrative that mixes documentary authenticity with actors improvising among real people. What emerges is a moving, revealing portrait of a little-seen side of humanity.


2. MANGROVE (Steve McQueen)
3. THE MAURITANIAN
    (Kevin Macdonald)
4. SYSTEM CRASHER
    (Nora Fingscheidt)
5. NOTTURNO (Gianfranco Rosi)
6. THE HALF OF IT (Alice Wu)
7. DA 5 BLOODS (Spike Lee)
8. SOUL (Pete Docter)
9. THE PERFECT CANDIDATE
    (Haifaa Al Mansour)
10. ON THE ROCKS (Sofia Coppola)

11. Collective (Alexander Nanau)
12. After Love (Aleem Khan)
13. The Father (Florian Zeller)
14. Song Without a Name
     (Melina Leon)
15. Education (Steve McQueen)
16. I'm No Longer Here
     (Fernando Frias de la Parra)
17. The Vast of Night
     (Andrew Patterson)
18. Nobody Knows I'm Here
     (Gaspar Antillo)
19. Lovers Rock (Steve McQueen)
20. Time (Garrett Bradley)
21. La Llorona (Jayro Bustamante)
22. Red, White and Blue
     (Steve McQueen)
23. Hamilton (Thomas Kail)
24. The Reason I Jump
     (Jerry Rothwell)
25. First Cow (Kelly Reichardt)
26. Never Gonna Snow Again
     (Malgorzata Szumowska)
27. Palm Springs (Max Barbakow)
28. Dating Amber (David Freyne)
29. Onward (Dan Scanlon)
30. I Carry You With Me
     (Heidi Ewing)
31. Desert One (Barbara Kopple)
32. Promising Young Woman
     (Emerald Fennell)
33. Falling (Viggo Mortensen)
34. Welcome to Chechnya
     (David France)
35. Never Rarely Sometimes
     Always
(Eliza Hittman)
36. The Roads Not Taken
     (Sally Potter)
37. The Prince
     (Sebastian Munoz Costa del Rio)
38. One Night in Miami...
     (Regina King)
39. Funny Boy (Deepa Mehta)
40. Alex Wheatle (Steve McQueen)
41. Calm With Horses (Nick Rowland)
42. The Garden Left Behind
     (Flavio Alves)
43. Mulan (Niki Caro)
44. Mosul (Matthew Michael Carnahan)
45. Over the Moon (Glen Keane)
46. Minari (Lee Isaac Chung)
47. The Salt in Our Waters
     (Rezwan Shahriar Sumit)
48. Faith Ba$ed (Vincent Masciale)
49. The Climb
     (Michael Angelo Covino)
50. AK vs AK (Vikramaditya Motwane)

NB. I saw 617 films in 2020

See also:
SHADOWS HALL OF FAME
2019   <   SHADOWS AWARDS   >   2021

director: mcqueen D I R E C T O R

Steve McQueen
Mangrove; Lovers Rock;
Red, White and Blue;
Alex Wheatle; Education

2. Kevin Macdonald - The Mauritanian
3. Chloe Zhao - Nomadland
4. Spike Lee - Da 5 Bloods,
    David Byrne's American Utopia
5. Nora Fingscheidt - System Crasher
6. Florian Zeller - The Father
7. Christopher Nolan - Tenet
8. Haifaa Al Mansour - The Perfect Candidate
9. Sally Potter - The Roads Not Taken
10. Melina Leon - Song Without a Name

screenplay: the mauritanian S C R E E N W R I T E R S

MB Traven, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvania
The Mauritanian

2. Pete Docter, Mike Jones,
     Kemp Powers
- Soul
3. Christopher Hampton,
     Florian Zeller
- The Father
4. Alice Wu - The Half of It
5. Haifaa Al-Mansour, Brad Niemann -
    The Perfect Candidate
6. Chloe Zhao - Nomadland
7. Alastair Siddons, Steve McQueen - Mangrove
8. Jayro Bustamante, Lisandro Sanchez - La Llorona
9. Eliza Hittman - Never Rarely Sometimes Always
10. James Montague, Craig W Sanger - The Vast of Night

actress: garner A C T R E S S

Julia Garner
The Assistant

2. Helena Zengel - System Crasher, News of the World
3. Jodie Foster - The Mauritanian
4. Elisabeth Moss - The Invisible Man, Shirley
5. Letitia Wright - Mangrove
6. Frances McDormand - Nomadland
7. Joanna Scanlan - After Love
8. Jessie Buckley - Misbehaviour,
    I'm Thinking of Ending Things
9. Carey Mulligan - Promising Young Woman, The Dig
10. Aubrey Plaza - Black Bear, Happiest Season

actor: rahim A C T O R

Tahar Rahim
The Mauritanian

2. John Boyega - Red, White and Blue
3. Cosmo Jarvis - Calm With Horses
4. Anthony Hopkins - The Father
5. Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,
    Da 5 Bloods
6. Riz Ahmed - Mogul Mowgli, Sound of Metal
7. Lee Byung-hun - The Man Standing Next
8. Sacha Baron Cohen - The Trial of the Chicago 7,
    Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
9. Christopher Abbott - Possessor, Black Bear,
    The World to Come
10. Robert Pattinson - Tenet, The Devil All the Time,
     Waiting for the Barbarians

supporting: bakalova S U P P O R T I N G
A C T R E S S

Maria Bakalova
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

2. Olivia Colman - The Father
3. Amanda Seyfried - Mank
4. Cherry Jones - A Rainy Day in New York
5. Dhay - The Perfect Candidate
6. Lesley Manville - Misbehaviour, Let Him Go
7. Talia Ryder - Never Rarely Sometimes Always
8. Orla Brady - Rose Plays Julie
9. Shailene Woodley - The Mauritanian, Endings Beginnings
10. Laura Linney - The Roads Not Taken, Falling

supporting: keoghan S U P P O R T I N G
A C T O R

Barry Keoghan
Calm With Horses

2. Lance Henriksen - Falling
3. Leslie Odom Jr - Hamilton, One Night in Miami
4. Jonathan Majors - Da 5 Bloods, Jungleland
5. Benedict Cumberbatch - The Mauritanian
6. Nicholas Hoult - True History of the Kelly Gang, Rebel in the Rye
7. Steve Toussaint - Red, White and Blue
8. Sverrir Gudnason - Falling
9. Harris Dickinson - County Lines
10. Alfredo Castro - The Prince

H A L L   O F   S H A M E

worst: fantasy island WORST FILM
Fantasy Island

dir Jeff Wadlow

2. Jexi (Jon Lucas, Scott Moore)
3. Hillbilly Elegy (Ron Howard)
4. Buddy Games (Josh Duhamel)
5. Love, Weddings & Other Disasters (Dennis Dugan)
6. Fatal Affair (Peter Sullivan)
7. The Last Days of American Crime (Olivier Megaton)
8. Come Away (Brenda Chapman)
9. The Ringmaster (Soren Juul Petersen)
10. Ava (Tate Taylor)
11. Unhinged (Derrick Borte)
12. Honest Thief (Mark Williams)
13. Max Winslow and the House of Secrets (Sean Olson)
14. Random Acts of Violence (Jay Baruchel)
15. Darkness Falls (Julien Seri)
16. Infamous (Joshua Caldwell)
17. Coffee & Kareem (Michael Dowse)
18. Artemis Fowl (Kenneth Branagh)
19. Like a Boss (Miguel Arteta)
20. The Wrong Missy (Tyler Spindel)
21. The War With Grandpa (Tim Hill)
22. Endless (Scott Speer)
23. Up on the Glass (Kevin Del Principe)
24. Inheritance (Vaughn Stein)
25. Cry for the Bad Man (Samuel Farmer)
26. Modern Persuasion (Alex Appel, Jonathan Lisecki)
27. Survive the Night (Matt Eskandari)
28. Wander Darkly (Tara Miele)
29. Endings, Beginnings (Drake Doremus)
30. The World to Come (Mona Fastvold)

disappointment:peninsula BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Peninsula
Rebel in the Rye. The World to Come.
Shirley. Hillbilly Elegy. Rebecca
MOST PRETENTIOUS: Mank
Wander Darkly. The Other Lamb
MOST INDULGENT: Come Away.
Buddy Games. The Jesus Rolls.
Coastal Elites
MOST DERIVATIVE:
Love, Weddings & Other Disasters

Coffee & Kareem. Fatale. Bloodshot
LAZIEST MOVIE: Jexi.Love, Weddings & Other Disasters. Honest Thief. Like a Boss
MOST OVERBLOWN (THE MICHAEL BAY AWARD):
Extraction.
The Last Days of American Crime.
Coffee & Kareem. Guns Akimbo
MOST CYNICALLY PACKAGED: Honest Thief.
Love, Weddings & Other Disasters. Scoob!
LEAST 'SPECIAL' EFFECTS: The Call of the Wild
Max Winslow and the House of Secrets. Vanguard. WW84
WORST MESSAGE: Unhinged.
Random Acts of Violence. Let Him Go.
The Last Days of American Crime
WORST TITLE: The Nest. Falling. Mr Jones. Tape
MOST THANKLESS ROLE: Jena Malone (Stardust).
David Oyelowo (Come Away)
MOST ANNOYING VOICEOVER (THE MORGAN
FREEMAN AWARD): Rose Byrne (Jexi)
.
MOST WASTEFUL DIRECTOR:
Dennis Dugan (Love, Weddings & Other Disasters)
. Vaughn Stein (Inheritance). Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (Jexi)
MOST WASTED DIRECTOR: Miguel Arteta (Like a Boss)
Kenneth Branagh (Artemis Fowl).
SHOULD RETIRE: Rob Schneider
PLEASE STOP: Mindless machismo (Survive the Night, Buddy Games). Liam Neeson action (Honest Thief). Remaking Hitchcock (Rebecca)
WORST MANAGEMENT: Michael Pena (Jexi,
Fantasy Island)
Simon Pegg (Inheritance)

N O N - F I L M   P I C K S

tv: schitts creek TV SERIES
Schitt’s Creek

CBC

2. The Good Place (Netflix)
3. Ted Lasso (Apple)
4. The Mandalorian (Disney)
5. We Are Who We Are (HBO)
6. Dave (FX)
7. Staged (BBC)
8. Normal People (BBC)
9. I May Destroy You (BBC)
10. Shameless (Showtime)
11. The Crown (Netflix)
12. One Day at a Time (Pop)
13. Unbelievable (Netflix)
14. The New Pope (Sky)
15. Star Trek: Picard (Prime)
16. A Suitable Boy (BBC)
17. Bridgerton (Netflix)
18. Star Trek: Discovery (CBS)
19. The Conners (ABC)
20. His Dark Materials (BBC)
21. Homeland (Showtime)
22. Unorthodox (Netflix)
23. Hollywood (Netflix)
24. Mrs America (Hulu)
25. The Undoing (HBO)
26. Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
27. The Politician (Netflix)
28. Tehran (Apple)
29. Mom (CBS)
30. The Great (Hulu)
WORST SERIES: Away. Truth Seekers. Adult Material.
AJ and the Queen. Avenue 5


single: no time to die SINGLE
No Time to Die

Billie Eilish

2. Hurt - Arlo Parks
3. Head & Heart - Joel Corry & MNEK
4. Coffee for Your Head -
    Powfu & Beabadoobee
5. Cuz I Love You - Lizzo
6. Watch Your Step - Disclosure & Kelis
7. Diamonds - Sam Smith
8. This Is the Place - Tom Grennan
9. Far Away - Jessie Reyez
10. Rainfall - Stormzy & Tiana Major9
11. Intentions - Justin Bieber & Quavo
12. Lasting Lover - Sigala & James Arthur
13. Giants - Dermot Kennedy
14. Levitating - Dua Lipa & DaBaby
15. To Die For - Sam Smith
16. You Should Be Sad - Halsey
17. Wildflower - 5 Seconds of Summer
18. City of Angels - 24kGoldn
19. Stupid Love - Lady Gaga
20. Trouble Coming - Royal Blood
21. Black and White - Niall Horan
22. Blinding Lights - Weeknd
23. Physical - Dua Lipa
24. Stuck With U - Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber
25. Mood - 24kGoldn & Iann Dorr
26. Daisies - Katy Perry
27. Golden - Harry Styles
28. Boyfriend - Mabel
29. Rain on Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
30. What a Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers

A R T I S T I C   A C H I E V E M E N T   A W A R D S

ensemble: da 5 bloods ENSEMBLE: Da 5 Bloods
2. The Boys in the Band
3. The Trial of the Chicago 7
4. The Mauritanian
5. Mank
Special mention: Let Them All Talk. AK vs AK.
BREAKOUT FILMMAKER:
Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night)

2. Florian Zeller (The Father)
3. Rose Glass (Saint Maud)
4. Alice Wu (The Half of It)
5. Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)
BREAKOUT ACTOR:
Helena Zengel (System Crasher, News of the World)

2. Conrad Khan (County Lines)
3. Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
4. Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
5. Dominique Fishback (Project Power)

music: eurovision MUSIC:
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Atli Orvarsson, et al)

2. First Cow (William Tyler)
3. Lovers Rock (Mica Levi)
4. Song Without a Name (Pauchi Sasaki)
5. The Human Voice (Alberto Iglesias)
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Lovers Rock (Shabier Kirchner)

2. Nomadland (Joshua James Richards)
3. The Roads Not Taken (Robbie Ryan)
4. Song Without a Name (Inti Briones)
5. Tenet (Hoyte Van Hoytema)
EDITING: Tenet (Jennifer Lame)
2. The Father (Yorgos Lamprinos)
3. The Man Standing Next (Jeong Ji-eun)
4. I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Robert Frazen)
5. System Crasher (Stephan Bechinger, Julia Kovalenko)

design: i'm thinking of ending things PRODUCTION DESIGN:
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Molly Hughes)

2. The Human Voice (Antxon Gomez)
3. True History of the Kelly Gang (Karen Murphy)
4. The Death & Life of John F Donovan
    (Anne Pritchard, Colombe Raby)
5. Lovers Rock (Helen Scott)
EFFECTS: Color Out of Space
2. The Eight Hundred
3. Possessor
4. Tenet
5. The Invisible Man
Special mention: Welcome to Chechnya

animation: soul ANIMATION: Soul
2. Away
3. WolfWalkers
4. Onward
5. Top 3
COSTUMES: Eurovision Song Contest
2. The Human Voice
3. Mulan
4. Rebecca
5. Emma
MAKEUP & HAIR: Eurovision Song Contest
2. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
3. The Human Voice
4. The Glorias
5. Pinocchio
SOUND DESIGN: Sound of Metal
2. Lovers Rock
3. La Llorona
4. The Vast of Night
5. Tenet
STUNTS: Tenet
2. Extraction
3. The Eight Hundred
4. True History of the Kelly Gang
5. Birds of Prey

important: time MOST IMPORTANT DOC: Time
Notturno. Welcome to Chechnya.
For They Know Not What They Do. I Am Samuel
MOST ORIGINAL DOC: African Apocalypse
Krabi, 2562. Circus of Books.
In Bright Axiom. If It Were Love
MOST INSPIRING DOC: The Reason I Jump
I Am Greta. Time. The Australian Dream.
Drag Kids. Born to Be
MOST ENTERTAINING DOC: Desert One.
Mucho Mucho Amor. Dick Johnson Is Dead. The Painter and the Thief. Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street
MOST DEPRESSING DOC: The Edge of Democracy
Boys State. The Dissident
MOST BLOOD-BOILING DOC: Collective
The Dissident. On the Record. The Edge of Democracy

biopic: the mauritanian BEST BIOPIC: The Mauritanian
Misbehaviour. Sergio. The King of Staten Island. Red, White and Blue. Most Wanted
DULLEST BIOPIC: Radioactive
Rebel in the Rye
MOST HOLLYWOODISED BIOPIC:
I Am Woman

Resistance. Military Wives. Dream Horse
BEST SHORT FEATURE: The Human Voice

E V E N   M O R E   P R I Z E S !

casting: system crasher BEST CASTING: Helena Zengel
(System Crasher, News of the World)

Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead). Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes). One Night in Miami
WORST CASTING: David Spade as a 30-something (The Wrong Missy).
Lily Collins as a gun-toting millionaire DA (Inheritance). Wild Mountain Thyme.
BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE: Tina Fey (Soul).
Maya Rudolph (The Willoughbys). Ian McKellen
(Animal Crackers). Phillipa Soo (Over the Moon).
MOST PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE: Yifei Liu (Mulan).
George MacKay (True History of the Kelly Gang). Joseph Gordon-Levitt (7500). Terry Notary (The Call of the Wild)
BEST ANIMAL PERFORMANCE:
Bob (A Christmas Gift From Bob)

White cat (Koko-di Koko-da). Chunk (The Rental)
WORST ANIMAL PERFORMANCE:
Buck (The Call of the Wild)
. Kristen Wiig (WW84)
BEST HAIR:
Jaeden Martell (The True Adventures of Wolfboy)
.
Amarah-Jae St Aubyn (Lovers Rock). Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma). Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
WORST HAIR: Emily Blunt (Wild Mountain Thyme)
Simon Pegg (Inheritance). Evan Rachel Wood (Kajillionaire)
LEAST EXPRESSIVE FACE: Angelina Jolie (Come Away)

babe: liu BABE OF THE YEAR: Yifei Liu (Mulan)
Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman). Elizabeth Debicki (Tenet). Devrim Lingnau (Carmilla). Amarah-Jae St Aubyn (Lovers Rock)
HUNK OF THE YEAR:
Henry Zaga (The New Mutants)

Albrecht Schuch (System Crasher). Chris Hemsworth (Extraction). Liam Hemsworth (Arkansas). Micheal Ward (Lovers Rock)
BEST CHEMISTRY:
Kyle Marvin & Michael Angelo Covino (The Climb)

Carey Mulligan & Bo Burnham (Promising Young Woman).
Tom Hanks & Helena Zengel (News of the World).
John Magaro & Orion Lee (First Cow)
WORST CHEMISTRY:
David Spade & Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy)

BEST VILLAIN: Hilary Swank (The Hunt, Fatale)
Nicholas Hoult (True History of the Kelly Gang).
Gong Li (Mulan). Salma Hayek (Like a Boss).
Kenneth Branagh (Tenet)
MOST LUDICROUS VILLAIN:
Johnny Knoxville (We Summon the Darkness)

Yvette Nicole Brown (Lady and the Tramp).
Simon Pegg (Inheritance)

scene stealer: grant BEST SCENE-STEALING:
Hugh Grant (The Gentlemen)

Daveed Diggs (Hamilton). Harshvardhan Kapoor (AK vs AK). John Malkovich (Arkansas).
Lynn Cohen (The Vigil)
BEST SCENE-CHEWING:
Zachary Quinto (The Boys in the Band)

Kristin Scott Thomas (Rebecca).
Rose Byrne (Irresistible). Ewan McGregor (Birds of Prey).
Betty Gilpin (The Hunt)
WORST SCENE-CHOMPING:
Shia LaBeouf (Pieces of a Woman)

Michael Pena (Jexi, Fantasy Island).
Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom).
James Corden (The Prom). Betty Gilpin (Coffee & Kareem)
BEST COSTAR-CHEWING (THE ALIVE AWARD):
Edge of Extinction
. The Dinner Party
BEST PHONED-IN PERFORMANCE: Jet Li (Mulan)
Matthew McConaughey (The Gentlemen).
Colin Farrell (Artemis Fowl). Rhys Ifans (Misbehaviour)
BEST REINVENTION: Orlando Bloom (Retaliation)
Loretta Devine (Spell). Kevin James (Becky)

funniest: ak vs ak FUNNIEST MOVIE: AK vs AK
2. On the Rocks
3. Palm Springs
4. Faith Ba$ed
5. Babysplitters
NUTTIEST MOVIE: Luz: The Flower of Evil
Color Out of Space. Butt Boy.
We Are Little Zombies. Antebellum
SILLIEST MOVIE: Fatale
The Willoughbys. We Can Be Heroes.
Scoob! WW84. Driven. Divos!
LEAST FUNNY COMEDY:
Love, Weddings & Other Disasters
. Jexi.
Like a Boss. Buddy Games. The Wrong Missy.
SEXIEST MOVIE: Palm Springs
If It Were Love. Who You Think I Am.
Orpheus' Song. Dry Wind
LEAST ROMANTIC LOVE STORY: A Rainy Day in New York
Endings, Beginnings. Hooking Up
YUMMIEST MOVIE: Uncorked
YUCKIEST MOVIE: Fanny Lye Deliver'd
Possessor. Saint Maud. The Hunt.
The Dinner Party. Color Out of Space
TRASHIEST MOVIE (THE JOHN
WATERS AWARD): Hillbilly Elegy

The Prince. Promising Young Woman. Jungleland

thriller: the man standing next MOST THRILLING THRILLER:
The Man Standing Next

The Old Guard. Tenet. Mosul. Extraction
LEAST THRILLING THRILLER: Fantasy Island
Fatal Affair. Inheritance. Cry for the Bad Man
SCARIEST MOVIE: Welcome to Chechnya
Possessor. Koko-di Koko-da. Young Ahmed. Host
GRISLIEST MOVIE:
True History of the Kelly Gang

New Order. Guns Akimbo. Why Don't You Just Die. Savage
GIRLIEST MOVIE: Birds of Prey
Rocks. Misbehaviour. Papicha. Chick Fight
MANLIEST MOVIE: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Da 5 Bloods. The Boys in the Band. Jungleland. First Cow
MOPIEST MOVIE (THE TWILIGHT AWARD):
Wander Darkly
. The World to Come. Endings, Beginnings.
The Midnight Sky. Little Fish. Clementine
THE FAMILY VALUES AWARD: Minari
The King of Staten Island. The Truth. Tigertail.
True History of the Kelly Gang
STRAIGHTEST GAY MOVIE (THE BROKEBACK AWARD): Straight Up. A Dim Valley. True History of the Kelly Gang
GAYEST STRAIGHT MOVIE (THE BROMANCE AWARD): The Climb. First Cow. The Jesus Rolls. Faith Ba$ed
underrated: the roads not taken MOST UNDERRATED:
The Roads Not Taken

2. Mosul
3. Falling
4. The Death & Life of John F Donovan
5. True History of the Kelly Gang
MOST OVERRATED: Mank
2. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
3. Shirley
4. Saint Maud
5. Pieces of a Woman
MOST IMPORTANT FILM: Small Axe
2. La Llorona
3. The Perfect Candidate
4. The Garden Left Behind
5. The Mauritanian
MOST INVENTIVE: System Crasher
The Father. The Vast of Night. The Man Standing Next. Tenet
CLEVER APPROACH TO A COMPLEX ISSUE: Soul
Never Rarely Sometimes Always. I'm Thinking of Ending Things. I'm No Longer Here. Nomadland
FILM HISTORY AWARD: Mank
He Dreams of Giants. Ask Any Buddy.
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters.
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

guilty pleasure: eurovision GUILTY PLEASURE: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
2. Unknown Origins
3. Birds of Prey
4. The Hunt
5. Same Boat
NICEST SURPRISE: Birds of Prey
2. Palm Springs
3. The Half of It
4. Love and Monsters
5. The Secret Garden
MOST ORIGINAL TAKE ON A TIRED GENRE:
Color Out of Space
. Relic. Days of the Bagnold Summer.
She Dies Tomorrow. The Woman With Leopard Shoes
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. Tape. Scoob!
BEST HEART-STOPPER: Turn around (Misbehaviour)
The syringe (Rose Plays Julie). The attack (Young Ahmed). The hijacking (7500). The final shot (Eastern)
BEST SHOW-STOPPER:
Elisabeth Moss vs The Invisible Man

BEST LINE OF DIALOG: "One drink" (On the Rocks)
"Have you ever loved someone so much you didn't want anything about them to change?" (The Half of It).
"What if we get sick of each other?" "We're already sick of each other!" (Palm Springs). "I broke my own heart" (Ghost)
Special mention: The Boys in the Band

adaptation: i'm thinking of ending things BEST BOOK-TO-FILM:
I'm Thinking of Ending Things

First Cow. Summer of 85. Emma.
Waiting for the Barbarians
WORST BOOK-TO-FILM: Come Away
Artemis Fowl. The Call of the Wild. Hillbilly Elegy
WORST TV-TO-FILM: Fantasy Island
BEST COMIC-TO-FILM: Birds of Prey
The Old Guard
WORST COMIC-TO-FILM: The New Mutants. Bloodshot
BEST STAGE-TO-FILM: Hamilton
The Boys in the Band. The Prom
WORST STAGE-TO-FILM: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
BEST GAME-TO-FILM: Sonic the Hedgehog
MOST SURPRISINGLY NOT-AWFUL ADAPTATION:
The Secret Garden


remake: mulan BEST REMAKE: Mulan
The Boys in the Band. The Secret Garden
WORST REMAKE: Human Capital
Rebecca. The Witches.
MOST SURPRISINGLY NOT-AWFUL REMAKE: The Invisible Man. Blithe Spirit. Emma.
Love Wedding Repeat. Sonic the Hedgehog
BEST SEQUEL: Birds of Prey
WORST SEQUEL: Peninsula
MOST SURPRISINGLY NOT-AWFUL SEQUEL:
Bill & Ted Face the Music
. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
The Jesus Rolls. Birds of Prey
MOST SURPRISINGLY NOT-AWFUL PREQUEL: Scoob!
BEST SPINOFF: Enola Holmes

cameo: hanks BEST CAMEO:
Tom Hanks (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Margaret Cho (Faith Ba$ed). Joan Chen (Tigertail). Patrick Wilson (The Assistant)
Special mention: Eurovision Song Contest
MOST POINTLESS CAMEO:
Elisabeth Shue (Greyhound)

Lisa Kudrow (Like a Boss). Karen Gillan (The Call of the Wild). Steve Buscemi (The King of Staten Island)
WORST CAMEO: Rob Schneider (The Wrong Missy)
Debra Messing (Irresistible)
EWAN McGREGOR GOLDEN LIGHT SABER AWARD:
Matt Bomer (The Boys in the Band)

Shia LaBeouf (Pieces of a Woman). Christopher Abbott (Possessor). Freddie Fox (Fanny Lye Deliver'd).
Juan Carlos Maldonado & Lucas Balmaceda (The Prince)
Special mention: Bare. Patrick. Ask Any Buddy.

hardest working: mcqueen THE HARDEST WORKING PERSON IN MOVIES:
Steve McQueen
(Mangrove, Lovers Rock,
Red White & Blue, Alex Wheatle, Education)
Andrea Riseborough (Possessor, Luxor, Burden, The Kindness of Strangers, Grudge)
BEST NEW TREND: Topical horror (La Llorona, The Vigil, Relic, Spree, She Dies Tomorrow)
Genre-busting romcoms (The Half of It, Palm Springs, Happiest Season)
WORST NEW TREND: Mope-o-rama
(Wander Darkly, The World to Come, Little Fish,
Pieces of a Woman, The Photograph, Miss Juneteenth)
MOST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2021: Free Guy
The King's Man. The Many Saints of Newark. Eternals. Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Halloween Kills
MOST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2021 (PREVIOUSLY ANTICIPATED IN 2020): No Time to Die
Dune. Black Widow. A Quiet Place Part II. Jungle Cruise.
Top Gun: Maverick. West Side Story. In the Heights.
LEAST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2021: Coming 2 America
Godzilla vs Kong. Fast & Furious 9. Snake Eyes. Spiral.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Candyman

S H A D O W S   S W E E P S T A K E S   2 0 2 1
The final standings on 26.Apr.21 with 292 awards tabulated...

F I L M
2017 Nomadland**++
1481 Soul**++
1304 Minari*+
997 Collective*
974 First Cow
902 Another Round**
896 Promising Young Woman**+
879 Time*+
874 Wolfwalkers*+
671 Dick Johnson Is Dead+

D I R E C T O R
1308 Chloe Zhao - Nomadland**++

502 Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman*+
402 Regina King - One Night in Miami+
381 Lee Isaac Chung - Minari*+
319 David Fincher - Mank*+
S C R E E N P L A Y
832 Nomadland* - Chloe Zhao
811 Promising Young Woman**++ - Emerald Fennell.
656 The Trial of the Chicago 7*+ - Aaron Sorkin.
535 The Father** - Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller
498 Minari*- Lee Isaac Chung.

E N S E M B L E
405 One Night in Miami++
401 The Trial of the Chicago 7++
314 Da 5 Bloods+
275 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom+
251 Rocks**
A C T R E S S
1003 Frances McDormand - Nomadland**+

858 Carey Mulligan - Promising Young Woman*+, The Dig
690 Viola Davis - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom*++
519 Vanessa Kirby - Pieces of a Woman*+, The World to Come
245 Sophia Loren - The Life Ahead
A C T O R
1394 Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom*++, Da 5 Bloods+

914 Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal*+, Mogul Mowgli
829 Anthony Hopkins - The Father**+
442 Delroy Lindo - Da Five Bloods
356 Steven Yeun - Minari*+
S U P P O R T I N G   A C T R E S S
1012 Yuh-Jung Youn - Minari**++
780 Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm*+
554 Amanda Seyfried - Mank*
448 Olivia Colman - The Father*+
304 Glenn Close - Hillbilly Elegy*+
S U P P O R T I N G   A C T O R
679 Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah**++
638 Leslie Odom Jr - One Night in Miami*+, Hamilton
609 Sacha Baron Cohen - Trial of the Chicago 7*+, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
584 Paul Raci - Sound of Metal*
303 Bill Murray - On the Rocks
B R E A K T H R O U G H   A C T O R
251 Sidney Flanigan - Never Rarely Sometimes Always
187 Bukky Bakray - Rocks**
177 Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
160 Radha Blank - The Forty-Year-Old Version
146 Kingsley Ben-Adir - One Night in Miami*
B R E A K T H R O U G H   F I L M M A K E R
320 Radha Blank - The Forty-Year-Old Version+
252 Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman
207 Remi Weekes - His House**
203 Rose Glass - Saint Maud*
160 Darius Marder - Sound of Metal++

A R T
1301 Mank**++

1190 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom**++
612 Emma*+
436 Mulan*++
436 Pinocchio*++
M U S I C
996 Soul**++ - Reznor, Ross, Batiste

431 Mank* - Trent Reznor, Attics Ross
402 One Night in Miami* - Terence Blanchard
378 Minari* - Emile Mosseri
323 News of the World* - James Newton Howard
C I N E M A T O G R A P H Y
934 Nomadland**+ - Joshua James Richards

562 Mank**++ - Erik Messerschmidt
322 News of the World*+ - Dariusz Wolski
262 Tenet - Hoyte van Hoytema
151 Judas and the Black Messiah* - Sean Bobbitt

T E C H
861 Tenet**++
683 Soul*++
532 Sound of Metal**++
487 The Midnight Sky*++
420 Greyhound*++
E D I T I N G
490 The Trial of the Chicago 7*++ - Alan Baumgarten
481 Nomadland*+ - Chloe Zhao
341 Sound of Metal**+ - Mikkel EG Nielsen
260 Tenet - Jennifer Lame
237 The Father* - Yorgos Lamprinos

W O R S T   F I L M
421 Dolittle
351 Fantasy Island
285 365 Days
210 Music
204 Hillbilly Elegy

Oscar/Bafta *nominees **winners
Guilds +nominees ++winners.
Numbers are cumulative points based on Shadows' secret scoring system, combining awards, Oscarwatchers and more.

2019   <   SHADOWS AWARDS   >   2021

© 2020 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

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