What I Watched on TV in February

I can't believe it's March already. I focused a lot on movies this month again, but here's what I made time for on the small screen.

Wandavision - This show! Over all, I love it but last night's finale was definitely a little weak. I'm glad we got to see Wanda in her full display of powers. Her relationship with Vision to me now feels like one of the most fully formed ones in the MCU and I love their chemistry. I'll miss that. Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris were treasures and I can't wait to see more of them in the MCU. Darcy and Wu being back was a wonderful addition and I hope to see more of them too.

It's the consequences that concern me. While it's been hinted that other Avengers like Nat have shady pasts, we've never seen one play out like this and I can't imagine how Wanda goes back to being an Avenger without any consequences. It makes me wonder if that cabin she's in at the end is actually a prison and maybe Doctor Strange is tasked with keeping her that way and that's how she ties into his movie? While Monica has been shown to be sympathetic towards her, I still think it's a little weird that she forgave her for enslaving people so quickly. I don't know. Wanda is my favorite so it's my worry of them making her into a villain that stops me from loving the finale.

The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears - Hulu is a service I subscribe and unsubscribe to often so I wasn't aware they were a NYT Presents docuseries on the platform until they released the Framing Britney Spears episode, which everyone on the internet apparently watched. I wouldn't call it eye opening, because as someone who used to consume a ton of trashy tabloid magazines, I was always aware of how ridiculous the press treated Britney Spears, but seeing reminders of it felt so gross. Especially that Diane Sawyer interview. I think where the doc was lacking was getting more into why Britney is under the conservatorship. They didn't talk about why they thought Britney's father is controlling, other than he cared about money. They didn't talk about the fake baby voice she apparently sings in. This could've been longer and gone so much deeper.

Attack on Titan - Even though season 4 has been on for a while, I wanted to wait to start it so I could get all the Gabi/Falco focused episodes over with at once. I just do not care for those characters and since these are only 25 minute episodes, I didn't want to waste my time. Seeing these titan transformations get animated has a been a joy. But Sasha...I'm still not over it. 

Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel - Another one everyone online seemed to be talking about. This 4 part docuseries on Netflix I watched all at once, and I'm glad I stuck with it until the end to get the full picture. While I was somewhat aware of the case they focused on, I had forgotten some of the details and the 3rd episode really dives head first into the internet theories and for a while there, I thought that's what this documentary was going to end up being and I was annoyed. Thankfully they bring it full circle. I'm curious to see if they do other "Crime Scene" type documentaries like this.

Allen v Farrow - HBO's look at Dylan Farrow's accusations again her father Woody Allen. I've always believed Dylan, and the first two episodes so far have been interesting. While it's not necessarily new information, the family friends speaking up provides new perspective, and of course hearing from Dylan herself. I'm sure Allen stans hate this. 

Thursday Movie Picks - Oscar Winner Edition: Best Actor/Best Actress

 

This week's Oscar Winning edition of Wandering Through The Shelves focuses on Best Actor and Actress wins. This week, I decided to focus on films I've watched as part of the ongoing Blind Spot Series I've been participating in. The following are my favorite winners from films I watched as part of my Blind Spots.

1) Marlon Brando - The Godfather

Sure, he probably should've been in the Supporting category but The Godfather jumped all the way up into my Top 10 favorite films of all time and I absolutely love Brando's Vito. I wish we could've gotten to see more of him. 

2) Anne Bancroft - The Miracle Worker

This is such an underrated win. This year is remembered more for Bette Davis and Joan Crawford's feud than Bancroft's very deserving win. I thought she was wonderful in The Miracle Worker.

3) Liza Minnelli - Cabaret 

This has to be one of the greatest best actress performances of all time, right? She was outstanding. 

Review: The United States vs Billie Holiday

We follow legendary singer Billie Holiday (Andra Day) in the last decade of her life as racist FBI director Harry Anslinger (Garret Hedlund) attempts to arrest Billie at any cost while using agent Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes) to get into her inner circle. 

I had already planned on watching this movie this week but after Andra Day's surprise Globe win on Sunday, I decided to watch it immediately the following morning and I can see why she won. Andra gave a bold and brilliant performance. Her singing is lovely and it's no small feat to capture someone like Holiday at her highest and lowest points. Unfortunately the rest of the movie is messy and doesn't live up to her performance.

Lee Daniels is capable of being a great director, Precious shows that but here there were so many tonal shifts I had no idea what exactly he was going for. The film is at its best when Day is on stage singing. But when she's not doing that, and we focus on other aspects of her life, mainly her drug use, it's all over the place. A funeral scene seems to go for comedy when nothing else about the film is funny. A flashback/heroin dream sequence bleeds into the next in the most confusing way possible and then leads up to Billie finally singing Strange Fruit, the song she keeps getting arrested for singing. That entire sequence said so much about the film itself. It's so capable of greatness but just doesn't know how to get there.

Even though the films have nothing to do with each other, after watching another amazing performance in a movie I didn't love, I think I may have been too harsh on Promising Young Woman. Because when I think about both of these movies and which one I'd sit through again, it isn't this one. 

Recommended: Yes for Andra Day only

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "Your grandchildren will be singing Strange Fruit."- Billie Holiday (Andra Day)

Review: Nomadland

When the company she works for goes under, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs up her van and lives life as a nomad in the Western U.S. She meets plenty of other nomads, trades and listens to their stories, all while we learn more about her.

I strangely kept thinking of Stories We Tell while watching this, even though they couldn't be more different. I didn't enjoy that documentary, but watching Nomadland made me think that I should revisit it eventually. Maybe it's because Nomadland feels like a documentary. Aside from McDormand and David Strathairn, all the other people in this movie are actual nomads going by their real names. Director Chloé Zhao takes great care with telling their stories.

I have to say, Zhao's efforts in making this film is the high point for me. It's not the most engaging film out there, it's more of an experience and it's the way Zhao shoots everything that enhances said experience.

McDormand and Strathairn are both good. I like that this film didn't have a big dramatic climax, but instead took everything in stride. It's definitely worth it to watch for Zhao's work alone. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "Well, I think you're being a bitch." - Fern (Frances McDormand)

2021 Golden Globe Winners

 

After 84 years we finally have another awards show to watch! I went 13/25 with my predictions which is pretty terrible. I usually get at least half right. Don't worry, I drank my shame in wine. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted again and they were wonderful as usual, but some of these winners tonight were...wild. Here are my thoughts. The winners are highlighted.

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

"Nomandland"

“Mank”
“The Father”
“Promising Young Woman“
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
I would've loved to had heard Chloe Zhao's speech but my local news decided that delays only apply to football and just carried on with their bullshit exactly at 10:00pm. They were still listing the nominees when the program switched over. And it wasn't even breaking news! The audacity.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
“Hamilton”
“Music”
“Palm Springs”
“The Prom”
I went back and forth over picking Borat and Hamilton so much and pick wise, I'm glad I went with Borat. Isla Fisher looked so excited during this win. Someone on Twitter pointed out that this is the first award Hamilton has lost and it lost to Borat, which is sad and hilarious at the same time. Cohen thanked his body guard who prevented him from getting shot twice. Why are we nominating Gary Oldman for Mank again when this man endures this?

BEST DIRECTOR
Emerald Fennell, (“Promising Young Woman”)
David Fincher, “Mank”
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Regina King (“One Night in Miami”)
Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
FINALLY another female winner. Fincher took another shot because he lost, and I hope he keeps that energy up all season. Zhao's speech was adorable and I hope she gets more wins under her belt this season.

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)
I was prepared for Chadwick to win this and for me to feel sad, but I was not prepared for his widow to give such a beautiful speech on his behalf. That was so heartbreaking. They had done a skit earlier in the evening where they interviewed kids and asked them Globes questions and all of them recognized Boseman as Black Panther. This loss still hurts. 

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Andra Day (“The United States vs Billie Holiday”)
Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
I about fell off my couch for this one. Did anyone predict Andra? I thought Carey had this in the bag. Wow. 

BEST ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
James Corden (“The Prom”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)
Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)
Dev Patel (“Personal History of David Copperfield”)
Cohen and Isla are so adorable. That made up for the fact that Dev Patel bailed on the zoom meeting so I couldn't stare at his perfect face. 

BEST ACTRESS – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
Kate Hudson (“Music”)
Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”)
Rosamund Pike (“I Care A Lot”)
Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)
I love Rosamund Pike, I do and she was great in this but I cannot fathom how Maria didn't win here when Cohen and Borat won in the other two categories? It had to be close, right? What is this? 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE
Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)
Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)
Kaluuya was the first winner of the night and they immediately had technical difficulties before it switched back to him yelling "No, you're doing me dirty!" at his computer. Thank God they cut back to him and he gave a wonderful speech. I hope to hear more of those this season.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE
Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy”
Olivia Colman, “The Father”
Jodie Foster, “The Mauritanian”
Amanda Seyfried, “Mank”
Helena Zengel, “News of the World”
Foster was a huge surprise as well and I'm just over here happy it wasn't Close. I wish it would've been Seyfried or Zengel, but hey, this will do. Jodie getting to kiss her wife on camera was a wonderful thing.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton (“The Father”)
Jack Fincher (“Mank”)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)

So film twitter hated this but....I still like The Trial of the Chicago 7... This isn't anywhere near Sorkin's best script but I still think it's pretty good. I'm okay with this here. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat (“The Midnight Sky”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Tenet”)
James Newton Howard (“News of the World”)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (“Soul”)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (“Mank”)

I'm really happy for Jon Batiste in particular because I believe they got some grief for having three composers. 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“IO SÌ (SEEN)” — “The Life Ahead”
“SPEAK NOW” — “One Night in Miami”
“TIGRESS & TWEED” — “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday”
“FIGHT FOR YOU” — “Judas and the Black Messiah”
“HEAR MY VOICE” — “The Trial of the Chicago 7”Who will and should win: Speak Now
I thought Speak Now had this in the bag. Another surprise win for me, but it is a lovely song so I can't be mad about it. 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Croods 2”
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Soul”
“Wolfwalkers”
I know Soul is going to steamroll through this season and it's a great movie, but I just wanted Wolfwalkers to win so badly. Pixar has enough of these. 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Another Round”
“La Llorona”
“The Life Ahead”
“Minari”
“Two of Us”
Wow, an American film won Best Foreign Language. I'm still annoyed they put Minari here in the first place, but the director's speech was wonderful and his daughter was adorable. When Minari takes its rightful place among the best picture nominees at the Oscars, I hope Another Round reigns supreme. 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
“The Mandalorian”
“The Crown”
“Lovecraft Country”
“Ozark”
“Ratched”
The Globes went nuts for The Crown tonight. Rightfully so, what a season.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY
“Emily in Paris”
“Ted Lasso”
“The Flight Attendant”
“Schitt’s Creek”
“The Great”
My clown ass actually thought Schitt's Creek would miss here. lol

BEST ACTOR TV SERIES – DRAMA

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”

Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Matthew Rhys, “Perry Mason”

Al Pacino, “Hunters”

I predicted this one and I'm really happy for O'Connor. He had a great season.

BEST ACTRESS TV SERIES – DRAMA

Olivia Colman, “The Crown”

Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”

Emma Corrin, “The Crown”

Laura Linney, “Ozark”

Sarah Paulson, “Ratched”

Apparently this wasn't a surprise for a lot of people on Twitter but it was for me! Olivia Colman looked so thrilled for her. 

BEST ACTOR TV SERIES – COMEDY

Don Cheadle, “Black Monday”

Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”

Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”

Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”

Ramy Youssef, “Ramy”

This was one of my favorite wins of the night. Sudeikis is wonderful in Ted Lasso. Dude looked so tired during his speech, hopefully he got to sleep immediately after. Honestly, I hope all these people in the UK have late call times tomorrow. 

MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
“Normal People”
“The Queen’s Gambit”
“The Undoing”
“Small Axe”
“Unorthodox”
This was such a tough category because other than Normal People, which I haven't seen, I really enjoyed all of these shows. I'm sad for Unorthodox because it's so powerful, but I loved The Queen's Gambit so much. I may or may not have bought a dress of Modcloth recently because it looked like something Anya Taylor Joy wore in that.

BEST ACTRESS TV SERIES – COMEDY
Lily Collins, “Emily in Paris”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Jane Levy, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”
I don't think anyone else was going to come close to O'Hara. I really need to start Schitt's Creek.

BEST ACTOR – MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
Bryan Cranston, “Your Honor”
Jeff Daniels, “The Comey Rule”
Ethan Hawke, “The Good Lord Bird”
Hugh Grant, “The Undoing”
Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”
Another win for Ruffalo. This was such a hard watch but he deserves every trophy he gets for this.

BEST ACTRESS – MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Shira Haas, “Unorthodox”
Nicole Kidman, “The Undoing”
Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America”
Daisy Edgar-Jones, “Normal People”
Shira Haas was robbed. I love Anya, but come on now. Shira was perfection.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SERIES, MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
John Boyega, “Small Axe”
Brendan Gleeson, “The Comey Rule”
Dan Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Jim Parsons, “Hollywood”
Donald Sutherland, “The Undoing

Boyega winning was an early shocker. I really thought Dan Levy was going to win this since he's been on such a role, but good for Boyega. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SERIES, MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Cynthia Nixon, “Ratched”

Another win that was meant to be. Anderson was amazing.

2021 Golden Globe Predictions: Who Will Win, Who Should Win

 

This Awards Season has been such a mess that I almost forgot to get my picks out *before* the big show on Sunday. How can I not embarrass myself publicly by getting so many picks wrong each year? Here are the people who I think will win, and in some cases, who probably should instead.

 BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
“Nomadland”
“Mank”
“The Father”
“Promising Young Woman“
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Who will and should win: The Trial of the Chicago 7

I haven't seen The Father but out of all the others, Trial is my favorite and I think the best film overall. I see it winning here.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
“Hamilton”
“Music”
“Palm Springs”
“The Prom”
Who will win: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Who should win: Hamilton

I go back and forth on whether or not I think they'll award Hamilton. It depends on how big of sticklers voters are being since it isn't technically a movie. Since I expect Borat to win in Best Actress, I think it wins here as well.

BEST DIRECTOR
Emerald Fennell, (“Promising Young Woman”)
David Fincher, “Mank”
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Regina King (“One Night in Miami”)
Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Who will and should win: Chloe Zhao

I think there's a big change Sorkin could take this but Zhao is winning so many critic awards and this year actually feels like the year we could get another female Best Director winner. Plus, Zhao's direction is what makes Nomaland thrive. I hope she wins.

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)
Who will and should win: Chadwick Boseman

This is going to be hard to see him win when he's no longer with us, but he feels like a sure thing. He was electrifying in May Rainey

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Andra Day (“The United States vs Billie Holiday”)
Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Who will and should win: Carey Mulligan

I haven't seen Andra Day's performance but all of these other women are wonderful, but I see Mulligan coming out on top. Even though I had my issues with Promising Young Woman, Mulligan's performance was nowhere near one of them.

BEST ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
James Corden (“The Prom”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)
Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)
Dev Patel (“Personal History of David Copperfield”)
Who will and should win: Sasha Baron Cohen

Unless they do go nuts for Hamilton, I can't see anyone else actually topping Cohen here. 

BEST ACTRESS – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
Kate Hudson (“Music”)
Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”)
Rosamund Pike (“I Care A Lot”)
Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)
Who will  and should win: Maria Bakalova

After seeing I Care A Lot, this is hard because I would LOVE for Pike to win this, but I've been on the "give Maria an Oscar" train since I saw Borat and I really hope she wins it here. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE
Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)
Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)
Who will win: Sacha Baron Cohen

Who should win: Daniel Kaluuya

This is hard, but I'm going with a Cohen double win. I think Kaluuya and Odom Jr are both amazing in their movies, and I'd gie it to Kaluuya, but I don't know how well Judas and the Black Messiah would resonate with HFPA voters. 


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE
Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy”
Olivia Colman, “The Father”
Jodie Foster, “The Mauritanian”
Amanda Seyfried, “Mank”
Helena Zengel, “News of the World”
Who will win: Glenn Close

Who should win: Amanda Seyfried

Close is probably going to steamroll this Oscar season as a "make up" when she rightfully lost to Olivia Colman a few years ago and I'm going to hate every minute of it. 

BEST SCREENPLAY
Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton (“The Father”)
Jack Fincher (“Mank”)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)

Who will win: Trial of the Chicago 7

Who should win: That or Nomadland

Part of me wants to go with Promising Young Woman here because I think it has a chance, but since I think Trial will win best Drama, it probably repeats here.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat (“The Midnight Sky”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Tenet”)
James Newton Howard (“News of the World”)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (“Soul”)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (“Mank”)

Who will and should win: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Soul

Normally I wouldn't go with the double nom because of vote splitting, but I gotta go with Soul.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“IO SÌ (SEEN)” — “The Life Ahead”
“SPEAK NOW” — “One Night in Miami”
“TIGRESS & TWEED” — “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday”
“FIGHT FOR YOU” — “Judas and the Black Messiah”
“HEAR MY VOICE” — “The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Who will and should win: Speak Now
It's a great song and Odom Jr. performs it perfectly. 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Croods 2”
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Soul”
“Wolfwalkers”
Who will win: Soul

Who should win: Wolfwalkers

I know Soul resonated with a lot more people but I'm really pulling for Wolfwalkers. Pixar has enough wins. Let's start giving Cartoon Saloon a break.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Another Round”
“La Llorona”
“The Life Ahead”
“Minari”
“Two of Us”
Who will win: Minari

Who should win: Another Round

Minari shouldn't be in this category at all but since it is, it will probably win. I want to see it, but haven't as of this writing. Another Round was one of my favorites from last year and I'd love it to win. 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
“The Mandalorian”
“The Crown”
“Lovecraft Country”
“Ozark”
“Ratched”
Who will win: The Crown

Who should win: The Mandalorian or Lovecraft Country

I almost put Ratched here based on the "HFPA loves freshman series" instinct I normally have and I'm going to be so pissed if I get this wrong.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY
“Emily in Paris”
“Ted Lasso”
“The Flight Attendant”
“Schitt’s Creek”
“The Great”
Who will win: The Great

Who should win: Ted Lasso

I don't see Schitt's Creek having a huge blow out like they did at the Emmys. The Great feels like a HFPA show. I'll be rooting for Ted Lasso

MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
“Normal People”
“The Queen’s Gambit”
“The Undoing”
“Small Axe”
“Unorthodox”
Who will win: Small Axe

Who should win: Unorthodox or The Queen's Gambit

This is SO HARD. I'm going with my gut.

BEST ACTOR TV SERIES – DRAMA
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Matthew Rhys, “Perry Mason”
Al Pacino, “Hunters”
Who will and should win: Josh O'Connor

He's the only new nominee and The Crown was so popular this year, I think they'll have a decent showing at the Globes.

BEST ACTRESS TV SERIES – DRAMA
Olivia Colman, “The Crown”
Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”
Emma Corrin, “The Crown”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Sarah Paulson, “Ratched”
Who will win: Sarah Paulson 

Who should win: Emma Corrin or Laura Linney

This is a freshman pick I know they're going for.

BEST ACTOR TV SERIES – COMEDY
Don Cheadle, “Black Monday”
Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Ramy Youssef, “Ramy”
Who will win: Nicholas Hoult

Who should win: Jason Sudeikis

Like I said, I don't see Schitt's Creek winning a ton, so I'm going with a newbie. Hopefully Sudeikis will win and surprise me.

BEST ACTRESS TV SERIES – COMEDY
Lily Collins, “Emily in Paris”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Jane Levy, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”
Who will win: Catherine O'Hara

Who should win: ?

I don't watch any of these shows, but this is one of the two categories I think Schitt's Creek will actually win in. 

BEST ACTOR – MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
Bryan Cranston, “Your Honor”
Jeff Daniels, “The Comey Rule”
Ethan Hawke, “The Good Lord Bird”
Hugh Grant, “The Undoing”
Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”
Who will and should win: Mark Ruffalo

He was just too damn good in this to ignore. Sure, it's depressing and heavy and there are bigger names against him, but I don't think it will be easy to ignore this performance. 

BEST ACTRESS – MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Shira Haas, “Unorthodox”
Nicole Kidman, “The Undoing”
Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America”
Daisy Edgar-Jones, “Normal People”
Who will win: Cate Blanchett

Who should win: Shira Haas

I think they might err on star power here, but I think Shira has a chance. Anya could do as she's a double nominee, but Shira is by far my favorite.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SERIES, MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
John Boyega, “Small Axe”
Brendan Gleeson, “The Comey Rule”
Dan Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Jim Parsons, “Hollywood”
Donald Sutherland, “The Undoing”

Who will and should win: Dan Levy

Dan is everywhere right now and I think he'll prevail here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SERIES, MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM
Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Cynthia Nixon, “Ratched”
Who will and should win: Gillian Anderson

It would be nice for Julia Garner to win here, she has two Emmys under her belt, but I see them going for Gillian.

Thursday Movie Picks - TV Edition - Romantic Tropes: Love Triangle

 

As we take Wandering Through The Shelves' final romantic trope to the small screen, we're going to talk about one of my least favorite tropes of all time. The love triangle. I find these rarely make for an interesting watch, but they're constantly used so there's got to be something there. Here are three shows I watched where triangle featured prominently. 

1) True Blood - The Sookie/Bill/Eric triangle went on way longer than necessary, I'm assuming because Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer are married in real life. Everyone knows that Eric and Sookie belonged together. Those are facts, I make the rules.

2) Insecure - I think this show is an example where a triangle of sorts actually works. Issa and Lawrence break up in season one, and she sees two other men, Daniel and Nathan at various points in the series, but also goes back to Lawrence. It works, Issa is always funny and I can't think of a better show that depicts the stress of modern dating. 

3) Agents of SHIELD - This show has probably the worst example of a forced love triangle I've seen in a long time. There are two characters on this show, Fitz and Simmons. They are introduced as besties, but they clearly are on their way to something more, then a few seasons in they add a rando to come between them and Simmons has to think about who she loves more and it's just dumb and terrible. Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge had wonderful chemistry and the show through the dumbest shit at their characters. Yes, I'm still bitter.