The 2020 Next Level Blockbuster Award Nominees

Best Picture

Avengers: Endgame
Dolemite Is My Name
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Comedy Picture

Dolemite Is My Name
Fighting with My Family
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Shazam!

Best Action Picture

Angel Has Fallen
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
John Wick: Chapter 3 -Parabellum
Rambo: Last Blood
Spider-Man: Far From Home

Best Horror Picture

Annabelle Comes Home
Doctor Sleep
It Chapter Two
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Us

Best Inspirational Picture

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Breakthrough
A Dog’s Journey
The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Upside

Best Drama Picture

Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Science Fiction Picture

Ad Astra
Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Terminator: Dark Fate

Best Live Action Family Picture

Aladdin
Dumbo
Jumanji: The Next Level
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Togo

Best Animated Family Picture

Abominable
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Klaus
The Lion King
Toy Story 4

Best Digital or Direct to Video Picture

Dolemite Is My Name
The Irishman
Marriage Story
Togo
The Two Popes

Best Sequel or Remake

Avengers: Endgame

John Wick: Chapter 3 -Parabellum

The Lion King

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Short Format Film
Battle at Big Rock
Hair Love
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming
Kitbull
Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling

Best Actor

Daniel Craig
Knives Out

Matt Damon
Ford v Ferrari

Robert De Niro
The Irishman

Leonardo DiCaprio
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Robert Downey Jr.
Avengers: Endgame

Adam Driver
Marriage Story

Taron Egerton
Rocketman

Chris Evans
Avengers: Endgame

Eddie Murphy
Dolemite Is My Name

Joaquin Phoenix
Joker

Best Actress

Awkwafina
The Farewell

Ana de Armas
Knives Out

Cynthia Erivo
Harriet

Scarlett Johansson
Marriage Story

Brie Larson
Captain Marvel

Chrissy Metz
Breakthrough

Lupita Nyong’o
Us

Florence Pugh
Fighting with My Family

Daisy Ridley
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Renee Zellweger
Judy

Best Supporting Actress

Kathy Bates
The Highwaymen

Frances Conroy
Joker

Laura Dern
Marriage Story

Carrie Fisher
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Linda Hamilton
Terminator: Dark Fate

Lena Headey
Fighting with My Family

Scarlett Johansson
Jojo Rabbit

Dakota Johnson
The Peanut Butter Falcon

Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Dolemite Is My Name

Margot Robbie
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale
Ford v Ferrari

Bryan Cranston
The Upside

Willem Dafoe
The Lighthouse

Tom Hanks
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Chris Hemsworth
Avengers: Endgame

Anthony Hopkins
The Two Popes

Al Pacino
The Irishman

Joe Pesci
The Irishman

Brad Pitt
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Wesley Snipes
Dolemite Is My Name

Best Voice Actor or Actress

Donald Glover
The Lion King

Tom Hanks
Toy Story 4

Hugh Jackman
Missing Link

Idina Menzel
Frozen II

Ryan Reynolds
Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Best Ensemble

Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
It Chapter Two
Knives Out
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Director

J.J. Abrams
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Noah Baumbach
Marriage Story

James Mangold
Ford v Ferrari

Sam Mendes
1917

Jordan Peele
Us

Todd Phillips
Joker

Anthony and Joe Russo
Avengers: Endgame

Martin Scorsese
The Irishman

Quentin Tarantino
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Taika Waititi
Jojo Rabbit

Best Adapted Screenplay

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Avengers: Endgame

Steven Zaillian
The Irishman

Taika Waititi
Jojo Rabbit

Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
Joker

Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton
Toy Story 4

Best Original Screenplay

Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
and Jason Keller
Ford v Ferrari

Rian Johnson
Knives Out

Noah Baumbach
Marriage Story

Quentin Tarantino
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Jordan Peele
Us

Best Original Music

Alan Silvestri

Avengers: Endgame

Hildur Guðnadótti

Joker

Randy Newman

Marriage Story

Daniel Pemberton

Motherless Brooklyn

John Williams

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Original Song

“Catchy Song” performed by T-Pain
and That Girl Lay Lay

from the motion picture “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part”

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” performed by Randy Newman

from the motion picture “Toy Story 4”

“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” performed by Elton John and Taron Egerton

from the motion picture “Rocketman”

“Into the Unknown” performed by Panic! At The Disco
from the motion picture “Frozen II”

“Speechless” performed by Naomi Scott
from the motion picture “Aladdin”

Best Casting

Fighting with My Family

It Chapter Two

Joker

1917

Shazam!

Best Production Design

Avengers: Endgame
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Knives Out
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Cinematography

Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Knives Out
The Lighthouse
1917

Best Costume Design

Avengers: Endgame
Joker
1917
Rocketman
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best 3D Presentation

The Addams Family
Alita: Battle Angel
Avengers: Endgame
Shazam!
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Film Editing

Avengers: Endgame
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Knives Out

Best Sound Editing

Avengers: Endgame

Ford v Ferrari

1917

Rocketman
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Sound Mixing

Avengers: Endgame
Ford v Ferrari
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
1917
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Special Effects

Alita: Battle Angel
Avengers: Endgame
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Makeup Effects

Hellboy
Joker
Judy
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Stunt Work

Angel Has Fallen
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
John Wick: Chapter 3 -Parabellum
Rambo: Last Blood
Terminator: Dark Fate

 Best Home Video Release

Alita: Battle Angel 4K/3D Blu-ray
Aquaman 3D Blu-ray
Avengers: Endgame 4K Blu-ray
Batman Beyond: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray Set
Godzilla: The Showa Era Films 1954-1975 The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Set
The House of Hitchcock Collection Blu-ray Set
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet-Season 12 Blu-ray Set
Scarface Limited Gold Edition 4K Blu-ray
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Set
Ultraman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Set

Next Level Blockbuster Icon Award

Lucille Ball
Carrie Fisher
Cary Grant
Alfred Hitchcock
Howard Hughes
John Hughes
Stanley Kubrick
Stan Lee
Leonard Nimoy
Robin Williams

Next Level Blockbuster Legacy Award
Back to the Future
Batman
Platoon
Rocky
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shining
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The Wizard of Oz

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” Movie Review

    Growing up, my favorite Marvel comic book character was (and still remains) our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.  From the comics to the animated series and then the Sam Raimi movies, Spider-Man has always been one of the most relatable characters ever to grace printed comics and the silver screen.  Naturally, I was excited to see “Spider-Man: Far From Home” when it was released last week.

    The movie takes place after “Avengers: Endgame” and deals with how Peter Parker is trying to find his place after coming back to life post snap (aka the blip).  Peter Parker feels lost without his mentor Tony Stark and just wants to live a more normal life.  Peter Parker wants to tell MJ how he feels about her during a school trip to Europe but finds his normal life disturbed by Nick Fury who wants Peter to join Quentin Beck aka Mysterio in a new Avengers team to fight creatures from another dimension.  In what shouldn’t be a spoiler to anyone who has read Spider-Man comics, Mysterio isn’t all he seems.

    I really enjoyed this film and the film felt like a nice little epilogue following the universe altering events of “Avengers: Endgame”.  The smaller stakes felt more personal to the character and set the stage for the next arc in the character’s story.  As far as the film as a whole, it definitely like a step up from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” which I also enjoyed but felt a little underwhelmed by.  While “Spider-Man: Homecoming” felt like it tried to be a John Hughes movie more than a superhero movie, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” manages to balance the action and comedy more evenly.  The comedy also works a lot better in this film and I laughed out loud at more than a few parts.

    The cast was excellent with Tom Holland proving to be a delight once again as the awkward friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.  Zendaya has great chemistry with Holland as his potential love interest MJ.  Samuel L. Jackson once again proves to be one of the most underrated cast members of the MCU.  Lastly, Jake Gyllenhaal was one of the best parts of the film as Mysterio.  I give credit to Gyllenhaal and the writers for turning a second rate character like Mysterio into one of the best villains of the MCU to date.  Jon Watts returns to direct this sequel and really steps up his game with this film.

    In a lot of ways, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” plays out more of a sequel to “Iron Man” than it does to “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.  A lot of the call backs and references relate to “Iron Man” more than they do to “Spider-Man”.  Tying the villain closer to Tony Stark also creates an interesting dynamic for Peter Parker that typically isn’t the same as in the comics between the hero and the villain.  While I adore Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, they all tend to have some direct ties to Peter Parker himself which can be repetitive.  Spider-Man’s villains are usually either his teachers or ex lovers or friends.  Using Mysterio as a villain also provided a chance for the filmmakers to showcase a lot of his ‘powers’ with a visual flair not often seen in the MCU.  The action scenes reminded me a lot of those ones showcased in “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” and that is a very good thing since they series remains fantastic.

    I do have a few slight gripes about the film even though I understand the creative decisions for these choices.  While I understand the emotional focus Iron Man’s death had on Peter, wouldn’t the rest of the world morn the apparent deaths of Captain America, Black Widow, and Vision just as much?  I mean Captain America was ‘the first avenger’.  Surely his ‘death’ would be at least on par with Iron Man’s death.  I also wish they had set up Norman Osborne or at least Oscorp in the film.

    While I still consider the Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” films some of the best superhero movies, this is easiest the best “Spider-Man” movie made in some time.  You also need to stay during the two after credit scenes.  There is so much to unpack with the after credit scenes that you will be talking about them until the next Spider-Man film.

Grade: B+

“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” Movie Review

    With “Avengers: Endgame” continuing to break almost every box office record known to man and being shown on almost every screen theaters have, most studios wisely decided not to release many new titles against the box office juggernaut that is the last Avengers movie (with the original Avengers at least).  So with that being said, there wasn’t many options in the theaters this week so my girlfriend and I decided to sit this week out and just watch something at home.  Instead of hitting up my film library, we both remembered that Netflix just released the new movie about Ted Bundy starring Zac Efron.  Everyone seems to be talking about this movie on social media so I will share my thoughts on “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”.

    The film follows Ted Bundy as he is arrested and sent to trial for murder because he matched the description of a serial killer the police had been searching for.  Most of the film is told through his time on trial and it only briefly reflects on his life outside of prison and court.  For the moments depicted outside of court and prison, Ted Bundy’s relationship with Elizabeth Kendall is explored and shows Bundy as actually loving Liz.  Rarely are any of the crimes depicted (except for one at the very end) and the film almost tries to present Ted Bundy from the view point a jury might have seen him through, where his guilt rests on the trial as opposed to the audience being shown he is the murderer.

    The movie was directed by Joe Berlinger who is famous for his documentary films.  In fact, the popular Ted Bundy documentary “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” was also directed by Berlinger and this films serves as a sort of companion piece.  Much of what was discussed in the documentary was depicted in the movie.

    The film was decent but wasn’t as captivating as I thought it would be.  A movie focused on one of the most prolific serial killers of our time should depict more than court drama and family life in my opinion.  I appreciated the approach but sometimes movies follow formulas for a reason and you have to do something captivating if you are going to change it up but making the film boring at times isn’t the best route.

    For a Netflix movie, this was probably a cut above most (no pun intended), but it’s still a rather average film as a whole.  I would say the one thing that actually elevates this film is it’s cast.  Zac Efron actually delivers an uncharacteristic performance as the charming but off Ted Bundy.  I am not a big Zac Efron fan but he actually delivered a killer performance (okay, pun intended there).  The film has a pretty solid supporting cast with the biggest highlight being John Malkovich as the judge who ultimately delivers his execution sentence.  The same praise can not be given to Lily Collins as Bundy’s girlfriend Liz.  Collins just doesn’t seem to click in this film and her acting, while serviceable to the film, also doesn’t add much.  Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” also shows up as the prosecutor in the state of Florida.  I personally felt Parsons was a bit distracting in the role but my girlfriend felt he did a good job.

    The film was based on the book “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy” written by Ted Bundy’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall which detailed Liz’s relationship with the serial killer.  It is a classic case of the truth being stranger than fiction.

    The film does have some charm apart from it’s cast.  At times, the film does manage to derive some humor surrounding the gruesome situation.  It also briefly manages to tackle the absurdity surrounding so many women being attracted to Ted Bundy even after finding out he was a murderer.  The movie is also blessed with a fantastic soundtrack featuring many classic oldies.

    “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” isn’t a perfect film and it is easy to see why it found a home on Netflix as opposed to the multiplex.  The film is worth watching for Zac Efron’s performance alone.  Sadly, there isn’t much else to set this film apart from other average movies.

Grade: C+

“Avengers: Endgame” Movie Review

    I just got out of a screening of “Avengers: Endgame” and judging from the box office figures for the film, I think almost everyone in the world has already seen this film once already as well.  The tickets were purchased for my girlfriend and I by her friend Violet and I would like to take a quick second and thank her for that.  We were both very grateful for the kind gesture.  This review will not contain spoilers to the main plot or outcome of the film so no need to worry if you have not seen the film.

    The film follows the events of “Avengers: Infinity War” and details how the Avengers (and the world as a whole) move forward from losing to Thanos and the universe losing half of it’s population as a result of the snap.  Naturally, without giving anything away, the Avengers set forth a plan to find Thanos and try to undo the death and damage he has caused throughout the universe.  Refreshingly, the trailers and the television spots do not give a lot away and the main plot is kept largely under wraps.  Thankfully most fans have also been good about not posting spoilers online.  (Although I have noticed the spoilers are starting to creep in more and more.)

    I very much enjoyed the movie and I am still processing elements of it.  As of this moment, I am not sure which film I enjoyed more, this or “Avengers: Infinity War”.  This movie felt like a payoff to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and it’s hard to see this movie (or Infinity War) being topped by any future movie Marvel makes.  If you have watched all twenty one films prior to seeing this, there are some amazing Easter Eggs and set pieces that feel like they were placed in the movie as a thank you to the fans.  The cherry on top of “Avengers: Endgame” has to be all the amazing cameo appearances.

    Clocking in at around three hours, the film doesn’t feel that long and almost leaves you wishing it was longer.  The pace of the film is benefited by the films heroes going on separate adventures before reuniting at the end.  While that helps make the film breeze by, it does affect the story structure a bit.  While “Avengers: Infinity War” somehow managed to incorporate a ton of characters and still form a very tight story structure, “Avengers: Endgame” is a little more messy.

    There are a few things that don’t really work well in the film but they are typically minor things that can easily be looked past.  There is no such thing as a perfect film after all.  The biggest misstep in an otherwise great movie in my opinion however is the inclusion of Captain Marvel.  For a character only introduced one film prior, her inclusion felt like Marvel was trying to force her down our throats.  I didn’t hate “Captain Marvel” but I think the focus of the film should have been kept on the classic Avengers.  That being said, Captain Marvel has only a minor role so it doesn’t hurt the film too much overall.

    On the subject of the original Avengers team, this movie feels like an amazing sendoff to many of those original members.  Each actor is given some great character moments and for a few of them, given emotional and fitting farewells.  While the door remains open for almost any of the characters to return somewhere down the line (this is a comic book universe after all), it is clear this film serves as a bit of a bookend to the entire film series as a whole so far.

    “Avengers: Endgame” is a film that works best if you have seen the first twenty one Marvel movies but is also an amazing film on it’s own and a rewarding follow up to “Avengers: Infinity War”.  While I said earlier that the film had a few parts that didn’t quite work out, the parts that do work are beyond incredible.  I hate the phrase fan service since it is typically used negatively but “Avengers: Endgame” embraces fan service and in the film it feels earned and like a reward.  The only warning I have for fans of the MCU is that they may want to bring tissues, it will be difficult to leave the theater with dry eyes.

Grade: A

“Captain Marvel” Movie Review

    I saw “Captain Marvel” last week and I am only now getting around to writing my review of the film even though I am pretty sure everyone and their mother has seen the movie already.  A downside of having a regular job (in addition to running my own eBay store) is that free time isn’t something I have in abundance.  Having seen all the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, I naturally had to check out “Captain Marvel”.

    To be absolutely honest, I wasn’t dying to see “Captain Marvel”.  The film looked decent but the trailer didn’t exactly ‘wow’ me.  I wanted to see the movie largely due to it tying into “Avengers: Endgame” to be completely honest (and I have a feeling a lot of people felt the same way).

    The film largely serves as a prequel to the bulk of the MCU (with the exception of “Captain America: The First Avenger”).  The film follows our hero Carol Danvers as she tries to regain her memories while serving as a member of the Kree military.  While on a mission fighting the shape shifting Skrulls, she is captured and the Skrulls manage to bring back memories she had of Earth while probing her mind.  After escaping, she lands back on Earth and must defend the planet from alien threats with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury.

    If the concept of a human joining an intergalactic space force protecting the Earth seems familiar, well, it’s because that is basically the same premise as DC’s “Green Lantern”.  I love DC and Marvel (I am not a fan/nerd that picks a side) and while “Captain Marvel” is overall a better movie than “Green Lantern”, I couldn’t help but feel that DC took some of the wind out of Marvel’s sails by releasing “Green Lantern” first.

    Unlike almost all the other films in the MCU, “Captain Marvel” wasn’t able to escape the kind of controversy that normally plagues DC films.  The star of this film, Brie Larson, made several controversial comments before the film’s release which angered a large group of individuals.  It is not my job to pick a side on such issues, but I have to wonder how such comments might swing reviews in favor or against the film.

    All that being said, what did I think of the film?  Well, I thought it was okay.  Perhaps I am being too harsh on the film because it certainly wasn’t the worst of the MCU (that dishonor belongs to “Thor: The Dark World”) but it also didn’t reach the heights of films like “The Avengers” or “Iron Man”.

    “Captain Marvel” is filled with a slew of excellent performances from it’s supporting cast but the same can’t be said about it’s lead.  While I know Brie Larson can be very good in some roles, I found her to be wooden in most of her scenes and one of the worst parts of the film sadly.  Luckily for us, the supporting cast shines.  Samuel L. Jackson returns in de-aged form to showcase the origins of Nick Fury.  Jackson is both bad ass and hilarious in the movie.  The weight of the film is really carried on Jackson’s shoulders in my opinion.  Clark Gregg had a small role which provided the audience with an understanding of the trust and friendship Nick Fury and Agent Coulson had with each other.  Ben Mendelsohn was also a scene stealer throughout most of the movie.  As the leader of the Skrulls, Mendelsohn was a slimy and excellent foil to Captain Marvel and I can’t say anymore without going into spoilers (though I will say I found his accent a bit distracting while he was in Skrull form).  Lastly, I will say I expected a little more from Jude Law.  It felt a little like Law phoned this film in.

    We have to talk about the best part of the film now, Goose.  Goose, at least to me, was the clear star of the film.  My only complaint about Goose is that there should have been more of him.  Goose provided much of the levity the film had and I would love to see some sort of spin off featuring Goose.  I know Hulu has a bunch of animated Marvel shows in development, I would love to see Goose team up with Howard the Duck.

    The film managed to have a unique 90s action movie feel to it that I enjoyed.  The touches of nostalgia with references  to businesses like Blockbuster and Radio Shack also were nice touches.  Like most other Marvel movies, it is nice to see how this ties to the bigger picture of films.  One possible good or bad thing about the ending of this film is that it left a lot to be explored in sequels.

    So, “Captain Marvel” is far from the worst two and half hours you could spend watching a movie.  In fact, I can say most people will find something they enjoy about the movie.  It is also far from the game changer the studio was hoping for considering “Wonder Woman” already led the female empowerment charge a few years back.

Grade: B-