The 2019 Next Level Blockbuster Awards Notes

• The “Best Inspirational Picture” category was added to acknowledge spiritual related films that would most likely not be nominated in other categories.  I am not an overly religious person but with studios like Pure Flix releasing more and more films, it is a film genre I feel can no longer be ignored.

• The “Best Home Video Release” category honors past and present movies and tv shows with stellar DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K releases.

• Despite being the first Next Level Blockbuster Awards, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga both managed to take home two awards.  Cooper won for “Best Director” and Gaga won for “Best Actress”.  The pair shared the “Best Song” award.

• Speaking of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, Cooper managed to gather four total nominations making him the most nominated person so far.  Lady Gaga and Michael B. Jordan are tied in second place with two nominations each (though Gaga holds the edge having won in both categories she was nominated in).

• With so much original content coming from streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, DC Universe, Crackle, and YouTube; the category of “Best Digital or Direct or Video Picture” seemed like a must.

• “Avengers: Infinity War” was the most nominated film this year with a total of eighteen nominations.  It went on to win four awards including the top prize.

• “Bohemian Rhapsody” won the most awards this year with a total of five awards.

• Netflix films were nominated for a total of twenty nominations.  The streaming service went on to win two awards.

• Comic book movies dominated the nominations and wins this year, unlike most other award shows.  I do not discriminate against genres and this year proved to showcase that any film can be nominated.

• Films based on Marvel comic books received a whooping forty-seven nominations and won seven of those awards.  Among the films were “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Black Panther”, “Ant-Man and the Wasp”, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, “Venom”, and “Deadpool 2”.  DC comics only had one film based on it’s characters but still received a respectable nine nominations and won an award.

The 2019 Next Level Blockbuster Award Winners

Best Picture

Avengers: Infinity War (Winner)

Aquaman

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

Creed II

Green Book

Isle of Dogs

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

A Star Is Born

Best Comedy Picture

Crazy Rich Asians (Winner)

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Blockers

Deadpool 2

A Futile and Stupid Gesture

Best Action Picture

Mission: Impossible- Fallout (Winner)

Aquaman

Black Panther

Bumblebee

Venom

Best Horror Picture

Halloween (Winner)

The First Purge

The Nun

A Quiet Place

The Strangers: Prey At Night

Best Inspirational Picture

I Can Only Imagine (Winner)

God Bless the Broken Road

March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step

Pick of the Litter

Unbroken: Path to Redemption

Best Drama Picture

Bohemian Rhapsody (Winner)

Creed II

First Man

Green Book

A Star Is Born

Best Science Fiction Picture

Avengers: Infinity War (Winner)

The Cloverfield Paradox

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Live Action Family Picture

Paddington 2 (Winner)

Benji

Christopher Robin

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Best Animated Family Picture

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Winner)

The Grinch

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Incredibles 2

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

Best Digital or Direct to Video Picture

Bird Box (Winner)

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

The Cloverfield Paradox

A Futile and Stupid Gesture

Roma

Best Actor

Rami Malek/Bohemian Rhapsody (Winner)

Christian Bale/Vice

Chadwick Boseman/Black Panther

Bradley Cooper/A Star Is Born

Robert Downey Jr./Avengers: Infinity War

Ryan Gosling/First Man

Michael B. Jordan/Creed II

Viggo Mortensen/Green Book

Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool 2

John David Washington/BlacKkKlansman

Best Actress

Lady Gaga/A Star Is Born (Winner)

Yalitza Aparicio/Roma

Emily Blunt/A Quiet Place

Sandra Bullock/Bird Box

Jamie Lee Curtis/Halloween

Jennifer Lawrence/Red Sparrow

Evangeline Lilly/Ant-Man and the Wasp

Danielle Macdonald/Dumplin‘

Tessa Thompson/Creed II

Constance Wu/Crazy Rich Asians

Best Supporting Actress

Michelle Yeoh/Crazy Rich Asians (Winner)

Jennifer Aniston/Dumplin‘

Awkwafina/Crazy Rich Asians

Marina de Tavira/Roma

Cynthia Erivo/Bad Times at the El Royale

Claire Foy/First Man

Danai Gurira/Black Panther

Zoe Kazan/The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Regina King/If Beale Street Could Talk

Lupita Nyong’o/Black Panther

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali/Green Book (Winner)

Josh Brolin/Avengers: Infinity War

Adam Driver/BlacKkKlansman

Donald Glover/Solo: A Star Wars Story

Woody Harrelson/Solo: A Star Wars Story

Tom Holland/Avengers: Infinity War

Michael B. Jordan/Black Panther

Tim Blake Nelson/The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Sylvester Stallone/Creed II

Patrick Wilson/Aquaman

Best Ensemble

Avengers: Infinity War (Winner)

Aquaman

Black Panther

Crazy Rich Asians

Mission: Impossible- Fallout

Best Director

Bradley Cooper/A Star Is Born (Winner)

Wes Anderson/Isle of Dogs

Steven Caple Jr./Creed II

Damien Chazelle/First Man

Ryan Coogler/Black Panther

Peter Farrelly/Green Book

Ron Howard/Solo: A Star Wars Story

Anthony and Joe Russo/Avengers: Infinity War

Bryan Singer/Bohemian Rhapsody

James Wan/Aquaman

Best Adapted Screenplay

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely/Avengers: Infinity War (Winner)

Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole/Black Panther

Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan/Solo: A Star Wars Story

Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman/Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, and Will Fetters/A Star Is Born

Best Original Screenplay

Anthony McCarten/Bohemian Rhapsody (Winner)

Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, and Peter Farrelly/Green Book

Wes Anderson/Isle of Dogs

Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski/A Quiet Place

Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian/Searching

Best Original Music

Ludwig Göransson/Black Panther (Winner)

Alan Silvestri/Avengers: Infinity War

Justin Hurwitz/First Man

Alexandre Desplat/Isle of Dogs

John Powell/Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Original Song

“Shallow” performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

from the motion picture “A Star Is Born” (Winner)

“All the Stars” performed by Kendrick Lamar and SZA

from the motion picture “Black Panther”

“Pray for Me” performed by The Weekend and Kendrick Lamar

from the motion picture “Black Panther”

“Sunflower” performed by Post Malone and Swae Lee

from the motion picture “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

“Venom” performed by Eminem

from the motion picture “Venom”

Best Production Design

Black Panther (Winner)

Aquaman

First Man

Mute

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Cinematography

First Man (Winner)

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther

Roma

A Star Is Born

Best Costume Design

Solo: A Star Wars Story (Winner)

Aquaman

Avengers: Infinity War

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Bohemian Rhapsody

Best 3D Presentation

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Winner)

Aquaman

Avengers: Infinity War

Skyscraper

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Film Editing

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Winner)

Avengers: Infinity War

Bad Times at the El Royale

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Sound Editing

Bohemian Rhapsody (Winner)

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Solo: A Star Wars Story

A Star Is Born

Best Sound Mixing

Bohemian Rhapsody (Winner)

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Solo: A Star Wars Story

A Star Is Born

Best Special Effects

Aquaman (Winner)

Avengers: Infinity War

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Makeup Effects

Vice (Winner)

Avengers: Infinity War

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Deadpool 2

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Stunt Work

Mission: Impossible- Fallout (Winner)

Black Panther

Deadpool 2

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Skyscraper

Best Home Video Release

Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray Set (Winner)

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray

Avengers: Infinity War 4K Blu-ray

Deadpool 2 Super Duper $@%!#& Cut 4K Blu-ray

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Blu-ray Set

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 3D Blu-ray

Justice League 4K Blu-ray

Night of the Living Dead The Criterion Collection Blu-ray

Stranger Things Season 2 4K Blu-ray Set

Supergirl Warner Bros. Archieve Collection Blu-ray

Next Level Blockbuster Icon Award

Marlon Brando

Heath Ledger

Christopher Reeve

Gene Roddenberry

Orson Welles

Next Level Blockbuster Legacy Award

Ghostbusters

The Godfather

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Superman: The Movie

“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