With Oscar night arriving this Sunday, CITY’s loyal readers
are no doubt waiting with bated breath for the annual “Lubie
Awards,” a swanky, star-studded affair that gives me the opportunity to hand
out Golden Everything Burritos to some of my favorite films and performances of
the year. My tastes tend to differ significantly from the Academy’s, so “The Lubies” are my chance to honor a few of 2016’s most unjustly
overlooked contenders.
The astonishingly glitzy ceremony took place this past
weekend, as Hollywood’s best and brightest crammed into my spacious two-bedroom
apartment. Laughs were had, speeches were given, tears were shed, and delicious
Mexican food was consumed. Here’s a rundown of this year’s winners. For a more
traditional year-end wrap-up check out my picks for the Best
Films of 2016.
Best
Supporting Actor: John Goodman, “10
Cloverfield Lane”
John Goodman delivered one of the year’s finest performances
in Dan Trachtenberg’s “Cloverfield” follow-up. But
because his performance came wrapped in a suspense-thriller and not a prestige
drama, Goodman has missed out on all the awards season glory. Genre filmmaking
hardly ever gets the respect it deserves, which is a shame. As Howard, the
conspiracy theorist who kidnaps Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s
character, Goodman is by turns kindly, menacing, and utterly chilling. It is fantastic
work from one of our best and most criminally underrated actors.
Best
Supporting Actress: Lily Gladstone, “Certain
Women”
Newcomer Lily Gladstone made an extraordinary debut as a shy
ranch hand who pines for Kristen Stewart’s law teacher in the most moving
segment of Kelly Reichardt’s melancholic triptych
about isolated women struggling to make their way in rural Montana.
Best
Actress: Rebecca Hall, “Christine”
British actress Rebecca Hall is phenomenal in this underseen
biopic about Christine Chubbuck, the Sarasota, Florida news reporter who
famously shot herself on live television in 1974. Hall, with great empathy, puts
us inside Chubbuck’s head — a heartbreaking and often desperately lonely place —
and makes it riveting.
Best
Actor: Adam Driver, “Paterson”
In his lovely, open-hearted performance as a poetry-writing
bus driver named Paterson, Adam Driver conveys the heart and soul of Jim Jarmusch’s Zen-like ode to the inspiration and contentment
found in the simple act of living life.
Don’t
Make Me Choose: Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes, “Moonlight”
I went back and forth about which performance to reward out
of the three immensely talented “Moonlight” actors who portray the film’s
protagonist at different stages of life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
But each performance is so inextricably linked to the others that it seemed
impossible to choose one, so I decided to just make it easy on myself and give
them their own award.
She
Can Do Anything: Janelle Monáe
Having already proven herself to be a dazzlingly gifted
singer, Monáe transitioned into screen acting with
ease, and gave terrific performances in not one but two of this year’s Best Picture
nominees, “Moonlight” and “Hidden
Figures.” With those films, she instantly proves herself to be a bonafide movie star.
Most
Glorious Idiocy: Tom Bennett, “Love & Friendship”
It doesn’t always seem it, but playing stupid well takes skill.
No one played the fool better than Tom Bennett as Kate Beckinsale’s
spectacularly dim suitor in Whit Stillman’s
adaptation of Jane Austen’s novella, “Lady Susan.” You’ll never look at peas
the same way.
Breakout
Star: Black Phillip, “The
Witch”
Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? I certainly would, and
it’s all thanks to the spectacularly well-cast goat (named Charlie in real
life) who dominates the screen in Robert Eggers’ terrifying New England folk
tale.
Most
Adorkable Crush: Hayden Szeto, “The Edge of Seventeen”
No other actor made me swoon nearly as much as Szeto, playing
Hailee Steinfeld’s sweet, nerdy, and unlikely love
interest in Kelly Fremon Craig’s delightful teen
comedy.
Told
Ya So: Alden Ehrenreich
Not to get all hipstery about it,
but I’ve been singing the praises of actor Alden Ehrenreich since his solid
work in the otherwise forgettable 2013 teen fantasy, “Beautiful Creatures.” But
with the attention he received in the Coen Brothers’ Hollywood satire “Hail,
Caesar!” — followed swiftly by landing the role of young Han Solo in the
upcoming “Star Wars” film — it seems like Hollywood has finally caught up.
Best
Dance Sequence: “A
Bigger Splash”
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling made a great team in “La La Land,” but for my money, the year’s most unexpectedly
joyous and indelible onscreen boogying came from Ralph Fiennes as he performed
some sweet dad dance moves to The Rolling Stones’ “Emotional Rescue” in Luca Guadagnino’s sun-dappled “A Bigger Splash.”
Best
Tunes: “Sing Street” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”
Again, all due respect to “La La
Land,” but my favorite original songs this year all came from John Carney’s
adolescent rock stars in “Sing Street,” and the Lonely Island’s pop music
mockumentary, “Popstar.” Inexplicably, neither film managed to break their way
into the Original Song category at the Oscars, which is a travesty.
Best
Afternoon Pick-Me-Up: “Eddie the Eagle” score
Whenever I’ve needed a jumpstart to get me through a
particularly sluggish afternoon, I just pop on Matthew Margeson’s
fantastic score to “Eddie the Eagle.” Never underestimate the motivational
power of 80’s-style synths.
Not
all Studio Horror Sequels Suck: “Ouija: Origin of Evil”
I don’t think there’s a genre more prone to sequel fever than
horror, but for some reason it often proves difficult for directors to get
lightning to strike twice. Tasked with expanding on 2014’s “Ouija,” a
critically-reviled fright flick based on the popular board game, Mike Flanagan
managed to knock it out of the park. This evil had origins that were smart,
scary, and delivered with plenty of imagination.
Best
Debut: “The Fits”
The most intriguing debut of the year came from Anna Rose Holmer and Royalty Hightower, the director and star of this
enigmatic coming-of-age tale about Toni, a tomboyish 11-year-old boxer, and the
mysterious affliction that begins to affect the girls at the community center
where she practices. I saw the film back during its summer run, and I haven’t
stopped thinking about it since.
Most
WTF Scene: Granny’s Peach Tea, “Batman
v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”
If you’ve seen Zack Snyder’s gloomy superhero epic, you know
exactly the scene I’m talking about. One of Hollywood’s most talented actresses
faces off against a jar of urine, as Holly Hunter’s stubborn senator becomes
the victim of Lex Luthor’s most bewildering
intimidation tactic. It’s … certainly something.
Villain
of the Year: Grief
Death and loss have always been fruitful subjects to build
stirring drama around, but in 2016, so many filmmakers dug into the grieving
process that it started to seem like Hollywood might be a little depressed: “Manchester
by the Sea,”“Jackie,” “A Monster Calls,” “Arrival,” “Collateral
Beauty,” “Captain Fantastic,” “The
Invitation,”“Kubo
and the Two Strings”… I could go on. The trend lent itself to some great
movies, but hopefully things will be looking a bit brighter by this time next
year.
Check back on Friday for additional film coverage,
including a review of “Bitter Harvest.”
This article appears in Feb 22-28, 2017.
