Oscar night’s arrival this Sunday means that it’s finally
time for everyone’s real favorite movie celebration: the annual Lubie Awards, CITY’s Oscar alternative highlighting some of
the year’s best — but sadly overlooked — films and performances. As is
tradition, the winners are awarded prestigious (and delicious) Golden
Everything Burritos, which is undeniably a way better reward than a metal
paperweight shaped like a naked man. In honor of the Lubies’
spectacular fifth year, we went all out for the festivities (translation: we
splurged for chips and guac to go with those
burritos).
It was a
night of glitz and glamour: all the biggest stars were in attendance, and
things got nuts. But despite all the carousing, heckling, and carrying on, the Lubies still maintain a perfect track record when it comes
to handing the right envelopes to our presenters. Unlike certain other awards
ceremonies. Just sayin’.
And now, on
to this year’s winners:
Best Supporting Actress: Betty Gabriel, “Get Out”
The lead players in Jordan Peele’s masterful horror-thriller
have rightfully been praised for their performances. But for my money, Gabriel
was the MVP in her small but crucial role as the singularly strange housekeeper
to the film’s cheerfully liberal, white family. Her wonderfully unnerving
performance managed to turn just the word “no” into the line reading of the
year.
Best Supporting Actor: O’Shea Jackson Jr., “Ingrid Goes
West“
In his role as the lone decent human amongst a cast of phony,
narcissistic sociopaths, O’Shea Jackson Jr. stood out in Matt Spicer’s barbed comedy
about the dark side of social media. With an instantly appealing screen
presence, he demonstrated the same natural charisma he brought to his portrayal
of his father, Ice Cube, in 2015’s N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta
Compton.” That he followed “Ingrid” up with a fantastic turn in this January’s
“Den of Thieves” just confirms that it’s only a matter of time before he’s a
huge star.
Best Actor: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, “BPM
(Beats Per Minute)”
Playing the most militant member of ACT UP Paris, the AIDS
activist group at the center of Robin Campillo’s
extraordinary drama, Biscayart’s vibrant performance
provides the film’s wild, passionate, beating heart.
Best Actress: Haley Lu Richardson, “Columbus“
As a young woman caught between the ties of familial
obligation and her own dreams for the future, Richardson gives a terrific,
warm, incredibly moving performance in director Kogonada’s
contemplative drama about life, love, and architecture.
Best Tales From the Mind of a
Twisted Vegetarian: “Raw” and “Okja“
On the surface these two movies don’t immediately have much
in common: one’s a stomach-churning horror flick about a college freshman who
develops an unquenchable taste for raw flesh; the other follows a young Korean
girl’s life-altering friendship with a genetically engineered “super pig.” Yet
both contain scenes that are enough to turn you off meat forever. Almost.
Hottest Scissoring: “Battle of the Sexes“
Who knew a haircut could be so steamy? The sexual tension
between Emma Stone and Andrea Riseborough is never
more apparent than during their characters’ first meeting, when Stone’s Billie
Jean King sits down to let Marilyn, the hairdresser portrayed by Riseborough, give her a brand-new ‘do. The subtly sensual
direction of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
combine with their actresses’ white-hot chemistry to make this one of the most
memorable scenes of the year.
Sadly Didn’t Ignite: “Only the Brave”
Based on the true story of Arizona’s Granite Mountain
Hotshots, Joseph Kosinski’s firefighting drama seemed
to have everything going for it: it was exciting, emotional, fantastically
performed, and filled with eye-popping special effects. I’m still scratching my
head trying to figure out why this wasn’t a bigger hit.
What’s in a Name?
Look, I get that there are only so many memorable film titles
out there, and there’s bound to be some overlap occasionally. But this year was
ridiculous, leaving audiences to figure out whether they wanted to see
“Wonder,” “Wonder Wheel,” “Wonderstruck,” “Wonder Woman,” or “Professor Marston
and the Wonder Women” at movie theaters in 2017. The good news was that you
lucked out pretty much any way you chose (unless you chose “Wonder Wheel”).
Runner-up: “Logan,” “Lucky,” and “Logan Lucky”
Sweetest Moves: James McAvoy, “Split“
Playing a man with an identity disorder that’s resulted in 23
different personalities battling for control of his mind, McAvoy gave a showy,
wildly underrated performance in M. Night Shyamalan’s twisty thriller. One of those
identities happens to be a young child, which leads to one of the film’s
highlights when he decides to demonstrate his impeccable dance skills for Anya
Taylor-Joy’s captive character. It’s hilarious, unnerving, and absolutely
genius.
Best Weapon to Fight the Patriarchy: Poisonous Mushrooms
Between “Lady Macbeth,” “The Beguiled” and “Phantom Thread,”
the most unexpected trend in 2017’s movies was women taking down the
problematic men in their lives with the help of some deadly fungi. Simple, but
undeniably effective. Take note ladies.
The New Queen of Hollywood: Tiffany Haddish
With her scene-stealing supporting role in last summer’s
“Girls Trip,” Haddish’s star has skyrocketed. From
regaling late night talk show audiences with stories of taking Will and Jada Pinkett Smith on a Groupon swamp tour, to charmingly
butchering every other name during her gig hosting the announcement of this
year’s Oscar nominations, her every appearance on the big or small screen
brought a smile to my face. And judging by the countless projects that she has
piling up, I’m not alone. All hail the queen.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2018.
