Film Bitch Awards finale: Best scenes & big results from small parts
Friday, May 7, 2021 at 11:36AM by Nathaniel R
Christian Magby and Lance Reddick in "One Night in Miami"
You know where I am if you need me.
We're finally closing out our 2020 coverage. Five months into the calendar year. We'd say 'Oops' but in this one case we'll happily blame the Oscars pretending that the calendar wasn't the calendar rather than our own sometimes-lacking time management skills. Though we are excited to move on to 2021, in point of fact lists and awards are our happy place. That is not because they have inherent definitive value as arbiters of quality (as the naysayers like to remind). No, that's not it at all. Only time is the definitive tastemaker but even that is fallible since it never stops and collective opinion can shift dramatically from generation to generation just as it does from person to person. No we value and love lists and awards because they are superb documents of feelings about quality at a specific moment in time. What moved people en masse? The answer is all over awards season. What struck certain individuals in a seismic way? That can be found in personal top ten lists and personal awards for those who bother to make such things.
So let's start with one of our favourite things to honor: smashing work in very limited screentime...
Matthew Macfadyen in "The Assistant" and Veronica Ngo in "Da 5 Bloods"
This is a chance to spot stars doing quick character sketches, as well as rising actors or much less famous day players doing impactful work that we hope they'll get a chance to do more of in larger roles soon. Our honorees this year are: Winsome Brown and Elizabeth Marvel (News of the World), Veronica Ngo (Da 5 Bloods), Abby Quinn (i'm thinking of ending things), Fiona Shaw (Ammonite), Mathieu Amalric (Sound of Metal), Matthew Macfadyen (The Assistant), Jamie McShane (Mank), and Christian Magby and Lance Reddick (One Night in Miami). A dozen other honorable mentions are listed, too. These categories are reserved for supporting players who only have one scene or two to work magic, though it might be a bit more if they are hovering on the margins of other scenes; It's an inexact science.
In addition to these final acting nominees and the medal announcements (brand new in all categories), we've also announced the "best scene" categories which honor things like action setpieces, screen kisses, musical numbers, and opening or closing credit sequences. 63 movies scored at least one nomination. On the final "best scene" page you can also see a few trivia notes on this year's awards.
Is the 'Rasputin' setpiece in "Wild Goose Lake" a dance scene or an action sequence. It's both at once so we split the difference and just put it in Best Scene
Robyn's "Honey" gives great soundtrack to one of the best scenes in "And Then We Danced"
"Promising Young Woman" was the most nominated film with 11 citations
"The Prom" scored just two nominations, one of them for Credit Sequence (pictured)
So that wraps us all up. Another film year in the books. Hopefully 2021 will make more sense in terms of releases and eligibility because 2020 was bonkers.
Get out your final feelings about the 2020 film year in the comments, won'cha?
Reader Comments (18)
Late campaign for actress in a limited/cameo role: Da'Vine Joy Randolph in "Kajillionaire".
The FB awards are, as always, a great and thoughtful read.
Wow. That is closure.
You definitely got best closing scene correct. I was angry not to see it in best musical scene in a non-musical, until I read your qualifying rule for that category.
I think Matthew MacFadyen should have gotten more attention on the awards circuit for Best Supporting Actor. Actually, I think Promising Young Woman overshadowed The Assistant because it was escapist, while The Assistant was very realistic, and people aren't ready to embrace such a raw view of misogyny in the workplace yet. (I really like PYW, but it doesn't hold a candle to The Assistant.)
My choice for smashing work in limited screentime is Beau Bridges. Too often the brother of beloved Jeff Bridges is left to languish in his shadow. Here in One-Night in Miami, Bridges is perfection as the hospitable Southern gentleman who sits on his veranda and shares lemonade with Jim Brown. The delivery of that final line is so shocking because of how Bridges never alters from his genial affect. The truth of that moment lingers in the memory and gives the film a clear perspective of the relentless racism that openly permeates all aspects of life in the South.
2020 was a banner year for film, despite the lack of theaters. And possibly the best year for docs. I ended up seeing 234 2020 films between Jan 1, 2020 and Oscar day. I would have made more of an effort if I'd known I'd was getting close to my record of 254 films within the year, a record I achieved in 2003. But alas, I was happily distracted with smackdown years, finishing the AFI 100 list, and other catch-up films.
My top ten of 2020:
1 And Then We Danced
2 Promising Young Woman
3 Collective
4 The 40-Year Old Version
5 Boys State
6 Welcome to Chechnya
7 Time
8 Nomadland
9 Song Lang
10 Possessor
YESSSSSSS! I was so hoping for this. Such a great way to end the film season.
I reckon Babyteeth and Promising Young Woman had the lion's share of my favorite scenes and moments from the films I saw from last year. Babyteeth, in particular, has my favorite moment, periodt, from the entire selection of films I've seen recently:
Their first train ride set to "For Real" by Mallrat. Somehow captures the fleeting giddiness of falling for someone, lust and all, while also showing us the coyness and the flirtation of bodies, even when they're at their shyest and most afraid, and, yes, their most desirable and desirous.
Toby Wallace is the human-shaped golden retriever I never knew I wanted and now need, and Eliza Scanlen is just gorgeous. They're both so lovely in this moment, and they made me feel that moment they share in my own life.
That's fucking cinema right there.
I just want to agree with my fellow James about Beau Bridges in One Night in Miami. I enjoyed the whole film, but what has stuck with me the most is Bridges' final line. I did not see it coming. It was such a powerful moment and one of the most memorable of any film last year.
The final credits of The Prom gave me time to think who I hated the most.
Good call on Kelly Gang for Ensemble and Casting. Hoult, Hunnam, and Crowe, and the costumes, make the movie for me.
Also, I am a big fan of the Borat dance scene, both your mentions of Love and Monsters, the Promising Young Woman titles, the dinner scene in The Nest (and even more, her dancing after it), and of course the ending of Another Round which is to me, along with the ending of The Father, the best ending of the year. And yeah, that first time they meet Valerie Mahaffey in French Exit - that scene is really something.
Gabrielle Graham in Possessor is my gold medal for actress in limited/cameo role. She was amazing, hope to see her get some big roles in the future.
I agree with Manny that Babyteeth had some very immersive scenes. The one he mentioned, them at the party... I don't know what it is about this film. Or maybe that's what great acting and directing achieve. A kind of magic that carries you in the experience being shown.
I was far more impressed by McDormand than Mulligan, but still love your acting choices.
Looks like I need to watch AND THEN WE DANCED!
I remember LOVING Babyteeth and seeing some of its mentions here really make me want to re-watch. Anyways, the rest of the categories and the picks are just *chef's kiss.* Amazing, amazing job Nathaniel! I always say I should do something like this, but my mind is too disorganized. So seeing someone lay out the film year in this specific way (and with impeccable taste) is a joy. Thanks!
Always the most inclusive and adventurous list.
Re: and then we danced.
I recently re-watched it and when it was over I re-watched the last twenty ish minutes again.
The camera work of the wedding sequence, the girlfriend and brother scenes and the dance finale. Loved all of these moments. Glad you recognized them all in your scene categories.
I don't see enough of the non-mainstream films to really comment on them. My favorite film of the year was Sound of Metal and Riz Ahmed needs to marry me, stat. That film grabs you in the first 5 minutes and doesn't let you go until it ends.
My 1st runner up (which will take the place of "favorite" in case she is incapacitated) was Promising Young Woman. So intense and surprising to see a female character that's angry about what rape does, and is not taking any prisoners. I think of women I know who have been sexually abused or raped. The film really speaks for them. And Carey Mulligan was fantastic. If I were an Academy member, she would have had my vote.
On "Small Parts", my favorite was Alfred Molina's in "Promising Young Woman"...