#theaarons2021

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2021 - BEST TV SHOW

Last year, I got really into NFTs. By that, I mean Not Feeling Troubled to watch so many TV shows. I did still watch quite a few though. Here are the Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10. Invincible (Season 1) - Amazon Prime

Audiences would be forgiven for not wanting another superhero show in the currently cluttered landscape, but that resolve shouldn’t be, well, invincible. Adapted from the comic book saga by The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman, Invincible reanimates the giddy delights of that subversive superhero origin story alongside its vibrant & violent visuals, drawn from the work of artists Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. While focusing on the coming-of-age of Mark Grayson, son of the world’s biggest hero, the universe is fleshed out by an impressive assemblage of voice talent, including Seth Rogan and Mahershala Ali. Its biggest strength though is in that central superpowered family, voiced by Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, and J.K. Simmons, whose shocking secrets give rise to moments of unforgettable vulnerability.

#9. Superman & Lois (Season 1) - CW

If Invincible soars as counter-programming, Superman & Lois proves the classics can still be just as powerful. Inspired by recent developments in the comics, the new CW series follows the iconic figure as a family man, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound but struggling with the epic highs and lows of his sons’ high school football careers. Despite its small-town setting, the show pushes network TV special-effects boundaries with its awe-inspiring sequences of Superman as a global savior. Tyler Hoechlin plays a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders with casual charm, perhaps because it is not a burden shared alone; Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane rightfully shares the equal focus implied by her equal billing. The appeal here is the open and honest communication among the two and their children, the wholesome forging of bonds as a family of steel.

#8. Dickinson (Seasons 2 & 3) - Apple TV+

Dickinson’s dual seasons last year were focused on divisions - one on betrayals, the other on civil war. The intent, though, was once again on bridging the gap between the past and present by portraying historical figures with modern sensibilities. As the characters lament their contemporary circumstances, humor springs from its ironic rhyming with the stresses of today. The poetry program dissuades viewers from an egocentric look at life, but not from leaving a mark while still living. That’s a philosophy put to the test in the final season, which must reconcile with the legacy of the morbid and reclusive poet herself; in the end, Dickinson’s greatest accomplishment may just be staving off death for at least a little longer.

#7. Reservation Dogs (Season 1) - FX

What We Do In the Shadows’ Taika Waititi, as well as co-creator Sterlin Harjo, kept cable comedy from going to the dogs with Dogs. Revolving around a group of four Indigenous teenagers looking to escape their life on a reservation, the series has all the empathy and eccentricities expected from the director of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Jojo Rabbit. The ensemble cast and shifting surreality of the show bears a resemblance to the unpredictability of fellow FX comedy Atlanta, a flexible framework that allows for harsh glimpses at generation trauma one episode and waggish Wendigo stories the next. Its culturally-specific comedy is something unique though: featuring accomplished Native-American actors Gary Farmer and Zahn McClaron among the newcomers, as well as an entirely Indigious writing and directing team, Reservation Dogs provides a much needed perspective within the television landscape.

#6. Stargirl (Season 2) - CW

Stargirl was already the bright spot of the doomed DC Universe streaming service, but its ongoing adventures on the CW just may have eclipsed the first. The sophomore season, subtitled ‘Summer School,’ put its heroes to the test, pitting them against both dangerous new foes like The Shade and lingering traumas from their last battle. It was a darker storyline, both literally and metaphorically, but lightened by an endearing cast alongside guest spots from old-school comic characters, including Jim Gaffigan as the mischievous genie Thunderbolt. The lesson of ‘Summer School’ concerns the characters learning to grow beyond the legacy left to them; that’s very fitting for a show whose star is still rising.

#5. The Good Fight (Season 5) - Paramount+

Despite recent changes in leadership, The Good Fight goes on. The legal show restructured itself again last year following the recusal of leads Rose Leslie, Cush Jumbo, and Delroy Lindo, and ended up with its most appealing season yet. Fight found new fire with the fallout of the January 6th insurrection, using the discovery of an unsanctioned back-alley court system as an allegory for the dangers of disregarding the rule of law. That’s an existential threat to the show and real-world alike, but prosecuted with deft drollery by new cast member Mandy Patinkin, as well as a returning Christine Baranski as the nonchalant Diane Lockhart. The future may look grim, but, with increased resolve and expected repartee, Good has never been better.

#4. Chucky (Season 1) - Syfy

Many famous horror franchises have struggled with a switch to the small-screen; Chucky made the change look like child’s play. True to the promise to fans to be friends ‘til the end, the show shares the same sandbox with the film series before, acting as a direct continuation of the continuity stretching back to 1988. However, this time, it’s personal: franchise creator Don Mancini packages the Good Guys gore with an affectionate coming-out story based on his own childhood. The iconic killer grows alongside the game cast through flashbacks that flesh out the lore and twists that open up new opportunities. With mechanical puppetry dolled up for its TV debut, Chucky’s never been better equipped to toy with viewers.

#3. Kevin Can F**k Himself (Season 1) - AMC

After years of building their brand on malcontent men breaking bad, AMC gave the put-upon wife her proper due. The show’s scornful fury and colorful name has its origins in the CBS show Kevin Can Wait, which infamously unceremoniously killed off and replaced the wife of Kevin James’ character to boost ratings. That’s just a symptom of a larger strain of sitcom misogyny that F***K Himself calls out. Shot as a multi-cam laugh-track comedy for the uncaring husband and a gloomy single-cam drama for the wife driven to drastic measures to get away, each episode cuts deeper into the impact of casual cruelty through correlating storylines. The combination is formally daring but remains attuned to each style’s appeal; for regular sitcom watchers with hesitations, Kevin simply can’t wait.

#2. Evil (Season 2) - Paramount+

Showrunners Robert and Michelle King have set up a classic conflict for Paramount+ subscribers: Good or Evil? Their supernatural drama got a little darker, a lot more risque, and a whole lot weirder in its move from CBS to the parent company’s streaming service, also home to the Kings' Good Fight. The investigators are still called by the Church to cases-of-the-week, including haunted elevators and fire jinns, but the second season really acts as a long dark night of the soul for the possibly possessed Kristen (Katja Herbers) and tempted seminarian David (Mike Colter). The fraught relationships of the character-focused season complicate that ‘good vs. evil’ question. The show itself presents a simple alternative: Evil is good.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2021 IS...

#1. Midnight Mass (Miniseries) - Netflix

Mike Flanagan has amassed an impressive resume of hauntings for Netflix, but his passion project was something far more divine. Midnight Mass is not unlike reading Stephen King from the pulpit, uniting the page-turning pulp of the prolific author with the introspection offered by a good Sunday sermon. Flanagan, directing every episode, patiently preys with viewers, enveloping them in the lives and losses of the isolated island community long before his batty bloodbath begins. While certainly indulgent in idiosyncrasies, Mass’ fears are not easily discounted. Grieving for people led astray and the suffering lives destroyed by that blindness, its anguish is all too real for as long as American Christianity aligns itself with fascism. Perhaps that’s just preaching to the choir, but the rapturous Midnight Mass could make anyone a believer.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2021 - Best TV Performance

Does anyone else with a Fire TV experience a glitch where the menu becomes tiny for no discernible reason? It’s bad TV performance. Here is the Aaron for Best TV Performance:

WINNER: Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - WandaVision

‘Bewitching’ is really the only word to describe Elizabeth Olsen’s multifaceted role in WandaVision. Maximoff had never maximized the actor’s talents before, but in the headlining show, the entire universe was finally put under her enchanting sway. Summoning the spirits of Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Montgomery, and her own older sisters, Olsen rose to the challenge of every sitcom pastiche WandaVision dialed up. Each effortless era-specific evolution of the character added to the immortalizing performance for the once underappreciated actor. That makes it an easy pick for the best of the year: after all, what is great, if not talent persevering?

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill - Midnight Mass

Linklater is a revelation as Mass’ mysterious minister, with preaching both perturbing and profound.

Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great - The Great

Fanning took charge in The Great’s second season; her success was evidently foreordained.

Brad Dourif as Chucky - Chucky

Idle hands are Dourif’s playthings; 30 years later, the Chucky voice actor can still creep viewers out with just his cackle.

Will Forte as MacGruber - MacGruber

Forte’s MacGruber continues to be da bomb; no one’s better prepared for such perfectly-timed meltdowns.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARON FOR BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE!

[myhahnestopinion]

The AARONS 2021

It's the Seventh Annual Aarons, celebrating the Best and Worst of Film and TV in 2021!

FIRST UP: THE 2021 AARONS FOR BEST FILM!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2021 - Best Film

I watched 81 movies released last year. That’s marginally better than the 75 I watched in 2020. ‘Marginally better’ pretty much describes 2021 in general, but while the pandemic shows little sign of slowing down, there’s plenty of great movies to catch up on in the meanwhile. Here are the Aarons for Best Film:

#10. The Power of the Dog

The frontier is home to all kinds of predators; The Power of the Dog possesses more than a few. As it ropes together a wealthy cattle-rancher, his once-widowed wife, her effeminate son, and the rancher’s cruel brother in a game of cat-and-mouse, the Western’s scenic wilderness reflects the unsettled power dynamics at play. Its insightful uncoiling of abuse is empowered by a doggone good ensemble, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The guiding hand of director Jane Campion wrangles their characters’ insecurities with patient precision, affording resentment and repression no place to hide.

#9. Luca

Disney’s sister studio Pixar found their own little mermaid last year in Luca, and proved they don’t need a big hook to capture a big heart. The tale of a sea monster’s defiant summer on land is a relatively breezy adventure for the animation group, driven predominately by the desire to acquire a Vespa rather than any earth-shattering or existential stakes. It’s really defined by what’s under the surface though: the coming-of-age story easily flows into a coming-out story, an undercurrent unmistakable by the film’s closing moments. The strong silencing of self-doubt that entails, like much of the studio’s filmography, fishes out unforeseen emotions for viewers reeled in simply by the picturesque visuals.

#8. Pig

Revenge is a dish best served warmly with the proper pairing of wine in Michael Sarnoski’s Pig. The film presents itself as a borderline parody of the John Wick saga, but its story of a recluse hunting down his stolen truffle hog mines the material for catharsis more than comedy. Pig digs into the genre’s traditional narrative, mediating the easy release of cyclical violence it promotes, and cooks up a much more meaningful meditation on grief in its place. It’s smart and subversive right down to the casting: a brilliant but uncharacteristically restrained Nicholas Cage is the revenge riff’s secret weapon.

#7. Shiva Baby

Shiva Baby offers viewers little comfort, layering on anxieties like cream-cheese on a bagel. The cringe-comedy cacophony centers on a directionless young Jewish woman, blindsided at a shiva by an accomplished ex-girlfriend, a secret sugar daddy, and constant questions about her undecided future. In many ways, it’s like the little sister to the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, though rather than gambling on a big payday, it speaks to the youthful pursuit of any outside validation while learning to negotiate one’s own self-worth. It’s as witty as it is wincing, but always approached with honesty by first-time director Emma Seligman; she raises Baby up as the best debut of the year.

#6. West Side Story

Of the many movie-musicals released recently, none have been as pretty, and witty, and bright as Steven Spielberg’s first crack at the genre. His remake isn’t concerned with showing a new side to the story of star-crossed lovers, but with uniting the classic tragedy of division with a new generation. That’s a mission borne out by the talent involved: just as Spielberg seemed to have settled into a late-career groove, the vibrant dance sequences find him with spry pep in his step, an energy that perhaps springs from the exuberant young cast of theatrically-trained performers. Staged with infectious passion and sung with resounding love by those involved, the crowd-pleasing West Side Story delicately crafts a world full of light.

#5. The Matrix Resurrections

From Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hollywood is killing itself with an obsession for resurrection. To survive her franchise’s inevitable return unscathed, director Lana Wachowski evolves the world of the Matrix into a personal meta ‘verse. Now aiming the series’ rage against the machine at the means of its own creation, Wachowski, encoded by the recent loss of her parents and the co-opted legacy of her original trilogy, cleverly censures a culture sickly in love with its own stagnation. That’s a logical refresh for the revolutionary series, which in turn give its characters the happier ending they deserve, transforming destructive exploitation into a distinctive defiance of death.

#4. The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad is comprised of second-chances on all fronts: a ragtag crew of criminals find their inner-hero in this follow-up to the critically-reviled 2016 hack-job, now under the leadership of once-fired Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. The film doesn’t blow the opportunities afforded it, featuring a high body count and no missed shots. Tweaking the premise with a cornucopia of cartoonish costumes and a garnish of gleeful gore, the film flips the ill-fated fatal found-family into the freshest and most fun superhero movie in a good while. Its ode to the underdog is unexpectedly affecting, transforming deep-cut comic characters into showstopping stars. Its biggest star, though, is a different beast altogether, and a delight to see live on in Suicide.

#3. Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is awfully bizarre but the absurd musical-comedy is never subpar. Led by veteran comedians Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, the film gets quite far on the strengths of its stars. As the titular middle-aged best friends navigate everything from love triangles with Fifty Shades’ Jamie Dornan to a mad-scientist set on unleashing an army of killer mosquitos, their contagiously cheerful characterization is always raising the bar. The colorful comedy deliriously contorts reality to suit its whims, making it a perfect remedy for the currently dreary times; viewers in need of a refreshing vacation don’t have to go very far.

#2. The Green Knight

Hollywood certainly loves its heroes, but it’s less certain of what heroism entails; David Lowery’s new movie should thus make them green with envy. In keeping with the Arthurian legend’s tradition, The Green Knight is a heady incision into the nature of heroism, a parable of its age-old pull between being grand and doing good. From towering giants to talking foxes, Lowery bestows the poem with vividity while skewing its chivalry, letting the centuries-old tale continue to defy expectations and deftly entertain. As the quest questions integrity in the face of legacy, The Green Knight revels in inspiring ambiguities without ever losing its head.

AND THE BEST FILM OF 2021 IS...

#1. Malignant

If a lack of originality is the current cancer sweeping Hollywood, Malignant is most definitely the cure. From the mind of horror-maestro James Wan, the waking-nightmare is best cracked open with no foreknowledge; then again, any synopsis would fall far short of containing the madness within. Malignant first starts growing on viewers through campy carnage, cloaked in candy-red lighting that cuts through the darkness like the score’s pumped-up Pixies cover piercing through the screams. The film’s final form doesn’t then walk back from that mounting absurdity; rather, it gives itself over completely to deranged delights with a twist that makes one’s head spin. With theaters currently stuffed with safe-bets, the only way that Malignant could get any better is if its uninhibited cinema proves infectious.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARON FOR WORST FILM!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE 2021 AARONS - Worst Film

Experts said that these movies were bad, but I decided to do my own research! Turns out, they were right. Here are the Aarons for Worst Film:

#10. Don’t Breathe 2

If the original Don’t Breathe left audiences speechless in any one way, it was with the shocking and skeevy twist behind the film’s once-perceived victim, a blind veteran who turns the table of his attempted robbers. The action-thriller sequel transforms this heinous man, now the adoptive father of a young girl who becomes targeted by criminals, into its central character. The premise makes a deeply mediocre thriller on its own merits, but is utterly confounding in context of the original installment. The issues with Don’t Breathe 2 should have been easily foreseen at the earliest conceptual stages; a viewer waiting for any reason to care about what happens shouldn’t hold their breath.

#9. The Woman in the Window

With Gone Girl now a lady vanished and The Girl on the Train now a stranger, a new beach-read adaptation grasping at Hitchcock’s legacy brings up the rear, Window. The Master of Suspense’s influence is painfully clear in the mystery of an agoraphobic woman who witnesses a murder from her apartment window, but his mastery isn’t visible in the filmmaking itself. The plot follows the familiar twists and turns of many gaslighting thrillers, but the resolution here is just as foggy as what comes before. Star Amy Adams tries her best to manage the preposterous material with dignity intact; perhaps the failure will prompt some inward reflection on picking better projects.

#8. The Addams Family 2

The Addams Family 2 is certainly ooky, but hardly has it all together. The oddballs’ family vacation fits right in with the hyperactive mentality of many second-rate children’s sequels, bouncing wildly from plot-point to pop song to gross-out gag rather than being neat, sweet, or petite. While the role of its animal-human hybrids is definitely icky, what’s mysteriously missing from the movie is much macabre. Using the characters’ inherent ugliness as an excuse, the sequel once again skimps on its animation budget, but the spookiest thing here is how the jokes render the Addams Family so repulsively banal.

#7. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Lana Wachowski may have found personal peace in her Matrix hell, but LeBron James’ cyberspace sequel for Warner Bros was flagrantly foul. The follow-up to the company’s feature-length promo for Air Jordans doubles-down on the advertisements, sending the basketball superstar through a mind-numbing parade of intellectual property in search of his son. The Looney Tunes return, but that’s not all, folks - the hodgepodge now stretches to include such kid-adverse, but WB-owned, properties as Game of Thrones, A Clockwork Orange, and the long-unavailable X-rated film The Devils. With no clear target audience beyond the studio’s inflated self-importance, the overbearing exploitation of other films nets nothing, and leaves Jam with no space to build a legacy of its own.

#6. Tom & Jerry

The Looney Tunes weren’t the only cartoons chased by the fatcats at Warner Bros last year for easy cheddar. Director Tim Story’s cat and mouse tale is ostensibly about the eponymous duo, but is actually far more animated by the live-action characters of its New York City hotel. Tom & Jerry’s madcap antics are just the occasional backdrop for the job hunt of an unlikeable Chloe Grace Moretz and a cheesy wedding plot involving an indifferent Colin Jost. With not enough 2-D gags to counterweigh its human trappings, the end result is a film flatter than if crushed by an anvil.

#5. Dear Evan Hansen

Oh, Dear. To say Evan Hansen writes itself into a corner would be a massive understatement; the mawkish musical should have never made it off Broadway without someone addressing its unsympathetic center. Nevertheless, the chronicle of a mentally-ill high-schooler exploiting a stranger’s suicide to date the kid’s sister is made remarkable creepier by the decision to cast 27-year-old Ben Platt in the role; his grotesque contortions as the sociopathic student makes the film’s showstopping number ‘You Will Be Found’ seem undeniably like a threat. Evan even calls into question the sanity of Perks of Being a Wallflower’s writer/director Stephen Chbosky, once remarkably astute about adolescent angst. After Dear Evan Hansen, the clearest course of action for all those involved is for apologies to be written.

#4. The Unholy

The aptly named Unholy clearly had a believer in three-in-one writer/director/producer Evan Spiliotopoulos. His zeal for the material, in which a journalist investigates the dark secret behind a series of miracles in a small town, is undoubted, particularly in the slow unveiling of its impious villain Mary. However, viewers’ faith in Spiliotopoulos will surely falter when confronted by the movie’s trinity of sins: feeble writing, sloppy staging, and poor special effects. Given the standard set by the likes of The Exorcist, The Omen, and Rosemary’s Baby, this religious horror film’s canonization doesn’t have a prayer.

#3. Army of the Dead

Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead (not to be confused with the director’s horde of insatiable Twitter fans) may be hungry for brains, but its real horror lies in an overfed ego. Just like his Justice League, Snyder’s cut is absurdly self-indulgent, focusing more on apocalyptic world building for a wannabe franchise than on the task at hand: pulling off an interesting heist. Given the villains are braindead, the more impressive money-theft here is against Netflix; Snyder, now serving as his own cinematographer, somehow blows $90 million on muddy shallow-focus footage that couldn’t look cheaper. That said, the original release was marred by a distracting army of dead pixels in the center of the screen; can’t blame the creators for not watching it long enough to catch that.

#2. After We Fell

Following consecutive entries in this category, After We Fell impressively sends the fan-fiction franchise plummeting to new lows. Not even COVID-19 could keep toxic couple Tessa Young and Hardin Scott apart… but it did require the series to recast almost every other role in order to complete filming in low-cost Bulgaria. Not knowing who’s who is a problem for plotting dependent on revealing secret histories between characters. On the other hand, ‘plotting’ is a term used loosely here; the only forward momentum in After 3 is action of a different kind. Yearly installments are set to come three more times, but the lethargy on display suggests everyone’s already prepared to put the whole relationship behind them.

AND THE WORST FILM OF 2021 IS...

#1. Karen

Karen is the worst. Like many of the social-thriller productions pulled from Peele’s success, the film mimics Get Out with all its nuance and cleverness removed. Taking a supposedly darkly-comedic approach to the plainly-named Karen White harassing a new Black couple in the neighborhood, the movie can’t manage its balance between satire and straight-up displeasure. With interminable situations as insufferable as real-life and a comeuppance that’s comical in all the wrong ways, there’s really no reason to give Karen any attention. The amateurish framing and heavy-handed dialogue speaks to the incompetence of those in charge, and entitles Karen to be named the worst film of last year.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARON FOR BEST DIRECTOR!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2021 - Best Director

Good direction is going to get vaccinated. Bad direction is the hospitalization rates for unvaccinated individuals. Here is the Aaron for Best Director:

WINNER: James Wan - Malignant

Wan might have been out of his mind when he made Malignant, but no one else could have been the master of its puppetry. Flooded with Aquaman profits, the director cut loose with creative control in a loopy love-letter to his genre roots, a treat to his fans as much as to himself. Wan zooms his camera through the bloodbath with the same gymnastic glee as the film’s giallo-esque killer, enthralling viewers in his vision as the outside world melts away. In a formidable top-down tracking shot early on, Wan even lets viewers in on his perspective of pulling the strings; it’s an honor, and a horror, to share his headspace.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Janicza Bravo - Zola

Filtered through her judicious lens, the ill-advised adventure earns the director an enthusiastic bravo.

Steven Spielberg - West Side Story

West’s direction is more than alright; in ‘America,’ Spielberg’s slick staging stands up against the seasoned filmmaker’s strongest work.

David Lowery - The Green Knight

After the Aaron-award winning Ghost Story, Lowery’s far from a green director; the Green director makes enlightened decisions throughout his Dark Age fable.

Nia DaCosta - Candyman

DaCosta hooks viewers with her reflective filmmaking, abuzz with terrors both imaginative and all-too-real.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARON FOR BEST FILM PERFORMANCE!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2021 - Best Film Performance

Trivia Time: Which two popular award shows were ignored by celebrities this year?

If you said The Aarons and the Golden Globes, you're wrong. Those award shows were never popular.

Here is the Aaron for Best Film Performance:

WINNER: Rachel Zegler as Maria - West Side Story

Stunning and entrancing, Zegler is right to pity anyone who isn’t her after ‘Tonight’. Much like her character, the 20-year-old actor found herself swiftly swept up from high-school auditoriums to a much bigger stage when cast by Spielberg from over 30,000 candidates. Zegler handles the movement with grace, parading the plucky spirit and polished singing-chops every theater kid wishes they possessed. That endearing optimism is just as easily a dangerous weapon in her hands, harnessed to break viewers’ hearts alongside Maria’s. The debut itself is anything but tragic; based on Zegler’s work here, her world is now a stardom.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Riley Keough as Stefani - Zola

Keough really goes for it as the influencer of Zola’s adventure; that’s worth a follow.

Andrew Garfield as Jon - tick, tick… BOOM!

Former Spider-Man Andrew Garfield lights up the musical (or perhaps, turns off the dark) with an appropriately theatrical neurotic performance.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank - The Power of the Dog

Per usual, Cumberbatch is a powerhouse, banking another memorable entry in his roundup of rude roles.

Rachel Sennott as Danielle - Shiva Baby

Sennott nurtures Baby’s awkward and obstinate lead with heartfelt introspection, a layering that sits well with Shiva.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARON FOR BEST SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2021 - Best Supporting Film Performance

The Aarons were actually the most viewed of any award show last year! I don’t have any evidence to back that claim up, but you should believe me anyway. This award goes out to people good at backing up made-up things. Here is the Aaron for Best Supporting Film Performance:

WINNER: Mike Faist as Riff - West Side Story

Faist had his first time in the silver-screen spotlight as well in Spielberg’s spectacular, but he couldn’t have played it cooler. The thespian’s acclaimed stint on Broadway included originating a role in Dear Evan Hansen; thankfully, he wrote off that play’s adaptation for song and dance more deserving of those honed talents. The fierce Faist turns on the juice for what could have been a thankless role, lacing the character’s bombast with a piteous nihilism. In doing so, his street rat riffs not just on the film’s tragedy but on the musical genre’s heightened reality, letting disregard jet from every one of his grandiose dance steps.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Colman Domingo as X - Zola

After his commanding performance here, viewers would be wise to learn Domingo’s name.

Adèle Exarchopoulos as Agnès - Mandibles

Exarchopoulos makes her presence known as Agnès in a film unfortunately flying under the radar.

Jeffrey Wright as Roebuck Wright - The French Dispatch

With his soothing sultry voice, Wright was the right choice to play Wright, the bright writer reciting the anthology’s third story.

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova - Black Widow

Pugh makes her superhero landing in the Marvel universe with elegance as the titular hero’s enthusiastic sister.

NEXT UP: THE 2021 AARON FOR BEST SCREENPLAY!