2016 BAFTA nominations

Congratulations to this year's BAFTA honorees!

BEST FILM
ARRIVAL Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron Ryder
I, DANIEL BLAKE Rebecca O'Brien
LA LA LAND Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc Platt
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward,
Kevin J. Walsh
MOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
AMERICAN HONEY Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van Hoy
DENIAL Mick Jackson, Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, David Hare
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM David Yates, David Heyman, Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling, Lionel Wigram
I, DANIEL BLAKE Ken Loach, Rebecca O'Brien, Paul Laverty
NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney, Mike Brett, Jo-Jo Ellison, Steve Jamison
UNDER THE SHADOW Babak Anvari, Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
The Girl With All the Gifts: MIKE CAREY (Writer), CAMILLE GATIN (Producer) 
The Hard Stop: GEORGE AMPONSAH (Writer/Director/Producer), DIONNE WALKER (Writer/Producer) 
Notes on Blindness: PETER MIDDLETON (Writer/Director/Producer), JAMES SPINNEY (Writer/Director), JO-JO ELLISON (Producer) 
The Pass: JOHN DONNELLY (Writer), BEN A. WILLIAMS (Director) 
Under the Shadow: BABAK ANVARI (Writer/Director), EMILY LEO, OLIVER ROSKILL, LUCAN TOH (Producers) 

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DHEEPAN Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
JULIETA Pedro Almodóvar
MUSTANG Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Charles Gillibert
SON OF SAUL László Nemes, Gábor Sipos
TONI ERDMANN Maren Ade, Janine Jackowski

DOCUMENTARY
13th Ava DuVernay
THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK- THE TOURING YEARS Ron Howard
THE EAGLE HUNTRESS Otto Bell, Stacey Reiss
NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney
WEINER Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg

ANIMATED FILM
FINDING DORY Andrew Stanton
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS Travis Knight
MOANA Ron Clements, John Musker
ZOOTROPOLIS Byron Howard, Rich Moore

DIRECTOR
ARRIVAL Denis Villeneuve
I, DANIEL BLAKE Ken Loach
LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Kenneth Lonergan
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Tom Ford

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
HELL OR HIGH WATER Taylor Sheridan
I, DANIEL BLAKE Paul Laverty
LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Kenneth Lonergan
MOONLIGHT Barry Jenkins

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARRIVAL Eric Heisserer
HACKSAW RIDGE Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan
HIDDEN FIGURES Theodore Melfi, Allison Schroeder
LION Luke Davies
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Tom Ford

LEADING ACTOR
ANDREW GARFIELD Hacksaw Ridge
CASEY AFFLECK Manchester by the Sea
JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nocturnal Animals
RYAN GOSLING La La Land
VIGGO MORTENSEN Captain Fantastic

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS Arrival
EMILY BLUNT The Girl on the Train
EMMA STONE La La Land
MERYL STREEP Florence Foster Jenkins
NATALIE PORTMAN Jackie

SUPPORTING ACTOR
AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON Nocturnal Animals
DEV PATEL Lion
HUGH GRANT Florence Foster Jenkins
JEFF BRIDGES Hell or High Water
MAHERSHALA ALI Moonlight

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
HAYLEY SQUIRES I, Daniel Blake
MICHELLE WILLIAMS Manchester by the Sea
NAOMIE HARRIS Moonlight
NICOLE KIDMAN Lion
VIOLA DAVIS Fences

ORIGINAL MUSIC
ARRIVAL Jóhann Jóhannsson
JACKIE Mica Levi
LA LA LAND Justin Hurwitz
LION Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Abel Korzeniowski

CINEMATOGRAPHY
ARRIVAL Bradford Young
HELL OR HIGH WATER Giles Nuttgens
LA LA LAND Linus Sandgren
LION Greig Fraser
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Seamus McGarvey

EDITING
ARRIVAL Joe Walker
HACKSAW RIDGE John Gilbert
LA LA LAND Tom Cross
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Jennifer Lame
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Joan Sobel

PRODUCTION DESIGN
DOCTOR STRANGE Charles Wood, John Bush
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock
HAIL, CAESAR! Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
LA LA LAND David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Shane Valentino, Meg Everist

COSTUME DESIGN
ALLIED Joanna Johnston
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Colleen Atwood
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS Consolata Boyle
JACKIE Madeline Fontaine
LA LA LAND Mary Zophres

MAKE UP & HAIR
DOCTOR STRANGE Jeremy Woodhead
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS J. Roy Helland, Daniel Phillips
HACKSAW RIDGE Shane Thomas
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Donald Mowat, Yolanda Toussieng
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Nominees tbc

SOUND
ARRIVAL Sylvain Bellemare, Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl
DEEPWATER HORIZON Dror Moha, Mike Prestwood Smith, Wylie Stateman, David Wyman
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Niv Adiri, Glenn Freemantle, Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Ian Tapp
HACKSAW RIDGE Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright
LA LA LAND Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Ai-Ling Lee, Steve A. Morrow, Andy Nelson

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
ARRIVAL Louis Morin
DOCTOR STRANGE Richard Bluff, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, Christian Manz, David Watkins
THE JUNGLE BOOK Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon, Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Neil Corbould, Hal Hickel, Mohen Leo, John Knoll, Nigel Sumner

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
THE ALAN DIMENSION Jac Clinch, Jonathan Harbottle, Millie Marsh
A LOVE STORY Khaled Gad, Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara, Elena Ruscombe-King
TOUGH Jennifer Zheng

BRITISH SHORT FILM
CONSUMED Richard John Seymour
HOME Shpat Deda, Afolabi Kuti, Daniel Mulloy, Scott O’Donnell
MOUTH OF HELL Bart Gavigan, Samir Mehanovic, Ailie Smith, Michael Wilson
THE PARTY Farah Abushwesha, Emmet Fleming, Andrea Harkin, Conor MacNeill
STANDBY Jack Hannon, Charlotte Regan

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) 
ANYA TAYLOR-JOY
LAIA COSTA
LUCAS HEDGES
RUTH NEGGA
TOM HOLLAND

2016 Golden Globe Awards winners

Congratulations to this year's Golden Globe Awards winners!

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Moonlight

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy
La La Land

Best Lead Actor - Drama
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best Lead Actress - Drama
Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Lead Actor - Musical/Comedy
Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Best Lead Actress - Musical/Comedy
Emma Stone, La La Land

Best Supporting Actor
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, Fences

Best Director
Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Best Screenplay
Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Best Original Score
Justin Hurwitz, La La Land

Best Original Song
"City of Stars." La La Land

Best Animated Feature
Zootopia

Best Foreign Language Film
Elle

Review: "Hidden Figures"

It was in a history textbook in high school that I first came upon the name Katherine Johnson. I can vividly remember the photo of her and the caption, which noted Johnson as a trailblazing mathematician who worked for NASA during the Space Race. In the years, following, however I hadn’t come across her name again – that is, until President Barack Obama honored Johnson in 2015 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of her efforts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Now, more than half a century since Johnson calculated the trajectory for the space flight of Alan Shepard (the first American in space), comes an inspiring and plenty entertaining motion picture highlighting the tremendous accomplishments – and struggles – of Johnson and other African-Americans in the space program.

As the Hidden Figures opens, Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) are working in the segregated, dungeon-like West Area Computers division at the Langley Research Center. With the Soviet Union making headway in the Space Race, through cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person to orbit Earth, the brilliant Johnson is recruited by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), director of the Space Task Group, to conduct research and calculations that will lead to John Glenn (Glen Powell)’s orbiting of the planet. Johnson is beyond qualified for the job but that hardly makes this white sausage fest of an office all too welcoming of an African-American woman.

Meanwhile, Vaughan has a tense relationship with her cold-as-ice supervisor (Kirsten Dunst) and fears she and her colleagues may become disposable to NASA, given the rise of computers. The picture also focuses on Jackson’s strides to go from the title of ‘mathematician’ to ‘engineer’ – a feat that requires an advanced degree that locally can only be obtained at an all-white institution.

The film, directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder, is a genuine crowd-pleaser, packed with humor, delightful performances and – even when you know some of the outcomes – a fair share of suspense too. Spencer, as always, is a natural scene-stealer, and between this and Moonlight, 2016 has proven one hell of a year for Monae. (Moonlight star Mahershala Ali has a nice turn here too, portraying a suitor of Johnson’s.) Hidden Figures also offers a prime supporting role for Costner, nicely cast as a man whose entire life seems to revolve around the space program.

The true shining star of this film, however, is Henson, pitch-perfectly convincing and charming as can be as this amazing woman. Here is an actress who, frankly, does not always select the finest scripts, but here hits a grand slam. She’d make a fine Best Lead Actress Oscar nominee this year, crowded as that category may be.

When it comes to motion pictures about NASA, The Right Stuff remains tops but Hidden Figures really ain’t too far behind.

A-

2016 Writers Guild of America nominations

Congratulations to this year's Writers Guild of America honorees!

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Heisserer, Arrival
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Deadpool
August Wilson, Fences
Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi, Hidden Figures
Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals

Best Original Screenplay

Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Jeff Nichols, Loving
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins and Tarell McCraney, Moonlight

2016 Golden Globe Awards predictions

Prediction time! I feel reasonably confident about at least half of these - no way, for instance, La La Land, Natalie Portman, Emma Stone or Viola Davis are losing here. Some of these are true jump balls - Manchester by the Sea vs. Moonlight in both Drama Picture and Screenplay, Casey Affleck vs. Denzel Washington, Moana vs. Zootopia and arguably all of the contenders in Foreign Language Film. Upsets to keep an eye on include Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson and yes, Ryan Reynolds, who I am begrudgingly predicting for the win here. (My feeling is if Deadpool could inexplicably garner a Comedy/Musical Picture nod, a Reynolds victory is not only plausible but perhaps even likely.)

Check out my predictions below, ranked from most to least likely to prevail. And of course, feel free to chime in with your own two cents as well!

Best Motion Picture – Drama:

1. Manchester by the Sea
2. Moonlight
3. Hacksaw Ridge
4. Lion
5. Hell or High Water

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

1. La La Land
2. Florence Foster Jenkins
3. Deadpool
4. 20th Century Women
5. Sing Street

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

1. Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
2. Denzel Washington – Fences
3. Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge
4. Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
5. Joel Edgerton - Loving

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:

1. Natalie Portman – Jackie
2. Amy Adams – Arrival
3. Isabelle Huppert - Elle
4. Ruth Negga - Loving
5. Jessica Chastain - Miss Sloane

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

1. Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool
2. Ryan Gosling – La La Land
3. Hugh Grant - Florence Foster Jenkins
4. Colin Farrell - The Lobster
5. Jonah Hill - War Dogs

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

1. Emma Stone – La La Land
2. Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins
3. Annette Bening - 20th Century Women
4. Hailee Steinfeld - The Edge of Seventeen
5. Lily Collins - Rules Don't Apply

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

1. Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
2. Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
3. Dev Patel - Lion
4. Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals
5. Simon Helberg - Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

1. Viola Davis – Fences
2. Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
3. Nicole Kidman - Lion
4. Naomie Harris - Moonlight
5. Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures

Best Director – Motion Picture:

1. Damien Chazelle – La La Land
2. Mel Gibson – Hacksaw Ridge
3. Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
4. Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea
5. Tom Ford - Nocturnal Animals

Best Screenplay:

1. Manchester by the Sea
2. Moonlight
3. Hell or High Water
4. Nocturnal Animals
5. La La Land

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language:

1. Toni Erdmann – Germany
2. Neruda – Chile
3. The Salesman – Iran/France
4. Elle – France
5. Divines – France

Best Motion Picture – Animated:

1. Moana
2. Zootopia
3. Kubo and the Two Strings
4. My Life as a Zucchini
5. Sing

Best Original Song – Motion Picture:

1. City of Stars – La La Land
2. How Far I’ll Go – Moana
3. Can’t Stop the Feeling – Trolls
4. Faith – Sing
5. Gold – Gold

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:

1. Justin Hurwitz – La La Land
2. Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka – Lion
3. Nicholas Britell – Moonlight
4. Johann Johannsson – Arrival
5. Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Benjamin Wallfisch – Hidden Figures