Ladies and gentlemen, welcoming your host for the 2021 ASBOs Will Smith
Thank you for coming along to the ASBO Awards. Having been banned by the Academy, I would like to apologise to them. Being violent is wrong, but sometimes you have to be violent for what is right…
Okay, so for real. I always like to start these off with a bit of flair. A petty attempt to outdo the Oscars, and if it were the main normal show that would be easy. However, I can’t top what we watched. So with minimal effort, ladies and gents, here are the winners of the 2022
The first award for tonight is Best Adapted Screenplay. Each of these films were incredibly well written.
3rd) The Green Knight: To translate an old poem to screen is an absolute beast of a task, but no line in the film feels wasted. Each serves a purpose and the script knows when to be silent. A phenomenal effort.
2nd) Passing: A really thought provoking movie. The script is fast paced, clearly defining each character, their views and their insecurities. Bravo.
The winner of the first award this evening is The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao. This 2.5 hour long melodrama felt barely more than 5 minutes with the script fleshing out the characters, pacing itself brilliantly and giving across its themes in a clear and nuanced way.
3) Paris 13th District is an engaging and interesting piece. Each character is different and so well written that you fully believe in these quirky digital age relationships and the drama that’s happening.
2) After Love gives an interesting subject area you won’t expect a lot of honesty. With it being so easy to fall into a trap, this movie keeps realistic and looks into grief stunningly.
The second award winner is Mass. A film about four people sat around a table talking had me fully invested all evening. The acting was superb, but each line felt raw and powerful and said so much. The film is about two sets of parents following a school shooting, and the script reveals more in every passing line. It’s an essential watch.
3) Boiling Point: It’s a great thing that people are starting to discover this film now its on Netflix. The tension caused by the one-shot format as well as the crispness of it all is incredibly well done.
2) Titane: The lighting and the camera work in those dance scenes is electric, unlike the car which is fuel based. The film, despite its barminess, looks amazing and is made with such care.
The ASBO for best cinematography goes to Limbo. The use of the camera to portray space, or lack of it, as long as the symmetrical shots really allowed for a quirkiness which gave Limbo the look of a Wes Anderson film.
And the winner is… Summer of Soul, a documentary about the Harlem cultural festival. The way it flicked between the music, interviews with people for context, then wider societal issues so fluently to creative such a good narrative deserves to be recognised.
Best Original Song
So I didn’t really put any nominees up for this, however I do want to give the award out to the song which stuck in my head for a long time. It set the tone for a film with its screenwriters, director (his daughter) and actors all joining in the first five minutes of a madcap film. Sorry Bruno, but the ASBO goes to So May We Start from Annette.
And the ASBO goes to Summit of the Gods. This French Netflix animation got next to no recognition, but the mountain climbing story is as good as any Oscar nominee, with tense scenes which engrossed me so much I forgot it was animated.
The ASBO Award for best documentary goes to Stray. The film about a dog’s life in Istanbul was so simple and poetic. It followed her around in a non-intrusive way and the soundtrack was beautiful. What Stray did really impressively was not just in showing the dog’s life, but the wider city as well.
What a horrible category to pick for. Third place goes to Invisible Life, a fantastic melodrama which reflects a patriarchal Brazilian society in the most honest and frank way. Second place is the thematically similar Photocopier, which is an Indonesian story showing how girls are mistreated in a MeToo era.
However, the winner has to be Titane, the French film where the woman gets impregnated by a car. It’s a bat-shit crazy body horror, but it’s an essential sweet drama about cars and family which you have to see to believe it.
3) Deerskin: It’s a film about a man talking to a coat which convinces him to become a serial killer so he owns the only coat in the world, and it’s a darn cool coat, and eventual outfit. Killer Style.
2) Pig: The quiet Nicholas Cage film uses costumes brilliantly to show Cage’s life as a hermit, contrasting him with others in the big city while he looks for his pig. There were some strange films this year.
The ASBO goes to… Spencer. The outfits in this film are great for two reasons. One is they look similar to Lady Diana’s in real life. The other reason is that each was specifically crafted to show her battle for independence over the controlling royal family and her relationship with Charles. Is there a more important set of pearls in a film?
3) Nowhere Special uses make up in quite a subtle way. Slowly throughout the film, the lead character looks more ill in nuanced ways, and that is down to brilliant make up work.
2) Passing has make up as a key part. The greyscale really shows the difference in make up work by Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga’s mixed race characters as the latter attempts to pass off as white to live a wealthier life.
The ASBO goes to… Titane. Yes, seriously. Another award for that film. The make up scars on the lead character’s face from the titanium plate. The before and after haircuts. The scars on both of their bodies showing their traumas. The whole department bring out these characters and make them feel even more vivid and extreme.
3) The Reason I Jump uses sound nicely to give part of a perspective of how autistic children view the world in a non-stereotypical, respectful way
2) A Quiet Place Part II is all about sound. It doesn’t use it as well as the original, but it’s cool.
The ASBO for best sound goes to Shiva Baby. This film is about a young woman at a shiva. She ends up in more awkward situations with the guests making it a stressful claustrophobic experience. The use of sounds such as crashes and babies crying and loud chatter make one feel less able to breathe and within the shoes of the lead character. It is such a smart film.
3) Stray brought us into the world of a dog and the beautiful simple score made it seem so magic.
2) Annette’s movie musical rock-opera by Sparks was mad. Its literal songs and simple repetition really added to the odd tone of an odd movie, with excellent opening and closing numbers for good measure.
The ASBO goes to Spencer. Spencer is all about fear and paranoia, a feeling of being trapped. Nowhere is this more hammered home than in the jazz score which is constantly rushing and playing with a dissonance to make the viewer feel very uncomfortable.
3) Limbo uses small spaces to show a person trapped and also uses big spaces to show that a character is in the middle of nowhere. The scenes are all set in perfect places, with the house being a character itself.
2) The Nest is set in this big empty mansion. It almost feels haunted with a map that doesn’t quite make sense and constant doors you wonder if they were empty or closed. It’s a big echo filled place which leaves you with unease.
The ASBO goes to… Gagarine. Gagarine was basically The Martian but on Earth. It’s fantastic as these old worn down flats are transformed throughout the film by their last resident into a sustainable space station-esque ecosystem. It’s a little watched film, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.
The ASBO goes to The Green Knight. This film looked devine with effects which while out of this world seemed to tonally match everything else, from the tree man in the beginning to the giant stone people to the talking fox. I didn’t stop and think these were computer generated, they just worked brilliantly.
I’ll discuss most of these films later, so I’ll go straight for a winner now. The best director goes to Denis Villneuve, Dune. To put together all the brilliant elements in such a polished way and tell an untellable story, I didn’t think the Oscars would let me have him as a pick. I was incredibly lucky they did.
5) Nathalie Richard maybe isn’t higher on this list as she wasn’t the stand out role, but as a woman wondering where her husband is and dealing with the stress, she acts with an aloofness which is fine. However, when she realises what has happened to her husband she brings in much more heart.
4) Cate Blanchett was the best thing about Nightmare Alley and it’s a suprise she didn’t get an Oscar nomination. Her calculating, almost seductive therapist character was cunning and intriguing contrast to a more rough around the edges Bradley Cooper, and their interactions were fantastic because of her. She was let down by a poor script not giving her a deserved climax, but she did the best with what she had.
3) Martine Chevallier played an elderly lady who had a stroke but was in a relationship with her neighbour, despite her family not knowing. She remained mostly silent in the film, but her body language and facial expressions were absolutely incredible. Two of Us was a film that not enough people saw and it’s a lovely piece with a big heart.
2) This was a really close two horse race and Ruth Negga was phenomenal in Passing. Playing a mixed race woman who was passing as white in her life, she portrayed her insecurities and fears in a very human way, while trying to hide them as well.
And the ASBO goes to… Ann Dowd in Mass was phenomenal. A deserved BAFTA nomination was some reward, but nowhere near enough. She played the guilty mourning mother of a school shooter who came face to face with the parents of a victim. Each line was said with such believable passion and emotion and she really carried what was a phenomenal movie to great heights.
5) Vikash Bhai played the lead character’s housemate in Limbo. Between his more comedic moments, stealing a chicken he named Freddie Mercury, and his more heartfelt quiet moments, he offered a real ally to the protagonist and showed a great scale of acting.
4) It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen First Cow and Orion Lee is still fantastic. The sidekick cheeky heist leader has so much charisma and is so likable you’ll follow his schemes to the end, even though there is no way they will end well.
3) Remember that conductor scene in Annette? The one with Simon Helberg monologuing while conducting a live orchestra. Well, that was the moment he’d grown up. No longer the actor from that sitcom, he showed himself as a serious actor. His emotions, his musical talent, his physical acting contrasting with Adam Driver. It was all fantastic. There was a time I was convinced he would win an ASBO, but only for two better performances to turn up.
2) What is wrong with the Oscars not voting for Mike Faist, the best part of West Side Story. You hear the whistling and the shadows. Then bam, out comes Riff leading the gang with such energy. His acting, singing, dancing all on point, which is a relief as you can ignore Ansel Elgort and his lack of musical ability.
And the ASBO goes to Vincent Lindon in Titane. I know, I need to stop awarding this film. For the first half of Titane, I was not enjoying it. This rather brutal piece wasn’t my cup of tea. However, when Vincent came along as a father of a missing boy who the protagonist pretends to be, the film becomes incredible. That’s right, he brings heart to the car sex movie. He plays a deeply flawed man, who is clearly lying to himself and needs this relationship. We see him develop, before a truly beautiful ending for his character which left a tear in my eye.
5) Martha Plimpton was great in Mass. They all were. As the mother of a school shooting victim, she is angry with the parents of the shooter, and her arc is an important one as the one who at first is the angriest and least likely to forgive the shooter’s parents. Yet, she seems to find the humanity and is most receptive to what the others are saying.
4)Carole Duarte was part of a double act in the Invisible Life. If I had space, both sisters could have been nominated. They were seperated and their life long longing to be reunited was heart breaking and it lead to a conclusion in which Duarte had me in tears. It’s a brutal but incredibly rewarding watch.
3) Carrie Coon plays a woman who’s relationship with her husband is breaking down. She has no control of her life and it feels like everything is caving. Is she imagining it, how much is real? While I didn’t love The Nest, it was a film with two great lead performances and hers was simply incredible. I totally bought into her story and without such a performance I would’ve been lost much earlier.
2) Remember when Maria Bakalova gave a brave debut film performance in Borat Subsequent Movie Film (A genuinely fantastic performance, upstaging Borat)? Agathe Rouselle takes it to the next level. Scars, haircuts, body transformations, adult dancing, affairs with cars, constant panic, giving birth, pretending to be someone else. For a first ever feature film, simply wow.
And the ASBO goes to Joanna Scanlan for After Love (Obviously). How great was it when she won the BAFTA last week. I didn’t think she had a chance against all these big names, like Lady Gaga. Nobody would watch the small depressing British film, but when she won it made my day, as it was such a deserved win. She plays Mary, a white woman who’s muslim husband has recently died. She then finds he has a secret French family and accidentally becomes their cleaner. She learns why her husband acted that way, which preys on her insecurities. She is also mourning and coming to terms with his actions, while lying to the French family. You don’t agree with some of her decisions, but you empaphise with her, and that is such an incredible skill. She gave the performance of the year and is now an ASBO/OSCAR double winner.
5) Jason Isaacs is the quietest character at the beginning of Mass. He seems reflective, yet after a while you realise this may not be the case. The internaliser of his anger, when he releases it, it provides some of the most powerful scenes of the movie. So much so, I’d forget his not brilliant American accent.
4) Dev Patel in The Green Knight is a soldier who is going to his own death. He is good throughout the film, however his silent last 20 minutes are some of the best moments of acting of the past year. He’s grown significantly since Slumdog and Lion and seems to have matured well as an actor now.
3) The last scene featuring Hidetoshi Nishijima in Drive My Car is a masterful one. It’s his character’s moment after three hours. He isn’t a big loud dramatic character. Instead, he is more human. Mourning while listening to tapes of his wife in his car while also directing a play. The way he interacts with other characters is well judged as well. It leads to a brilliantly real performance in a quiet film which keeps you happily watching along for three hours.
2) Adam Driver in Annette isn’t like most actors. While most look for characters with redeeming features for their own image, Driver goes for the most despicable people around. An abusive murderer, a psychotic comedian and all around bad egg, Driver makes you hate this character so much more. Yet he keeps him interesting. You are intrigued to see what happens to the villain of the piece. His physical acting is brilliant as well, especially in the more murderous moments.
And the ASBO goes to James Norton for Nowhere Special. I was surprised I picked this film, but it was the most effective performance. Playing a dying single father, Norton’s character is looking for new parents for his son, while also having to start to talk to him about death. It’s quiet, human and emotional. The Happy Valley star is truly phenomenal and if you fancy a good cry this is the film you need to watch.
No way are we even going to try and rank these? Which film will join Burning, Monos and His House as the fourth ASBO Best Picture Winner?
10) The Green Knight was a very well made film. It looked and sounded brilliant and was polished. The film about a soldier coming to terms with his eventual took its time to it’s benefit allowing it to immerse you into a medieval fantasy land.
9) tick, tick… BOOM! is that awkward film which felt like it would be nominated for an oscar and was in a few places, such as actor. It was a really polished musical, made in a fun way. The performances were brilliant and the songs were catchy (30/90 anyone?). It was a solid effort about dedication and working for your dream and showed what a musical should be.
8) Photocopier is fantastic. No way am I seriously only putting this film eighth, and with no ASBO awards either? The film is about a girl who is trying to solve what happened to her after her drink was spiked. A detective like film, with the many twists and turns of a Bong Joon Ho film it was engaging to watch. A couple of missteps towards the end maybe took the shine off, but it’s still a very powerful, well made piece.
7) The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao was such a polished piece. The critique of a 60’s Brazilian patriarchy which kept two sisters apart for their whole lives was raw, well acted and emotional. Maybe the overly forced emotion stopped it from being higher on this list, but every single film here is phenomenal. It’s baffling that the Oscars chose any of their picks over these.
6) Paris 13th District just came out and I adored it. A French, more adult, version of When Harry Met Sally with genders swapped and set up for the digital age, it had such an impact, although didn’t stick with me as much as some of these other films. It looked incredible, the story was incredible and so interesting. This is a beautiful piece of cinema which shouldn’t be slept on.
5) Mass was simply mesmerizing. A basic concept, four people sat in a room, two sets of parents after a school shooting. One set is the victim’s, the other is the shooter’s. Yet in some ways, the latter are just as much victims. The film is about peace and forgiveness, talking through what upsets you (Will) and coming to terms with a tragedy while listening to each other. The script was top-notch as was the acting which is some of the best this year.
4) Annette was almost the maddest film I watched this year. It had strange singing scenes, huge crowds, a barmy soundtrack and if that wasn’t enough there was a wooden puppet baby which you were just supposed to accept. It embraced its weird side and thats why it worked. The film about a comedian who falls into the abyss and goes mad with dire consequences is performed with such intensity at a breakneck speed that you don’t really get to think about it until the end, as you get your breath back.
3) Flee was simply delightful. How this film didn’t win best doc or animated (it certainly should’ve beaten Encanto) at the Oscars I’ll never know. The animated documentary looks fantastic and is a deeply moving personal piece. I’ve reviewed it and talked about it in the Oscars piece, so I have little else to say except go and watch it.
2) Titane… You thought I was going to award best picture to Titane for a minute didn’t you? If I had, it would have deserved it and there’s nothing you could have done. The car sex movie won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but my goodness it was incredible. Starting off as a fairly uncomfortable serial killer body horror film, morphing into that scene, before becoming the sweetest film about the value of a loving family (Yes seriously), I was exhausted by the end of this film because I was so damn invested in the characters at the end of the second half. We see their growth and how they make each other better. The light, the sound, the acting, it’s all phenomenal, but it’s not one I’ll watch with my family.
And the ASBO for Best Picture Goes To
When films like Green Book and CODA win best picture at the oscars, it starts a mental conversation within. Is the point of a film to make you happy? Look at the marvel ones, look at the young adult fiction slew of our current century, and it’s hard to argue that’s what sells. While there is nothing fundamentally bad about a film making you feel good, we at times forget the most important thing in film is to feel and to be able to empathise with a character, whether they are the same as yourself or totally different. This is when cinema is at its best.
The winner of this year’s ASBO certainly does that. A white woman who converted to Islam for her husband in mourning finds he has a secret family in France. She goes to their house, pretends to be a cleaner and makes a bunch of irrational decisions, such as texting his son using his phone. Yet in these moments, we empathise with her while not agreeing. We see what her culture and her husbands culture mean to her and her step-son. We see how her insecurities affect her everyday, and how her husband let her down. We see a whole human that for 90 minutes we care about an excruciating amound, warts and all. This year’s ASBO award for best picture goes to After Love.
Top Winners
3- Titane
2- After Love/ Mass/ Spencer
1- Annette/ Dune/ Gagarine/ The Green Knight/ The Invisible Life/ Limbo/ Nowhere Special/ Spencer/ Stray/ Summer of Soul/ Summit of the Gods
The Film Ramble 