2021 HLS Movie Awards


    Welcome to the HLS Movie Awards! I love doing these post, and will miss doing the weekly nominee lists. I adored the conversations I have had with readers on twitter about their favorite performances and movies of the year. Please never hold back on that I love it! Thank you all so much for helping make the HLS Movie Awards happen, and sending encouraging feedback.
    
    This blog will be awarding the winners in theses categories in this order, Best Stunt Work, Best Film Score, Best Screenplay and Dialogue, Best Cinematography and Visuals, The Streaming Award, Best Actress, Best Actor, and then Best Movie of 2020. Remember to be nominated the film has to have released to the public between January 1st - December 31st 2020. This does not include film festival dates, only when it the movie is released to the public whether that be in theaters or online.

    One last note, if you have enjoyed reading the nominee list and now the awards please share this with your friends as we spread the love of good filmmaking. On to the movies!


Best Stunt Work 

Nominees 

        - Birds of Prey - Director Cathy Yan

        - Extraction - Director Sam Hargrave

        - Guns Akimbo - Director Jason Lei Howden

        - Tenet - Director Christopher Nolan


Winner -  Extraction - Director Sam Hargrave !

    Extraction is a movie that I hope does not get forgotten. It is an action packed incredible piece of film, director Sam Hargraves did an amazing job working with his stunt team and second unit to pull of such a tactically impressive film. We now live in a post John Wick world where the mass audiences have finally woken up and are appreciating what truly great stunt work that happens in films like this. I can't wait to see more from this team!


Best Film Score

Nominees

        - Da 5 Bloods - Composer Terence Blanchard

        - Greyhound - Composer Blake Neely

        - The Invisible Man - Composer Benjamin Wallfisch 

        - Mank - Composer Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor

        - News of the World - Composer James Newton Howard

        - Soul - Composer Jon Batiste, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor

        - Tenet - Composer Ludwig Goransson


Winner - Blake Neely - Greyhound !


    Blake Neely did an outstanding job with this score. This is one of the best "superhero movie" scores of all time, and it is in a movie without super powers. The film score was easily the best part of Greyhound as Blake Neely awoken the gravitas, power, and fear in this film. We would be blessed to see Blake Neely score an actual superhero film.


Best Screenplay and Dialogue

Nominees

        - Another Round

        - The Gentlemen 

        - I'm Thinking of Ending Things

        - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

        - Palm Springs

        - Sound of Metal

        - The Trial of the Chicago 7

        - The Vast of Night


Winner -  Charlie Kaufman - I'm Thinking of Ending Things !


    This movie is HEAVY with dialogue within a simple yet complex plot, of a boy taking a girl home to meet his parents. Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette and David Thewlis all took a firm grasp to their lines and beautifully brought them to life. A shout out to the original book's author Iain Reid is also very necessary here, bravo sir.


Best Cinematography and Visuals

Nominees

        - Archive

        - Another Round

        - Guns Akimbo

        - Mank

        - News of the World

        - Swallow

        - Tenet

        - The Vast of Night


Winner - Christopher Nolan  - Tenet !


    Christopher Nolan is one of the best story tellers through film alive. The complex became simple and the simple became complex in this time twisting visually stunning movie that had people absolutely enthralled watching over and over again. I want to applaud Nolan for the skillfulness of the camera in this movie specifically as it pertains to action. It was masterfully done and it was a giant leap forward for something that was not a strong suit for the director.


Streaming Award

Nominees

        - Amazon Prime

        - Appletv+

        - Disney+

        - HBO Max

        - Hulu

        - Netflix


Winner - Hulu !


    During the year where the world was locked inside, Hulu stepped up as the best streaming service for the highest quality of films. With a 6.57 IMDb average as well as a 27.9 HLS Movie Award rank average per film it was an easy choice. Amazon Prime came in second with 6.49 and 34.9 IMDb score and HLS Movie rank average respectively.


Best Actress

Nominees

        - Haley Bennett - Swallow

        - Olivia Cooke - Sound of Metal

        - Viola Davis - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

        - Riley Keough - The Lodge

        - Wunmi Mosaku - His House

        - Elisabeth Moss - The Invisible Man

        - Elisabeth Moss - Shirley

        - Carey Mulligan - Promising Young Woman

        - Amy Ryan - Lost Girls

        - Amanda Seyfried - Mank


Winner - Viola Davis - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

    Viola Davis is a treasure. An absolutely outstanding actor who is easily one of the best actors acting today. In most roles Viola Davis has a presence that is larger than life an this movie is no exception. The amazing part is her portrayal of that power struggle, Viola and her character are the most powerful people in the room and the portrayal of the power struggle holding the viewer and the managers in line is wonderful.


Best Actor

Nominees

        - Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal

        - Kenneth Branagh - Tenet

        - Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

        - Sope Dirisu - His House

        - Joseph Gordon-Levitt - 7500

        - Hugh Grant - The Gentlemen

        - Hugh Jackman - Bad Education

        - Caleb Landry Jones - The Outpost

        - Delroy Lindo - Da 5 Bloods

        - Mads Mikkelsen - Another Round

        - Gary Oldman - Mank

        - Paul Raci - Sound of Metal


Winner -  Delroy Lindo - Da 5 Bloods

    Talk about a powerful persona, Delroy Lindo IS this movie. Without Delroy Lindo's performance in this movie it falls apart, and no other actor could have given us that performance. Playing every emotion possible all the way to the soul grabbing Shakespearean soliloquy. Delroy Lindo deserves SIGNIFICANTLY more praise than he has received for this role. 


Best Picture

Nominees - This list is going to be different as it counts down the top ten movies in order of 2020

10 - The Outpost

 9  - I'm Thinking of Ending Things

 8  - Promising Young Woman

 7  - First Cow

 6  - Palm Springs

 5  - Trial of the Chicago 7

 4  - Tenet


And the winner of the Best Movie of 2020 is.....

     




Winner - Sound of Metal


    Mank and Another Round deserve recognition for their 3rd and 2nd place finishing respectively. But Sound of Metal was truly from top to bottom the best film of 2020. An absolutely impeccable cast, brilliant directing, and script and storytelling on so many levels that there was no choice but of course to award Sound of Metal as the Best Film of 2020. Darius Marder did positively dazzling work with this film as not only the Director but did amazing work alongside Derek Cianfrance on the story, and with Abraham Marder on the screenplay. There are too many cast members and people that have worked on this movie to name them all, but they all deserve praise. Thank you for this film.



    And thank you all so much for reading! Please be sure to follow me on twitter @HaroldLStokes, and please share with your friends and family across every platform. Looking forward I am hoping the 2022 HLS Movie Awards with have a live stream awards presentation. And if any award winner or their representation want a physical copy of their award please do not hesitate to reach out on twitter and I will happily mail it along! 


Here's to another year of amazing movies !

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