Ladies, gentlemen, and interesting people, welcome to...
The Mackolades are my personal annual film awards, awarded to my favorite (for the most part) movies, performances, and people from all the movies I watched for the first time in 2022, regardless of release year. This is more or less a companion series to Brendan’s Pink Bettes, as most of our movie watching is together. You can see the first and second Mackolades here on my tumblr, now let’s get started on the third!
FAVORITE DRAMA
WINNER: tick, tick...BOOM! (2021) dir. Lin-Manuel Miranda
FINALISTS:
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) dir. James Cameron
Dramarama (2020) dir. Jonathan Wysocki
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) dir. Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan
TÁR (2022) dir. Todd Field
NOMINEES:
The Batman (2022) dir. Matt Reeves
The Godfather (1972) dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Klaus (2019) dir. Sergio Pablos
Pride & Prejudice (2005) dir. Joe Wright
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) dir. Anthony Minghella
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) dir. George Miller
GREAT year for the Favorite Drama category! I knew from the first few minutes of tick, tick...BOOM! that it was winning, but two of the finalists (Dramarama and Everything Everywhere All At Once) gave it a real run for its money. And then TÁR was just impeccable in every way (CATE!!!!!!). Special shoutout to The Godfather for actually living up to the hype and The Batman for being a genuinely good superhero movie. Highly recommend Dramarama in particular to any of my theatre friends that see this.
FAVORITE HORROR
WINNER: The Menu (2022) dir. Mark Mylod
FINALISTS:
All About Evil (2010) dir. Joshua Grannell (aka Peaches Christ)
Nope (2022) dir. Jordan Peele
Pearl (2022) dir. Ti West
Scream (2022) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
NOMINEES:
Arachnophobia (1990) dir. Frank Marshall
Barbarian (2022) dir. Zach Cregger
Fresh (2022) dir. Mimi Cave
Hellraiser (2022) dir. David Bruckner
What Keeps You Alive (2018) dir. Colin Minihan
X (2022) dir. Ti West
GREAT year for horror, too! The Menu is such a fun ride, almost more of a dark comedy than horror. I had a lot more actual scares this year than in 2021, particularly in Nope, Scream, Arachnophobia, and Barbarian.
FAVORITE COMEDY
WINNER: Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021) dir. Josh Greenbaum
FINALISTS:
Do Revenge (2022) dir. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Glass Onion (2022) dir. Rian Johnson
Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) dir. Michael Showalter
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) dir. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
NOMINEES:
Burn After Reading (2008) dir. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Fire Island (2022) dir. Andrew Ahn
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dir. Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris (2022) dir. Anthony Fabian
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) dir. Joel Zwick
See How They Run (2022) dir. Tom George
Hey guess what. It was a great year for comedy, too. Barb & Star is destined to join Romy & Michele and the Tragedy Girls as a pair of gal pals that live in my head for the rest of my life. They’ve had this win sewn up since I first saw the movie in August, but there was still plenty of competition. Do Revenge is probably my unofficial runner up - those twists and turn and goops and gags and outfits!
FAVORITE SERIES
WINNER: Before Trilogy (3/3)
FINALISTS:
The Godfather (3/3)
Hell House, LLC (2/3)
Wong Kar-wai’s Love Trilogy (3/3)
X/Pearl/Maxxxine (2/3)
God, what can I say that hasn’t already been said about Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy? It’s just two people talking, but it’s perfect!
THE THANKS! I HATE IT! AWARD
WINNER: Whiplash (2014) dir. Damien Chazelle
FINALIST: Fall (2022) dir. Scott Mann
This new category is for movies that are good, but I hate them anyway! And there’s no movie that quite fits that bill like Whiplash. What an incredible work that I never wanna see again. Or dwell on for long here.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
WINNER: Halloween Ends (2022) dir. David Gordon Green
FINALISTS:
Brothers (2009) dir. Jim Sheridan
The Invitation (2022) dir. Jessica M. Thompson
Nerve (2016) dir. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman
Uncle Peckerhead (2020) dir. Matthew John Lawrence
NOMINEES:
Fall (2022) dir. Scott Mann
Hatching (2022) dir. Hanna Bergholm
Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) dir. Michael Showalter
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) dir. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
The Lost City (2022) dir. Adam Nee & Aaron Nee
Valentine (2001) dir. Jamie Blanks
After Halloween Kills won Biggest Letdown at last year’s Mackolades, I went into Halloween Ends with rock bottom expectations, but was pleasantly surprised! From the opening scene it showed it was completely different from any Halloween movie that came before it, and I was mostly delighted by what followed. It’s far from the best Halloween, and has some major problems, but it’s leagues ahead of Kills, and that alone win it Biggest Surprise for me.
BIGGEST LETDOWN
WINNER: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) dir. Sam Raimi
I’ve engaged in a fair bit of MCU hate over the last few years, but I’ve held onto the belief that I’d probably enjoy them if I gave them a chance and just didn’t think too hard about it. Well... I guess I was wrong. I really thought I’d like this, the trailers looked interesting and Sam Raimi has a pretty good track record with me. But yeah... Martin Scorsese was right, these are just flashy theme park rides. Absolutely zero substance worth engaging with. What a disappointment, for me and for general culture. Anyway, somehow this was the only movie I watched in 2022 that I went into with expectations that were significantly let down, and I figured I’d give it its own multiverse of mediocrity with the myriad of posters available.
FAVORITE LEAD ACTRESS PERFORMANCE
WINNER: Cate Blanchett, TÁR (2022)
FINALISTS:
Mia Goth, Pearl (2022)
Janelle Monae, Glass Onion (2022)
Keke Palmer, Nope (2022)
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
NOMINEES:
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Sally Field, Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)
Natasha Lyonne, All About Evil (2010)
Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris (2022)
Thandiwe Newton, God’s Country (2022)
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu (2022)
Okay I have to bullet point this one so I can talk about all the finalists.
Cate is THE performance of the year for me. Her take on Lydia Tár is nothing short of amazing - even from the opening scene, with that TED Talk-like scene where she just talks about music for a few minutes, had Brendan and me grabbing each other and whispering in the (otherwise empty) theater about how breathtaking her performance was. I can’t believe I’m giving her lead actress two years in a row (out of three total!) but she really does deserve it.
Brendan and I loved Mia Goth in 2020′s Emma, but she reached new heights in X and, in particular, Pearl. The monologue! The face journey! The everything else! She’s now on the We’ll See Anything She’s In list, and I can’t wait for MaXXXine.
Janelle! I don’t have as much to say for her, but damn she picks projects well! Incredible lady and fantastic performance(s) in Glass Onion.
Keke - #ReleaseTheSpinCut! What a joy.
Okay I adore Michelle Yeoh and if Cate doesn’t win the Oscar I hope it’s hers. Truly wonderful and deserves everything good that’s coming her way right now.
FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTRESS PERFORMANCE
WINNER: Hong Chau, The Menu (2022)
FINALISTS:
Jamie Clayton, Hellraiser (2022)
Courtney Cox, Scream (2022)
Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Brittany Snow, X (2022)
NOMINEES:
Margaret Cho, Fire Island (2022)
Tovah Feldshuh, Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Vanessa Hudgens, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)
Andrea Martin, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Alia Shawkat, Being The Ricardos (2021)
Tandi Wright, Pearl (2022)
Hong Chau is another 2022 addition to the We’ll See Anything She’s In list, and she got an Oscar nom for the other one! Yay! But this is about my favorites, not objectivity, and I prefer her in The Menu. What a treat! I don’t have much to say about the finalists and nominees that wouldn’t require this becoming far too long, so I’m just gonna move on.
FAVORITE ACTOR PERFORMANCE
WINNER: Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
FINALISTS:
Marlon Brando, The Godfather (1972)
Austin Butler, Elvis (2022)
Alton Brown, Elvis (2022)
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
NOMINEES:
Rohan Campbell, Halloween Ends (2022)
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu (2022)
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)
Robin de Jesús, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)
Haley Joel Osment, Sassy Pants (2012)
Conrad Ricamora, Fire Island (2022)
I started watching Little Miss Sunshine for Toni, but I remember it for Paul, particularly the sequence pictured above. Special shoutout to Alton Brown for stealing the show for a scene or two of Elvis (a difficult task when Austin Butler’s Elvis is present!)
THE TONI “SHE HAS THE RANGE” COLLETTE AWARD FOR MULTI-GENRE EXCELLENCE
WINNER: Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)/Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)
FINALISTS:
Jamie Dornan, Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)/Belfast (2021)
Idris Elba, The Dark Tower (2017)/Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)/Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
Jenna Ortega, The Fallout (2021)/Scream (2022)
Tilda Swinton, Burn After Reading (2008)/Constantine (2005)/Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
I mean, Jim Carrey was basically born to play Dr. Robotnik, and when you contrast that with Eternal Sunshine, well, that’s basically what this category is for!
THE CARLY RAE JEPSEN “SHE MAKES MY BLOOD FEEL CARBONATED” AWARD
WINNER: Elaine Stritch, Original Cast Album: Company (1970)
During the Ladies Who Lunch sequence of the Company documentary, I must’ve turned to Brendan at least three times to say “I love being gay” - Elaine’s an icon and a queen and I hate I didn’t get into theatre soon enough to appreciate her while she was alive. (NOTE: If I’d started this category a year earlier, Carol Channing certainly would’ve gotten it for the documentary Larger Than Life, and it felt wrong to not mention that here)
HOTTEST DADDY
WINNER: Russell Crowe, The Nice Guys (2016)
FINALISTS:
George Clooney, Solaris (2002)
Guillermo Diaz, Bros (2022)
Thomas Forbes-Madison, The Lost City (2022)
David Harbour, Violent Night (2022)
NOMINEES:
Daniel Craig, Glass Onion (2022)
Idris Elba, Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
Ethan Hawke, The Black Phone (2022)
Martin Henderson, X (2022)
Peter Sarsgaard, The Batman (2022)
Bradley Whitford, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)
Someone ask me what kind of guys I like. I dare you. I downloaded six entire movies to get enough usable shots of these men - definitely the most work I did for any single category.
Anyway, that’s the 2022 Mackolades! 65 movies honored (or dishonored) from an eligibility pool of 205. Now you know what I love - any recommendations of what to watch in 2023?
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Well, it’s time!
THE 2021 MACKOLADES
For those that don’t know, the Mackolades are my personal awards for the movies that I saw for the first time each calendar year (which makes this sound more long-running than it is, oops). Not just new releases, but anything that was new to me. The full list of eligible films can be found here if you feel like going through over 200 movies, but below are the highlights (for me) and a few of my thoughts.
Favorite Drama:
The Handmaiden (2016) dir. Park Chan-wook
In The Heights (2021) dir. Jon M. Cho
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) dir. Lana
Wachowski
Promising Young Woman (2021) dir. Emerald
Fennell
West Side Story (2021) dir. Steven Spielberg
Drama is the lineup that excites me the most this year. Every one of these movies are Moments for me, they’re all 10/10, I love each one with all my heart. But I’ll be honest, I’ve known In The Heights was winning since I first saw it in theaters in June. The December releases did give it a run for its money in the final inning, though. The Matrix series has always been really important to me, and Resurrections is such a worthy successor to the original. (I know people will say “why are you putting it in Drama?” but what other category could I put it in?? And it’s too good to exclude purely because I don’t have an Action category.) And then West Side Story… I mean come on. Simply flawless. But Heights held on in my heart.
Favorite Horror:
Candyman (2021) dir. Nia DaCosta
Hell House, LLC (2016) dir. Stephen Cognetti
Last Night In Soho (2021) dir. Edgar Wright
Rent-A-Pal (2020) dir. Jon Stevenson
Trick ‘r Treat (2007) dir. Michael Dougherty
This was a good year for me with horror, but not a great one. Last year it was a dead heat between Suspiria (2018) and The Perfection, which are both capital-f Favorites, but this year, it’s kinda like… well I really liked all of these, but they’re not on the level of last year’s frontrunners. That said, I feel good about my choice of Hell House, LLC. I’m usually wary of found-footage horror, but this one delivers. It gave me the best scares of the year, with delicious pacing and plotting, culminating in some true insanity that I cannot recommend enough.
Favorite Comedy:
The Babysitter (2017) dir. McG
The Great Muppet Caper (1981) dir. Jim Henson
Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005) dir. Andy Fickman
Single All The Way (2021) dir. Michael Mayer
Waiting For Guffman (1996) dir. Christopher Guest
Okay. Let’s do comedy. This is, again, a less exciting category for me, because of the shadow of last year’s Mackolades. That one was between five movies that all could’ve won, whereas this one… I could honestly take any of these off and I wouldn’t really miss them. Don’t get me wrong, I loved all of them, but none with the same passion as Romy & Michelle or Muriel’s Wedding or Tragedy Girls. That said, it’s been a very Muppet-y year for us, so it feels right to honor that by giving the Mackolade to The Great Muppet Caper. We reference Diana Rigg’s line “it’s plot exposition, it has to go somewhere” constantly, and that alone gives it a special place in my heart.
Favorite Series:*
Blade (3/3)
The Conjuring Universe (5/8)
Fear Street (3/3)
Friday the 13th (8/12)
Resident Evil (4/6)
Now we’re talking! I randomly bought the whole Resident Evil series on Blu-ray earlier this year, because I could get all six for like… $18? Something like that. And I’d seen the first two already and enjoyed them, so I figured it was a safe bet. And boy, was I right. Brendan magnanimously agreed to watch them with me, and even they ended up somewhat enjoying them. They’re dumb and loud and often incoherent, but they’re even more often fun. Stan Milla Jovovich. I can’t wait to binge these again someday.
Biggest Surprise:
The Associate (1996) dir. Donald Petrie
Hell Fest (2018) dir. Gregory Plotkin
Hellbent (2004) dir. Paul Etheredge
Sorority Row (2009) dir. Stewart Hendler
Zombeavers (2014) dir. Jordan Rubin
We set our expectations to rock bottom before watching Zombeavers, and we ended up having so much fun. There’s not much to say, it’s stupid but it fully knows and embraces it.
Biggest Letdown:
Blade: Trinity (2004) dir. David S. Goyer
Blinded By The Light (2019) dir. Gurinder Chadha
Camp (2003) dir. Todd Graff
Fear Street Part III: 1666 (2021) dir. Leigh Janiak
Halloween Kills (2021) dir. David Gordon Green
We were rooting for you! How could you do this to us???
Favorite Lead Actress Performance:
Cate Blanchett, Nightmare Alley (2021)
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
(2021)
Rebecca Hall, The Night House (2021)
Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix Resurrections
(2021)
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman (2021)
Anya Taylor-Joy, Last Night In Soho (2021)
Rachel Zegler, West Side Story (2021)
This was suuuuch a difficult choice to make. Andra Day, my unofficial runner up, was so incredible, but it boiled down to two things - I can’t remember anything specific about her performance, and it wasn’t nearly as fun as Cate’s. Whereas Cate was eating everything she touched, in such a delightful and delicious way, and her final line, “I’ll live,” delivered through clenched teeth and a nearly-strangled throat, is stamped on my brain.
Favorite Supporting Actress Performance:
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story (2021)
Grace Jones, Vamp (1986)
Olga Merediz, In The Heights (2021)
Sandra Oh, Under The Tuscan Sun (2003)
Daphne Rubin-Vega, In The Heights (2021)
Dianne Wiest, The Associate (1996)
Vanessa Williams, Candyman (2021)
For the first time in Mackolades history…
I’ve been in love with Olga’s performance for months now. Pacienca y Fé has been a top-three favorite showtune of mine for years, and seeing her immortalize it, and herself, was incredible, to say nothing of all the other amazing work she did. But then another musical came along, and with it came a contender. Ariana DeBose danced her way into my heart and I simply couldn’t leave her out. Two show-stopping ladies, and I couldn’t choose between them. And I don’t have to! Because they’re my awards and there are no stakes anyway.
Favorite Actor Performance:
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
(2020)
Christopher Guest, Waiting For Guffman (1996)
Neil Patrick Harris, The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Robin de Jesús, Camp (2003)
Levi Miller, Better Watch Out (2016)
Keanu Reeves, The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Josh Andrés Rivera, West Side Story (2021)
If you’d told me a year ago that my favorite male performance of 2021 would be Chino, I’d have been so confused. But after Ariana, Mr. Rivera is the performance I’ve thought of the most from West Side Story, and easily the male performance I’ve pondered the most from the entire year. From the highs of dancing with Maria at the gym to the lows he sinks to, I’ve not been able to get Chino out of my head.
The Toni “She Has The Range” Collette Award for Multi-Genre Excellence:**
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman (2021)/The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
As the year went on, I got more and more nervous for this category. For a long time the biggest contender was Tom Hanks, for his work in That Thing You Do! and The Terminal, but those just weren’t the types of performances I wanted to recognize with this. And then came an 11th hour release and the balm to my worries. I was browsing the cast list for The Matrix Resurrections and noticed a familiar name, and upon seeing his Candyman credit I finally recognized the familiar face our new Morpheus is wearing, and knew I had our new Collette honoree. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II disappears into both roles, to the point of being virtually unrecognizable if you don’t know to look for him. I hope both movies get the sequel(s) they so richly deserve, so we can see more of both performances. And ugh, I’m so happy I get to give both Candyman and Resurrections a win.
Hottest Daddy:
Richard Gere, Runaway Bride (1999)
Bob Hoskins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Craig T. Nelson, Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Jimmy Smits, In The Heights (2021)
Fred Ward, Big Business (1988)
This was the hardest category to make a final decision for, but it’s also the one I want to talk about least. Pretty men that I want to blow. Do I really need to explain anything?
*Eligibility for Favorite Series/IP:
(# eligible films/# in series) > 0.5
(# in series > 2)
**Criteria for the Collette:
Excellence in two or more movies of vastly
different genres and tones
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I met my 2020 movie-watching goal of seeing 300 new (to me) movies, so I decided it was finally time to start my Golden Elliotts ripoff. Presenting:
THE 2020 MACKOLADES
Overall eligibility is being included in my First Watches of 2020 list on Letterboxd. Criteria for certain special awards can be found at the bottom of this post. All finalists are listed alphabetically, winners are bolded.
Favorite Drama:
Double Indemnity (1944) dir. Billy Wilder
Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig
Parasite (2019) dir. Bong Joon-ho
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma
Titanic (1997) dir. James Cameron
Favorite Horror:
Host (2020) dir. Rob Savage
The Invisible Man (2020) dir. Leigh Whannell
Oculus (2014) dir. Mike Flanagan
The Perfection (2018) dir. Richard Shepard
Suspiria (2018) dir. Luca Guadagnino
Favorite Comedy:
The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) dir. Jon Amiel
Muriel’s Wedding (1994) dir. P.J. Hogan
Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion (1997) dir. David Mirkin
Tragedy Girls (2017) dir. Tyler MacIntyre
Troop Beverly Hills (1989) dir. Jeff Kanew
Favorite Series/IP:*
Alien (5/6)
Child’s Play (6/7)
Halloween (6/11)
Favorite Lead Actress Performance:
Bette Davis, Now Voyager (1942)
Adéle Haenel, Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Noémie Merlant, Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Elizabeth Moss, The Invisible Man (2020)
Margot Robbie, Birds of Prey (2020)
Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma. (2020)
Jennifer Tilly, Seed of Chucky (2004)
Favorite Supporting Actress Performance:
Kathy Bates, Titanic (1997)
Lady Chablis, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
Joan Cusack, Addams Family Values (1993)
Lee Jung-eun, Parasite (2019)
Maureen Stapleton, The Fan (1981)
Tilda Swinton, Suspiria (2018)
Marisa Tomei, My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Favorite Actor Performance:
Christian Bale, Empire of the Sun (1987)
Chris Cooper, Little Women (2019)
Djimon Hounsou, Amistad (1997)
Bill Irwin, Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Chungking Express (1994)
River Phoenix, My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Song Kang-ho, Parasite (2019)
The Toni “She Has The Range” Collette Award for Multi-Genre Excellence:**
Toni Collette, Muriel’s Wedding (1994)/I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)/The Hours (2002)
Hottest Daddy:
Alec Baldwin, It’s Complicated (2009)
Victor Garber, Titanic (1997)
Raúl Juliá, The Addams Family (1991)
Ryan Phillippe, Wish Upon (2017)
*Eligibility for Favorite Series/IP:
(# eligible films/# in series) > 0.5
# in series > 2
**Criteria for the Collette:
Excellence in two or more movies of vastly different genres and tones
In future years this will (probably) go to other performers
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