Exclusive! | TRAINWRECK'D SOCIETY (2011-2021)

The 2021 Trainwreck’d Society Academy Awards [Exclusive]

April 26, 2021 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

I have to start this off with an apology. I had every intention of having this up the morning prior to the Oscars that premiered last night. But, as it always seems to be these days…COVID fucked that up. My wife got her second dose, and it completely wrecked her shit, to say the least. Therefore, I got busy taking care of her and then replacing her for volunteer swim duties the day of the my daughters’ swim meet. So, I guess we are going to make this a day after event, should it continue to go on. With that in mind, let’s begin….

So, I got a wild proverbial hair up my ass and decided that I would like to know what a different sort of Oscar outcome would look like. The Oscars are often criticized. I believe the hashtag this year was #OscarsSoLame. In previous years, it was #OscarsSoWhite. The latter was very appropriate. And it still kind of is, but strides are being taken. Look, I’m not here to defend or debunk the Academy. They vote how they want, and that is just fine. But, I would be lying to myself and all of you fine people if I said that if Oscar nominated films were a genre in themselves, it wouldn’t be my favorite. I’ve always loved the majority of the films that win the big, and small, awards. In will always remember the 1998 Oscars fondly. I fucking hated Titanic. It took 11 Oscars that year. But, like 8 of them they deserved, because it was for technical stuff. But, the performance and writing awards went to films I absolutely loved. As Good As It Gets and Good Will Hunting got exactly what they deserved at a minimum. Although, hindsight showed me that Elliot Smith should have overpowered Celine Dion, but that I wouldn’t have been my thought that at 13, as I was far too chipper of a boy to listen to Elliot Smith, and the internet was new, and I only knew what was on MTV. Elliot was not. Basically what I mean is that with some exceptions, Oscar winning films tend to be some of my favorite films. From Annie Hall to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, to Hustle and Flow and South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut. Many of the films I love and treasure have been at least nominated. Many have not. Sure, the outcomes sometimes suck (Looking at you Green Book), but overall, Oscar movies tend to bring me joy. I enjoy a good old fashion blockbuster as much as the next bruv, but this is where my wheelhouse rests.

So, with that in mind, I decided it would be fun to put together my own Academy. I reached out to many people who have been either featured on TWS, or are associated in some way. Many people didn’t care to opt in, and I get it. It’s not for everyone. But, I did manage to pull together a very respectable and amazing crew of folks who wanted to pitch in. I made a poll, and let the new Trainwreck’d Society Academy of Motion Pictures and Science decide who they thought was the best. And, I have to say, with the actual Oscars event over with, it wasn’t that far off. And I also have to say, we actually did better.

So, before we get into the list, I wanted to let you all know, and pay my thanks, to the TWS Academy. These brave folks took the time out of their busy schedules to become a part of a historic effort on my part, that sort of bombed, but hey, we had fun. So, here is your Academy:

Bill Briles (filmmaker/actor, A Private Dancer in Mom’s Kitchen)
Aimee Lynn Chadwick (actress, Return of the Living Dead 2: Rave to the Grave)
Zed Cutsinger (podcaster, Views From the Vista)
Chris Eaves (filmmaker/writer/bearded hero, Trainwreck’d Society)
Elsa Faith (musician, Soul Distraction)
David Joyner (actor, Barney & Friends)
Myq Kaplan (comedian)
Laura Madsen (publicist/actress, Shooting Clerks)
Kelly Masterson (writer, Snowpiercer)
Honor Nezzo (musician/podcaster, Views From The Vista)
Chad Opitz (comedian)
Bob Saenz (writer, Extracurricular Activities)
Anna Shields (actress/writer, Monstrous)
Jacob Stafford (USAF vet, midwest fashion icon)
Timothy Tanner (actor, At the House of Madness)
Gabriel Theis (filmmaker, The Curse of Professor Zardonicus)
Ron Trembath (duh?)
Craig B. Warmsley (actor, Unchained)
Frank Whaley (actor, Pulp Fiction)
Austin Whiting (USAF vet, Barenaked Ladies enthusiast)

So here they are Folks! A damn good group, if I do say so myself. Hopefully they will return next year, and we will add some folks, should this continue. And again, I apologize for my tardiness. Maybe next year I will include some photos. But, for now, I hope you enjoy what we have for you all. Take care!

******

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

NOMINEES

RIZ AHMED

Sound of Metal

CHADWICK BOSEMAN – WINNER –

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

ANTHONY HOPKINS

The Father

GARY OLDMAN

Mank

STEVEN YEUN

Minari

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

NOMINEES

SACHA BARON COHEN

The Trial of the Chicago 7

DANIEL KALUUYA – WINNER –

Judas and the Black Messiah

LESLIE ODOM, JR.

One Night in Miami…

PAUL RACI

Sound of Metal

LAKEITH STANFIELD

Judas and the Black Messiah

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

NOMINEES

VIOLA DAVIS

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

ANDRA DAY

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

VANESSA KIRBY

Pieces of a Woman

FRANCES MCDORMAND

Nomadland

CAREY MULLIGAN – WINNER –

Promising Young Woman

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

NOMINEES

MARIA BAKALOVA – WINNER –

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

GLENN CLOSE

Hillbilly Elegy

OLIVIA COLMAN

The Father

AMANDA SEYFRIED

Mank

YUH-JUNG YOUN

Minari

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

NOMINEES

ONWARD

Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae

OVER THE MOON

Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou

A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON

Richard Phelan, Will Becher and Paul Kewley

SOUL – WINNER –

Pete Docter and Dana Murray

WOLFWALKERS

Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young and Stéphan Roelants

CINEMATOGRAPHY

NOMINEES

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – WINNER –

Sean Bobbitt

MANK

Erik Messerschmidt

NEWS OF THE WORLD

Dariusz Wolski

NOMADLAND

Joshua James Richards

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Phedon Papamichael

COSTUME DESIGN

NOMINEES

EMMA

Alexandra Byrne

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

WINNER

Ann Roth

MANK

Trish Summerville

MULAN

Bina Daigeler

PINOCCHIO

Massimo Cantini Parrini

DIRECTING

NOMINEES

ANOTHER ROUND

Thomas Vinterberg

MANK

David Fincher

MINARI

Lee Isaac Chung

NOMADLAND

Chloé Zhao

WINNER

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Emerald Fennell

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

NOMINEES

COLLECTIVE

Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana

CRIP CAMP

Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder

THE MOLE AGENT

Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER

Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

WINNER

TIME

Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino and Kellen Quinn

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

NOMINEES

COLETTE

Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION

Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers

WINNER

DO NOT SPLIT

Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook

HUNGER WARD

Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA

Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

FILM EDITING

NOMINEES

THE FATHER

Yorgos Lamprinos

NOMADLAND

Chloé Zhao

WINNER

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Frédéric Thoraval

SOUND OF METAL

Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Alan Baumgarten

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

NOMINEES

ANOTHER ROUND

Denmark

WINNER

BETTER DAYS

Hong Kong

COLLECTIVE

Romania

THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN

Tunisia

QUO VADIS, AIDA?

Bosnia and Herzegovina

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

NOMINEES

EMMA

Marese Langan, Laura Allen and Claudia Stolze

HILLBILLY ELEGY

Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

WINNER

MANK

Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri and Colleen LaBaff

PINOCCHIO

Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli and Francesco Pegoretti

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

NOMINEES

DA 5 BLOODS

Terence Blanchard

MANK

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

MINARI

Emile Mosseri

NEWS OF THE WORLD

James Newton Howard

SOUL

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

WINNER

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

NOMINEES

FIGHT FOR YOU

from Judas and the Black Messiah; Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

HEAR MY VOICE

from The Trial of the Chicago 7; Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite

HUSAVIK

from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga; Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson

IO SÌ (SEEN)

from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se); Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini

SPEAK NOW

from One Night in Miami…; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

WINNER

BEST PICTURE

NOMINEES

THE FATHER

David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers

WINNER

MANK

Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers

MINARI

Christina Oh, Producer

NOMADLAND

Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers

SOUND OF METAL

Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, Producers

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, Producers

PRODUCTION DESIGN

NOMINEES

THE FATHER

Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton

MANK

Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

NEWS OF THE WORLD

Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan

TENET

Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

WINNER

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

NOMINEES

BURROW

Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat

GENIUS LOCI

Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU

Will McCormack and Michael Govier

WINNER* (actually forgot to include this one, so the Academy can have the final say)

OPERA

Erick Oh

YES-PEOPLE

Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

NOMINEES

FEELING THROUGH

Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski

THE LETTER ROOM

Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan

THE PRESENT

Farah Nabulsi and Ossama Bawardi

TWO DISTANT STRANGERS

Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe

WINNER

WHITE EYE

Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

SOUND

NOMINEES

GREYHOUND

Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman

MANK

Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin

NEWS OF THE WORLD

Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett

SOUL

Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker

SOUND OF METAL

Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

WINNER

VISUAL EFFECTS

NOMINEES

LOVE AND MONSTERS

Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt and Brian Cox

THE MIDNIGHT SKY

Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins

MULAN

Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN

Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones and Santiago Colomo Martinez

TENET

Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

WINNER

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

NOMINEES

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad

WINNER

THE FATHER

Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller

NOMADLAND

Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…

Screenplay by Kemp Powers

THE WHITE TIGER

Written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

NOMINEES

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas

WINNER

MINARI

Written by Lee Isaac Chung

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Written by Emerald Fennell

SOUND OF METAL

Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Written by Aaron Sorkin

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Filed under Exclusive!

2021 Oscar Preview with Chris & Ron [Exclusive]

April 24, 2021 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, FOLKS! HEAD ON OVER TO OUR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE AND CAST YOUR VOTE FOR WHO YOU BELIEVE HAD THE BEST PREDICTIONS FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN SOME EXTREMELY AVERAGE PRIZES! ENJOY!

TO VOTE, SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE EVENT PAGE STATING WHO YOU BELIEVE PICKED THE BEST.

******

Introduction from Mr. Eaves:

I will always remember the night the State Lock Down announcements began. It was March 11^th, 2020 and I was at the Rose Garden (Moda Center) in Portland, Oregon. My friend Brice had gifted me a ticket to see Tool with him – a band I have loved since Jr. High but had never found an opportunity to see perform live. An exceedingly kind gesture and one I will always treasure. The show was a mesmerizing spectacle of sound and sight collectively experienced by 20,000 people. A soul shocking juxtaposition slamming right into the coming uncertainty and isolation of the developing pandemic. What would ultimately become a Marathon without mile markers.

The first people to feel the pains of the Lock Down were those who operated our favorite neighborhood establishments. The places we seek out, to hang out, with our friends and family, build comradery and share experiences with each other. Our favorite restaurant, the Friday night movie theater and the local music venue all shuttered their doors. Somethings’ importance is not easily recognized until it is no longer around. How important these neighborhood institutions are to our culture and fueling our humanity.

The first few weeks of the pandemic carried a sense of optimism as we worked to flatten the infection curve. Although, weeks turned into months and waves 2 and 3 began hammering our cities. What we had thought and naively hoped for early on was a quick return to the old world, instead, missed the stealthily acceleration of convenience into our homes. And as the world stayed at home the streaming of content presented an opportunity for most to find moments of escapist entertainment.

We all learned about Tiger King and how Nicolas Cage would star in the film adaptation. Disney+ returned us to a past, and frankly quaint, approach to television, with their crazy notion of releasing a single episode each week. Disney+ dominated the pop culture conversation for weeks on end with The Mandalorian, WandaVision and The Falcon & the Winter Soldier. Warner Brothers decided to release all their Feature Films onto HBO Max at only 14.99 a month without informing their movie creators. And “The Snyder Cut” was finally released digitally after only a small additional 70-million-dollar investment and three years of Twitter outrage. Streaming became the race to acquire new Subscribers at all costs via fracturing content into hundreds of new Fill-In-The-Blank + apps.

Everything is so convenient now. Restaurant food delivered right to your front door. Groceries delivered right to your front door. Pencils and pressure washers delivered right to your front door. A new car delivered and parked right in your driveway. I just refinanced my home via signing all my documents with an E-Signature. And this is such a sorrowful notation for me. In person interactions create empathy. Human contact builds empathy just like a bench press builds muscular strength. Empathy requires practice and work, or it will wither away. Convenience has its cost. And this is coming from an introvert who conceals his anxiety.

If you have made it this far you are probably wondering why I am rambling on like this for an Academy Award Ballet Prediction write up. The Movies are cultural markers. They shine a light on our accomplishments as well as our tragedies. The Movies make us laugh and they make us weep. Movies are wonderful empathy machines. And the medium of theaters is an institution for building empathy through collective experience. A comedy is never as funny as when you watch it with a group of people fueling each other’s enjoyment.

The Theater Experience is like a restaurant or a music hall or a museum or an air show or a dozen other similar places. A place for us to share experience with one another and to experience the humanity within each other’s unique perspectives. These places are our cultural watering holes. While 2020 delivered an overabundance of collective pain and hardships, it also isolated us from one another and allowed for are more devilish instincts to bubble to the surface.

Late showing summer movies are my favorite experience. When the theater house lights come up and everyone starts looking around the auditorium, reading each other’s experiences across their faces. Some people clapping and others laughing. People slowly start to rustle their way towards the lobby. Small groups form up to talk about what they just witnessed. And my absolute favorite feeling – the rush of warm summer air upon my face as we step out of the air-conditioned lobby, the last bits of orange twilight shining above the horizon line. The conversations of the lobby have continued out under the Marquee and then meander their way out into the parking lot. All our social institutions have these similar kinds of experiences.

The theater experience will not be snuffed out by 2020 but it will forever be changed. The prerequisite for an OSCAR qualification is a theatrical release. The 2021 Academy Awards have made the exception for streaming nominations if the film had a planned theatrical release prior to the Lock Down. And as Subscription continues to dominate and watching from home continues to grow, the weight of Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Max’s consolidation of power over the Theatrical Exhibitionists of AMC, Regal, Cinemark and NATO (National Association of Theater Owners) will undoubtedly lead to more changes in how the Academy will operate. The theater will not die but the power of the theater has greatly diminished like an old bulb of a projector.

My goal was not to be a downer on the subject. Chloé Zhao and Nomadland deserve to win big this year! Zhao captures the complexities of humanity without judgment. Chadwick Boseman will win posthumously. Judas and the Black Messiah is a positive kick to the soul and should also win big. Delroy Lindo’s snub for Best Actor is nothing less than outrageous and a front to his craft. A few of the nominated films received limited releases but most found their way onto Premium Streaming VOD Platforms to which like most years most people still did not watch.

Cinema is a medium of storytelling. At one point Movie Palaces sold out 5,000 seat auditoriums each night before television found its way into every home. But what makes the act of Cinema so powerful was the experience of witnessing the spectacle of sight and sound collectively. Without the human interaction, a movie struggles to be more than just flickering light. Of course, a film will still affect you at home, but the reinforcement of the experience will solidify it as part of you. Just like that kind gesture of my friend Brice to see Tool with him. Just like the time Ron, I, Adam, Mike and Tyler all saw the Midnight showing of Inglourious Basterds (2009) at Cinetopia and Mike yelled out “Oh Fuck” after Hitler got blow away (because that is always the correct response after that scene). Or the first date I had with my wife to see The Hangover (2009). Or the time I saw the unforgivable trash heap that was Independence Day 2 (2016) with Adam, Cody, Brett, and Zac. Sharing the misery of that bullshit with those Sirs brought me so much joy. If I had watched Resurgence at home, it would have just been another forgotten memory.

The world is changing. We have been on this path for a while and 2020 simply accelerated its pace. Please keep watching movies. It is okay to watch movies at home. But remember why we watch movies. We watch to experience these emotions with other people. We still want to connect with people. And if the opportunity arises, please support your local theater. I hope to see you in the lobby and want to hear all about what you experienced. Until then – safe journey.

Introduction from Mr. Trembath:

Fuck COVID. Let’s all go the movies (soon?). Also Trial of the Chicago 7 was absolute trash. I recommend the 3 part podcast episode that our friends at The Dollop about Abbie Hoffman. And get vaccinated. NOW.

******

BEST PICTURE

THE FATHER – David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers

MANK – Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers

MINARI – Christina Oh, Producer

NOMADLAND – Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers

SOUND OF METAL – Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, Producers

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, Producers

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

NOMADLAND

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

RIZ AHMED – Sound of Metal

CHADWICK BOSEMAN – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

ANTHONY HOPKINS – The Father

GARY OLDMAN – Mank

STEVEN YEUN – Minari

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

DELROY LINDO – Da 5 Bloods (Write In)

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

CHADWICK BOSEMAN – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

CHADWICK BOSEMAN – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

CHADWICK BOSEMAN – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

SACHA BARON COHEN – The Trial of the Chicago 7

DANIEL KALUUYA – Judas and the Black Messiah

LESLIE ODOM, JR. – One Night in Miami…

PAUL RACI – Sound of Metal

LAKEITH STANFIELD – Judas and the Black Messiah

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

DANIEL KALUUYA – Judas and the Black Messiah

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

DANIEL KALUUYA – Judas and the Black Messiah

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

DANIEL KALUUYA – Judas and the Black Messiah

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

DANIEL KALUUYA – Judas and the Black Messiah

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

VIOLA DAVIS – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

ANDRA DAY – The United States vs. Billie Holiday

VANESSA KIRBY – Pieces of a Woman

FRANCES MCDORMAND – Nomadland

CAREY MULLIGAN – Promising Young Woman

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

ANDRA DAY – The United States vs. Billie Holiday

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

VIOLA DAVIS – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

FRANCES MCDORMAND – Nomadland

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

FRANCES MCDORMAND – Nomadland

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

MARIA BAKALOVA – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

GLENN CLOSE – Hillbilly Elegy

OLIVIA COLMAN – The Father

AMANDA SEYFRIED – Mank

YUH-JUNG YOUN – Minari

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

MARIA BAKALOVA – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

MARIA BAKALOVA – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

AMANDA SEYFRIED – Mank

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MARIA BAKALOVA – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

ONWARD – Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae

OVER THE MOON – Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou

A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON – Richard Phelan, Will Becher and Paul Kewley

SOUL – Pete Docter and Dana Murray

WOLFWALKERS – Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young and Stéphan Roelants

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

SOUL – Pete Docter and Dana Murray

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

SOUL – Pete Docter and Dana Murray

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SOUL – Pete Docter and Dana Murray

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SOUL – Pete Docter and Dana Murray

CINEMATOGRAPHY

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – Sean Bobbitt

MANK – Erik Messerschmidt

NEWS OF THE WORLD – Dariusz Wolski

NOMADLAND – Joshua James Richards

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Phedon Papamichael

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

MANK – Erik Messerschmidt

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – Sean Bobbitt

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MANK – Erik Messerschmidt

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND – Joshua James Richards

COSTUME DESIGN

EMMA – Alexandra Byrne

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Ann Roth

MANK – Trish Summerville

MULAN – Bina Daigeler

PINOCCHIO – Massimo Cantini Parrini

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

MANK – Trish Summerville

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Ann Roth

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MANK – Trish Summerville

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Ann Roth

DIRECTING

ANOTHER ROUND – Thomas Vinterberg

MANK – David Fincher

MINARI – Lee Isaac Chung

NOMADLAND – Chloé Zhao

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Emerald Fennell

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

NOMADLAND – Chloé Zhao

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Emerald Fennell

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND – Chloé Zhao

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND – Chloé Zhao

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

COLLECTIVE – Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana

CRIP CAMP – Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder

THE MOLE AGENT – Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

TIME – Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino and Kellen Quinn

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

CRIP CAMP – Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

COLETTE – Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers

DO NOT SPLIT – Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook

HUNGER WARD – Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA – Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA – Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA – Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA – Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers

FILM EDITING

THE FATHER – Yorgos Lamprinos

NOMADLAND – Chloé Zhao

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Frédéric Thoraval

SOUND OF METAL – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Alan Baumgarten

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

SOUND OF METAL – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

SOUND OF METAL – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SOUND OF METAL – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND – Chloé Zhao

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark

BETTER DAYS – Hong Kong

COLLECTIVE – Romania

THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN – Tunisia

QUO VADIS, AIDA? – Bosnia and Herzegovina

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

EMMA – Marese Langan, Laura Allen and Claudia Stolze

HILLBILLY ELEGY – Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

MANK – Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri and Colleen LaBaff

PINOCCHIO – Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli and Francesco Pegoretti

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

MANK – Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MANK – Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

DA 5 BLOODS – Terence Blanchard

MANK – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

MINARI – Emile Mosseri

NEWS OF THE WORLD – James Newton Howard

SOUL – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

SOUL – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

DA 5 BLOODS – Terence Blanchard

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SOUL – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SOUL – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

FIGHT FOR YOU – from Judas and the Black Messiah; Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

HEAR MY VOICE – from The Trial of the Chicago 7; Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite

HUSAVIK – from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga; Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson

IO SÌ (SEEN) – from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se); Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini

SPEAK NOW – from One Night in Miami…; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

SPEAK NOW – from One Night in Miami…; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

FIGHT FOR YOU – from Judas and the Black Messiah; Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SPEAK NOW – from One Night in Miami…; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SPEAK NOW – from One Night in Miami…; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

PRODUCTION DESIGN

THE FATHER – Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton

MANK – Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

NEWS OF THE WORLD – Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan

TENET – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

TENET – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

TENET – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

MANK – Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

BURROW – Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat

GENIUS LOCI – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU – Will McCormack and Michael Govier

OPERA – Erick Oh

YES-PEOPLE – Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

GENIUS LOCI – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU – Will McCormack and Michael Govier

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

GENIUS LOCI – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

GENIUS LOCI – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

FEELING THROUGH – Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski

THE LETTER ROOM – Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan

THE PRESENT – Farah Nabulsi and Ossama Bawardi

TWO DISTANT STRANGERS – Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe

WHITE EYE – Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

WHITE EYE – Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

FEELING THROUGH – Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

WHITE EYE – Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

FEELING THROUGH – Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski

SOUND

GREYHOUND – Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman

MANK – Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin

NEWS OF THE WORLD – Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett

SOUL – Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker

SOUND OF METAL – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

SOUND OF METAL – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

SOUND OF METAL – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

GREYHOUND – Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

SOUND OF METAL – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

VISUAL EFFECTS

LOVE AND MONSTERS – Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt and Brian Cox

THE MIDNIGHT SKY – Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins

MULAN – Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN – Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones and Santiago Colomo Martinez

TENET – Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

TENET – Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

THE MIDNIGHT SKY – Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

TENET – Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

TENET – Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN – Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad

THE FATHER – Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller

NOMADLAND – Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… – Screenplay by Kemp Powers

THE WHITE TIGER – Written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… – Screenplay by Kemp Powers

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… – Screenplay by Kemp Powers

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… – Screenplay by Kemp Powers

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

NOMADLAND – Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas

MINARI – Written by Lee Isaac Chung

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Written by Emerald Fennell

SOUND OF METAL – Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Written by Aaron Sorkin

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN:

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Written by Emerald Fennell

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Written by Aaron Sorkin

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Films of 2020 Part 2: 25 – 1 [Film]

December 30, 2020 by rontrembathiii 1 Comment

Hello Folks! And welcome to this year’s Top 50 Films list for 2020. Needless to say, as it probably applies to most of you as well….I consumed ALOT of film content this year. In fact, by the time I realized that I was watching so many damn movies (about the time I wrapped up the majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as much as Disney+ would let me anyway) around May, I set 3 goals, 2 of which I came just shy of meeting: The goals were to watch 100 newly released films, 365 films I have never seen, and add 500 entries into my Letterboxd diary for 2020 (to include re-watches, comedy specials, short films, & mini-series such as Tiger King, which I still love).

As of this writing (December 29th) I managed to watch 110 newly released films, 307 films I have never seen, and have added 405 entries into my Letterboxd diary. And while these numbers may change by the end of the year, I have a feeling that I may not be about watch 58 movies in the mere 60 or so hours left in the year. Time doesn’t work in my favor on this one. But alas, I feel like I came pretty close at set of goals that took no real effort on my part and isn’t really worth mentioned. Except that this my site, and I will do as I please. So there you have it. 2020 sucked, but there was some pretty damn good viewing.

And for the task at hand, and the reason some (any?) of you are here, is that 2020 had some pretty amazing new releases. Now, I feel it is only right to clarify that while Trainwreck’d Society is prestigious for many (none?) reasons, we do not follow the traditions of the Oscars. Even pre-pandemic, I was shamefully not seeing many movies in theaters. The majority of my movie viewing is done via streaming services as well as digital screeners. Thus, alot of these films may have actually been made, and in some cases released in outside of the U.S. markets, the year prior or even earlier. In the case of 2020, one film literally goes all the way back to 2012 (what a year!).

The reason for this disclaimer is basically because of just that. 2020 was a year that we all (should have) stayed home and watched movies in the discomfort of our own house. Thus, there were several films released digitally that very well could have not even seen the light of day if the demand for streaming content and shit to watch in our own domiciles wasn’t in such demand. Thus, many of the films listed below were actually credited on sites such as IMDb as being released in 2019, or even later. I believe there is even a 2015 in there.

Alas, it doesn’t matter. Each of these wonderful hand-selected films received a release of some sort in 2020, and more importantly, they are all wonderful. I hope you dig the list as in the time it took to craft it all together, I could have probably watched another film, and would have had to do this whole thing over again.

So Folks, please enjoy Part 2 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Films of 2020!

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25. The Last Blockbuster

Directed by Taylor Morden

Written by Zeke Kamm

Starring Doug Benson, Lauren Lapkus, Samm Levine

24. Da 5 Bloods

Directed by Spike Lee

Written by Spike Lee, Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, & Kevin Willmott

Starring Delroy Lindo, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Clarke Peters

23. Up on the Glass

Directed by Kevin Del Principe

Written by Kevin Del Principe & Nikki Brown

Starring Nikki Brown, Chelsea Kurtz, Chase Fein

22. The Wall of Mexico

Directed by Zachary Cotter & Magdalena Zyzak

Written by Zachary Cotter

Starring Esai Morales, Marisol Sacramento, Carmela Zumbado

21. Una Great Movie

Directed by Jennifer Sharp

Written by Jennifer Sharp

Starring JoNell Kennedy, Numa Perrier, Melissa Pino

20. Quezon’s Game

Directed by Matthew E. Rosen

Written by Janice Y. Perez

Starring Raymond Bagatsing, David Bianco, Rachel Alejandro

19. A Private Dancer in Mom’s Kitchen!

Directed by Bill Briles

Written by Bill Briles

Starring Bill Briles, Aleta Doroudian

18. The Taste of Betel Nut

Directed by Hu Jia

Written by Hu Jia

Starring Bingrui Zhao, Yue Yue, Shen Shi Yu

17. My Hindu Friend

Directed by Hector Babenco

Written by Hector Babenco & Guilherme Moraes Quintella

Starring Willem Dafoe, Maria Fernanda Candido, Barbara Paz

16. The World Without You

Directed by Damon Shalit

Written by Dan Pulick

Starring P.J. Byrne, Radha Mitchell, Lyndie Greenwood

15. Same Boat

Directed by Chris Roberti

Written by Chris Roberti, Josh Itzkowitz, & Mark Leidner

Starring Chris Roberti, Leah Rudick, Katie Hartman

14. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Directed by Charlie Kaufman

Written by Charlie Kaufman

Starring Toni Collette, Jesse Plemmons, Jessie Buckley

13. Drive Me to the End

Directed by Richard Summers-Calvert

Written by Richard Summers-Calvert

Starring Richard Summers-Calvert, Kate Lister, Eve Kathryn Oliver

12. Flint: The Poisoning of an American City

Directed by David Barnhart

Written by David Barnhart

Starring the unjustifiably wronged people of Flint, Michigan

11. Inside the Rain

Directed by Aaron Fisher

Written by Aaron Fisher

Starring Aaron Fisher, Ellen Toland, Rosie Perez

10. Red Rover

Directed by Shane Belcourt

Written by Shane Belcourt & Duane Murray

Starring Kristian Bruun, Cara Gee, Meghan Heffern

9. Limbo

Directed by Mark Young

Written by Mark Young

Starring Richard Riehle, Lucian Charles Collier, Mandela Van Peebles

8. Soundtrack to Sixteen

Directed by Hilary Shakespeare

Written by Hilary Shakespeare & Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare

Starring Scarlett Marshall, James Calloway, Jamal Hadjkura

7. Complacent

Directed by Steven R. Monroe

Written by Steven R. Monroe

Starring Cerina Vincent, Adrienne Barbeau, Kerri Green

6. Call Me Brother

Directed by David Howe

Written by Christina Parrish

Starring Christina Parrish, Andrew Dismukes, G-Su Paek

5. All Joking Aside

Directed by Shannon Kohli

Written by James Pickering

Starring Raylene Harewood, Brian Markinson, Burak Agan

4. Immortal

Directed by Jon Dabach, Tom Colley, Danny Isaacs, & Rob Margolies

Written by Jon Dabach

Starring Samm Levine, Jason Stuart, Robin Bartlett

3. Nobody Knows I’m Here

Directed by Gaspar Antillo

Written by Gaspar Antillo, Josefina Fernandez, & Enrique Videla

Starring Jorge Garcia, Millaray Lobos, Lukas Vergara

2. Escaping Freedom

Directed by Edd Blott

Written by Edd Blott & Patrick D. Green

Starring Patrick D. Green, Kelly Godell, Brian Adrian Koch

1. American Trial: The Eric Garner Story

Directed by Roee Messinger

Written by Roee Messinger

Starring Eric Garner, Esaw Garner, Anthony Altieri

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Films of 2020 Part 1: 50 – 26 [Exclusive]

December 29, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

So Folks, please enjoy Part 1 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Films of 2020!

******

50. Driven

Directed by Glenn Payne

Written by Casey Dillard

Starring: Richard Speight Jr., Casey Dillard, Maddie Ludt

49. Gold Dust

Directed by David Wall

Written by David Wall

Starring David Wall, David Wysocki, Kerry Wall

48. Girl with No Mouth

Directed by Can Evrenol

Written by Can Evrenol

Starring Elif Sevinc, Denizhan Akbaba, Mehmet Yilmaz Ak

47. Human Zoo

Directed by John E. Seymore

Written by John E. Seymore, John Crawford, & Selfin Morose

Starring Robert Carradine, Raw Leiba, Edward Hong

46. The Departure

Directed by Merland Hoxha

Written by Merland Hoxha

Starring Kendall Chappell, Grant Wright Gunderson, Jon Briddell

45. The Tent

Directed by Kyle Couch

Written by Kyle Couch

Starring Tim Kaiser, Shelby Bradley, Kyle Couch

44. Monstrous

Directed by Bruce Wemple

Written by Anna Shields

Starring Anna Shields, Rachel Finninger, Catharine Daddario

43. Expulsion

Directed by Aaron Jackson & Sean C. Stephens

Written by Aaron jackson & Sean C. Stephens

Starring Colton Tapp, Rosalie Fisher, Lar Park-Lincoln

42. Carol of the Bells

Directed by Joey Travolta

Written by J.C. Peterson

Starring RJ Mitte, Andrea F. Friedman, Donna Pescow

41. The Retreat

Directed by Bruce Wemple

Written by Bruce Wemple

Starring Grany Schumacher, Dylan Gunn, Ariella Mastroianni

40. The Half of It

Directed by Alice Wu

Written by Alice Wu

Starring Leah Lewis, Alexxis Lemire, Becky Ann Baker

39. No Such Thing As Monsters

Directed by Stuart Stanton

Written by Stuart Stanton & Karen Elgar

Starring Angel Giuffria, Georgia Crisfield Smith, Michaela Pascoe

38. I’ll Be Around

Directed by Mike Cuenca

Written by Mike Cuenca & Dan Rojay

Starring Sofia Grace, Sarah Lawrence, Jonah Ray

37. Horse Girl

Directed by Jeff Baena

Written by Jeff Baena & Alison Brie

Starring Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, Dendrie Taylor

36. The Dinner Party

Directed by Miles Doleac

Written by Miles Doleac & Michael Donovan Horn

Starring Lindsay Anne Williams, Alli Hart, Kamille McCuin

35. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Directed by Jason Woliner

Written by Jena Friedman, Nina Pedrad, Lee Kern, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham

Starring Maria Bakalova, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rudy Giuliani

34. Love in a Dangerous Time

Directed by Joss Refauvelet

Written by Ryan Willer

Starring Tyler Cole, Christanna Rowader, Kasey Lansdale

33. Goalie

Directed by Adriana Maggs

Written by Adriana Maggs & Jane Maggs

Starring Mark O’Brien, Georgina Reilly, Kevin Pollack

32. Sweet Parents

Directed by David Bly

Written by David Bly & Leah Ruddick

Starring David Bly, Leah Ruddick, Chris Roberti

31. Greatland

Directed by Dana Ziyasheva

Written by Dana Ziyasheva

Starring Arman Darbo, Bill Oberst Jr., Chloe Ray Warmoth

30. Rom Boys: 40 Years of Rad

Directed by Matt Harris

Written by Matt Harris & Susan Brand

Starring John Buultjens, Maximillion Cooper

29. Palm Springs

Directed by Max Barbakow

Written by Andy Siara

Starring Cristin Milioti, Andy Sandberg, Peter Gallagher

28. Magnum Dopus: The Making of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot

Directed by Josh Roush

Written by Josh Roush & Liv Roush

Starring Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Scott Schiaffo

27. Angelfish

Directed by Peter Andrew Lee

Written by Peter Andrew Lee, Luna Del Rosario, Patrick Lee, Ella Mische

Starring Princess Nokia, Jimi Stanton, Rosie Berrido

26. Homewrecker

Directed by Zach Gayne

Written by Zach Gayne, Alex Essoe, & Precious Chong

Starring Alex Essoe, Precious Chong, Kris Siddiqi

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Albums of 2020 Part 2: 25 – 1 [Exclusive]

December 21, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

Well Folks, the year is wrapping up, and I’m certain that I am not alone in my excitement for this sinkhole of a year to be behind us. Of course, the root cause of what has us going so insane is still around, but I dare say we have a bit of hope coming our way in 2021. Hopefully. Maybe not. Who knows.

Anyway, we can all agree that the fucking music in 2020 was plentiful and pretty damn great! Hell, what else did people really have to do? Sure creative spirits could have been diminished for some, but as you can tell with the incredible list we have compiled below, not to all! We have a wonderful batch of albums to share with you all. And this is only part one! Due to the unique circumstances of the dates of Holidays this year, I thought it would be fun to tease you all a bit by releasing one edition on Friday, and the next one on Monday. Oh how we kid around here. I guess this is what stir crazy looks like in a digital blog format.

But in all seriousness Folks, there has been some wonderful music released in 2020. If you followed along our journey in our Top 100 Songs of 2020, you will likely recognize literally every artist on this list. 50 ofolks from our Top 100 Songs are reflected in the full albums below, and they are all incredible. You’re going to love this. So please enjoy part 1 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Albums of 2020!

******

Well, here we are, Folks. Below is what could possibly be my very last end of year list ever. I mean, in digital print format anyway. It has been a wild dozen years, and it has been so much fun bringing these lists to my wonderful reader(s). This top 25 is pretty special because it includes so many of the artists that we have continued to showcase over the years, but there are also so pretty amazing new faces that will surely remain in the zeitgeist of whatever it is I do in the future after Trainwreck’d Society is nothing more than an encyclopedia of cool shit that existed from 2011-2021. Atmosphere, Lotte Kestner, The Sea The Sea, and of course, Blitzen Trapper, are just a few of the artists who have appeared on my lists over the years each and every time they put out a record. And I am not ashamed of this, as they all fucking rule, and I honestly don’t give a single fuck how biased that seems.

Speaking of biased, I actually had to re-edit the original introduction to this thing because I decided to break my own rules, and include Miel’s Tourist Season in the Top Albums list, even though it is technically an EP. I mean, do the rules really even matter anymore? Only megastars are putting out long form albums because they may actually make money from streaming, so fuck it. And this “EP” is hands down one of the best things I have listen to this year, with the exception of the top two albums, including one from our pal Honey Gentry who finally put our her first full length album!

So Folks, it’s been a real damn delight over the years. And if you find yourself looking into the third portion of the Trembath trilogy (whatever that may be), I may be able to provide you with these similar lists. But, until then, please enjoy the final installment of Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 37 1/2 or 50 Albums of the year. Enjoy!

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25. Lee Gallagher & The Hallelujah – L.A. Yesterday

24. Atmosphere – The Day Before Halloween

23. The Furious Seasons – La Fonda

22. Lisa Loeb – A Simple Trick to Happiness

21. Thurston Moore – By the Fire

20. Sunset Canyoneers – Sunset Canyoneers

19. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters

18. Berlin – Strings Attached

17. Car Sea Headrest – Making a Door Less Open

16. Leonard Cohen – Thanks For the Dance

15. Belle and Sebastian – What to Look For In Summer

14. Ciaran Lavery – Plz Stay, BB

13. Megan Thee Stallion – Good News

12. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher

11. Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guilde

10. Juice Wrld – Legends Never Die

9. Lotte Kestner – Covers Vol. 2

8. Bike Thiefs – Leaking

7. John Craigie – Asterik the Universe

6. The Sea Sea – Stumbling Home

5. Mac Miller – Circles

4. Grayson Capps – South Front Street

3. Miel – Tourist Season

2. Blitzen Trapper – Holy Smokes Future Jokes

Honey Gentry – H.G.

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Albums of 2020 Part 1: 50 – 26 [Exclusive]

December 18, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

But in all seriousness Folks, there has been some wonderful music released in 2020. If you followed along our journey in our Top 100 Songs of 2020, you will likely recognize literally every artist on this list. My favorite batch of music this year was technically an EP, so it they won’t be showing up here, but I still implore you all to check out Miel’s Tourist Season, which is incredible. But 50 other folks from our Top 100 Songs are reflected in the full albums below, and they are all incredible. You’re going to love this. So please enjoy part 1 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 50 Albums of 2020!

******

50. Joan Osborne – Trouble and Strife

49. The Jason Daniels Band – Downloads From the Universe

48. Brandy – B7

47. Pearl Jam – Gigaton

46. Kate MacLeod

45. Eels – Earth Dora

44. Felt – Felt 4 U

43. The Kid Laroi – Fuck Love

42. Iron Maiden – Nights of the Dead

41. Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By

40. Ted Russell – Down in the Den

39. Ezra Bell – This Way To Oblivion

38. Lucid Child – My Universe

37. Fleet Foxes – Shore

36. Nick Cave – Idiot Praryer (Nick Cave Alone At Alexandra Palace)

35. Public Enemy – What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?

34. Alestorm – Curse of the Crystal Coconut

33. Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways

32. Open Mike Eagle – Anime, Trauma, and Divorce

31. Ultimate Fakebook – The Preserving Machine

30. Alanis Morissette – Such Pretty Forks in the Road

29. Run The Jewels – RJ4

28. King Ropes – Go Back Where They Came From

27. Bright Eyes – Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was

26. Michael Baker – Salt

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 100 Songs Part 4: 25 – 1 [Exclusive!]

December 10, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

Folks, there really isn’t much I can say that hasn’t already been beaten like a Covid related-dead horse. This year has sucked in so many ways. Even when looking back on the good thing(s) that occurred in November, it still doesn’t quite take away of the sting of what 2020 has left behind. In fact, to acknowledge that there was still so much wonderful content out there in the world of film, television, and music is a pretty sad take in its own right. It just seems that so many of us had a whole lot more time to consume the arts. Which we should always be doing, but when it’s pushed upon you, it’s not nearly as fun.

Well, now that I got that downer ass first part of the introduction out of the way, I do have to admit that, possibly because of having more time, I did manage to listen to some wonderful tunes this year. Although we once again did not showcase nearly as many artists this year as we have in the decade past, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t get the e-mails (looking at all you fine PR folks, thank you). It doesn’t mean that throughout the underground and mainstream media world, there wasn’t an abundance of great songs to check out and enjoy.

This year’s list sees quite a collection of brand new faces, some that only came to the site as near as 2019, and some classic folks who have been regularly showing up on our lists for the last decade, as they never cease to impress. Hell, this year will even include our very first (and probably last) holiday song we have ever had. So Folks, I hope you enjoy the list, and if you find yourself looking for something that you may have missed throughout this insane year, give these folks a listen! You’ll love it. I guard-damned-tee it. Enjoy!

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Here it is Folks! Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 25 Songs of 2020. Some folks that you have seen over the last few days, and even the last few years, as well as some new faces that we are so proud to have entering the TWS zeitgeist. So please enjoy! And be sure to give these folks a listen!

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25. Blitzen Trapper – Don’t Let Me Run

24. Warren G (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – And You Know That

23. Fleet Foxes – Shore

22. Lisa Loeb – Doesn’t It Feel Good

21. YG – FTP

20. Miel – Must Be Fine

19. Tyla Yewah (feat. Post Malone & Tommy Lee) – Tommy Lee

18. Kate MacLeod – The Secret Forest Lament

17. Car Seat Headrest – Can’t Cool Me Down

16. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters

15. Juicy J – Hella Fuckin’ Trauma

14. Bi-Product – Selfish Girl

13. Phoebe Bridgers – Halloween

12. Bike Thiefs – Hockey Dad

11. Juice Wrld – Wishing Well

10. Grayson Capps – Harley Davidson

9. Trae the Truth, T.I., Styles P, Mysonne Ink, Anthony Hamilton, Conway, Krayzie Bone, David Banner & Bun B – Time For Change

8. The Sea The Sea – I’ll Be Loving You

7. Joseph Demaree – Shattered Castles

6. Mac Miller – Circles

5. The Black Tones – The Devil and His Grandmother

4. Steven David McKellar – Don’t Ask Why

3. Blitzen Trapper – Sons and Unwanted Mothers

2. Honey Gentry – Valentine

1. Miel – Tourist Season

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 100 Songs Part 3: 50 – 26 [Exclusive]

December 9, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

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50. The Kid Laroi (feat. Juice Wrld) – Go

49. Lisa Loeb – This Is My Life

48. Ezra Bell – The Joke Was On Me

47. Fleet Foxes – Can I Believe You

46. Ted Russell Kamp – Home Sweet Hollywood

45. Open Mike Eagle – I’m a Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)

44. The Ultimate Fakebook – Sad Soldier

43. Alanis Morissette – Reasons I Drink

42. Run The Jewels – Holy Calamafuck

41. Blitzen Trapper – Dead Billie Jean

40. Brandy – Baby Mama

39. Mac Miller – Good News

38. Atmosphere – She Loves My Not

37. Bradley Wik – I Started Killing Myself Years Ago

36. Passenger – Year on Year, Day by Day

35. Ciaran Lavery – I Was Drunk When I Made The World For You

34. Bright Eyes – Hot Car in the Sun

33. Phoebe Bridgers – DVD Menu

32. Heart Bones – Hurricanes

31. Megan Thee Stallion – B.I.T.C.H.

30. Emerald Comets – Isolation Daydreams

29. Eminem (feat. Juice Wrld) – Godzilla

28. Tom Speight – Dakota

27. Sadistik – Hell is Where the Heart Is

26. Anti Flag (feat. Tom Morello, De’ Wayne, Jalise Della Gary, Jordan Montgomery, – A Dying Plea Vol. 2

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 100 Songs Part 2: 75-51 [Exclusive]

December 8, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

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In Part 2 of our Top 100 Songs of 2020, we have a ferocious blend of new and old school hip hop, so beautiful singer-songwriter tracks, and we even get a bit more metal than we have in the latter years. There are some repeats from yesterday’s, and even a couple within this list alone. Which if you are paying attention, could mean something for the list to come. And as we promised yesterday, the appearance of our first, and probably last, holiday song makes its appearance, courtesy of our dear friend and hilarious comedian Tommy McNamara, who may have actually turned this Grinch heart around on the idea of Christmas music. Or not. He’s just hilarious, and I really loved his Christmas EP.

There you have it, Folks. The first half of the list is out there. I’ll see you all tomorrow for Part 3!

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75. Bowling For Soup (feat. 10k.caash) – Erase Me (Kid Cudi cover)

74. Lucid Child – Dreaming in a Walking Land

73. Miel – Mean Something

72. Kurupt – Ain’t the Same

71. Iron Maiden – Sign of the Cross

70. Juan Tigre – Drama Bomb

69. Article (feat. Mark Boals) – You Run Away

68. Tremendous – Bag of Nails

67. Portugal the Man. & Weird Al Yankovic – Who’s Gonna Stop Me

66. The Furious Seasons – As a Matter of Fact

65. King Ropes – The Danger Zone (Ray Charles cover)

64. Michael Baker – Shed My Skin

63. Honey Gentry – If You Sit Very Still You Can Hear the Sun Move

62. Taylor Swift (feat. Bon Iver) – Exile

61. Lee Gallagher & The Halleluiah – Highway 10

60. Public Enemy – State of the Union (STFU)

59. Felt – Don’t Do Me Like That

58. Iron Maiden – The Evil That Men Do

57. Honey Gentry – The Bell Jar

56. Joseph Demaree – Floating on a Breath

55. John Craigie – Used it All Up

54. Tommy McNamara – That’s What I Know About Christmas

53. Blitzen Trapper – Masonic Temple Microdose #1

52. Bob Dylan – Goodbye Jimmy Reed

51. I’ll Be Holding

Filed under Exclusive!

Trainwreck’d Society’s Top 100 Songs of 2020 Part 1: 100-76 [Exclusive]

December 7, 2020 by rontrembathiii Leave a comment

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In Part 1 of our Top 100 Songs of 2020, we come out the gates hard with some recognizable faces, as well as some less familiar but equally as talented folks. From pirate themed party rock anthems, to 90’s darlings coming back around, to arguably the biggest hit of the summer, there is something for everyone in this first segment. And spoiler alert (sort of) you can bet that there will definitely be some returning faces in the days to come. And if you are a regular reader (Hi Dad!) of the site, you probably won’t have too hard of a time figuring out who they may be. I hope you all enjoy this eclectic mash up of indie folk, alternative rock bangers, and twerk anthems. See you tomorrow!

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