For the tenth year in a row, Movie Dearest takes a look back and celebrates the year that was with a salute to the best in film, television and the stage with the 2016 Movie Dearest Awards, a.k.a. the "Dearies".
Plus: two new categories for 2016, honoring the Unsung Movie of the Year and Movie Music of the Year!
And the winners are...
Movie of the Year: Moonlight
Justly rewarded with a slew of critic’s prizes (including six
Dorian Awards), a Golden Globe and eight Academy Award nominations, we here at
Movie Dearest are proud to add to the awards haul of
Moonlight, our
Movie of the Year for 2016. Directed by and written for the screen by
Barry Jenkins (based on the play
In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by
Tarell Alvin McCraney), this heartfelt drama puts you inside the skin of its
protagonist; you feel his pain, you share his hope. Trisected into three
distinct slices of his life, this is the story of Chiron (once known as
“Little”, also known as “Black”) and his inner turmoil, about what it
means to be a man, not just a black man but a black gay man as well. In addition to the award winning performances of Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali (as Chrion's mother and father figure, respectively), the film stars a trifecta of fine young talent: Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes. Each actor takes on the role of Chiron at different stages of his life, each adding layers to create a seamless characterization that you'll remember long after the moonlight fades.
– KH
Man of the Year: Ryan Reynolds
We've long been fans of Ryan for his obvious good looks, but there has
always been more going on beneath the Canadian actor's yummy exterior
(which, thankfully, he has never been reluctant to display sans
clothing). He rose from humble beginnings on soap operas and the sitcom
Two Guys and a Girl to movie hits such as
National Lampoon's Van Wilder and
The Proposal, and he survived the somewhat underrated but big-budget 2011 flop
Green Lantern. 2016, however, saw him don another superhero's tights to both critical acclaim and spectacular global box office.
Deadpool
proved to be Reynolds' perfect match in terms of material, maximizing
both his leading man physical prowess and his spectacularly
sarcastic comedic timing. Like most stars, he has endured hits and
misses during his career but has finally come out on top. Way on top. We're talking $750 million and Golden Globe nominations top. We happily salute
Mr. Reynolds, and we hope that he and next year's inevitable sequel
Deadpool 2
will explore more of the title character's bisexual leanings. There is
little question in our mind who will come out on top then. -
CC
Woman of the Year: Kate McKinnon
We’ve had our eye on Kate McKinnon ever since we first saw her on
Logo’s
The Big Gay Sketch Show as Fitzwilliam, the precocious little
English boy who just wanted a vagina. We knew then that anyone who could
come up with that kind of crazy was our kind of gal. It took some time,
but the rest of the world eventually caught up to us, culminating in
quite the busy year in 2016. She won an Emmy for her inspired lunacy on
Saturday Night Live, most virally as both sides of the political
spectrum, Hilary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway. Kate was also nominated
for a Critic’s Choice Award for her scene stealing role as Dr. Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann in the
all-female
Ghostbusters reboot and just won
two Dorian Awards, including
our “Wilde Wit of the Year” prize. As she so memorably sung on
SNL’s
post-election show, “Hallelujah”… for our Woman of the Year.
– KH
New Stars of the Year: Millie Bobby Brown & Royalty Hightower
Those of us who grew up during the 1980's became well-acquainted with
the early works of such directors as Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter
and Joe Dante. This made Netflix's 2016 breakout hit
Stranger Things
that much more relatable and entertaining. While Winona Ryder was a
hoot as the anxiety-ridden, chain-smoking mother of the show's central
character, 12-year old Millie Bobby Brown proved to be its breakout
star. She captivated us as the mysterious, Eggo eating, gender-fluid Eleven. We can't wait for the Halloween premiere of season two, and it was
just announced that she will soon be matching wits with an even scarier
beast than a white-pompadoured Matthew Modine, namely the title
character of the 2019 sequel
Godzilla: King of Monsters! Godzilla and Co. won't know what hit 'em.
Meanwhile, we were equally entranced last year by 11-year old Royalty Hightower. As star of the unusual coming of age drama
The Fits (which tied with
Moonlight
at #3 on our
Reverend's best of 2016 list), Hightower danced, mused,
plotted, convulsed and ultimately walked on air. Somewhat reminiscent
of an African-American
Carrie though not as tragic, thankfully,
her character Toni learns to embrace her inner power even as her dance
teammates go to pieces. All ends well, and Hightower herself has
become a star on the rise in an industry that needs all the color and
diversity it can get. Keep on flying, girl! We can't wait to see what you do next. -
CC
TV Show of the Year: The Real O'Neals
Ever since its debut last spring, this ABC sitcom has been the little
show that could. Inspired by the growing-up years of popular sex columnist
Dan Savage, the O’Neals are a typical Irish Catholic family…
typical as they are as far from that unrealistic picture perfect façade as anyone. While Mom (the
always welcome, always brilliant Martha Plimpton) and Dad (hilarious
everyguy Jay R. Ferguson) are getting a divorce, middle child Kenny
(multi-talented newcomer Noah Galvin) is coming out. From its clever
fantasy interludes to its sweet-but-not-sickly-so themes of acceptance
and growth (both as individuals and as a family), this show is the
Real deal... and
Really funny as well. We were delighted when it was renewed for a second season, one that has proven just as good as the first, and with the added treat of a dreamy boyfriend for Kenny.
The Real O'Neals recently won the Dorian Award for Unsung TV Show of the Year, but we here at
Movie Dearest think it's also the TV Show of the Year.
– KH
Stage Show of the Year: Falsettos
Too many young people believe that if HIV/AIDS isn't actually cured, it
is at least treatable. While those of us old enough to remember the
plague decades of the 1980's-90's are certainly grateful for the medical
advances that have been made, truth is that thousands around the world
are still dying of AIDS. Broadway took many on a time travel trip back
to a time not so long ago when AIDS was a death sentence and LGBTQ
equality was still a pipe dream via a top-notch mounting of the late
William Finn's musical
Falsettos. Originally two separate one-act musicals (
March of the Falsettos and
Falsettoland)
that premiered off-Broadway in 1982 and 1990, respectively, they have
since been merged and pack an even more powerful punch. The 2016
revival boasted a great cast headlined by out actors Andrew Rannells and
Christian Borle plus Broadway powerhouses Stephanie J. Block, Tracie
Thoms and Betsy Wolfe. If you didn't get to see it, never fear: it was
filmed for broadcast on PBS later this year. May
Falsettos always continue to sing! -
CC
Documentary of the Year: Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
Their films have covered such disparate fringe subjects as Tammy Faye
Baker, Heidi Fleiss and Michael Alig, yet Robert Mapplethorpe may be
the most infamous subject yet tackled by documentarians Fenton Bailey
and Randy Barbato. As told in HBO’s Emmy Award nominated
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Mapplethorpe’s photography elicited
just as much conservative revulsion as it did art world accolades. His
evocative, often homoerotic and always black and white photographs –
everything from white lilies to black penises – became even more of a
lightning rod for controversy following his death, but Baily and Barbato
are more concerned with the (messy, exhilarating, short) life of the
artist. Yet rest assured, you’ll get to
Look at the Pictures too in all
their arousing, exciting, outrageous, disturbing glory. –
KH
Foreign Film of the Year: The Handmaiden
By the time a fully-articulated wooden puppet descends from the
ceiling to straddle a geisha-clad young woman while she recites ancient
pornography, you’ll know that this South Korean adaptation of the Sarah
Waters’ lesbian romance novel
Fingersmith is not your typical stuffy
period piece.
Oldboy director Park Chan-wook crafts a hypnotic, twisted
tale of lust and lies, with the powerful, sensual coupling of the
handmaiden of the title (Kim Tae-ri) and the lovely lady (Kim Min-hee)
she was hired to scam at its center. Thematically reminiscent of
Bound
with its crosses and double crosses,
The Handmaiden also matches the
erotic heights of that lesbian classic with its elegant sex scenes.
Plush production designs and lush cinematography only add to this Dorian Award winner's
richness, a feast for the eyes as well as the mind. –
KH
Unsung Film of the Year: Other People
Along with our new Movie Music of the Year category (see below),
we’ve added a new Dearie Award designed to shine a spotlight on a movie
that you may not have seen (or even heard of) but you certainly should.
And there was no shortage of contenders in 2016, with such great
“little” movies as
Sing Street,
The Fits and
Hunt for the Wilderpeople,
but our inaugural winner is…
Other People. Alternately very funny and
very sad (just like life), Jesse Plemons stars as a gay writer who,
while escaping his present day problems, must face old ones when he
moves back in with his family to care for his mom (a brilliant Molly
Shannon), who has terminal cancer. Nominated for four Independent Spirit
Awards, we recommend you fire up your Netflix, gather your people, and
watch
Other People. –
KH
DVD of the Year: Valley of the Dolls
Making a departure from their usually highbrow art house and foreign
fare, The Criterion Collection dipped into the cult classic canon with
their 2016 Blu-ray release of 1967’s camptastic
Valley of the Dolls (as
well as the equally campy but sequel in name only
Beyond the Valley of
the Dolls). Based on the bestselling novel of sex, drugs and scandal by
Jacqueline Susann, the notoriously “so-bad-it’s-good”
Dolls has become
the quintessential show biz cautionary tale, 60’s time capsule and
pseudo-feminist guilty pleasure, with a particular draw for gay men of a
certain age (ahem). Newly restored picture and soundtrack is just the
beginning of the usual treasure trove of Criterion treats on display
here, including new critical essays, interviews, vintage featurettes,
screen tests and previously unseen footage (you’ll be haunted by the
nerve-wracking cackling of Patty Duke at a Castro Theater tribute to her
titled “Sparkle Patty Sparkle!”). As Kim Morgan says here in her video essay
Doll Parts: “This is good shit”. –
KH
Movie Music of the Year: La La Land
From the opening “bop-bop-bop-be-bop” of “Another Day of Sun” to the
closing chords of the bittersweet “Epilogue”, the magical, melancholy
music of
La La Land simply entrances. Composer Justin Hurwitz and
main lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul take inspiration from the classic
tuners of the past (try not to think of Fred and Ginger during the “No, I
won’t fall in love with you” duet “A Lovely Night”) yet create
something new, a cinematic sound that will surely be emulated (and
parodied) in contemporary movie musicals for years to come. Already
Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice Award winners, and with nominations for
Hurwitz’s score and two of the original songs, “City of Stars” and
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”, the trio are poised to take home a
couple of Oscars as well. –
KH
The Neil V. Cohen Award for Campy Film of the Year: Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Our dear departed colleague and friend Neil Cohen was a huge
Ab Fab
fan, so the choice for our award in his honor was an easy one this year
with this long-awaited big screen transfer of the camp classic Britcom.
And it was well worth the wait. Just like its two hedonistic leading
ladies would want it,
Ab Fab: The Movie was big… and big budgeted; we’re
talking on location in Cannes, sweetie darlings! Award worthy couture!
A-list guest stars from Hollywood and the fashion world! John Hamm,
sweetie darling, John Hamm! As their iconic characters Edina Monsoon and
Patsy Stone, Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are as hilariously
over the top as ever, and we wouldn’t want it any other way, because
that’s what makes the fabulous so absolute. –
KH
We hope you enjoyed this year's Dearies and thank you for visiting Movie Dearest in 2016! Here's to 2017...
By Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine, and Kirby Holt, creator and editor of Movie Dearest.
