Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

“Emily in Paris” (Netflix)

“The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)

“The Great” (Hulu)

“Schitt’s Creek” (CBC)

“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)

Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)

Al Pacino (“Hunters”)

Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)

Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”)

Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)

Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix)

Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)

Kate Hudson (“Music”)

Michelle Pfeiffer (“French Exit”)

Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“Emma”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)

Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)

Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)

Gary Oldman (“Mank”)

Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”)

Best Television Series – Drama

“The Crown” (Netflix)

“Lovecraft Country” (HBO Max)

“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus)

“Ozark” (Netflix)

“Ratched” (Netflix)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)

Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

Sarah Paulson (“Ratched”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Bryan Cranston (“Your Honor”)

Jeff Daniels (“The Comey Rule”)

Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”)

Ethan Hawke (“The Good Lord Bird”)

Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)

James Corden (“The Prom”)

Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)

Dev Patel (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”)

Andy Samberg (“Palm Springs”)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

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”)

Best Motion Picture – Drama

“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)

“Mank” (Netflix)

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)

Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

Jared Leto (“The Little Things”)

Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”)

Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

“The Midnight Sky” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat

“Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson

“News of the World” (Universal Pictures) – James Newton Howard

“Mank” (Netflix) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

“Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”)

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)

Elle Fanning (“The Great”)

Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”)

Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

“Normal People” (Hulu/BBC)

“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)

“Small Axe” (Amazon Studios/BBC)

“The Undoing” (HBO)

“Unorthodox” (Netflix)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

John Boyega (“Small Axe”)

Brendan Gleeson (“The Comey Rule”)

Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)

Donald Sutherland (“The Undoing”)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)

“Hamilton” (Walt Disney Pictures)

“Palm Springs” (Neon)

“Music” (Vertical Entertainment)

“The Prom” (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”)

Olivia Colman (“The Father”)

Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”)

Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)

Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Another Round” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

“La Llorona” (Shudder)

“The Life Ahead” (Netflix)

“Minari” (A24)

“Two of Us” (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell – “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Jack Fincher – “Mank” (Netflix)

Aaron Sorkin – “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Chloe Zhao – “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)

Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)

Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)

Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)

Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)

Julia Garner (“Ozark”)

Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Cynthia Nixon (“Ratched”)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.) – H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas

“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Daniel Pemberton, Celeste

There are many reasons why screenwriting is considered the most challenging of all art forms. For one thing, coming up with an idea that is original is a huge road-block because so many movies have been produced – all of them trying new ideas. Trying to surprise the audience is another challenge because the surprise must make sense and be believable. If there is a surprise ending or key moment that is not believable or absurd, then all the good ideas that happened before are ruined, resulting in an angry audience.

The Amazon produced movie “The Lie”, released in 2018, starring Mireille Enos, Peter Sarsgaard and Joey King has a story similar to “Your Honor” – a recent series on Showtime starring Brian Cranston. The idea is, what would any parent do to protect their child if they killed someone – by accident, or temporary insanity? To what lengths would they go to protect their child from dire consequences and a life ruined even before it starts? For most of The Lie, the story was told in an understandable and believable series of events. Unfortunately, in an effort to be extremely different, there is a surprise at the end that is absolutely absurd. All of the action and emotions that happened before, especially with Kayla, played by Joey King and her parents Jay and Rebecca, played by Sarsgaard and Enos – become instantly invalid, once you consider an ending this far fetched. No teenage daughter would ever do something like this and that is why this movie fails immediately.

The majority of people who see this ending are going to think, “give me a break” or “that is just insane”, “this makes no sense”. Anything good that happened before in this film, especially the acting is forgotten – all because another outrageous story idea that never should have been attempted.

The ratings on IMDB of 5.8 and Rotten Tomatoes 44% are low – and I agree with these numbers. Any movie with an ending this ridiculous, should be skipped.