My Emmy Ballot: Supporting Actor & Supporting Actress (Comedy)

N.B. These ballots are based on the official submissions and follow the Emmy rules for nominations (i.e. 10 for Programs, 6 for Actors and 5 for Casting). All ballots are in ranked order, with winners in bold.

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My Emmy Ballot: Casting (Comedy & Drama)

N.B. These ballots are based on the official submissions and follow the Emmy rules for nominations (i.e. 10 for Programs, 6 for Actors and 5 for Casting). All ballots are in ranked order, with winners in bold.

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My Emmy Ballot: Guest Actor & Actress (Drama)

N.B. These ballots are based on the official submissions and follow the Emmy rules for nominations (i.e. 10 for Programs, 6 for Actors and 5 for Casting). All ballots are in ranked order, with winners in bold.

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My Emmy Ballot: Guest Actor & Actress (Comedy)

N.B. These ballots are based on the official submissions and follow the Emmy rules for nominations (i.e. 10 for Programs, 6 for Actors and 5 for Casting). All ballots are in ranked order, with winners in bold.

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NEW TV 2014-2015: Final Report Card

Before I get to the Emmy ballots tomorrow, I wanted to acknowledge some of this season's hot new shows. Once again, it was another solid season for TV debuts, with lots of great options among the Limited Series, Movies, Series and Variety Specials. Here are my final grades and quick thoughts on all the brand new programming I watched:

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It's a Television Invasion!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you an important announcement...it's Emmy season!

Most persons are probably unaware that I have a tumblr site dedicated to TV, called "Mad Man looking for a Good Wife". I started it 3 years ago, but I've been neglecting it as of late. Since television is virtually indistinguishable from film nowadays though, I decided that it would make sense to incorporate it into Film Actually. So the title of this post refers to this special week of purely TV coverage here, as well as the fact that TV is usurping cinema as the more exciting medium for American "filmmaking".

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COMING SOON: Tangerine

One of the biggest stories out of Sundance this year was a little movie called "Tangerine", directed by Sean Baker. This Hollywood-set comedy follows a pair of transgender prostitutes on a mission to find the no-good pimp who's been cheating on one of them. The film garnered strong reviews after its premiere, but what makes it especially intriguing is not the story itself but the way it was shot. In true DIY style, "Tangerine" was shot on the iPhone 5! I don't know about you, but I'm hella excited for this one. It looks like it's gonna be so wild. Check out the raucous trailer below.



Tangerine storms into theaters July 10th.

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HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: The Red Shoes

This week on Hit me with your best shot, we're celebrating the year 1948 with one of that year's best films "The Red Shoes". Directed by the famous directing duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, this tale of the rise and fall of a ballet dancer is a fine pick for the "Best Shot" treatment. Indeed, the bravura filmmaking involved in showcasing the titular ballet offers an endless array of striking images. In it, Moira Shearer also fully justifies the decision to cast a dancer who could act, rather than an actress who can dance. Her movements add that extra touch of emotion to the piece.

But my choice for best shot isn't from this scene. It comes towards the end, when the film delves deep into its central themes during the sad climax.

Click below for my favourite shot...

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Little Accidents

I would watch Elizabeth Banks in anything. She always brings something interesting to every role she plays and is often the best thing about her films. But even another reliably compelling Elizabeth Banks performance couldn't hide the flaws in Sara Colangelo's 2014 indie drama "Little Accidents".

Based on her previous short of the same name, Colangelo sets her film in a small mining town in rural America. The plot begins in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, as a mining accident has claimed the lives of many of its workers, leaving a lone survivor. As the community searches for answers, they place the blame on the big shot executive of the mine for his negligence. Meanwhile, his own family is suffering through heartbreak, as his son goes missing during all the drama. Soon, tensions and suspicions arise, with far-reaching effects on several individuals. A world of lies and deceit threatens to reveal itself and irreparably alter this community forever.

In its first scenes, "Little Accidents" sets up a tantalizing exploration of distrust, class conflict and morality. As the town's inhabitants point fingers at her family, Elizabeth Banks turns in a strong performance as the distraught Diane, mother of the missing boy. As she deals with the grief of an increasingly dire situation, it's fascinating to watch her interact with similarly affected locals. One of those is Owen Briggs, played by Jacob Lofland (clearly the go-to person for such redneck child parts). Briggs is the son of one of the perished victims and he finds himself in a sticky situation that links him to Diane in unfortunate ways. As the secret gradually eats away at his conscience, the film promises a powerful climax as the investigation into the various crimes starts to find answers.

But rather than focus on the psychological intrigue of these various characters, "Little Accidents" decides to stray into unnecessary subplots, the worst of which is a love affair which adds nothing of value. While the film benefits from strong atmospherics, doubling down on bleakness and the stale air of a mining town with few possibilities, the script comes across as unfinished. Still, the film's skilled cast (namely Banks, Lofland and Boyd Holbrook as the surviving miner) manage to fill in the missing pieces with their deeply felt performances. If only they were actually given fully developed character arcs to work with, this could have been a special film indeed. Colangelo displays a good grasp of mood and tone in her direction, but this first screenplay falls way short of the experienced mastery of its talented ensemble.

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HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Magic Mike

For this week's edition of Hit me with your best shot, we looked at one of the biggest films of 2012 - Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike". As we gear up for another round of pecs and buns with this summer's sequel, it was nice to revisit this film to remember how strong it really is. Though its main box office draw was obviously its voyeuristic appeal, the filmmaking is compelling in its own right. Thematically, it provides a good commentary on the "bros before hoes" subculture, accurately depicting both its positive and destructive aspects.

At the heart of the film is the burgeoning friendship between Adam (Alex Pettyfer) and Magic Mike (Channing Tatum). It's a relationship that's adorably announced early in the plot, when the former turns to the latter and says "I think we should be best friends". As a sucker for a good bromance, this instantly drew me in and inevitably influenced my choice for best shot.

Click below for my favourite shot...

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