21st "An Irish Person" FILM Awards RECAP!!

So I've come to an end of another year in cinema and overall this was a good year in cinema and my top films where especially frontloaded with some great and diverse cinema. Moonlight was probably the easy winner for me no matter how much great cinema there was as I just knew I'd love the film as much as I ended up doing. Before I end talking about 2016 I have to post what I consider to be my top 10 films of the year in terms of their ranking.

01. Moonlight
02. O.J. Made in America
03. The Witch
04. Toni Erdmann
05. American Honey
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Jackie
08. Kubo and the Two Strings
09. Embrace of the Serpent
10. A Bigger Splash

For all those who even took time to read any of these posts I appreciate it because as a massive fan of cinema with each new film I see I want them all to be fantastic and while most of them don't end up being that i don't mind because there's something special about cinema which is why it has lasted for so long as a genre. Below is my recap of the nominations and wins received by films from this year. Goodbye to all and I'll see you again in 2017 to celebrate the best of 2017 in cinema. 

13 nominations: Moonlight
8 nominations: The Witch
7 nominations: The Handmaiden, Jackie
6 nominations: Toni Erdmann
5 nominations: The Lobster
4 nominations: Arrival, A Bigger Splash, Love & Friendship
3 nominations: American Honey, Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, O.J. Made in America, Swiss Army Man
2 nominations: Aquarius, Elle, Embrace of the Serpent, Everbody Wants Some!!, The Red Turtle, Sing Street, Zootopia
1 nomination: 13th, Captain America: Civil War, Captain Fantastic, De Palma, Doctor Strange, The Dressmaker, Hail Caesar!, Hidden Figures, High-Rise, The Jungle Book, Krisha, La La Land, Maggie's Plan, Mountains May Depart, The Neon Demon, Newtown, Only Yesterday, Paterson, Pervert Park, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Silence, Star Trek Beyond

8 wins: Moonlight
3 wins: Jackie
2 wins: The Handmaiden
1 win: Aqarius, Doctor Strange, The Dressmaker, The Lobster, Moana, O.J. Made in America, Toni Erdmann, The Witch

OUTSTANDING PICTURE

American Honey (Produced by Thomas Benski, Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Lucas Ochoa, Pouya Shahbazian & Alice Weinberg)
Moonlight (Produced by Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner & Jeremy Kleiner)
O.J. Made in America (Produced by Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Tamara Rosenberg, Nina Krstic, Deirdre Fenton, Libby Geist, Erin Leyden & Connor Schell)
Toni Erdmann (Produced by Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski & Michael Merkt)
The Witch (Produced by Rodrigo Teixeira, Daniel Bekerman, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond & Jay Van Hoy)

AND THE WINNER IS:

MOONLIGHT (PRODUCED BY ADELE ROMANSKI, DEDE GARDNER & JEREMY KLEINER)

With this win Moonlight tops out at eight wins and thirteen nominations. The film won for picture, director, supporting actor (Rhodes), adapted screenplay, cinematography, ensemble, film editing & sound mixing. The film was also nominated for supporting actor (Ali & Holland), supporting actress (Harris) & sound editing.

MOONLIGHT is just great cinema and that's really all I have left to say after awarding the film so many wins which I feel it richly deserves.

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Adam Driver as Paterson in "PATERSON"
Colin Farrell as David in "THE LOBSTER"
Viggo Mortensen as Ben in "CAPTAIN FANTASTIC"
Peter Simonischek as Winfried Conradi alias Toni Erdmann in "TONI ERDMANN"
Nilbio Torres as Young Karamakate in "EMBRACE OF THE SERPANT"

AND THE WINNER IS:

ADAM DRIVER AS PATERSON IN "PATERSON"

This is the first win and first individual nomination for Adam Driver. He wins for his performance as Paterson in Jim Jarmusch's Paterson and was previously nominated with the ensemble of Frances Ha (2013).

Adam Driver has quickly become of my favourite actors since I first came to know him as the loveable Adam on HBO's Girls. He then took on many supporting roles in some of the my favourite films including Frances Ha and Llwyen Davis. After hitting mainstream with Star Wars last year he is no properly on top and now with his performance in Paterson I hold him at an even higher level. Driver is perfect anchor for a Jarmusch movie being a quiet poetic man in a world of little drama. Driver puts his natural charisma to the test by allowing to the camera to capture his minutiae details of performance. His voiceover also adds to his performance as he makes the many poems his character writes captivating. Driver's work might not have the dramatic shifts I would've expected to be a favourite of mine however the less he does the more he conveys and the more I respect his work. This performance really makes me more excited for what he will do in the decades to follow post Girls and Star Wars.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Sonia Braga as Dona Clara in "AQUARIUS"
Krisha Fairchild as Krisha in "KRISHA"
Sandra Huller as Ines Conradi in "TONI ERDMANN"
Isabelle Hupper as Michèle Leblanc in "ELLE"
Tao Zhao as Shen Tao in "MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART"

AND THE WINNER IS:

SONIA BRAGA AS DONA CLARA IN "AQUARIUS"

This is the first win and nomination for Sonia Braga.

Sonia Braga is an actress so sparcly well used that it makes a bit sad inside however when the time comes when someone gives her work worthy of her talent she blows me away. Over 30 years ago she would've easily won my supporting actress trophey for Kiss of the Spider Woman and now she wins my award for her wonderful turn as Dona in Aquarius. Braga is giving a movie star turn full of confidence and charisma that as soon as she appeared on screen so in control I knew that I was going to love this film so much. Braga's turn is so singular no other actress could've played this role like she has that I consider the minor mentions she received at the end of 2016 criminal as she far outdoes most performances that received best of the year mentions from the various awards groups. If Braga never gets a chance like this again I guess I can't complain as I'll always appreciate someone allowed her to star in this film.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

Maren Ade for Toni Erdmann
Andrea Arnold for American Honey
Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Pablo Larrain for Jackie
Robert Eggers for The Witch

AND THE WINNER IS:

BARRY JENKINS FOR MOONLIGHT

This is the second win and nomination for Barry Jenkins. He also won for his adapted screenplay for Moonlight.

Oh Barry Jenkins why are you so talented and so respectful of cinema in the right way unlike some younger directors who everyone else loves that I just can't support. Jenkins makes Moonlight a film of it's own but also a visual reference that comes across as respect rather than pail recreation. Jenkins shows such a high level of talent with only his second feature that I'm so floored that I hadn't properly appreciated his debut feature all those years ago. Jenkins makes a story separated into three distinct chapters so well sewn that my final word on why he has won by director's prize is BRAVO!!

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE

Mica Levi for Jackie
Justin Hurwitz for La La Land
Nicholas Britell for Moonlight
Laurent Perez Del Mar for The Red Turtle
Andy Hull & Robert McDowell for Swiss Army Man

AND THE WINNER IS:

MICA LEVI FOR JACKIE

This is the second win and nomination for Mica Levi for her original score for Jackie. She previously won for Under the Skin (2014).

I had hoped Mica Levi would be brought in to score many films post her breakthrough with Under the Skin and two years without hearing her notes has been difficult but when I heard the opening bars sitting down to see this film I was while aware this was a Levi score blown away yet again. Sharing similaries to Under the Skin but a completely different approach it's another spine chilling and informing score to the film it is featured in. There seems to be something scary about her work especially the swaying strings of tracks like "Children" and "Intro". Probably the strongest element of Jackie Levi's score digs holes into your mind connecting to the place where you most suffer and visualizing that as you see a character like Jackie Kennedy suffer multiple tradegies in such a immediate period of time.

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG

Moana, "How Far I'll Go" (Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda)
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, "Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song)" (Music and Lyrics by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Michael Woods, Kevin White & Nash Overstreet)
Sing Street, "Drive it Like You Stole It" (Music and Lyrics by Gary Clark)
Sing Street, "To Find You" (Music and Lyrics by Gary Clark)
Zootopia, "Try Everything" (Music and Lyrics by Written by Sia Furler, Tor Erik Hermansen & Mikkel Storleer Eriksen

AND THE WINNER IS:

MOANA, "HOW FAR I'LL GO" (MUSIC AND LYRICS BY LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA)

This is the first win and nomination for Lin-Manuel Miranda.

I'm a sucker for a disney wanting to go further in life song and I knew from the moment I heard the first bars of this song months before the films release that I was going to love this song. Obviously Lin is a multi talented composer that the entire world now knows but it's newcomer Auli'i Cravalho whose passionate vocals who make this song in my estimation up there with the best of wanting to escape female driven ballads. The words resonate and the music buils to create a brillant original song. While I'm mentioning this song I have to give a shout out to the entire song score of Moana which unlike other beloved movie musicals this past year is a list of songs that has no real weak tunes and many of this is thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda.

OUTSTANDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Aquarius (Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho)
Elle (Directed by Paul Verhoeven)
Embrace of the Serpant (Directed by Ciro Guerra)
The Handmaiden (Directed by Chan-wook Park)
Toni Erdmann (Directed by Maren Ade)

AND THE WINNER IS:

TONI ERDMANN (DIRECTED BY MAREN ADE)

I don't know why but this was an exceptionally great year for foreign cinema. Maybe it's because I watch a lot more foreign film or maybe it's the list of films that were produced this year. Whichever I just wanted to make note about how much I was impressed by most of the foreign cinema I saw. Toni Erdmann seemed like it was going to be a struggle prior because of it's massive running time, however when watching the film I completly forgot this state and was blown away by this film achievement. The film is so fun and comedic that I would pleasurable watch the film many times in the future. Ade and her entire team have crafted a film of brillance that the fact it lost to the Palme D'Or earlier in 2016 to I, Daniel Blake still confuses me before and after watching both films. Ade really impresses with Toni Erdmann setting herself apart from many artists and will keep me attached to whatever she decides to do next.

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR

Everbody Wants Some!! (Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Wyatt Russell, Temple Baker, J. Quinton Johnson, Will Brittain, Juston Street)
Hidden Figures (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glen Powell, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge)
Love & Friendship (Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Stephen Fry, Emma Greenwell, Morfydd Clark, James Fleet, Jemma Redgrave, Tom Bennett, Justin Edwards, Jenn Murray, Lochlann O'Mearáin, Sophie Radermacher, Kelly Campbell, Conor MacNeill)
Moonlight (Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali)
The Witch (Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson)

AND THE WINNER IS:

MOONLIGHT

It's not really surprising at this point for me to reward Moonlight with yet another award (it's sixth so far). The ensemble is while not a traditional ensemble winner with me is in no question an example of brillant ensemble casting. Sure there aren't many scenes featuring large casts of characters acting across from one another I appreciate this film for it's multiple casting's of the same characters over 3 particular chapters of the same characters life. The greatest casting achievement is the three actors cast to play Chiron. Neither actor saw their predescors act and their performances all play into one another it's quite an achievement that a fact like this is treated as an afterthought reflection rather then something the film feels the need to call out before watching the film.

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY

13th (Directed by Ava DuVernay)
De Palma (Directed by Noah Baumbach & Jake Paltrow)
Newtown (Directed by Kim A. Snyder)
O.J. Made in America (Directed by Ezra Edelman)
Pervert Park (Directed by Frida Barkfors & Lasse Barkfors)

AND THE WINNER IS:

O.J. MADE IN AMERICA (DIRECTED BY EZRA EDELMAN)

Over 20 years later we are still talking about O.J. and all he did or didn't do on that fatal night in 1994. This documentary unlike the also great limited series from earlier in the year focuses more on O.J.'s place in American History as a black man but also a sympol of celebrity. The documentary is a long in depth look at America's struggle with racisim framed around the life of O.J. who represents the feared man and the guilty man even though he was never punished for the terrible 1994 killings. Edelman deserves a lot of praise for not just calling out O.J. for his bad behaviour but also calling out society in general from both sides as everyone was guilty. It's some great documentary film making that I don't think I'll every forget.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

Ralph Fiennes (A Bigger Splash, Hail Caesar!, Kubo and the Two Strings)
Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women, Jackie, Maggie's Plan, Wiener-Dog)
Isabelle Hupper (Elle, Louder Than Bombs, Things to Come)
Michael Shannon (Elvis and Nixon, Loving, Midnight Special, Nocturnal Animals)
Tilda Swinton (A Bigger Splash, Doctor Strange, Hail Caesar!)

AND THE WINNER IS:

ISABELLE HUPPER (ELLE, LOUDER THAN BOMBS, THINGS TO COME)

Isabelle Huppert has been one of the greatest actress for decades now and to see such a wonderful actress finally get the worldwide appreciation she has always deserved is a sight to behold. Her work in Louder Than Bombs is good but sadly I don't hold much memories of the film as I've seen it so long ago. All I know is she was great as always, however she wins this prize for her two leading performances of the year in Mia Hansen-Løve's Things to Come and Paul Verhoeven's Elle.

First is Things to Come which is such a delighful film experience and Huppert is half the reason for this. Of course Hansen-Løve's direction counts for the film's greatness but like in most of her great work Huppert is able to play roles so real and lived in that you feel like the character she is playing is your best friend. Huppert's Nathalie smiles and enjoys life so much in this that after watching it I wanted to enjoy everything my life as much as she did.

While she's great in Things to Come her great film achievement and nearly my favourite performance of her entire career comes in Elle. Huppert is given a character fully deserving of her intense acting talent and she chews into this role so strong that when the continued horrific acts are being committed to her character you are fully invested because Hupperts performance of the role almost makes it all ok. Huppert says so much in her whole filmography by saying the least amount of words and Elle shows to another level why she is great at accomplishing this.

Isabelle Huppert is now an oscar nominee and the world feels right so I will continue to swim in her expanded notority to the world and watch her career continue to grow if that is even possible.

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Mahershala Ali as Juan in "MOONLIGHT"
Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin in "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP"
Ralph Fiennes as Harry Hawkes in "A BIGGER SPLASH"
Andre Holland as Adult Kevin in "MOONLIGHT"
Trevante Rhodes as Adult Chiron / "Black" in "MOONLIGHT"

AND THE WINNER IS:

TREVANTE RHODES AS ADULT CHIRN / BLACK IN "MOONLIGHT"

This is the first win and nomination for Trevante Rhodes, he wins for his performance as Adult Chiron / Black in Moonlight. He also won the breakthrough/debut prize for his work in Moonlight.

As I said in the breakthrough/debut post (Breakthrough/Debut) Trevante is so brillant in Moonlight. His entire cast is brillant to but there's just something about Rhodes that is better then all of them. He brings both weight and soul to Chiron in the final third of Moonlight it makes you want him to be happier in life so hard but also for him to get everything that sadly a person in his atmosphere will never get.

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Kubo and the Two Strings (Directed by Travis Knight)
Moana (Directed by Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker & Chris Williams)
Only Yesterday (Directed by Isao Takahata)
The Red Turtle (Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit)
Zootopia (Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore & Jared Bush)

AND THE WINNER IS:

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (DIRECTED BY TRAVIS KNIGHT)

This is the first win and nomination for Travis Knight.

Laika studios continues to grow in my estimation. So much craft to their animation and so much care to their story telling Kubo is my estimation the greatest achievement from the young production company so far. Kubo gets so much into my soul on a plot level as a young child dealing with grief and loss so maturely is such a universal story. It also is expertly hand crafted from a visual level with the stop motion animation style in my opinion never looking better. Laika have hit a high with Kubo but they are so good they will continue to make great cinema I just wish it was more frequently.

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH/DEBUT

Tom Bennett (Love & Friendship)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight)
Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake)
Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch)

AND THE WINNER IS:

TREVANTE RHODES (MOONLIGHT)

Most of the cast aside from Ali, Harris and Holland are new to the screen so anyone of them could've been nominated and possibly won this breakthrough category. Rhodes however is one of the most impressive performances of the year and the fact it came from Rhodes a former field sprinter turned actor is both a performance full of insecurity but also great empathy. Rhodes builds on the two prior iterations of Chiron (having not seen them until film screenings) and completes this in the life narrative of Moonlight with quite the satisfying wollope. Rhodes radiats on screen and more then most actors this year who are hailed for great work contains a natural screen persona that pulls you in especially to this Chiron character.

13th "An Irish Person" Music Awards: Part V - FINAL REVIEW

Well it seems fitting to write my final ode to the music of 2015-2016 on the day of music's biggest night. Yes the Grammy Awards are tonight and I'm hoping and thinking that Beyonce is going to dominate like she did with my best of the year in music. I also fear she will not because when it comes to the Grammys they are such weirdo's going for the oddest of choices. Anyway this was a great year in music with heavy hitters like Adele, Beyonce and Frank Ocean releasing truly groundbreaking works of music that the fact they all came during the same year is beyond me because they are arguable the greatest achievements by each of the artists. Below is a quick review of my winners and nominees from this year.

13TH "AN IRISH BOY" MUSIC AWARDS:

OUTSTANDING ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Adele, "25" (Produced by Danger Mouse, Samuel Dixon, Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Linda Perry, Ariel Rechtshaid, Mark Ronson, Shellback, The Smeezingtons, Ryan Tedder)
Beyonce, "Lemonade" (Produced by Beyoncé, Kevin Garrett, Diplo, Ezra Koenig, Jack White, Wynter Gordon, Kevin Cossom, MeLo-X, Danny Boy Styles, Ben Billions, Boots, Mike Dean, Vincent Berry II, James Blake, Jonathan Coffer, Just Blaze, Mike Will Made It, King Henry)
Ellie Goulding, "Delirium" (Produced by Klas Åhlund, Jim Eliot, Carl Falk, Fred Gibson, Calvin Harris, Joe Kearns, Chris Ketley, Anders Kjær, Greg Kurstin, Guy Lawrence, Joel Little, Kristian Lundin, Major Lazer, Max Martin, Jimmy Napes, Ali Payami, Picard Brothers, Laleh Pourkarim, Ilya Salmanzadeh, The Struts, Peter Svensson, Synthomania, Ryan Tedder, Gustaf Thörn, Noel Zancanella)
Frank Ocean, "Blond" (Produced by Frank Ocean, Buddy Ross, Francis Farewell Starlite, James Blake, Jon Brion, Joe Thornalley, Malay, Michael Uzowuru, Om'Mas Keith, Pharrell Williams, Rostam Batmanglij)
Sia, "This is Acting" (Produced by Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin, Kanye West, Jack Antonoff, 88-Keys, Jake Sinclair, T-Minus, Nikhil Seetharam, Chris Braide, Josh Valle, Cameron Deyell, Alan Walker, Oliver Kraus)

OUTSTANDING RECORD OF THE YEAR:
Adele, "Hello" (Produced by Greg Kurstin)
Beyonce, "Formation" (Produced by Mike Will Made It, Beyoncé & A+)
Demi Lovato, "Confident" (Produced by Max Martin & Ilya)
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself" (Produced by Benny Blanco)
Selena Gomez, "Hands 2 Myself" (Produced by Mattman & Robin & Max Martin)

OUTSTANDING SONG OF THE YEAR:
Adele, "Hello" (Written by Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin)
Adele, "When We Were Young" (Written by Adele Adkins & Tobias Jesso Jr.)
Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar, "Freedom" (Written by Jonny Coffer, Beyoncé Knowles, Carla Marie Williams, Dean McIntosh, Kendrick Duckworth, Frank Tirado, Alan Lomax & John Lomax, Sr.)
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself" (Written by Ed Sheeran, Benny Blanco & Justin Bieber)
Sia, "The Greatest" (Written by Sia Furler, Greg Kurstin & Kendrick Duckworth)

OUTSTANDING NEW ARTIST:
Alessia Ciara
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Kelsea Ballerini
Shawn Mendes

OUTSTANDING POP PERFORMANCE:
Adele, "Hello"
Gwen Stefani, "Used to Love You"
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself"
Shawn Mendes, "Mercy"
Sia, "The Greatest"

OUTSTANDING POP ALBUM:
Adele, "25"
Ellie Goulding, "Delirium"
Shawn Mendes, "Illuminate"
Sia, "This is Acting"
Zayn, "Mind of Mine"

OUTSTANDING R&B PERFORMANCE:
Beyonce, "Formation"
Fantasia, "No Time for It"
Frank Ocean, "Nikes"
Janet Jackson, "Unbreakable"
Maxwell, "Lake by the Ocean"

OUTSTANDING R&B ALBUM:
Beyonce, "Lemonade"
Fantasia, "The Definition Of"
Frank Ocean, "Blond"
Janet Jackson, "Unbreakable"
Maxwell, "blackSUMMERS'night"

OUTSTANDING COUNTRY PERFORMANCE:
Beyonce, "Daddy Lessons"
Carrie Underwood, "Heartbeat"
Cyndi Lauper, "Hard Candy Christmas"
Kelsea Ballerini, "Peter Pan"
Tim McGraw, "Damn Country Music", "Humble and Kind"

OUTSTANDING COUNTRY ALBUM:
Carrie Underwood, "Storyteller"
Cyndi Lauper, "Detour"
Kelsea Ballerini, "The First Time"
Tim McGraw, "Damn Country Music"

OUTSTANDING RAP PERFORMANCE:
Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar, "Freedom"
Chance the Rapper, "Angels"
Drake, "One Dance"
Kanye West, "Fade"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Dance Off"

OUTSTANDING RAP ALBUM:
Chance the Rapper, "Coloring Book"
Drake, "Views"
Kanye West, "The Life of Pablo"
Kendrick Lamar, "untitled unmastered"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "This Unruly Mess I've Made"

OUTSTANDING MUSIC VIDEO:
Adele, "Hello" (Directed by Xavier Dolan)
Beyonce, "Formation" (Directed by Melina Matsoukas)
Gwen Stefani, "Make Me Like You" (Directed by Sophie Muller)
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself" (Directed by Parris Goebel)
Sia, "The Greatest" (Directed by Sia and Daniel Askill)

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE (FILM, STAGE, TV):
Carter Burwell for Carol
Ramin Djawadi for Game of Thrones
Lin Manuel-Miranda for Hamilton
Max Richter for The Leftovers
Andy Hull & Robert McDowell for Swiss Army Man

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG (FILM, STAGE, TV):
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, "You Stupid Bitch"
Hamilton, "It's Quiet Uptown"
Hamilton, "Wait for It"
Sing Street, "Drive it Like You Stole It"
Zootopia, "Try Everything"

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PERFORMER (FILM, STAGE, TV):
Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Nora Bunch in "CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND"
Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson in "HAMILTON"
Cynthia Erivo as Celie in "THE COLOR PURPLE"
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in "HAMILTON"
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton in "HAMILTON"

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS

Louis Morin for Arrival
Dan DeLeeuw, Daniel Sudick, Russell Earl & Greg Steele for Captain America: Civil War
Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli & Paul Corbould for Doctor Strange
Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones & Dan Lemmon for The Jungle Book
Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean & Brad Schiff for Kubo and the Two Strings

AND THE WINNER IS:

STEPHANE CERETTI, RICHARD BLUFF, VINCENT CIRELLI & PAUL CORBOULD FOR DOCTOR STRANGE

These are the first wins for Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli & Paul Corbould. This is Bluff and Cirelli's first nominations. Corbould was previously nominated for Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Ceretti was previously nominated for Cloud Atlas (2012) & Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

While I might not've outright loved Doctor Strange in no way can I say the special effects were bad. Like the source material comic book the visual drop off the screen. The effects were so mind bending and challenging that while I was never fully invested by the "plot" I couldn't stop looking at the screen as this odd visual superhero look kept moving I was pulled in. Truly great work by this team and probably the best overall visual effects in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING

Bernard Gariépy Strobl & Claude La Haye for Arrival
Jung Gun for The Handmaiden
Johnnie Burn, Ashley Smith & Danny van Spreuwel for The Lobster
David E. Fluhr, Gabriel Guy & Tom Johnson for Moana
Onnalee Blank, Chris David & Chris Giles for Moonlight

AND THE WINNER IS:

ONNALEE BLANK, CHRIS DAVID & CHRIS GILES FOR MOONLIGHT

This is the first win and nomination for Onnalee Blank, Chris David & Chris Giles. They won for their collaboration on Moonlight.

Moonlight is my clear favourite for overall sound design this entire year and the fact the sound is talked about more is beyond me. The Britel score, the Jenkins words and just the overall natural sound of San Francisco all together in creates for such a special type of film creation. This team has done an expert job that I need to bring attention like it hasn't been brought to in 2016 yet.

13th "An Irish Person" Music Awards: Part IV

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PERFORMER (FILM/TV/STAGE):
Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Nora Bunch in "CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND"
Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson in "HAMILTON"
Cynthia Erivo as Celie in "THE COLOR PURPLE"
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in "HAMILTON"
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton in "HAMILTON"

AND THE WINNER IS:

CYNTHIA ERIVO AS CELIE IN "THE COLOR PURPLE"

OUTSTANDING NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Alessia Ciara
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Kelsea Ballerini
Shawn Mendes

AND THE WINNER IS:

CHANCE THE RAPPER

OUTSTANDING RECORD OF THE YEAR:
Adele, "Hello" (Produced by Greg Kurstin)
Beyonce, "Formation" (Produced by Mike Will Made It, Beyoncé & A+)
Demi Lovato, "Confident" (Produced by Max Martin & Ilya)
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself" (Produced by Benny Blanco)
Selena Gomez, "Hands 2 Myself" (Produced by Mattman & Robin & Max Martin)

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE, "FORMATION" (PRODUCED BY MIKE WILL MADE IT, BEYONCE & A+)

OUTSTANDING ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Adele, "25" (Produced by Danger Mouse, Samuel Dixon, Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Linda Perry, Ariel Rechtshaid, Mark Ronson, Shellback, The Smeezingtons, Ryan Tedder)

Beyonce, "Lemonade" (Produced by Beyoncé, Kevin Garrett, Diplo, Ezra Koenig, Jack White, Wynter Gordon, Kevin Cossom, MeLo-X, Danny Boy Styles, Ben Billions, Boots, Mike Dean, Vincent Berry II, James Blake, Jonathan Coffer, Just Blaze, Mike Will Made It, King Henry)

Ellie Goulding, "Delirium" (Produced by Klas Åhlund, Jim Eliot, Carl Falk, Fred Gibson, Calvin Harris, Joe Kearns, Chris Ketley, Anders Kjær, Greg Kurstin, Guy Lawrence, Joel Little, Kristian Lundin, Major Lazer, Max Martin, Jimmy Napes, Ali Payami, Picard Brothers, Laleh Pourkarim, Ilya Salmanzadeh, The Struts, Peter Svensson, Synthomania, Ryan Tedder, Gustaf Thörn, Noel Zancanella)

Frank Ocean, "Blond" (Produced by Frank Ocean, Buddy Ross, Francis Farewell Starlite, James Blake, Jon Brion, Joe Thornalley, Malay, Michael Uzowuru, Om'Mas Keith, Pharrell Williams, Rostam Batmanglij)

Sia, "This is Acting" (Produced by Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin, Kanye West, Jack Antonoff, 88-Keys, Jake Sinclair, T-Minus, Nikhil Seetharam, Chris Braide, Josh Valle, Cameron Deyell, Alan Walker, Oliver Kraus)

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE, "LEMONADE"

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING

Sylvain Bellemare for Arrival
Suk-won Kim for The Handmaiden
Tim Chau, Thomas O'Neil Younkman & Clayton Weber for Kubo and the Two Strings
Joshua Adeniji, Christopher Bonis & Frederick Howard for Moonlight
Russell Gorsky & Brent Kiser for Swiss Army Man

AND THE WINNER IS:

SUK-WON KIM FOR THE HANDMAIDEN

This is the first win and nomination for Suk-won Kim, he wins for his sound work of The Handmaiden.

What can I say about The Handmaiden what hasn't be said before. I just love everything about the production of this film and while my knowledge in sound editing vs. sound mixing is limited I do believe that the editing of this film is spectacular. The sound scale of this film adds to the intensity and sexual experince of our main trio in this mysterious revenge thriller. Truly great work that doesn't make a big deal about it.

OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING

Walter Fasano for A Bigger Splash
Sophie Corra for Love & Friendship
Nat Sanders & Joi McMillon for Moonlight
Bret Granato, Maya Mumma & Ben Sozanski for O.J. Made in America
Louise Ford for The Witch

AND THE WINNER IS:

NAT SANDERS & JOI MCMILLON FOR MOONLIGHT

These are the first wins and nominations for Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon. They win for their extremely expert editing of Moonlight.

Moonlight is the cinematic find of the year, full of wonder and reality in a time where we as a world are going through the hardest of times. For a film clearly broken into three distinct chapters as the film carried on I never felt the shift as the central character of Chiron grew older. This comes down to the editing by Sanders and McMillon, they attach these three chapters so well together that as the characters grow I took it as a natural change and my interest was kept the entire time. An editing really is a high achievement as the film flows through it's distinct movements and it's win with any organisation for editing would be so deserved.

13th "An Irish Person" Music Awards: Part III

OUTSTANDING POP PERFORMANCE:
Adele, "Hello"
Gwen Stefani, "Used to Love You"
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself"
Shawn Mendes, "Mercy"
Sia, "The Greatest"

AND THE WINNER IS:

ADELE, "HELLO"

This is the ninth win and thirtenth nomination for Adele. She previously won for Album: 21 (2011), Record: Someone Like You (2011), Song: Someone Like You (2011), New Arist (2008), Pop Performance: Someone Like You (2011), Pop Album: 21 (2011), 25 (2016) & Original Song: Skyfall (2013). She was also nominated for Song: Chasing Pavements (2008), Pop Performance: Chasing Pavements (2008), Hometown Glory (2009) & Pop Album: 19 (2008).

OUTSTANDING R&B ALBUM:
Beyonce, "Lemonade"
Fantasia, "The Definition Of"
Frank Ocean, "Blond"
Janet Jackson, "Unbreakable"
Maxwell, "blackSUMMERS'night"

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE, "FORMATION"

This is seventh win and twenty-ninth nomination for Beyonce overall. She previously won for Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Record: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Ring the Alarm (2006), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), 7/11 (2015), Formation (2016), R&B Album: B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Country Performance: Daddy Lessons (2016), Freedom (2016) & Music Video: 7/11 (2015). She was also nominated for Album: B'Day (2006), Record: Ring the Alarm (2006), Irreplaceable (2007), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Song: Irreplaceable (2007), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Me, Myself and I (2004), Irreplaceable (2007), R&B Album: 4 (2011) & Musical Performer: Dreamgirls (2007).

OUTSTANDING COUNTRY ALBUM:
Carrie Underwood, "Storyteller"
Cyndi Lauper, "Detour"
Kelsea Ballerini, "The First Time"
Tim McGraw, "Damn Country Music"

AND THE WINNER IS:

CARRIE UNDERWOOD, "STORYTELLER"

This is the eigth win and fifteenth nomination for Carrie Underwood. She previously won for New Artist (2006), Country Performance: Jesus Take the Wheel (2006), Before He Cheats (2007), Last Name (2008), Blown Away (2012), Country Album: Carnival Ride (2008) & Blown Away (2012). She was also nomination for Country Performance: Just a Dream (2009), Temporary Home (2010), Mama's Song (2011), Something in the Water (2014), Heartbeat (2016), Country Album: Some Hearts (2006) & Play On (2010).

OUTSTANDING SONG OF THE YEAR:
Adele, "Hello" (Written by Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin)
Adele, "When We Were Young" (Written by Adele Adkins & Tobias Jesso Jr.)
Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar, "Freedom" (Written by Jonny Coffer, Beyoncé Knowles, Carla Marie Williams, Dean McIntosh, Kendrick Duckworth, Frank Tirado, Alan Lomax & John Lomax, Sr.)
Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself" (Written by Ed Sheeran, Benny Blanco & Justin Bieber)
Sia, "The Greatest" (Written by Sia Furler, Greg Kurstin & Kendrick Duckworth)

AND THE WINNER IS:

SIA, "THE GREATEST" (WRITTEN BY SIA FURLER, GREG KURSTIN & KENDRICK DUCKWORTH)

This is the fourth win and eight nomination for Sia. She previously won for Pop Performance: Chandelier (2014), Pop Album: 1000 Forms of Fear (2014) & Music Video: Chandelier (2014). She was also nominated for Album: 1000 Forms of Fear (2014), Record: Chandelier (2014) & Song: Chandelier (2014) . This is the first win and fifth nomination (including double citation this year) for Greg Kurstin. He was previously nominated for Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (2012), Chadelier (2014) & Song: Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (2012). This is the sixth win and twelveth nomination for Kendrick Lamar. He previously won for Album: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Rap Performance: King Kunta (2015), Freedom (2016), Rap Album: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) & untitled unmastered (2016). He was also nominated for Song: King Kunta (2015), New Artist (2013), Rap Performance: i (2014), Poetic Justice (2013), Rap Album: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2013).

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY

Robbie Ryan for American Honey
Bradford Young for Arrival
Chung-hoon Chung for The Handmaiden
Stéphane Fontaine for Jackie
James Laxton for Moonlight

AND THE WINNER IS:

JAMES LAXTON FOR MOONLIGHT

This is the first win and nomination for James Laxton, he wins for his cinematography of Moonlight.

Moonlight is a film of so much, on a visual level it is probably one of the most beautiful films that I've ever seen. It's so rare not a director of photography accurately captures the different colours of characters skin and usually I'd expect a job this well done by Bradford Young (nominated for Arrival) but seeing a different name responsible for this film's work is so exciting. The way Chiron ages and is filmed is so effortless that I bow down at the feet of Laxton. Truly expert work that hopefully the industry looks at as a whole and starts inplementing because dp's need to do a better job at filming different skin colours as to not make so one note colourful.

13th "An Irish Person" Music Awards: Part II

OUTSTANDING COUNTRY PERFORMANCE:

Beyonce, "Daddy Lessons"

Carrie Underwood, "Heartbeat"

Cyndi Lauper, "Hard Candy Christmas"

Kelsea Ballerini, "Peter Pan"

Tim McGraw, "Humble and Kind"

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE, "DADDY LESSONS"

This is fourteenth win and twenty-sixth nomination for Beyonce overall. She previously won for Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Record: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Ring the Alarm (2006), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), 7/11 (2015), R&B Album: B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014) & Music Video: 7/11 (2015). She was also nominated for Album: B'Day (2006), Record: Ring the Alarm (2006), Irreplaceable (2007), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Song: Irreplaceable (2007), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Me, Myself and I (2004), Irreplaceable (2007), R&B Album: 4 (2011) & Musical Performer: Dreamgirls (2007).

OUTSTANDING R&B PERFORMANCE:
Beyonce, "Formation"

Fantasia, "No Time for It"

Frank Ocean, "Nikes"

Janet Jackson, "Unbreakable"

Maxwell, "Lake by the Ocean"

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE, "FORMATION"

This is fifteenth win and twenty-seventh nomination for Beyonce overall. She previously won for Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Record: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Ring the Alarm (2006), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), 7/11 (2015), R&B Album: B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Country Performance: Daddy Lessons (2016) & Music Video: 7/11 (2015). She was also nominated for Album: B'Day (2006), Record: Ring the Alarm (2006), Irreplaceable (2007), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Song: Irreplaceable (2007), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Me, Myself and I (2004), Irreplaceable (2007), R&B Album: 4 (2011) & Musical Performer: Dreamgirls (2007).

OUTSTANDING R&B ALBUM:

Chance the Rapper, "Coloring Book"

Drake, "Views"

Kanye West, "The Life of Pablo"

Kendrick Lamar, "untitled unmastered"

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "This Unruly Mess I've Made"

AND THE WINNER IS:

KENDRICK LAMAR, "UNTITLED UNMASTERED"

This is fourth win and tenth nomination for Kendrick Lamar. He previously won for Album: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Rap Performance: King Kunta (2015) & Rap Album: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). He was also nominated for Song: King Kunta (2015), New Artist (2013), Rap Performance: i (2014), Poetic Justice (2013), Rap Album: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2013).

OUTSTANDING RAP SONG:

Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar, "Freedom"

Chance the Rapper, "Angels"

Drake, "One Dance"

Kanye West, "Fade"

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Dance Off"

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE FT. KENDRICK LAMAR, "FREEDOM"

This is sixteenth win and twenty-eight nomination for Beyonce overall. She previously won for Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Record: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Ring the Alarm (2006), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), 7/11 (2015), Formation (2016), R&B Album: B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), Beyoncé (2014), Country Performance: Daddy Lessons (2016) & Music Video: 7/11 (2015). She was also nominated for Album: B'Day (2006), Record: Ring the Alarm (2006), Irreplaceable (2007), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Song: Irreplaceable (2007), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2009), Run the World (Girls) (2011), Drunk in Love (2014), R&B Performance: Me, Myself and I (2004), Irreplaceable (2007), R&B Album: 4 (2011) & Musical Performer: Dreamgirls (2007). This is fifth win and eleventh nomination for Kendrick Lamar. He previously won for Album: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Rap Performance: King Kunta (2015) & Rap Album: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) & untitled unmastered (2016). He was also nominated for Song: King Kunta (2015), New Artist (2013), Rap Performance: i (2014), Poetic Justice (2013), Rap Album: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2013).

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Jean Black, Julie Hewitt & Pauletta Lewis-Irwin for Hail Caesar!
Sarai Fiszel, Odile Fourquin & Catherine Leblanc for Jackie
Erin Ayanian Monroe & Shandra Page-Edwards for The Neon Demon
Joel Harlow & Richard Alonzo for Star Trek Beyond
Leslie Devlin, Jason Hamer & Anissa Salazar for Swiss Army Man

AND THE WINNER IS:

SARAI FISZEL, ODILE FOURQUIN & CATHERINE LEBLANC FOR JACKIE

These are the first wins and nomination for Sarai Fiszel, Odile Fourquin & Catherine Leblanc. They win for their makeup / hairstyling work for Jackie.

Jackie Kennedy is easily one of the most iconic women to have ever lived and recreating her look on an actress who might not look exactly like her is a feet when the recreation is especially believable. Portman rocks the iconic hairstyles of Jackie so well and the work this time have done pay homage to Jackie while also making them suit Portman an actress of a different nationality and different period of time. There's also the other designs around Jackie like all the people who helped her through this difficult time and it adds to the impressive feat of hairstyling. There's also some great makeup when for probably the first time in cinema we see the horrific death of JFK, where there's so much blood and guts all over Jackie and her president. Really great work by this team.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN

Production Design by Seong-hie Ryu for The Handmaiden
Production Design by Mark Tildesley; Set Design by Paki Smith for High-Rise
Production Design by Jean Rabasse; Set Design by Véronique Melery for Jackie
Production Design by Jacqueline Abrahams for The Lobster
Production Design by Craig Lathrop; Set Design by Mary Kirkland for The Witch

AND THE WINNER IS:

PRODUCTION DESIGN SEONG-HIE RYU FOR THE HANDMAIDEN

This is the first win and nomination for Seong-hie Ryu, she wins for her production design of The Handmaiden.

There's so much to love about the entire visual creation of The Handmaiden and probably the standout design element is it's production design. There are so many gorgeous rooms and outside locations that these characters walk through and my mouth was just wathering with every new location these characters would visit. The standout of course is the sexual act wooden library that the plot witnesses these explicit acts and the central duo destroy once they've had enough. It's really a wonderful but of design that thankfullu people are noticing like the film in general.

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

Giulia Piersanti for A Bigger Splash
Marion Boyce & Margot Wilson for The Dressmaker
Sang-gyeong Jo for The Handmaiden
Madeline Fontaine for Jackie
Linda Muir for The Witch

AND THE WINNER IS:

MARION BOYCE & MARGOT WILSON FOR THE DRESSMAKER

These are the first wins for Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson for their costume designing in The Dressmaker.

The Dressmaker a movie I've seen so long ago you think I'd forget about every detail of such a small film. I remember the film and unlike many I enjoyed the film for how much it goes there in terms of camp gloriousness. The strongest elements of the film is it's costume design which really isn't surprising considering the name and story of the film. Having these high fashion designs in this small town Australian town every time there is a new outfit is just mouth wathering to see. Especially myself being a fan of costume design the designs in this film a whole lot of fun the duo of Boyce & Wilson doing such good work will have me looking for great future work whether they work together or do it all solo.

13th "An Irish Person" Music Awards: Part I

OUTSTANDING POP ALBUM:

Adele, "25"

Ellie Goulding, "Illuminate"

Sia, "This is Acting"

Zayn, "Mind of Mine"

AND THE WINNER IS:

ADELE, "25"

This is the eigth win and twelveth nomination for Adele. She previously won for Album: 21 (2011), Record: Someone Like You (2011), Song: Someone Like You (2011), New Arist (2008), Pop Performance: Someone Like You (2011), Pop Album: 21 (2011) & Original Song: Skyfall (2013). She was also nominated for Song: Chasing Pavements (2008), Pop Performance: Chasing Pavements (2008), Hometown Glory (2009) & Pop Album: 19 (2008).

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE (FILM/TV/STAGE):

Carter Burwell for Carol

Ramin Djawadi for Game of Thrones

Lin Manuel-Miranda for Hamilto

Max Richter for The Leftovers

Andy Hull & Robert McDowell for Swiss Army Man

AND THE WINNER IS:

CARTER BURWELL FOR CAROL

This is the first win and fourth nomination for Carter Burwell. He was previously nominated for In Bruges (2008), No Country for Old Men (2008) & Where the Wild Things Are (2010).

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG (FILM/TV/STAGE):

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, "You Stupid Bitch"

Hamilton, "It's Quiet Uptown"

Hamilton, "Wait for It"

Sing Street, "Drive it Like You Stole It"

Zootopia, "Try Everything"

AND THE WINNER IS:

HAMILTON, "IT'S QUIET UPTOWN"

This is the second/third nomination for Lin-Manuel Miranda for his composing of "It's Quiet Uptown". He was also nominated for Original Score and Original Song "Wait for It" this year.

OUTSTANDING MUSIC VIDEO:

Adele, "Hello" (Directed by Xavier Dolan)

Beyonce, "Formation" (Directed by Melina Matsoukas)

Gwen Stefani, "Make Me Like You" (Directed by Sophie Muller)

Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself" (Directed by Parris Goebel)

Sia, "The Greatest" (Directed by Sia and Daniel Askill)

AND THE WINNER IS:

BEYONCE, "FORMATION" (DIRECTED BY MELINA MATSOUKAS)

This is the second win and nomination for Melina Matsoukas. She previously won for directing "Bleeding Love" (2008).

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Olivia Colman as Hotel Manager in "THE LOBSTER"
Kate Dickie as Katharine in "THE WITCH"
Naomie Harris as Paula in "MOONLIGHT"
Dakota Johnson as Penelope Lannier in "A BIGGER SPLASH"
Julianne Moore as Georgette in "MAGGIE'S PLAN"

AND THE WINNER IS:

KATE DICKIE AS KATHERINE IN "THE WITCH"

This is the first win and nomination for Kate Dickie for her performance as Katharine in The Witch.

The only impression Kate Dickie has made for me like many is her true to character performance as the mad sister of Catelyn Stark for multiple seasons of the HBO show Game of Thrones. With The Witch I was expecting a wild and outladish performance similar to her turn as Lysa Arryn however I was pleasantly surprise by her more relaxed and tension filled performance. Of course her character descened into madness towards the end of the film but I appreciated the restrain she had throughout most of the film. Of course she was equally as compelling when madness was asked of her which led to my adoration for this performance and how captivated I was. It's rare I see a supporting performance so early in the year and not see anything beat it but I was just so brought in by Dickie and her uniquely formed face which works wonders for her unique talent to both scare and bring you into her devotion.

13th "AN IRISH PERSON" MUSIC Awards ANNOUCEMENT!!!

Yes you guys at the same time I announce what I think is the best in film for 2016 I will also be announcing while on a shorter release window what I consider the best music of 2015-2016. I try to follow the grammy calender and announcing these winners/nominees is a build up to the grammy awards that are going to air Sunday 12th. I really try to open myself to all the music out there and while I don't follow certain genres (i.e. disco, rock, etc) I do feel well informed to say what I think is the best music of the year.

12th "An Irish Boy" Music Awards

Above is what I believed to the best music last year (also on this page is what I awarded the previous 11 years). I will starting on the 4th annoucing 4 sets of winners and nominees every second day as a lead to music's biggest night. See you then and hopefully if you haven't heard any of this music I will nominate you might try to see that music out.

OUTSTANDING ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Screenplay by David Kajganich; Based on La Piscine by Alain Page, A Bigger Splash
Screenplay by Park Chan-wook & Chung Seo-kyung; Based on Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden
Screenplay by Whit Stillman; Based on Lady Susan by Jane Austen, Love & Friendship
Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; Based on In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Moonlight
Screenplay by Jay Cocks & Martin Scorsese; Based on Silence by Shusaku Endo, Silence

AND THE WINNER IS:

SCREENPLAY BY BARRY JENKINS; STORY BY TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY; BASED ON IN MOONLIGHT BLACK BOYS LOOK BLUE BY TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY, MOONLIGHT

These are the first wins for Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney for their screenplay adaptation for Moonlight.

Having never watched or read the McCraney unproduced play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" I was just blown away by to me an original film. Jenkins clearly relates to the story from McCraney and the two together really craft an endlessly beautiful film. Taking the three act structure of the play and transitioning it to the screen can be trickey but each act informs the next creating a stellar stage to screen adaptation.