Ladies and gentlemen, the First Annual Awards Radar Awards have come to a close. For part three of this awards series (part one is here and part two is here), we’re handing out our prizes in a multitude of categories. I already revealed my Actor and Actress of year, as well as my Top Ten list. Now, you’ll find out my picks for Best Director, Best Animated Feature, and so on. Consider this a bow on 2020. I know I’m not alone when I say bring on 2021, so let’s get this started. Look for more discussion of these winners on an upcoming Awards Radar podcast episode, but right now, it’s time to hand out some prizes…
Without further adieu, the full list of the First Annual Awards Radar Awards is here. Behold:
Best Picture

The King of Staten Island
Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Runner Up
Promising Young Woman – Winner
Spontaneous
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Way Back
Best Director
Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman – Winner
David Fincher for Mank – Runner Up
Eliza Hittman for Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Spike Lee for Da 5 Bloods
Rod Lurie for The Outpost
Leigh Whannell for The Invisible Man
Best Actor
Ben Affleck for The Way Back – Winner
Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Runner Up
Bruce Dern for The Artist’s Wife
Anthony Hopkins for The Father
Delroy Lindo for Da 5 Bloods
Best Actress
Zoey Deutch for Buffaloed
Sidney Flanigan for Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Winner
Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman
Cristin Milioti for Palm Springs
Elisabeth Moss for The Invisible Man
Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman – Runner Up
Best Supporting Actor

Yahya Abdul Mateen II for The Trial of the Chicago 7
Bill Burr for The King of Staten Island
Caleb Landry Jones for The Outpost
Bill Murray for On the Rocks – Runner Up
Mark Rylance for The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Winner
J.K. Simmons for Palm Springs
Best Supporting Actress
Judy Greer for Buffaloed
Zoe Kazan for The Kindness of Strangers
Liana Liberato for Banana Split
Talia Ryder for Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Winner
Sadie Scott for Crshd
Amanda Seyfried for Mank – Runner Up
Best Adapted Screenplay
i’m thinking of ending things (Charlie Kaufman)
The Mauritanian (Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani)
Nomadland (Chloe Zhao)
One Night in Miami… (Kemp Powers) – Runner Up
The Outpost (Eric Johnson, Paul Tamasy)
Spontaneous (Brian Duffield) – Winner
Best Original Screenplay
Banana Split (Hannah Marks, Joey Power)
The King of Staten Island (Judd Apatow, Pete Davidson, Dave Sirus)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman) – Runner Up
Palm Springs (Andy Siara)
Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell) – Winner
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin)
Best Ensemble

Da 5 Bloods
The King of Staten Island
Mank
One Night in Miami… – Runner Up
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Winner
Best Animated Feature
Onward – Runner Up
Over the Moon
Scoob!
Soul – Winner
The Willoughbys
Wolfwalkers
Best Documentary Feature
Boys State
Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You – Winner
Dick Johnson is Dead
Jimmy Carter: Rock n’ Roll President
Totally Under Control
The Way I See It – Runner Up
Best International Feature
Another Round – Runner Up
Asia
Bacurau – Winner
The Life Ahead
The Whistlers
Zombi Child
Best Production Design
Birds of Prey
i’m thinking of ending things
Mank – Winner
The Midnight Sky
The Outpost
Tenet – Runner Up
Best Cinematography
Da 5 Bloods – Runner Up
Mank – Winner
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland
The Outpost
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Costume Design
Ammonite
Da 5 Bloods
Mank – Winner
The Outpost
The Prom – Runner Up
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Film Editing
Mank
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
The Outpost
Promising Young Woman
Tenet – Winner
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Runner Up
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Birds of Prey
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Winner
Da 5 Bloods
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Possessor – Runner Up
Best Sound
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
The Outpost
Soul
Sound of Metal – Runner Up
Tenet – Winner
Best Original Score
Mank – Runner Up
Soul – Winner
Tenet
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Way Back
Wendy
Best Original Song
All Together Now (Feels Like Home) – Winner
Eurovision Song Contest (Jaja Ding Dong)
Miss Americana (Only the Young) – Runner Up
The Outpost (Everybody’s Cries)
The Prom (Wear Your Crown)
Promising Young Woman (Come and Play With Me)
Best Visual Effects
The Invisible Man
Mank
The Midnight Sky – Runner Up
Mulan
Tenet – Winner
Wonder Woman 1984
Congratulations to all of the winners of the First Annual Awards Radar Awards!
Well, well, well… if it isn’t Mister Lone Director. In a way, these awards have a leg up on the Oscars because I know for absolute certain that 100% of the ‘voters’ have actually seen 300+ films this year. Its nice to know that these picks actually reflect what most of 2020 in film has to offer, even if it is only one person’s opinion.
Anyways, I was counting on you to get that Caleb Landry Jones nod in there, and you didn’t disappoint. The Sidney Flanigan win was expected but excellent; the Talia Ryder win was not expected yet equally excellent. Reznor and Ross getting the win AND runner-up in Original Score is quite amusing, and I’ll certainly take those two runner-up mentions for One Night in Miami. Without any amount of snark (which I will reserve for the Tenet wins in certain categories), I’m not sure I understand where the Visual Effects nod for Mank comes from, and I’m curious what the rationale is there. Overall, very good picks.
Thanks! Mank in Visual Effects was mostly due to a dearth of quality contenders and my assumption that it being Fincher, there’s some subtle effects work in the background.
After getting to that point in the techs where The Outpost was getting nominated for absolutely everything (9 nominations!!!) I was just a little surprised to see Mank and Mulan get in over it. I wondered if that was maybe a result of that one helicopter near the end looking a little suspect.
Believe it or not, I didn’t plan it that way. The Outpost just kind of over-performed, deservedly so.
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