By John H. Foote
Yuh-Jung Youn. Remember that name. Why?
She just might win an Oscar in a few weeks for Minari.
Diversity riled last night at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), taped last Thursday, announced and broadcast last night. Suffice to say there were some jaw dropping moments.
For the first time in the history of the awards, not a single white actor took home an individual award for film.
As expected the late Chadwick Boseman won Best Actor for his seething performance as a raging trumpet player in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
In a shocking upset his co-star, Viola Davis won Best Actress for her brassy turn as Ma, upsetting Carey Mulligan, who was expected to win for her stunning turn in Promising Young Woman.
The aforementioned Yuh-Jung Youn won Best Supporting Actress, and Daniel Kaluuya took Best Supporting Actor for his work in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Considered the guild’s Best Picture, the Best Ensemble Award went to The Trial of the Chicago 7 instead of Nomadland which instantly catapults Aaron Sorkin’s fine legal film into the front runner position for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Wonder Woman 1984 took home the Best Stunt Ensemble.
Though I am not a TV follower I was thrilled that Anya Taylor-Joy triumphed for Best Actress in a Limited Series for The Queen’s Gambit. Well done Miss, may I say a star has been born.
John H. Foote is a well-recognized Canadian film critic/historian who has been an active critic for 30 years. His deep love for the movies began at a very young age. He began his career as co-host of the popular TV show Reel to Real where he remained for nine years. While on TV he began dabbling in education, eventually ascending to Director of the Toronto Film School, where he also taught film history. After leaving the college to care for his wife, he returned to teaching at Humber College where he taught both Film History and Method Acting Theory. John has written two books: “Clint Eastwood – Evolution of a Filmmaker” and the upcoming “Spielberg – American Film Visionary”. He is currently working on two books, one about the films of the seventies and another on the films of Martin Scorsese. Through his career he has worked in TV, radio, print and the web. John has interviewed everyone in the industry (more than 300 interviews) except Jack Nicholson, he says sadly. Highlights include Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow.
