Emmy Award Nominations List 2016

Here is the official list of nominations for the Emmy Awards 2016. As expected  Game of Thrones leads the field, with shows like House of Cards, Homeland, Silicon Valley and The Night Manager also being predictably honored.

Best Drama

The Americans (FX)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Mr. Robot (USA)
Best Comedy

black-ish (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)
Modern Family (ABC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
Best Limited Series

American Crime (ABC)
Fargo (FX)
The Night Manager (AMC)
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX)
Roots (History)
Best Actor, Drama

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Best Actress, Drama

Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best Actor, Comedy

Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy, Shameless
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Best Actress, Comedy

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Laurie Metcalf, Getting On
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie

Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Idris Elba, Luther
Cuba Gooding Jr., The People v. O.J. Simpson
Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson

Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie

Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson
Lili Taylor, American Crime
Kerry Washington, Confirmation

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Louie Anderson, Baskets
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Matt Walsh, Veep
Tony Hale, Veep

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Niecy Nash, Getting On
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Judith Light, Transparent
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
Anna Chlumsky, Veep

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Constance Zimmer, UnREAL

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jesse Plemons, Fargo
Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo
Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
Sterling K. Brown, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
David Schwimmer, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
John Travolta, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Melissa Leo, All the Way
Regina King, American Crime
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel
Jean Smart, Fargo
Olivia Colman, The Night Manager

Best TV Movie

A Very Murray Christmas
All the Way
Confirmation
Luther
Sherlock

Best Variety Talk Series

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Cordon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Best Variety Sketch Series

Documentary Now
Drunk History
Inside Amy Schumer
Key & Peele
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live

Best Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice

Best Host for a Reality or Reality Competition

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night
Steve Harvey, Little Big Shots
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway
RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Ghostbusters Review

The Plot

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Abby Yates (Mellissa McCarthy), nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and subway worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

The Good

Director Paul Feig manages to pull off one of the most controversial franchise reboots of recent years, giving Ghostbusters a worthy update. With cameos from original cast members scattered throughout, and a worthy succession in the form of four brilliantly funny actresses. Kristen Wiig holds the film up as the films central protagonist, Erin Gilbert who, after discovering her book on the existence of ghosts is being sold online, reunites with her co-writer (McCarthy) and soon finds herself hunting down and catching the real thing! The entire cast mixes in well with Paul Feig and Katy Dippold’s consistently funny script. However, the stand-out performance undoubtedly comes from Kate McKinnon as the wacky Holtzmann. The SNL alumni manages to steal every scene she appears in and then some.

The story is simple enough with another ghost invasion threatening Manhattan. While it’s not a complete rehash of the 1984 original, it will certainly bring memories flooding back. What’s most satisfying is the four central Ghostbusters, but, without a doubt the most surprising performance comes from Chris Hemsworth who manages to bring a shocking amount of belly laughs as ditzy receptionist Kevin. Whether he’s discussing his brilliantly named cat or just chewing up the scenery in the background as he tries to grab a phone in the fish tank, Hemsworth is a joy to behold in one of his most unique performances yet. Here’s hoping it leads to him dipping his toe in more comedies.

The Bad

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, you’ll no doubt be aware of the controversy surrounding Paul Feig’s decision to gender-swap the Ghostbusters. It’s somewhat disappointing then, to find that, while the film is perfectly entertaining, it will be hard to sway the naysayers. Part of this problem comes from the aforementioned cameos. They start off subtle, with a bust of the late Harold Ramis popping up in a blink or you’ll miss it scene, before constantly ramming it down your throat. It’s especially disheartening when it’s clear that, with just a few tweaks of the script it could have quite easily become a much bigger success. Had less time been spent trying to jolt the audiences memories of the 1984 original and a bit more time spent strengthening the frankly weak villain of the piece it could have convinced the naysayers.

The Ugly Truth

Paul Feig has hopefully kickstarted an updated reboot of the classic franchise, with some great performances, most notably Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth. It’s just a shame to see it stutter a bit.

Review by Johnny Ellis

Finding Dory UK Premiere Pictures

Ellen Degeneres, Dominic West and the creative team behind box office breaking Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory gave the film a colorful London Premiere in Leicester Square today. British aquatic sports stars Rebecca Adlington and Tom Daley were among VIP guess enjoying the latest Disney Pixar slice of underwater movie magic. Check out a full gallery of pictures below from both the UK and recent World premiere events:

Underworld Blood Wars Delayed Till 2017

Underworld: Blood Wars the fifth film in the Underworld franchise had been scheduled to hit cinemas on October 14th this year, but the release has now been delayed until January 6th 2017.

The long gestating sequel will see  lead actress Kate Beckinsale reprise her leather clad role as Vampire heroine Selene. Theo James also returns in a prominent role  having starred in the most recent installment Underworld Awakening. Charles Dance is another familiar face set to return alongside newcomers Bradley James, Tobias Menzies and Lara Pulver.

Blood Wars will be directed by Anna Foerster, who has worked as second unit director on a series of blockbusters, including The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day. The new Underworld movie will mark her debut as a director. A move welcomed by the film’s star Beckinsale.

The previous four films in the Underwold series have hauled in a combined $458 million at the box office alone, with additional DVD and VOD sales boosting the finanical appeal of yet another sequel.

Check out our recent chat below with Beckinsale about returning t the franchise and finally welcoming a female director to the series.

The Neon Demon Review

The Plot

When aspiring model Jesse (Elle Fanning) moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.

The Good

Director Nicolas Winding Refn mixes his art house style with the world of fashion in this dark and disturbing tale of beauty and youth. With Elle Fanning as the main subject, the Drive director has a demanding presence for the films centerpiece and Fanning provides an utterly compelling performance as 16 year old Jesse.

Two of The Neon Demon’s biggest assets come from the tantalising score that harkens back to the electro style of Winding Refn’s previous films, and the fantastically dazzling lighting used throughout. Whether it’s the dark red lighting or the bright white or the elegant use of strobe lighting, it’s difficult to find a shot in the two hour runtime that doesn’t drip with beauty.

The Bad

Unfortunately the score and cinematography aren’t enough to give The Neon Demon much accessibility for general audiences. If you’re not one for art house films but perhaps were won over by Refn’s previous films such as Bronson or Drive, this is much harder to sink your teeth into. While the surface of the film is easy enough to follow, the many directions the plot takes some drastic twists and turns giving it an incredibly uneasy tone. Themes of unspeakable sexual taboos and cannibalism are also thrown in. Such provocative elements could have worked without an elaborate art house facade, but instead they only serve to make the film more unbearable and uncomfortable viewing.

Even then, the story feels far too thin, with the film ultimately feeling more like beauty over substance, which is ironic given the very theme it is attempting to explore. Aside from the overall look and sound of the film, the story never really takes flight, instead moving from scene to scene looking like it’s trying desperately to pay homage to art house styles from obscure films which the majority of the audience will perhaps not even have heard of.

Clocking in at nearly 2 hours, The Neon Demon emits a notion of being long for longevity’s sake. Take away thirty minutes (including the unnecessary addition of Keanu Reeves as a creepy motel owner) and you would still have the exact same film. At the very least you’d have something more economic and watchable. A tighter runtime would at least  have afforded Refn less time to waste on strange scenes of a cougar trashing a motel room.

The Ugly Truth

Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest is a beauty to behold, but it’s story lacks any real interest. Alongside the stunning visuals and fantastic music, The Neon Demon drags out some frankly unsettling sequences without  offering much justification. The films apparent efforts to shock and outsmart audiences will not be welcomed outside of a dedicated art house crowd.

Review by Johnny Ellis