2016 Emmy Dream Nominations

The votes for the Emmy Award nominations are in and the announcement happens tomorrow. Looking over the very long ballot, these would be my dream nominations for the upcoming Emmys. Many of these are long shots but its fun to dream.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

·         Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson [Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]

·         Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates [Bates Motel]

·         Damian Lewis as Bobby ‘Axe’ Axelrod [Billions]

·         Rami Malek as Elliot [Mr. Robot]

·         Jake McDorman as Brian Finch [Limitless]

·         Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill [Better Call Saul]

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

·         Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter [Agent Carter]

·         Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons [Agents of S.H.I.E.l.D.]

·         Tatiana Maslany as Sarah & her 5 clones [Orphan Black]

·         Rose McIver as Olivia Moore [iZombie]

·         Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones [Jessica Jones]

·         Robin Wright as Claire Underwood [House of Cards]

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

·         Aziz Ansari as Dev [Master of None]

·         Jake Johnson as Nick [New Girl]

·         Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger [The Odd Couple]

·         Thomas Middleditch as Richard [Silicon Valley]

·         Andy Samberg as Det. Jake Peralta [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Fred Savage as Stewart Sanderson [The Grinder]

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

·         Zooey Deschanel as Jessica Day [New Girl]

·         Rashida Jones as Angie Tribeca [Angie Tribeca]

·         Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri [The Mindy Project]

·         Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt [Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt]

·         Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer [Veep]

·         Amy Schumer as Amy [Inside Amy Schumer]

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B Johnson [All the Way]

·         Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes [Sherlock]

·         Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro [True Detective]

·         Cuba Gooding Jr. as OJ Simpson [The People vs OJ Simpson]

·         Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine [The Night Manager]

·         Courtney B Vance as Johnnie Cochran [The People vs OJ Simpson]

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Kirsten Dunst as Peggy Blumquist [Fargo]

·         Rachel McAdams as Det. Ani Bezzerides [True Detective]

·         Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark [The People vs OJ Simpson]

·         Kerry Washington as Anita Hill [Confirmation]

·         Kristen Wiig as Sarah Benson [A Deadly Adoption]

·         Kristen Wiig as Dolores DeWinter [The Spoils Before Dying]

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

·         Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut [Better Call Saul]

·         James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis [Agent Carter]

·         Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister [Game of Thrones]

·         Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma [Gotham]

·         David Tennant as Kilgrave [Jessica Jones]

·         Martin Wallstrom as Tyrell [Mr. Robot]

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

·         Uzo Aduba as ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren [Orange is the New Black]

·         Amy Brenneman as ‘Taystee’ Jefferson [Orange is the New Black]

·         Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen [Suits]

·         Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler [Better Call Saul]

·         Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades [Billions]

·         Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan [Scandal]

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

·         Andre Braugher as Cpt. Ray Holt [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy [Modern Family]

·         Bobby Moynihan as Various Characters [SNL]

·         Kumail Nanjiani as Dinesh [Silicon Valley]

·         Paul Rudd as Andy [Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp]

·         Martin Starr as Gilfoyle [Silicon Valley]

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

·         Stephanie Beatriz as Det. Rosa Diaz [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler [The Big Bang Theory]

·         Aidy Bryant as Various characters [SNL]

·         Kate McKinnon as Various Characters [SNL]

·         Amanda Peet as Tina Morris [Togetherness]

·         Cecily Strong as Various Characters [SNL]

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Sterling K Brown as Christopher Darden [The People vs OJ Simpson]

·         Ted Danson as Hank Larsson [Fargo]

·         Hugh Laurie as Richard Roper [The Night Manager]

·         Nick Offerman as Karl Weathers [Fargo]

·         David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian [People vs OJ Simpson]

·         Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan [Fargo]

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

·         Not enough choices for dream nominations

Writing for a Drama Series

·         Forever [Bates Motel]

·         Klick [Better Call Saul]

·         Battle of the Bastards [Game of Thrones]

·         The Litvinov Ruse [Homeland]

·         No Way Out [The Walking Dead]

·         Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster [The X-Files]

Writing for a Comedy Series

·         The Opening Night Excitation [The Big Bang Theory]

·         The Nine-Eight [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         One-Eighty [House of Lies]

·         Parents [Master of None]

·         Phil’s Sexy, Sexy House [Modern Family]

·         The Uptick [Silicon Valley]

Drama Series

·         The Americans

·         Better Call Saul

·         Game of Thrones

·         iZombie

·         Marvel’s Jessica Jones

·         Mr. Robot

Comedy Series

·         Brooklyn Nine-Nine

·         The Grinder

·         The Last Man on Earth

·         Master of None

·         New Girl

·         Silicon Valley

Limited Series

·         Fargo

·         The Night Manager

·         The People vs OJ Simpson

·         The Spoils Before Dying

·         True Detective

The nominations are announced on July 14^th.

Film: Central Intelligence

GENRE: Action, Comedy

RATING: PG-13 for violence, language & some nudity
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 47 minutes

STARRING: Dwayne Johnson (Furious 7, Pain & Gain, WWE)

Kevin Hart (Ride Along, Get Hard), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

DIRECTOR: Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, We’re the Millers)

WRITERS: Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen (Mindy Project)

Thurber (Dodgeball)

PLOT: A former fat kid (now a secret agent) works with the former cool kid (now accountant) on an important case. Hilarity and action ensues.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I went in with pretty low expectations

STORY STUFF: There are funny scenes throughout but the storyline was terrible. It was predictable and boring. And even the funny scenes could have been funnier.  

ACTING STUFF: Johnson & Hart have some fun chemistry together, but I was actually hoping that Hart would have had more funny things to say. There was more potential that could have been used. I enjoyed a few of the cameos in the film. Also liked seeing Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars) getting some work.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Not much to report here. Some good song choices. Didn’t like the fanny pack.  

VERDICT: Two and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You really like Kevin Hart

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Secret Lives of Pets

Film: Finding Dory

GENRE: Animated, Adventure

RATING: PG for mild thematic elements
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 37 minutes

STARRING: Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Nemo, Ellen)

Albert Brooks (Concussion, Drive), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)

DIRECTORS: Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo)

Angus MacLane (newcomer)

WRITERS: Stanton (Toy Story 3, Wall-E), Victoria Strouse (newcomer)

PLOT: Dory, hampered with short-term memory loss, tries to find her parents and home with the help of Marlin & Nemo.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I loved Finding Nemo

STORY STUFF: I was worried that this sequel would not live up to the original (like Cars 2) but this film really does compliment Nemo. Pixar is so good at telling stories. This film brings you on an emotional and adventurous journey. I was captivated the whole time.  

ACTING STUFF: Of course, DeGeneres kills it as Dory. But I also loved hearing Sloane Murray as Young Dory. Her voice was so cute. Also enjoyed hearing the voice of Ty Burrell (Modern Family) as Bailey the Beluga who was wonderfully neurotic. The sea lions were also fun.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The animation is stunning like usual. Loved the giant aquarium and the camouflage antics of Hank the Septapus. I also thoroughly enjoyed the opening Pixar short, Piper. The young bird was adorable and the animation of the sand was incredible.  Also, stick around until the end of the credits to revisit some old friends.

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You enjoy Pixar films and have a heart

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Central Intelligence

Film: The Jungle Book

GENRE: Adventure

RATING: PG for scary action and peril
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 46 minutes

STARRING: Neel Sethi (newcomer), Bill Murray (Groundhog Day),

Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List), Idris Elba (Thor, Luther)

DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf, Cowboys & Aliens)

WRITER: Justin Marks (newcomer, upcoming Top Gun 2)

PLOT: After being threatened by a tiger, a boy learns about himself with help of a panther and bear. The animals talk by the way.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Was not a fan of the animated Disney flick.

STORY STUFF: Found the story to be quite engaging and action-packed. I thought it would have been nice if there was a bit more humour though. Lots of other animals could have brought more fun to this film.

ACTING STUFF: Newcomer Sethi is a treat to watch. When you consider he’s acting alongside all CG characters and running around a green screen all day, his acting is even more impressive. Great voice casting too. Loved Murray and Kingsley in their gentle roles. Also loved Elba and Johansson with their menacing voice. And Christopher Walken is classic Christopher Walken.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Glad I saw it on the big screen, the visuals are incredibly impressive. Animals and scenery are beautifully done. Why did Favreau have to ruin it with the lame book closing and cheesy Disney closing credits?

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like the story or just enjoy seeing jungle life in general

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Finding Dory

Film: Now You See Me 2

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for some violence & language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 9 minutes

STARRING: Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network, Batman vs Superman)

Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight, Avengers); Woody Harrelson (Hunger Games)

DIRECTOR: Jon M Chu (Step Up 2, Jem, GI Joe: Retaliation)

WRITER: Ed Solomon (Charlie’s Angels, Men in Black, Bill & Ted)

PLOT: The Four Horsemen are forced to steal a tech thingy.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I enjoyed the first film and like seeing magic tricks.

STORY STUFF: The story was interesting enough. However, I thought there were too many reveals of motives to the point where I wasn’t really surprised. The plot could have used a little more trimming. Also, I find it hard to believe that the general public would care that much about magicians. Do they even know these corporate people they are exposing?

ACTING STUFF: Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls) was a vast improvement over Isla Fisher from the last one. Caplan added an extra dose of sarcasm and fun. I did not enjoy Harrelson playing dual roles. The bad twin was pretty lame. I also enjoyed Dave Franco (Neighbors) more this time around.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: I love seeing all the magic tricks and when they reveal how they accomplish some of them. I like that many of the tricks are not just CGI stuff.   

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like magic and enjoyed the first one.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Finding Dory

Film: Popstar - Never Stop Never Stopping

GENRE: Comedy

RATING: R for graphic nudity and language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 27 minutes

STARRING: Andy Samberg (SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Hot Rod)

Jorma Taccone (Hot Rod, SNL); Tim Meadows (SNL, Mean Girls)

DIRECTORS: Akiva Schaffer (The Watch) & Taccone (MacGruber)

WRITERS: Schaffer, Taccone & Samberg (Hot Rod)

PLOT: A mockumentary of a boy band solo artist who falls on tough times when his second album is a failure.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love the Lonely Island (Schaffer, Taccone & Samberg) SNL digital shorts and albums.

STORY STUFF: Being a fan of The Lonely Island, I found myself laughing a lot during this film. The story is basically a pop update of Spinal Tap with fun mockumentary interviews and short segments. It’s a predictable storyline but highly entertaining in a frat boy sort of way.

ACTING STUFF: Lots of funny performances. Samberg does a great job as the self-centered Connor 4 Real. This film is jam packed full of celebrities cameos. They get some fun music insiders to talk about the ups and downs of Connor and his crew. I absolutely loved the skewering of TMZ with Will Arnett as the water bottle chugging boss. So funny.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some outrageous sets and costumes but the real highlight are the songs. Songs about being humble, equal rights and the Mona Lisa have some wonderfully funny lyrics. I wish there were a few more song performances/videos in the movie.  

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You enjoy SNL digital shorts from a few years ago

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Now You See Me 2

Film: X-Men - Apocalypse

GENRE: Action, Sci-Fi

RATING: PG-13 for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 24 minutes

STARRING: James McAvoy (Atonement, Wanted, Gnomeo & Juliet)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs); Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games)

DIRECTOR: Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, X-Men, X-Men 2)

WRITER: Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes, Fantastic Four, Jumper)

PLOT: The first mutant resurfaces and wishes to ‘cleanse’ the earth. The X-Men must find a way to stop him.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m pretty much watching X-Men movies now because I already invested time in previous installments.

STORY STUFF: I wasn’t a huge fan of the story. There were some cool elements here and there but I didn’t care too much for the Apocalypse character. Also Oscar Isaac is a little too short to play the big bad here. He didn’t seem all that intimidating. I also got a kick out of a plan to turn off generators that fizzles because the X-Men get distracted by someone, way to forget your mission you ADD kids.

ACTING STUFF: Good dramatic acting by everyone but again it’s Evan Peters as Quicksilver that steals the show. His attitude and reactions are pitch perfect. Unfortunately, some of Sophie Turner’s work as Jean Grey reminded me of Sansa in Game of Thrones.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The pre-credit opening is beautifully shot. I was mesmerized by the cinematography and effects used in that sequence. The rest of the film is also well shot.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You’ve seen the other X-Men movies
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Popstar – Never Stop Never Stopping

Film: Money Monster

GENRE: Drama, Thriller

RATING: R for language, some violence, brief sexuality
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 38 minutes

STARRING: George Clooney (Descendants, Michael Clayton, ER)

Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich); Jack O’Connell (Unbroken)

DIRECTOR: Jodie Foster (Little Man Tate, The Beaver)

WRITERS: Jamie Linden (Dear John, We Are Marshall)

Alan DiFiore (Grimm, The Bridge); Jim Kouf (National Treasure)

PLOT: A man with nothing to lose takes a financial TV host hostage when the stock market takes a large dip.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I was sucked in by the big names. Also, having just taught it in my Business class, I understood some of the stock market lingo used in the film.

STORY STUFF: I found the story and energy less Network-ish as many critics cited and more like a film called Mad City which starred Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta. The story kept me invested (sorry, bad pun) for most of the time but the ending felt flat and left me unsatisfied. Also, there were some police procedures that seemed highly questionable. The story also made me roll my eyes at the New York public and their selfishness.

ACTING STUFF: Great acting all around but I come to expect that from Clooney and Roberts. It was nice to see O’Connell hold his own with these A-list stars.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: There’s not much to focus on creatively. Foster does a fine job but nothing amazing. I guess I like the real-time aspect of the movie.     

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Clooney and understand stocks a bit.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: X-Men: Apocalypse; Popstar

Film: Captain America - Civil War

GENRE: Action, Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 26 minutes

STARRING: Chris Evans (Captain America, Avengers, Snowpiercer)

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man); Anthony Mackie (The Night Before)

DIRECTORS: Anthony & Joe Russon (Winter Soldier, next Avengers)

WRITERS: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Narnia, Captain Americas, Agent Carter, Pain & Gain)

PLOT: Captain America and Iron Man are on different sides of a bill demanding political oversight. Oh there’s a lot of fighting.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a long time. Especially after this dull April.

STORY STUFF: I found the story engaging because I had no idea how it was going to turn out. Apparently, it is very different from the comics (which I haven`t read). I wish that I didn`t know in advance who all were going to appear in the film, it would have been an awesome surprise. Thanks a lot, internet. I was confused as to why Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) had such a small role as Everett Ross. After some research, it seems he factors into the Black Panther storyline. Oh, those Marvel universes.

ACTING STUFF: Glad to have Paul Rudd as Ant-Man bringing in some much needed comic relief. Also Tom Holland is pretty fun as the new Spider-Man, he does a great job showing his age. The rest of the Avengers are great as usual.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Beautifully choreographed fight sequences. Hand to hand combat and the big epic battle were top notch. Don`t know why this was in 3D though as it didn`t enhance a thing, so I suspect a money grab.   

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Marvel movies

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Money Monster, Angry Birds

Film: Allegiant

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence and partial nudity
RUNTIME: 2 hours

STARRING: Shailene Woodley (Divergent, Fault in Our Stars)

Theo James (Insurgent); Jeff Daniels (Newsroom, Steve Jobs)

DIRECTOR: Robert Schwentke (Flightplan, RED, Insurgent)

WRITERS: Adam Cooper & Bill Collage (Accepted, Tower Heist)

Noah Oppenheim (Maze Runner)

PLOT: Tris and her friends find out what is beyond the wall and things are not what they seem.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I didn’t read the final book, heard it wasn’t that good.

STORY STUFF: Be aware that like all young adult books turned into movies, they have divided the final book into two parts. It was pretty obvious that they were taking their time to justify another film, some looks linger a bit too long. If you break down what really happens plotwise, not much goes on. This story would be my least favourite of the three so far but it wasn’t terrible or anything, just not as gripping.

ACTING STUFF: Everyone does a good job on screen. These actors know these characters and give it all they can. I did like seeing Jeff Daniels in his role as David (boring character names btw). It’s hard to believe that Daniels was in Dumb and Dumber.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: You can tell there was a lot of CG going on this movie. Being the future, some of that is understandable, but at other points, some realism would be nice. I found the over abundance of red, white and black kind of dull. I also wasn’t really impressed with the futuristic building designs. You could also tell that Four does not like white, he changed into his black outfit as quick as humanly possible.  

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You’ve already seen the other two films.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Captain America: Civil War

Film: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 31 minutes

STARRING: Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, Argo, Daredevil)

Henry Cavill (Man of Steel); Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

DIRECTORS: Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel, Watchmen)

WRITERS: Chris Terrio (Argo) & David S Goyer (The Dark Knight)

PLOT: After Metropolis is wrecked, Batman wants to keep Superman in check so he takes him on with some extra egging on by Lex Luthor.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I had low expectations after watching the just okay Man of Steel.

STORY STUFF: While I felt they did a pretty good job justifying Batman wanting to fight Superman, I didn’t understand Lex’s motives much. Wonder Woman is given a good introduction but Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg are left on the peripheral.

ACTING STUFF: Everyone does a good job but there is not really a standout in the lead roles. I usually don’t like Laurence Fishburne (Matrix) but I really enjoyed his work this time around as Perry White. I actually cared about him as opposed to his weak introduction in Man of Steel.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The dark palette continues much like Man of Steel and Nolan’s Batman trilogy. I did not like Batman’s Iron Man suit complete with glowing eyes and platform shoes; too bulky. Unfortunately, the last third of the movie spirals out of control as Snyder makes the action busier and busier. Also, based on the dream sequences, I fear that Bruce Wayne has narcolepsy.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You love broody superheroes and explosive action
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Allegiant

Film: Zootopia

GENRE: Animation, Action

RATING: PG for some action and rude humour
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes

STARRING: Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time, Ed)

Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses); Idris Elba (Thor, Pacific Rim)

DIRECTORS: Byron Howard (Tangled), Rick Moore (Wreck-It Ralph)

WRITERS: Jared Bush (newcomer) & Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph)

PLOT: A bunny cop and slick fox work together to find some missing animals and a greater conspiracy.

FULL DISCLOSURE: They had me at the sloth trailer.

STORY STUFF: The plot moved along a pretty good pace. I really enjoyed the themes of the film. Not only does it take on racial equality but also the idea of following your dreams (which they beat you over the head with Shakira’s “Try Everything” song). There are some great moments throughout but the best, by far, is the sloth scene at the DMV. It’s worth watching again and again.

ACTING STUFF: Really great voice acting all around. Even though I knew it was Goodwin doing Judy’s voice, it still reminded me of Amy Poehler.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This film looks a couple a steps shy of a Pixar film. There’s cleverness in the backgrounds and beautiful animation but it looks like it could go a bit further. Also the supporting characters needed more pizazz, like the mayor.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: Love clever Disney animated films

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Batman vs Superman, Allegiant