ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Denzel Washington
For Actor in a Leading Role, Denzel Washington takes the award with no proper competition. Taking the main roles of Robert McCall in “The Equalizer” movies, Troy Maxwell in “Fences,” and even the role of Malcolm X. He has also taken the role of Macbeth in the film: “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” His acting skills have proven him to be both diverse and relatable. These reasons are enough to select Washington to claim the Owlie for Actor in a Leading Role.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Kristen Stewart
“Spencer” is about the marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles that had grown cold. An affair between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles broke up the marriage.
For Actress in a Leading Role, Kristen Stewart has outdone herself with this role as she played Princess Diana. Stewart has taken one of history’s most perfect females and has shown us that not everyone that is personified as a “perfect person” is perfect. Too many actors in historical dramas fall into the trap of playing up the traits of the real-life characters they portray, creating a less than satisfying caricature. The emotionally-driven performance and perfect portrayal from Kristen Stewart is what makes her deserving of an Owlie.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Encanto
“Encanto” is one of Disney's new animated films of 2021 and not only do the characters stick out with this film, but the storyline also ties it all together. This film follows a young girl named Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) who was born into a family with magical powers that only works with a miracle that is lit by a candle but when she is the only one in the family without powers she feels left out. She tries to help out with whatever she can, but always finds herself in the way. But when Mirabel finds a mysterious vision of herself destroying the miracle from her Tío Bruno, she knows that she is the only person that can save the miracle.
This film has such good music and characters that will never be forgotten and the plot is the best thing about this film because even though it is a children's film, it still has problems that most teenagers and adults go through in the world, so that is why “Encanto” deserves an Owlie.
BEST PICTURE Don’t lookup
“Don’t Look Up” tells the story of two low-level astronomers, Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) that must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet earth. This film is both funny and dramatic at the same time. One thing about this film that sticks out is the amazing casting. As previously stated, both Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio are the two main characters in the film but they aren’t the only notable actors in the film, other actors such as Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep.
This film has such a great storyline while also having an emotional joyride. It had viewers on the edge of their seats and also having a good laugh. ”Don’t Look Up” is a great movie that will definitely go down in history as one of the best movies of all time because of its unique storylines and this is why “Don’t Look Up” deserves an Owlie.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE J.K. Simmons
For Actor in a Supporting Role, J.K Simmons has achieved it with relative ease. Throughout many movies, he has taken the role of J. Jonah Jameson in many “Spiderman” movies, but he has also voiced characters across both games and cartoons. An example of such is when he voiced Cave Johnson from “Portal 2.” Besides some of his other accolades, such as being able to score a role on a Broadway Musical and playing as William Frawley in “Being the Ricardos,” J.K Simmons has shown that he is worthy to have an Owlie.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Kirsten Dunst
For Actress in a Supporting Role, Kirsten Dunst has won the award with a landslide vote. Playing in “The Power of the Dog” as Rose Gordon, the widowed innkeeper in the film, she made her appearance in the new year phenomenal. Hard-working and determined, Kirsten has worked hard to get to where she is now. Thanks to her amazing acting skills and more, she has successfully won an Owlie.
CINEMATOGRAPHY The Tragedy of Macbeth
For Cinematography, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” wins the award. The film’s plot is that Macbeth, a Scottish lord, is convinced by a trio of witches that he would be the next King of Scotland. Even though the film itself is entertaining, the Cinematography in the film is beautifully stunning. The person who did it is Bruno Delbonnel, a French cinematographer. He has made his work well known, as he has worked on “Amélie,”” A Very Long Engagement”, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and many more. Thanks to this man, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” has won itself an Owlie.
COSTUME DESIGN Cruella
”Cruella“ deserves the best costume design because most of the outfits that Cruella wore stood out so much from a dress that was made up of trash to the dress that was made up of moth eggs. Each outfit stood out but they stood out in their own ways and not one looked the same. One of the fan-favorite outfits is the coat made up of fake Dalmatian fur because it hints back to the original 1961 classic cartoon film “101 Dalmatians,” where the infamous Cruella made it very clear that she wanted a fur coat made up of Dalmatian puppies because their fur is softer than adult Dalmatians. This film has some really good outfits but the one that stood out the most was the Dalmatian coat because it is a twist on a classic and that is why “Cruella” should earn an Owlie.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) No time to die
In the year 2021, one of the most long-awaited films was “No time to die” which has an amazing soundtrack that is filled with tracks from a variety of artists from “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone to “We Have All the Time in the World” by Louis Armstrong. This film is filled with some of the most notable songs in history, But the one song that sticks out the most is “No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish. The reason why this song sticks out so much is that it is the only song on the soundtrack that was originally made for this film and another thing that sticks out about this film is that it was created by one of the youngest artists in the music industry, Billie Eilish. This song alone is one of the best songs in the industry from its serenading sounds music with Billie’s soft vocals sounds so beautiful together that this is the reason why “No Time to Die” deserves an Owlie.
VISUAL EFFECTS Spiderman: No Way Home
The film “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has earned its spot in the Visual Effects category, and how could retort and say it doesn’t? The film claimed this spot thanks to its visual effects supervisor, Adrien Saint Girons. Spider-Man: No Way Home’s first mention was the de-aging CGI and mechanical arm harness used by Alfred Molina, A.K.A Doctor Otto Octavious/Doc Ock. The second mention would belong to the constant magic show of Doctor Stephen Strange A.K.A Benedict Cumberbatch. The third and final mention of the film’s visual effects is Electro using his powers of a living electric generator, being played by Jamie Foxx. This film’s visual effects, and the film itself, is more than enough reason to give it an Owlie.