The Oscars and Golden Globes aren’t the only big award shows where movies can win. The Grammys, most notably known for awarding the best and brightest in the pop music-sphere, also give a chance toward their big-screen cousins to earn a final golden statuette on their shelves. And today, we’ve received the2021 Grammy Nominationsfor Visual Media (the catch-all the Recording Academy gives for the subset of awards given to pieces of music made for, well, visual media) and Music Video/Film. Let’s break them down, shall we?
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD - (Various Artists)
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC - (Various Artists)
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA - (Various Artists)
FROZEN 2 - (Various Artists)
JOJO RABBIT - (Various Artists)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, that beautiful Mr. Rogers movie, takes its cue from the surprisingly complicated jazz piano stylings of the OG show to render a bittersweet compilation full of melancholy, heart-forward jazz.Jojo Rabbit, beyond the perfectDavid Bowiecue, features a murderer’s row ofWes Anderson-soundtrack-feeling talent, includingRoy Orbison,Tom Waits, and the friggin’Beatles.Bill & Ted Face the Music, as you might expect, has a ton of hard-rock bangers. But for my money, this race comes down betweenFrozen 2andEurovision.Frozen 2has a (here comes the hot take) better, more eclectic series of songs than its predecessor. ButEurovision,as I’ve expounded on before, takes the edge for its sheer surprise factor and wide-ranging variety in emotional tenor.
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
AD ASTRA - Max Richter, composer
BECOMING - Kamasi Washington, composer
JOKER - Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer
1917 - Thomas Newman, composer
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams, composer
Jokerwon all of the major movie awards for best score, and I wouldn’t be surprised ifHildur Guðnadóttirpulls it off again for her disquieting, experimental work (maybe the only thing I enjoyed about the film). But what else do we got?Thomas Newman’s1917score is equal parts classically inspiring and terrifyingly propulsive;Max Richter’sAd Astrascore strikes all kinds of emotions in its orchestra-driven works; andKamasi Washington’sBecomingscore is just as accessibly experimental and jazz-driven as you’d want from the composer. Don’t count outJohn Williams’Rise of Skywalkerscore, though (again, maybe the only thing I enjoyed about the film), as it’s a wonderful culmination of all of his many incredible, iconic motifs throughout a nine-film friggin' series.
Best Song Written For Visual Media
BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS [FROM CATS] - Andrew Lloyd Webber & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
CARRIED ME WITH YOU [FROM ONWARD] - Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
INTO THE UNKNOWN [FROM FROZEN 2] - Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel & AURORA)
NO TIME TO DIE [FROM NO TIME TO DIE] - Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas Baird O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
STAND UP [FROM HARRIET] - Joshuah Brian Campbell & Cynthia Erivo, songwriters (Cynthia Erivo)
Sorry, haters: “Beautiful Ghosts,” the new tune from that glorious trainwreckCats, isquitegood; while it sticks out within the film’s already bonkers narrative, it’s a wonderful tune of loneliness on its own that may have fit in perfectly onFolklore. I don’t ever seeing it get Grammy love, however, given the film’s general stink. “Carried Me with You” fromOnwardis lovely and Celtic and bittersweet; the theme fromNo Time to Dieis as melancholy as you’d want from the melancholy re-take on Bond; “Stand Up” fromHarrietis a blast of inspiration and hard-fought joy its movie cannot match with. But “Into the Unknown,” fromFrozen 2, is simply too good, too big, too bold to ignore. That chorus is just unstoppable.
Best Music Video
BROWN SKIN GIRL
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Jenn Nkiru, video directors; Lauren Baker, Astrid Edwards, Nathan Scherrer & Erinn Williams, video producers
LIFE IS GOOD
Future Featuring Drake
Julien Christian Lutz, video director; Harv Glazer, video producer
Anderson .Paak
Dave Meyers, video director; Nathan Scherrer, video producer
Harry Styles
Yoann Lemoine, video director
Beyoncéwill win this award, and she deserves to, full stop. But check out that “Lockdown” video when you get a chance; it’s beautiful, timely, and the only possible competitor to Ms. Carter.
Best Music Film
BEASTIE BOYS STORY
Beastie Boys
Spike Jonze, video director; Amanda Adelson, Jason Baum & Spike Jonze, video producers
BLACK IS KING
WE ARE FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME
Freestyle Love Supreme
Andrew Fried, video director; Andrew Fried, Jill Furman, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarina Roma, Jenny Steingart & Jon Steingart, video producers
LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
Linda Ronstadt
Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, video directors; Michele Farinola & James Keach, video producers
THAT LITTLE OL' BAND FROM TEXAS
Sam Dunn, video director; Scot McFadyen, video producer
See above, re: Beyoncé locking it down. No one else in this category comes close, and ifBeastie Boys Storytakes it instead, I will lose my dang mind.
