Sunday Best: Catholic Skywalker Awards 2018 - BEST IN MOVIES

With 2018 coming to a close, it is time for us to choose what the best entertainment of the year was.  And just as the Academy Awards have their "Oscars", so too the Catholic Skywalker Awards have their "Kal-El's"

 I have gone through as many movies as possible this year. There were several that I missed and so was unable to place. 

Below are a list of movies that are NOT on this awards page because I had not gotten a chance to see them.


Beautiful Boy
I Can Only Imagine


So of the movies  I've seen this year, here are the winners:

(My appreciation and judgment of a film should not be taken as a recommendation. Choosing to watch any of these films is the reader's responsibility)

BEST PICTURE

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

(from my review of the movie)

Watching this movie on the big screen, I marveled at its sheer audacity of scope.

For a comic book geek like me, stories of universal power and peril are common.  For the cost of a few dozen printed pages of art and words, you can be transported to the furthest reaches of the cosmos and populate your story with dozens and dozens of the biggest heroes in your shared universe.  But the idea of translating that to the big screen seemed impossible, not only in terms of budget, but of balance between characters, plot, theme, pacing, and spectacle.

But Avengers: Infinity War pulls off the impossible.

... 

Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have created a script reminds me of two other classic movies: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Empire Strikes Back...  Like The Return of the King, Infinity War juggles multiple story tracks for our heroes in vastly different times and situations.  In that film you had to juggle the ring to Mount Doom, the Paths of the Dead, the Steward and his son, the defense of Minas Tirith, Eowyn and Merry secretly joining the fight, Arwen's fall, and others.  It is a very fractured plot that has to be balanced properly.  Infinity War has several disparate story groups that occasionally converge and then re-diverge.  And the groupings are often ones that you would not expect.  But you get so caught up in a particular story arch that it is almost a surprise when you return to another story thread.

...

The movie is thematically about the war between two opposing ideals: Life and Death.  One of the things I saw in Thanos was the embodiment of what Pope John Paul II called the Culture of Death.  He is willing to kill any number of innocents in the name of practical prosperity.  And our heroes, by contrast are willing to lay down their own lives and defend the lives of all the innocent.  The hero's motto in the movie is "We don't trade lives."  I thought this was a beautiful summary of the value of all life.  And this view is challenged in our heroes and they may not pass the test. 

RUNNERS UP

Mission: Impossible - Fallout
A Quiet Place
Incredibles 2
Game Night

BEST DIRECTOR

John Krasinski - A Quiet Place

(from my review of A Quiet Place)

  George Lucas once said that you should be able to watch a good movie with a sound off and still be able to follow the story.  That is because movies are a primarily visual medium.  Director and star John Krasinski has followed this principle to make A Quiet Place the best directed movie I have seen this year.

...

The dynamic between mothers and fathers was so well done in this movie that it is difficult to put into words.  In fact, putting it into words is always going to be a problem, because the truths about who we are are so deep.  But Krasinski follows the story-telling maxim "Show, don't tell."  We don't need characters philosophizing about the role of family dynamics.  Instead the characters act them out.

...

It is hard for me to believe that this is Krasinski's first feature.  He handles the camera with skill and experience.  He juxtaposes the idyllic landscapes with the monstrous situations perfectly.  He uses some wonderful subtlety, but he is not afraid to telegraph his punches, as he does in the scene with the nail in the floor.  Some first-time directors try to go overboard in genre-breaking artsiness.  Krasinski may be reaching for greater heights, but he never forgets that his main job to tell a good, scary story.  And while I have focused on the visuals, the sound design is outstanding.  Because sound is used sparingly, every sound matters and carries with it immense weight.

RUNNERS UP

Christopher McQuarrie - Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Steven Spielberg -  Ready Player One
Joe and Anthony Russo - Avengers: Infinity War

• Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

 - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

BEST ACTOR

Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody

(from my review of Bohemian Rhapsody)

Malek is amazing at showing us Mercury's journey.  He was smart enough not to do a full on impression of Mercury.  Instead, he creates a general affectation and then lives out the character's inner most struggles on the screen.  Like Mercury himself, Malek shows us the absolute thrill and confidence of a rock star while also showing us the wounded, broken heart underneath.  In the movie's best scene, Freddie has just finished throwing a lavish party.  One member of the waitstaff, (Aaron McCusker) is cleaning up while Mercury is at his piano.  Mercury playfully gropes the man, which is an act of an entitled and powerful celebrity.  The server turns to him and in no uncertain terms lets Mercury know that if he ever lays a hand on him again, Mercury will regret it.  What follows is Mercury completely shedding the rock star persona and shrinking into an apologetic little boy asking for forgiveness.  What Malek does here is show us that Mercury's over-the-top persona is his armor to shield the painfully lonely and shy boy who feels unloved and unaccepted.  The scene is such a wonderful marriage of script and acting that this scene alone should earn Oscar nominations for acting and screenplay.

RUNNERS UP

Bradley Cooper - A Star is Born
John Krasinkski - A Quiet Place
Jason Momoa - Aquaman
Michael B. Jordan - Creed II

BEST ACTRESS

Emily Blunt- A Quiet Place

I am always impressed when actors give great performances when essential items in their toolbelt are removed.  That is why I have given awards to Jackie Earl Haley's Rorschach and Tom Hardy's Bane because they had to build a character without facial expressions.  Blunt has the opposite challenge here.  For the most part, she has to express everything she is non-verbally.

Without words, she expresses more than most actresses can with pages of dialogue.  A simple look can convey fear, resolve, and anguish.  Nothing tops the labor scene.  It the intensity is not from the monsters but from Blunt.  She makes you believe the unbelievable struggle to hold back her cries of agony while bringing forth a child whose cries could be the death of both of them.  It's not a mistake that this image of her in the tub is the main iconography of the posters.  She taps into something deep and primal and it is amazing to see.

RUNNERS UP

Rachel McAdams - Game Night
Constance Wu - Crazy Rich Asians
Isla Fischer - Tag
Tessa Thompson - Creed II

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jesse Plemmons - Game Night

Comedic performances are sadly overlooked during awards season.  But I can tell you from experience that comedy can be much, much harder than drama.  I think most people are going to ignore this outstanding performance by Jesse Plemons in Game Night, because of the film's genre.  And that would be a huge mistake.  You can see on the screen all of the skill that it took Plemons to pull off this strange character.

(from my review of Game Night)

But special accolades must be given to Plemons as Gary.  This character is that socially awkward neighbor with whom any interaction is awkward and painful.  Everything he says and does is off-putting in the cringiest way.  And Plemons gives total commitment to embodying all of that awkwardness.  Even in the still photos in Gary's house, you can see Plemons give off that dead-eyed, slightly psychopathic stare that makes you both scared of him and sad for him.  Every time Plemons was on screen he made me laugh loudly.

RUNNERS UP
Woody Harrelson - Solo: A Star Wars Story
Michael B. Jordan - Black Panther
Josh Brolin - Avengers: Infinity War
Sylvester Stallone - Creed II

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Blake Lively - A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor is a terrible movie.  It fails on almost every level.  The one and only thing that has any value in this film is Blake Livley's performance.  Her character is morally depraved, shallow, conniving, and downright evil.  But she does a stellar turn by imbuing her Emily with coolness and charisma.  She struts confidently into a scene and completely owns the room.  You can easily see why so many people could become obsessed with her and it is not because of her looks.  Lively looks intently at the other characters with disdain mixed with a slight curiosity.  It is a look that makes you feel inferior but also fills you with a desire to impress her.  Because the script lets her down so much, Lively must build this character mostly from her own acting skills.

RUNNERS UP

Michelle Yeoh - Crazy Rich Asians
Dannai Gurrera - Black Panther
Zoe Saldana - Avengers: Infinity War
Millicent Simmonds - A Quiet Place

BEST SCREENPLAY

Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski – A Quiet Place

"Show, Don't Tell."

That is the maxim of movie writing.

And this film does that beautifully.

You never get a full picture of what is happening to the wider world.  And the external logic of combating and alien invasion from auditory hunters is a bit far fetched.  But the writers wisely take you away from all of that to a small isolated farm.  The wider world doesn't matter.  In fact, the monsters themselves don't matter.  All that matters is that the family is in danger from without and their relationships are being tested from within.  The screenplay has to convey most of this by how the characters silently act rather than what they say.

This interior story and how it expressed in so few words gives the movie its power.  When words are few, they are precious.  I still get chills at that moment when one character tells the other that they love them.  It is a line that is in hundreds of movies, but because you are so starved for words, they are like water in the desert.  

RUNNERS UP

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely - Avengers: Infinity War
Brad Bird - Incredibles 2

• Phil Lord, Rodney Rothman 

- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseMark Perez - Game Night

BEST MAKEUP

Avengers: Infinity War

While a good portion of the work was CGI, the use of makeup on the Guardians and the like was still top-notch

RUNNERS-UP

Aquaman
Black Panther
A Wrinkle in Time

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Aquaman

While Avengers: Infinity War has a larger scope, the special effects for Aquaman edge it out for its fantastic world building and their ability to make the audience simply accept that the characters are having conversations underwater like it isn't anything strange.

RUNNERS-UP

Avengers: Infinity War
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Ant-Man and the Wasp

BEST SCORE

Rupert Gregson-Williams - Aquaman

The score for this movie is as epic as its action while carrying on nice rock-n-roll riffs to match the outsider vibe of the main lead.

RUNNERS-UP

Daniel Pemberton - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Alan Silvestri - Avengers: Infinity War
Cliff Martinez -  Game Night
John Powell -  Solo: A Star Wars Story

BEST SONG

"Shallows" - A Star is Born

While the movie ultimately fails, the power of its music cannot be denied.  "Shallows" is a song that draws you in with its long, melodious notes and vivid imagery.

BEST COSTUMES

Aquaman

The imagination that went into the Atlantean design reminded me of the work WETA workshop did for The Lord of the Rings.  Everything feels futuristic with a foot in ancient tradition.

RUNNERS-UP

Avengers: Infinity War
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Ant-Man and the Wasp

Below are the list of all the films of 2018 that I have seen, ranked in order of excellence:

Avengers: Infinity War

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

A Quiet Place

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Incredibles 2

Game Night

Aquaman

Creed II

Bohemian Rhapsody

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Black Panther

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Deadpool 2

The Green Book

12 Strong

Disney's Christopher Robin

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Mary Poppins Returns

Chappaquiddick

The Predator

Crazy Rich Asians

Bumblebee

The Equalizer 2

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Venom

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Ocean's 8

Tag

A Wrinkle in Time

Skyscraper

Welcome to Marwen

The Spy Who Dumped Me

The Meg

A Star is Born

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Life of the Party

Life Itself

A Simple Favor

Film Flash: Spider-Man - Into the Spider-Verse

15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)


Amazing comic book in movie form.  This may be the best Spider-Man film of all.

image by Yasir72.multan

Film Flash: Creed II

15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)

Like a combo punch of Rocky II, III, and IV

image by Yasir72.multan

Film Review: Aquaman

I am once again going to place my biases upfront and admit that I am an unapologetic fan of the DCEU.  While I don't think that this colors my reviews beyond reason, I thought that it should be stated upfront.  I generally enjoy the DC characters and movies more than the Marvel films.

And I enjoyed the heck out of Aquaman.

The movie takes place after the events of Justice League with accompanying flashbacks to Arthur Curry's/Aquaman's (Jason Momoa) childhood.  His father was a human (Temura Morrison) and his mother was the fugitive princess of Atlantis (Nicole Kidman).  He rescued her and they fell in love.  The product of that love was Arthur, but his mother is later forced to return to Atlantis.  In the current day, Arthur, now dubbed the "Aquaman," patrols the high seas for danger, such as when the pirate (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his father Jesse (Michael Beach) hijack a Russion sub.  Meanwhile, Arthur's half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) is marshalling the remaining Atlantean kingdoms to make war on the surface world.  Princess Mera (Amber Heard) comes to entreat Arthur to challenge Orm (Patrick Wilson) for the throne and end the war before it begins.  She is aided by Vulko (Willem Dafoe), the one who trained Arthur to use his powers from childhood.  What follows is an epic action-adventure.

Before going in to this film, you should know that it is super-cheesy.  All of the gravitas and somberness of Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman are wholly absent from this film.  In tone, it is much closer to that of a Marvel movie, with its bright colors and constant quips.  The flashback scenes are a bit jarring in that they run by so rapidly and it feels like you are only skimming the surface of a story.  This is also where the film's writing is at its weakest.  The movie is front loaded with flashbacks, and if the whole film had kept that same quality, it would be a poor film.  The writers also seem to constantly be at a loss as to how to end a scene, because on four separate occasions they interrupt the action by a wall (or something like it) exploding near the main characters.

But the movie as two things that make it so incredibly enjoyable:

The first is Jason Momoa.  This man is a bonafide action movie star.  He is a charisma machine.  Like Dwayne Johnson, he connects to the audience in a simple way by letting you feel like you are in the good guy's corner and are part of his team.  His effortless charm is horribly disarming.  If that was the extent of his ability, however, Momoa would be another interchangeable movie tough guy.  But this man act.  I think that it will be overlooked by most because they will focus on his superhero swagger.  But like Roberth Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Momoa's Aquaman is more than just charisma.  He uses charisma to help create the character.  Watch Momoa's eyes and you can see the mental and emotional wheels turning has he stoically tries to keep his feelings from showing.  He credibly projects intense dramatic rage and quick-witted humor.  And though he smirks his way through danger, he never winks at the camera too much and so never breaks the spell of the fantasy he is making.

The second is director James Wan visual direction.  Aquaman is a great action movie.  Wan knows how to film the up-close-and-personal fighting as in the movies sub rescue.  He also knows how to film a thrilling chase, as we see in the Black Manta sequence.  And he knows how to create the epic scope of an full-scale battle.  In a movie like this, the visuals must not only be dynamic, they must also be cool.  This is essential to get us to buy into these mer-men battles.  The over-the-top nature of the sequences makes it easy for the film to collapse under its own ridiculousness.  But Wan hooks you in and makes you want to see what new visual feat he has planned next.  The scope is like something out of a Peter Jackson fantasy.

Wan deserves a lot of credit for his world-building here.  It is monumentally difficult to have characters appear to have conversations under water and have it not look horrible.  Not only does it look great, but I love the way that Wan always has the characters move through vertical space as if you really would under water.  It is a small thing, but it helps sell the illusion that this is isn't something that was shot on dry land and made to only look aquatic.  Of course, we know that this is the case and all of this is done in a computer, but you are not distracted by this idea while watching.

The rest of the cast does a very good job.  Heard and Momoa have great chemistry.  They really play up the Beauty and the Beast dynamic found between the characters to great effect.  Their mutual attraction and repulsion makes a lot of wonderful interplay.  Wilson also provides a great foil to Momoa.  As Orm, Wilson uses his manners and lordliness as a cudgel against his less sophisticated brother.  I also love how he adopted the classic Aquman look so that we could feel the connection between the two characters.  Abdul-Mateen is fantastic as Manta.  He doesn't get as much screen time as Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger in Black Panther, but he the same energy to his performance.

This leads to one of the most consequential moments early on in the film.  Aquaman has the chance to give mercy to someone who deserves death.  In his wrath, Arthur chooses justice over mercy.  This results in the creation of a lifelong quest for vengeance in another.  As cheesy as the opening scenes of the movie are, Wan took great care in crafting this moment.  In most modern comic book films, superheroes kill bad guys, and Aquaman is no exception.  But there is a difference between taking someone's life in the heat of battle and the rational, deliberate choice of having death come to the helpless.  Wan makes us feel the import of this moment and what a moral mistake it is for our hero.  Part of his journey is learning the value of mercy, which is an incredibly Catholic theme in the superhero genre.

Aquman is thoroughly enjoyable romp in the theater and will be one I will watch again and again in the future.

image by Yasir72.multan

Film Flash: Holmes and Watson

15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)

Exceedingly vulgar.  Occasionally funny.  Utterly forgettable. 

image by Yasir72.multan

Sunday Best: Catholic Skywalker Awards 2018 - BEST IN TELEVISION

With 2018 coming to a close, it is time for us to choose what the best entertainment of the year was.  And just as the Academy Awards have their "Oscars", so too the Catholic Skywalker Awards have their "Kal-El's"

To reiterate:  the reasons for choosing a Superman statue as it's award, and not something from Star Wars are 3-fold:

1.  The Catholic Skywalker Awards will cover movies, television, and comic books.  Superman is an icon for all three.
2.  The pose he has here, revealing his inner hero, is symbolic of the revelation of truth and beauty that we should find in all good art.
3.  It's a statue I actually own, so I can use this photo on my blog.

(My appreciation and judgment of a TV show should not be taken as a recommendation. Choosing to watch any of these films is the reader's responsibility)

And now we here at Catholic Skywalker would like to celebrate the best in Television this year.

There are a lot of wonderful (so I'm told) programs out there that, unfortunately, time has not permitted me to see such as The Punisher, Ozark, Jessica Jones, etc.

Shows we watch:

COMEDY	DRAMA	REALITY
This is Us The Rookie Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency The Flash God Friended Me Arrow Doctor Who The Walking Dead Jack Ryan	Big Bang Theory Roseanne The Connors The Middle Goldbergs Saturday Night Live Simpsons Brooklyn 99 The Kids Are Alright Last Man Standing Single Parents The Kids are Alright	Dancing with the Stars Survivor The Amazing Race Child Support Shark Tank

Best Drama:

This Is Us

This has been one of the consistently best shows on television since it premiered.  I have been so horribly impressed with the high quality of directing, writing, and acting that is found here.  Most hour-long dramas are very perfunctory in execution simply because of the massive amount of work that needs to be done in a very little amount of time.  But this show takes its time to maximize the visual elements of their storytelling.  The writing deserves special credit for its ability to pull back layers on characters in a way I really haven't seen since Freaks and Geeks.  Side characters who seem one-dimensional at first are given more back story and texture than would normally be found in most shows.  And the acting has been superb every season.  Not only are the actors very charismatic, but they are pushed to all ends of the emotional spectrum and are able to be incredibly credible the whole time.  What set this year apart was the post-Superbowl episode.  Not only did it have some of the best directing and acting, but it was able to take a story with an inevitable ending and make it feel unexpected and even more heartbreaking.  It is amazing that a show can already give away the ending of a character's story and still draw you in to the previously hidden part of their lives.  Great achievement and it lives up to the hype.

Runners-up

-Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency
-Doctor Who
-God Friended Me
-The Flash

Best Comedy

The Middle

The Middle did something that not enough TV shows do:  they gave us a proper ending.

Understanding that they had one final season, this show was able to wrap up all their loose ends and build everything towards a final cathartic episode.  I was particularly wrapped up in the Sue/Sean romance that was teased out week after week.  And when they came around the finale, the brought the entire story full circle to Frankie going nuts in the middle of an empty street over her wonderfully dysfunctional family.  We got a chance to say goodbye, to see how the characters had grown over the years, and we were left knowing that this family that we spent nearly a decade watching was going to be okay.

Runners-up

The Big Bang Theory

Single Parents

Last Man Standing
The Goldbergs

Best Actor in a Drama

Milo Ventimiglia - This Is Us

One of the great challenges of this show is jumping across all points in a character's lifetime.  Milo Ventimiglia has been so effortless in his ability to go from responsible, heroic father to young, haunted, and brooding Vietnam veteran just beginning to fall in love.  Throughout our lives we become different sorts of people but we are still ourselves.  Ventimiglia lets us see the core of Jack in everything he does, but we can feel the differences in every subtle look and mannerism that he brings.  Every week he never ceases to impress me.

Runners-up
Elijah Wood - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
John Krasinski - Jack Ryan
Samuel Barnett - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Andrew Lincoln - The Walking Dead

Best Actress in a Drama

Mandy Moore - This Is Us

Like Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore has gigantic leaps to make in her character's timeline.  But unlike her onscreen husband, she has much more to deal with.  Jack is always fairly consistent with the kids.  But Becca's relationships with each of her three children are different and come with a whole different set of complications.  Moore plays all of those with frustratingly wonderful accuracy.  This season what set her apart for the post-Superbowl episode.  The movement from relief, to shock, to disbelief, to horror, to heartbreak was amazing to watch and is one of the most moving moments of television I have ever seen.  While Jack is held up as the show's patron saint, Becca is the flawed mother who has made so many mistakes that stem primarily from a single trauma.  Watching Moore play all of those contradictions in her relationships is amazing to see.

Runners-up

Jodie Whittaker - Doctor Who
Hannah Marks - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Jade Eschete - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Dannai Gurrera - The Walking Dead

Best Supporting Actor, Drama

Joe Morton - God Friended Me

Joe Morton could have played his preacher character as a holier-than-thou foil to his main character atheist son.  But Morton brings such a relaxed subtlety to his character.  He struggles so hard with seeing his son reject everything that is important to his own life.  But Morton plays him with a cool, but not cold ease.  The pains and the hurts and the doubts all bubble beneath the surface.  And he is not a flawless caricature.  Morton jumps into this incredibly complicated relationship and makes it feel incredibly real.

Runners-up

Justin Hartley - This is Us
Sterling K. Brown - This is Us

Jesse L. Martin - The Flash

Jeffrey Dean Morgan - The Walking Dead

Best Supporting Actress, Drama

Susan Kelechi Watson - This Is Us

For a few seasons, Susan Kelechi Watson has been the film emotional anchor to the craziness of the other Pearsons' lives.  But this past season, we have been allowed to see the emotional toll that this is taking on Watson's Beth.  Strong and confident are difficult to play on screen.  But flawed and broken are always more interesting.  And right now we are beginning to see the cracks in her perfect exterior.  The burden of being that solid foundation is beginning to show.  Watson takes us behind the curtain to see Beth's inner struggles while putting on that same strong exterior for her family.  Now he brave face reminds us that she is hanging on by a thread.  Watson makes us feel like the emotional dam is about to break and she holds us in horrible anticipation.

Runners-up

Chrissy Metz - This is Us
Fiona Dourif - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Emily Tennant - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Melissa McBride– The Walking Dead

Best Actor, Comedy

John Goodman - Roseanne/The Conners

John Goodman is one of the few actors that is amazing at both drama and comedy.  With the reboot of Roseanne and the spin off The Conners, Goodman has been able to show us his mastery of both.  I don't think there has been a better comedic performance on television this year than the episode where Dan yelled at Roseanne in order to win an argument, only to see him collapse into a lump of jelly under her withering demeanor.  It is a moment that takes us on a full emotional and comedic arc in the space of a few seconds and most of it is non-verbal.  And watching Goodman's Dan struggle with home disasters and the loss of his wife has been heartbreaking.  While The Conners has lost most of the magic of Roseanne, Goodman is keeping this television life-raft afloat.

Runners-up

Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Tim Allen - Last Man Standing

Neil Flynn - The Middle
Jeff Garlin - The Goldbergs

Best Actress, Comedy

Patricia Heaton - The Middle

(The following last year's award, which Heaton also won.  All of it still holds up)

This will be the last time that Heaton will win this award on this site for The Middle.  But I refuse to pick someone else to win simply because Heaton is often the top actress.  She should not penalized for doing excellent work.  The energy it must take to play a character like Frankie Heck is enormous.  And she has a lot of courage to allow Frankie to be a little cloying, to be a little intrusive, and to risk the audience being turned off by her antics.  But Heaton always makes sure to show you that Frankie is ultimately always motivated by her love for her family.  And that love sometimes makes her do silly and embarrassing things.  Watching it all converge in the final goodbye of the final episode made me realize how much I am going to miss this TV mom.

Runners-up

Wendy McLendon-Covey – The Goldbergs

Kaley Cuoco – The Big Bang Theory

Roseanne Barr - Roseanne
Mary McCormick - The Kids Are Alright

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy

Charlie McDermott - The Middle

McDermott grew up a lot on this show.  His Axel was always a slacker who cut every corner, which is something that we saw all the way until the end.  But this past season, much of the story was about Axel's transition into adulthood and all the pain and humor therein.  McDermott had to straddle the line between adorable, merry prankster and frustrated, stunted millennial.  We had to enjoy his antics while feeling like he needed to grow up.  McDermott showed us both of these world but he also did it with a wonderful amount of comedic talent in order to get us to laugh at his journey every step of the way.

Runners-up

Brad Garrett - Single Parents
Kunal Nayar - The Big Bang Theory
Atticus Shaffer - The Middle
Simon Helberg - The Big Bang Theory

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy

Marlow Barkley - Single Parents

Most child performers are simply funny because of their precociousness.  And to be sure, young Barkley is as precocious as they come.  But she has a delivery and expression that is beyond her years.  Her child co-stars are fine at the level of children.  Barkley is able to act toe-to-toe with more seasoned performers like Taran Killam and Brad Garrett.  All of the adults interact with her as if she is as smart as they are.  And even though she can play the part as silly child, Barkley projects an adult understanding that is used to maximum comedic effect, especially when foiled against Killam's Peter Pan-like father.

Runners-up

Sara Gilbert - Roseanne/ The Conners
Melissa Rauch - The Big Bang Theory
Eden Sher - The Middle

Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory

Stay tuned next week for the CatholicSkywalker Awards for Best Movies of 2018