I’m happy to see that this year the Los Angeles Film Critics Association has gone its own way and really planted a flag on behalf of a number of out-of-the-box contenders.
In the lead actress category, “Mother” star Kim Hye-ja edged out critical darling Jennifer Lawrence, while Niels Arestrup’s unsettling work in “A Prophet” beat out Oscar heavy Geoffrey Rush in ‘The King’s Speech.” Colin Firth did win the lead actor for that film, however.
The director race ended in a tie between “Carlos” helmer Olivier Assayas and David Fincher, whose “The Social Network” pulled in wins for Best Screenplay and, ultimately, Best Picture. But the other stray-from-the-pack picks? Much appreciated. Check out the fill list of winners at The Circuit.
[Photo: Sony Pictures Classics]
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53 responses to “LAFCA admirably goes its own way…well, kinda”
Wait, so A Prophet is a 2010 film? Wasn’t it up for awards last year? How does the Academy see the film?
Haha, either right on cue or simultaneously as I made my comment in the previous thread!
Stoked for Arestrup as well, but also Jacki. I hope she becomes this season’s Amy Ryan. She deserves to be a nominee, imho.
Hoping for something different from the leading acting winners. Gosling and Lawrence would be outstanding.
@RyanT: A Prophet had an official USA release in 2010. It was only eligible in Foreign last year, if I’m not mistaken. If it wasn’t nominated, it’d be eligible in any category this year. But since it received the Foreign Film nod last year, it is ineligible to receive Oscar noms this year. Tricky rules, and kind of sucky, if you ask me.
Other James D has it exactly right.
This, by the way, is my moment to brag that I predicted the Arestrup win.
Thrilled to see Alexandre Desplat winning for The Ghost Writer.
Also happy to see Libatique having such a good day, first a runner-up in Boston and winning here. Hopefully he can turn it into an Oscar nomination, he’s way overdue for his first.
Nice job, Guy. =) He deserves it, and also noteworthy: I’m glad it was a foreign male winner this year as opposed to the typical off-the-cuff female winner with little-to-no Oscar prospects. Spreading the love, baby.
AFI announced their top ten. We’re gonna need another post on that stat, Guy/Kris!
Oh, and being disqualified the year after you’re a Foreign-Language Film nominee is fucked up. Not that A Prophet was likely to get any anyway, but still.. Damn.
Thanks for the info RE: A Prophet. That’s just crazy. And congrats Guy on your prediction!
Guy Lodge is my new Sasha Stone
Jacki freakin’ Weaver!
This could really, truly happen now, couldn’t it?
Film Socialisme???? the stuff by Godard
Okay NY Online is also done.
So make it the first four bodies have all given Picture/Director/Screenplay to The Social Network.
LA already has given it Screenplay. If it gives it Director and Picture (which is increasingly looking likely since it already has two awards) it will be first five for TSN.
You’re welcome, RyanT.
Could you tell us the Top 10 here, Graysmith? Too lazy to leave this thread and AwardsDaily is down, as per usual.
top ten afi i think is:
Black swan
kids are all right
inception
toy story 3
the town
winter’s bone
the fighter
127 hours
social network
true grit
for some reason it looks like my post got deleted so to reiterate, AFI’s top ten
black swan
inception
kids are all right
127 hours
the fighter
social network
toy story 3
winter’s bone
true grit
the town
Hmm, i see my last post. Whatever, sorry for the double post. For anyone who care though, AFI’s top ten shows:
the big C
boardwalk empire
mad men
the pacific
glee
breaking bad
modern family
30 rock
temple grandin
the walking dead
Colin Firth isn’t doing as well as everyone expected, but I guess he will do better when industry awards start to come out.
Film Socialisme is so awful. Easily the worst film I have seen in years. It is disgusting that it is getting any sort of award.
@El Duderino:i follow you
“El Duderino said…
Film Socialisme is so awful. Easily the worst film I have seen in years. It is disgusting that it is getting any sort of award.”
Ditto, actually.
I actually predicted the wins for Jacki Weaver (including the runner-up for Williamns – I just decided I’d go with what I’d love to win!) and Niels Arestrup (even though my runner-up prediction was Mark Ruffalo). I predicted the original music score category this way – WINNER: Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer & The King’s Speech, Runner-up: THE SOCIAL NETWORK! In the end Desplat tied (though he got in with The Ghost Writer only). I got production design and nearly got both the runner-up and the winner in cinematography. WOW! For now great!
My predictions for the upcoming categories include best picture and best director to THE SOCIAL NETWORK and David Fincher. Best Actor – Tahar Rahim (I know, wishful thinking!), Actress – Lesley Manville (probably it won’t be her!), Foreign – A Prophet (runner-up: White Material), Animated – Toy Story 3. Love the LAFCA so far!
What’s taking these guys so long!!?? People here in Europe have to go to bed soon :-D
My guess is they took a lunch break after the first announcement and are currently voting on the remaining categories and will announce them in one bulk update together. The break and then voting for a number of categories could take a few hours.
Kim Hya-ja for Best Actress!
LAFCA never fails! <3
They announced it. Social Network gets best picture with surprise runner-up being Carlos. Best director was a tie between Fincher and Olivier Assayas (Carlos).
I admire their picks all around but this really gives me pause. Social Network has now won Picture/Director/Screenplay at ALL awards so far. ALL. ALL. And everyone already knows NYFCC is gonna go with it tomorrow.
Is there no other film? Is it honestly this undeniable masterpiece that critics will deny at their own peril. I would have loved it if Carlos were the winner and TSN were the runner-up.
But they obviously are to be applauded for what it is likely to be one of the best slates of the year.
Kris do you still think The King’s Speech is the front-runner?
So the race for BP is over right? This isn’t LA Confidential Part II.
I’m happy for any group to award a relatively safe film as Best Picture when they clearly show they’ve actually seen other movies as well. Nice job LA.
Everyone else so far has been a huge pile of irrelevance.
A few weeks from now everyone’s going to be sooooo sick of The Social Network sweeping the critics.
Nice to see some out there choices for acting, although I’ve yet to even see Mother. I better get on that..
I don’t think it is a given that NY will give the film BP, mainly out of a hope for some variety in the critics award in that category and the fact that the lowest three scores for the film on metacritic come from NY critics.
I guess I’ll be a bit risky and predict Winter’s Bone to prevail there, though there are several films (including Social Network of course) that I could see winning BP.
red_wine-I think NY is going to go with something like Another Year or Winter’s Bone. If Social Network were to win best pic tomorrow in addition to everything else it’s already taken home, then I think the Oscars are pretty much done deal.
I’m very surprised with the “New Generation Award” winner. I had expected Jennifer Lawrence to take that quite easily.
Great to see Mother get some love from the L.A. Film Critics! A great film and performance!
If anything, LA is the rebellious one, NY is slightly safer seeing as it is older and slightly more traditional.
They usually pick a very broadly acclaimed film for their Best Picture choice (Sideways, Brokeback, Milk), usually the most acclaimed but if not one of the most acclaimed films of the year with a low probability of a foreign language victor.
The Social Network is exactly the kind of film they will go for and it will again likely be the whole deal – Picture/Director/Screenplay maybe even Actor. Though of course surprises will be most welcome.
Yep, Mother had a great day, between the LAFCA and Boston, and well-deserved on both counts.
I hate to say it before I finally see the last month’s worth of movies, but I can’t remember the last year where I had seen so little I loved by mid-December. “The Social Network” is a standout, and deserves all the kudos it can get.
If anyone thought today was hectic, you better get to bed early tonight and rest up because looking at Awards Daily’s calendar (in the forums) there are SEVEN different groups announcing tomorrow. You’ve got the Broadcast Film Critics nominations, the New York critics and five other smaller critics groups.
And Sorkin is likely to win all of them.
Jackie Weaver’s performance shouldn’t receive all this praise. There is a major difference between an engaging character and an engaging performance.
She has one basic objective (take care of her sons) that she carries through the whole movie and she doesn’t have to do much outside of that (raising her stakes). The character is simple minded and psychotic and expresses it usually by showing no emotion. The nature of the character actually makes the difficulty of portraying this character very easy. For example, the scene with the lawyer about her grandson could have easily of been about her deciding to change her son’s school. The only difficult scene that shows some levels is the one where she slaps her son. Otherwise, she isn’t dealing with a lot of complexities in her scenes. She simply wants to take care of her sons.
As far as characterization, she doesn’t do much to stretch herself outside her normal voice and movements. If you watch her interviews, this is very clear.
I haven’t seen the other supporting performances to judge whether she deserves to be in the top five, but compared to past supporting winners, she really doesn’t stack up.
LOVE this list.
documentary, supporting actress, music, and everything for carlos.
such nice choices.
I am already sick of The Social Network. In fact, I was sick of it when I saw it. I don’t like the film and I can admit it. I wonder if there are people out there who really don’t like it but are afraid to say so. Okay, if you all like it then fine. But best film of the year? I just don’t get it. But I will say that Andrew Garfield is a very good actor.
Princess of Peace, I was underwhelmed by The Social Network as well. Black Swan is my #1 of the year thus far.
I am glad to hear that you, too, were underwhelmed with The Social Network Mike M. I am going to see Black Swan on Friday and I just can’t wait!! I am also looking forward to The King’s Speech, Rabbit Hole, The Fighter, True Grit, Biutiful, Another Year and Blue Valentine. I will probably like most, if not all, of these films more than the very overrated TSN.
“Black Swan” is very good, but it doesn’t operate on the same level of complexity as “The Social Network.”
I didn’t find TSN complex at all. In today’s NY Times magazine there is an article that says that there is no conflict or pain in TSN. That is how if feel. It is devoid of all emotion.
The lawsuit(s) that drives the whole movie isn’t “conflict?” Hmmm…
Everything in TSN is done without a bit of emotion. That is really all I have to say on this subject.
What is up with the LA Film Critics trying to be French? Come on, BORING!!
Anyhoo, anyone else think that Robert Duvall is losing steam? I would replace him with Jesse Eisenberg who is gaining ground unlike nobody in the ACTOR race.