In Contention

Tag: critics awards

  • ‘Hurt Locker’ keeps it going with NYFCC

    The Hurt LockerThe New York Film Critics Circle decided not to announce its list of winners in real time this year, which is a shame because it has always been one of my favorite aspects of the season.  What we’re left with is scattered press release reveals, Twitterers scooping the group’s info as emails and phone calls circulated, and basically, the vibe that it’s just another cog in the wheel.

    And that’s before you get to the absolutely uninspired list of winners.

    Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” took down the Best Picture prize, joining the ranks of “Brokeback Mountain,” “Sideways,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Schindler’s List” and “Goodfellas” (just to go back 20 years) with the designation of coming out on top with both the Los Angeles and New York critics.

    The rest of the rundown is more of a snooze, other than George Clooney also being cited for “Fantastic Mr. Fox” along with “Up in the Air” for his Best Actor win.  “In the Loop” (a film with a popularity totally lost on me) nabbed the screenplay award, so I guess that’s something new.

    But honestly, the only award that made me say, “Nice,” was the Best First Feature prize for Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” which was released in Los Angeles last December and landed on my top 10 list as a result, but didn’t make it to New York until 2009.

    The full list of winners after the jump…

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  • 12/14 Oscarweb Round-up

    George Clooney in Up in the Air• In case you missed this morning’s announcement, “Inglourious Basterds” and “Nine” led the field of BFCA nominees. [In Contention]

    • Frank Rich op-eds a love letter to “Up in the Air.” [New York Times]

    • Steve Pond painstakingly assembles a primer on how many votes a contender needs for an Oscar nomination per category. [The Odds]

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  • ‘Basterds,’ ‘Nine’ lead the pack with BFCA

    Eli Roth in Inglourious BasterdsFor better or worse, the Broadcast Film Critics Association has, of late, been frequently cited for its Oscar prognosticative prowess. Of course, it’s a pointless tidbit in the grand scheme and no one should be looking at organizations like this to see how accurate they might be on that front (even if this one in particular, of which I am a member, makes it a point every year to remind you).

    Having said that, I don’t think anyone would be shocked in the slightest if the BFCA’s list of 10 Best Picture nominees (see below) matches the Academy’s 10-for-10 this year. There is just one film on the list that ever felt truly questionable to me at some point along the way, and even that seems more and more locked in as latter-year hopefuls fail to catch expected fire.

    “Inglourious Basterds” and “Nine” led the way with 10 nominations each, a new record.  However, given the addition of below the line categories this year, it’s worth noting that their tallies wouldn’t have been so robust in the past. Quentin Tarantino’s film would have landed five nominations if it was business as usual. “Nine” would have landed three.  And “Up in the Air” would have led the field.

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  • LAFCA to announce in two waves

    Via press release:

    Please note, there has been a change in the announcement process for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Winners on Sunday, December 13. We will be announcing the winners in 2 separate announcements. The first announcement will be released at approx. 12:30pm PST, the second announcement at approx. 2:30pm PST. The announcements will also be simultaneously available via Twitter @lafilmcritics (http://twitter.com/LAFilmCritics) or visit www.lafca.net.

    Below is the list of categories in the order they will be announced…

    First Announcement:

    MUSIC/SCORE, PRODUCTION DESIGN, CINEMATOGRAPHY, SUPPORTING ACTRESS, SUPPORTING ACTOR, SCREENPLAY, DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM, DOUGLAS E. EDWARDS INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL FILM/VIDEO

    Second Announcement:

    ACTRESS, ACTOR, NEW GENERATION, DIRECTOR, ANIMATION, FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM, PICTURE, SPECIAL CITATIONS (if any)

    If you’d like to predict how these awards will turn out, feel free to do so in the comments section here.

  • ‘Up in the Air’ wins with D.C. critics

    Um, okay.  So the list of nominations for the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association were announced this morning.  The group’s official website notes that the winners will be announced tomorrow (so…why bother with day-before nominees?).  And now The Wrap is reporting (sans attribution — so I guess via press release) that the winners are as follows:

    Best Film
    “Up in the Air”

    Best Director
    Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”

    Best Actor
    George Clooney, “Up in the Air”

    Best Actress
    Carey Mulligan, “An Education”

    (more after the jump)

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  • Quick, for the researchers

    Anyone know if there’s ever been a performance in a specific category to win the most critics awards yet fail to receive an Oscar nomination?

  • A night at the Critics’ Choice Awards

    Sean Penn at the 14th Annual Critics\' Choice AwardsIt’s an event that keeps on getting better and better, a little awards show that’s escalated into one of the hallmarks of the film awards season, whether the “we’re one of the best Oscar predictors” stuff is annoying or not (which it is).

    The night had a number of surprises, but in a sense, one of those surprises became a foregone conclusion half-way through the show.  The whole room could tell — “Slumdog Millionaire” was going to walk away with the first clean BFCA sweep since “A Beautiful Mind” in 2001.  Nothing for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”  Nothing for “Frost/Nixon.”  Nothing but the usual for the slowly-becoming-silver-medal-bound “The Dark Knight.”

    Two big wins for “Milk” were nice.  Sean Penn’s victory as Best Actor might have been inevitable, even though Mickey Rourke’s portrayal was probably the year’s most critically acclaimed of the year.  I couldn’t help keeping an eye trained on Mickey two tables over, one of the wandering cameras crammed in his face as Penn delivered his acceptance.  Clearly the “Wrestler” gang was a bit disheartened, nabbing only one win — for Bruce Springsteen’s title track.  But Fox Searchlight was beaming nonetheless with it’s five “Slumdog” trophies.

    I did as much mingling as the two minute commercial intervals would allow, but I did manage to finally meet the lovely Kate Beckinsale, nominated tonight for her criminally underseen performance in “Nothing But the Truth.”  She’s a real sweetheart, happy for the few pockets of support she’s been able to find for the film, which was essentially avalanched by the Yari bankruptcy last month.  There’s still Santa Barbara in a couple of weeks.

    I have to say, being in the middle of Heath Ledger’s standing ovation was somewhat emotional.  The win wasn’t surprising in hindsight, but as Laura Dern was opening the envelope, I couldn’t help but think the idea of major awards was suddenly a pipe dream for this performance.  But it all went away quickly and Christopher Nolan gave a touching, spot-on acceptance speech on behalf of the actor.

    (More, plus the full list of winners, after the jump.)

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  • Discuss the Critics’ Choice award winners here!

    Alright, I’m off to the show.  Remember, the awards are televised live on VH1 at 9pm EST, 6pm EST.  If you haven’t given it a go yet, try your hand at predicting tonight’s festivities.  The original nominations announcement can be found here.

    Obviously I won’t be around to comment as the winners come down, so feel free to discuss them in this space while I’m gone.  And enjoy the show!

  • Predict the BFCAs

    I’ll refrain from participating here, given that I’m in the BFCA membership, but have at it in the comments section below if you want some space to predict tonight’s winners.  I’ll offer up a separate post just before I take off for you guys to discuss the winners, since I won’t be here to comment.

    The nominees are here if you need a refresher (and I’ll go ahead and include them after the jump, too, I guess).

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  • ‘Milk,’ ‘Slumdog,’ ‘WALL-E’ nominated by Vancouver critics

    Josh Brolin in MilkThe Vancouver Film Critics Circle have dished out their list of nominees, three per category, and “Milk,” “Slumdog Millionaire” and “WALL-E” filled out the group’s Best Film ballot.  “Milk” and Philippe Falardeau’s “C’est pas moi, je le jure!” led the nominations tally with four mentions each.

    David Fincher showed up in the Best Director category for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” while Fernando Meirelles’s all but forgotten “Blindness” managed three performance nominations, all in the “in a Canadian film” fields.

    The nominees:

    Best Film
    “Milk”
    “Slumdog Millionaire”
    “WALL-E”

    Best Canadian Film
    “C’est pas moi, je le jure!”
    “Heaven on Earth”
    “The Necessities of Life”

    (More after the jump.)

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  • ‘Wrestler’ leads with five OFCS nominations

    (from left) Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke in The WrestlerA little late coming around to the Online Film Critics Society nominations, but eh, nothing terribly unique about them, beyond mentions for Benicio Del Toro in lead actor and “The Wrestler” in Best Pic (which led the field with five nominations).  I also like the novel choice of “Let the Right One In” as an adapted screenplay nominee (well, not THAT novel).

    It’s interesting to note a total lack of acting nominations for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

    Best Picture
    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    “The Dark Knight”
    “Slumdog Millionaire”
    “WALL-E”
    “The Wrestler”

    Best Director
    Darren Aronofsky, “The Wrestler”
    Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
    David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
    Andrew Stanton, “WALL-E”

    (More after the jump.)

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  • NSFC goes with ‘Bashir’ and ‘Happy’ in a big way

    Waltz with BashirThis is just like the National Society of Film Critics.  Sorry, just coming around to this (football has taken some precedence this afternoon as I unwind post-vacation).  “Waltz with Bashir” may have taken the top prize, but “Happy-Go-Lucky” was the clear favorite.  Perhaps added fuel to the film’s Oscar fire.  Lone director nomination?  Hmmm…

    Best Picture
    “Waltz with Bashir”

    Best Director
    Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

    Best Actor
    Sean Penn, “Milk”

    Best Actress
    Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

    Best Supporting Actor
    Eddie Marsan, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

    Best Supporting Actress
    Hanna Schygulla, “The Edge of Heaven”

    Best Screenplay
    “Happy-Go-Lucky”

    Best Cinematography
    “Slumdog Millionaire”

    Best Non-Fiction Film
    “Man on Wire”

    Best Experimental Film
    “Razzle Dazzle”

  • ‘Slumdog’ dominates the critics awards circuit

    (from left) Freida Pinto and Dev Patel in Slumdog MillionaireIt looks like the critics groups are slowly winding down this season, the annual influx finally settling in for a post-glut nap.  I believe the only organizations left to announce are the Kansas City, Vancouver and Central Ohio crowds, as well as the National Society of Film Critics, all of whom should reveal their winners in the new year.

    With that in mind, I’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of links to the various groups to announce so far and their lists of winners and/or nominees.  In some cases, there are still only nominees (like the BFCA and HFPA), with awards shows still to come.  But for the most part, I think we’ve got a clear consensus winner from the critics this season: Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” with a striking 10 wins to its credit so far.  I think it’s safe to say the London critics will hand the film their Best British Film of the Year award, bringing the tally to 11, and frankly, I feel like it’s signed, sealed and delivered from the BFCA.  So if we feel safe assuming, we’re talking 12 big wins all told before the final four groups chime in at the top of 2009.

    Of course, it’s not the consensus we had last year or in 2005, but it’s a pretty clear indication that the year’s critical champ is Boyle’s explosive and dynamic endeavor.  Does this put it on a course for an Oscar?  Maybe.  But we still have a long way to go.

    So far there are seven films with the designation “best of the year,” some in the way of ties.  Those films are “Slumdog,” of course, then “The Dark Knight” (3), “Milk” (3), “WALL-E” (3), “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2), “Frost/Nixon” (1), “Happy-Go-Lucky” (1) and “Wendy and Lucy” (1).  Nothing so far for Best Picture hopefuls “Doubt” or “Revolutionary Road.”

    I’ll revisit this post in a few weeks with the grand total.  But for now, the critics awards so far, with links to our own coverage where applicable:

    African American Film Critics Association — “The Dark Knight”
    Alliance of Women Film Journalists
    — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Austin Film Critics Association — “The Dark Knight”
    Boston Society of Film Critics (IC coverage) — “Slumdog Millionaire,” “WALL-E”
    Broadcast Film Critics Association (IC coverage) — winners announced Jan. 8
    Chicago Film Critics Association (nominees, winners) — “WALL-E”
    Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Detroit Film Critics Society (IC coverage: nominees, winners) — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Florida Film Critics Circle — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Houston Film Critics Society — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Hollywood Foreign Press Association (IC coverage) — winners announced Jan. 11
    International Press Academy (IC coverage: nominees, winners) — “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Happy-Go-Lucky”
    Las Vegas Film Critics Society — “Frost/Nixon”
    London Film Critics Circle (IC coverage) — winners announced Feb. 4
    Los Angeles Film Critics Association (IC coverage) — “WALL-E”
    New York Film Critics Circle (IC coverage) — “Milk”
    New York Film Critics Online — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Phoenix Film Critics Society — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    San Diego Film Critics Society (IC coverage) — “Slumdog Millionaire”
    San Francisco Film Critics Circle (IC coverage) — “Milk”
    Southeastern Film Critics Association — “Milk”
    St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Toronto Film Critics Association (IC coverage) — “Wendy and Lucy”
    Utah Film Critics Association — “The Dark Knight”
    Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association — “Slumdog Millionaire”

  • Detroit critics go for ‘Slumdog,’ Tomei neck-and-neck with Cruz with sixth win

    (Updated to amend tally error on my part.)

    I know I declared a moratorium on these until the dust settles, but I stumbled onto the list of winners for the Detroit Film Critics Society while compiling the master list and didn’t see them reported elsehwere yet, so here you go.  This list is significant to me, though, because Marisa Tomei has officially pulled up right along side of Penelope Cruz, winning her sixth critical kudo.  SAG sure is looking silly for that slight.

    The winners, via the DFCS website (nominees were announced Tuesday):

    Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
    Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
    Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
    Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
    Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
    Best Ensemble: “Frost/Nixon”
    Best Newcomer: Martin McDonough, writer/director, “In Bruges”

  • Moratorium on crix awards updates

    Is it just me or has the amount of city critics awards announcements gotten way out of hand this year?  Maybe it’s always been this way, but I can’t recall such a glut.  It’s too much to keep up with, and really, it’s all just echo chamber revelations at this point.  The good folks at Awards Daily are, as always, doing a great job of compiling, so keep up with them there if you want to stay in the know.

  • Critics, critics, critics…

    I’ve been out all day long so I haven’t been able to post, let alone comment on the array of awards that were dished out today (beyond the Golden Satellites).  Luckily, Sasha Stone and Ryan Adams are, as always, on top of it, so check out their posts regarding the St. Louis winners (topped by “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), the Southeastern Film Critics nominees (with a top 10) and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards (with high marks for “Slumdog Millionaire”).

    Tom O’Neil also has some brief commentary on the multitude of kudos at Gold Derby.  Just nevermind the unnecessary Sean Penn swipe.

    Truthfully, it’s all running together in my head now.  Too many to count.

  • ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Slumdog’ lead list of Chicago critics nominees

    Nothing in the way of major surprises, but I’m stoked for the “Let the Right One In” love.  The rundown:

    Best Picture
    “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    “The Dark Knight”
    “Milk”
    “Slumdog Millionaire”
    “WALL-E”

    Best Director
    Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
    David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
    Andrew Stanton, “WALL-E”
    Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

    Best Actor
    Clint Eastwood, “Gran Torino”
    Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
    Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
    Sean Penn, “Milk”
    Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

    Best Actress
    Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
    Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
    Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
    Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
    Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

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