Southeastern, Indiana, Detroit and Dallas Ft. Worth Critics All Name 'Spotlight' as Year's Best

More regional critics groups today, as Spotlight swept them all, but Brie Larson is notably catching up with Saoirse Ronan in critical wins for Actress here- after that Globe dismissal of Brooklyn, I'm starting to think Brie for sure has the upper hand there now.

DETROIT

The coolest thing these guys did with their picks is hand Liev Schreiber a win for Best Supporting Actor in Spotlight- I'm not sure what movie everyone else saw, but Schreiber was for sure the MVP of that cast in my opinion.

BEST PICTURE: Spotlight
BEST DIRECTOR: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
BEST ACTOR: Michael Caine, Youth
BEST ACTRESS: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Liev Schreiber, Spotlight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
BEST ENSEMBLE: Spotlight
BREAKTHROUGH: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, The Danish Girl
BEST SCREENPLAY: Spotlight
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Amy

SOUTHEASTERN FILM CRITICS

Other than the Bryan Cranston win for Trumbo, this is pretty solid as well- it's interesting that Alicia Vikander is gaining critics momentum for her turn in Ex Machina instead of The Danish Girl- but I have a feeling that's because critics are rebelling against her position in supporting for the latter, apparently a film in which she's actually the clear lead.

Top 10
01. Spotlight
02. Mad Max: Fury Road
03. Room
04. Brooklyn
05. Carol
06. The Big Short
07. The Martian
08. Inside Out
09. Bridge of Spies
10. Trumbo

Best Actor
Winner: Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Runner-up: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Best Actress
Winner: Brie Larson, Room
Runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Runner-up: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Runner-up: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Ensemble
Winner: Spotlight
Runner-up: The Big Short

Best Director
Winner: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer for Spotlight
Runner-up: Bob Petersen, Pete Docter for Inside Out

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Emma Donoghue for Room
Runner-up: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for The Big Short

Best Documentary
Winner: Amy
Runner-up: Best of Enemies

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: Son of Saul
Runner-up: The Assassin

Best Animated Film
Winner: Inside Out
Runner-up: Anomalisa

Best Cinematography
Winner: John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Luca Bigazzi for Youth

INDIANA FILM JOURNALISTS

Undoubtedly the best choice here is their awarding Jacob Tremblay for his correct position, which is Best Actor, not supporting, in Room. That kid is the lead of that movie, and Brie if anything is supporting, not him. He's in every scene, narrates the story and drives all the action. Sorry guys, but just because it's a child does not mean the role is supporting.

Best Film
Winner: "Spotlight"
Runner-up: "Room"

Other finalists (listed alphabetically):
"Anomalisa"
"The Big Short"
"Carol"
"The End of the Tour"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"Steve Jobs"
"Straight Outta Compton"

Best Animated Feature
Winner: "Anomalisa"
Runner-up:"Inside Out"

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: "Son of Saul"
Runner-up:"Goodnight Mommy"

Best Documentary
Winner:"Amy"
Runner-up:"Meru"

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, "Spotlight"
Runner-up: Matt Charman, Joel & Ethan Coen, "Bridge of Spies"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Emma Donoghue, "Room"
Runner-up: Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, "The Big Short"

Best Director
Winner: George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Runner-up: Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"

Best Actor
Winner: Jacob Tremblay, "Room"
Runner-up: Jason Segel, "The End of the Tour"

Best Actress
Winner: Brie Larson, "Room"
Runner-up: Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight"
Runner-up: Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation"

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Greta Gerwig, "Mistress America"
Runner-up: Elizabeth Banks, "Love & Mercy"

Best Vocal/Motion-Capture Performance
Winner: Phyllis Smith, "Inside Out"
Runner-up: Tom Noonan, "Anomalisa"

Best Musical Score
Winner: Junkie XL, "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Runner-up: Disasterpeace, "It Follows"

DALLAS FT. WORTH

Some love for The Revenant here, where it won Director and Actor, plus some techs, while Spotlight still came out on top. But again, Brie Larson triumphed here too, adding to her growing collection of hardware, where the Oscar will probably reside soon as well.

Best Picture: Spotlight

Best Animated Feature: Inside Out

Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

Best Documentary: Amy

Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant)

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room)

Best Supporting Actor: Paul Dano (Love and Mercy)

Best Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara (Carol)

Best Screenplay: Spotlight

Best Cinematography: The Revenant

Best Musical Score: The Revenant 

Enterprise Crew Returns in Trailer for 'Star Trek Beyond'

Crap. Rumors were that the studio wanted the Star Trek franchise to be more like Guardians of the Galaxy and this trailer is certainly trying to sell it as a cross between that and Fast and Furious. I loved the 2009 Star Trek, but I can't say I have a good feeling about this one. Sorry, but I don't trust anything from the director of a Fast and Furious movie.

More Critics Weigh in as Toronto, San Francisco and the Online Society Split It Up Between 'Carol,' 'Spotlight' and 'Mad Max'

It seems obvious now there are three critical darlings in the race this year, as three more critics groups announce and go different ways for the top prize, one for each pick. 

TORONTO

These guys loved Carol as the year's best and picked a variety for the rest, including nods for the direction of Ex Machina and Phoenix. A nice touch in choosing Shaun the Sheep for best animated film too.

  • Best First Film: Ex Machina
  • Best Foreign Language Film: Phoenix
  • Best Documentary: The Look of Silence
  • Best Animated Feature: Shaun the Sheep Movie
  • Best Screenplay: The Big Short
  • Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
  • Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
  • Best Actress: Nina Hoss, Phoenix
  • Best Actor: Tom Hardy, Legend
  • Best Director: Todd Haynes, Carol
  • Best Picture: Carol

SAN FRANCISCO

The Bay area critics went with Spotlight up top but also loved Brooklyn and Love and Mercy to some extent, showering both with screenplay and acting wins, along with Mad Max in the tech and director categories. 

  • Best Picture: “Spotlight”
  • Best Director: George Miller, “Mad Max: Fury Road”
  • Best Original Screenplay: “Love & Mercy”
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: “Brooklyn”


  • Best Actor: Paul Dano, “Love & Mercy”
  • Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn”
  • Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, “99 Homes”
  • Best Supporting Actress: Mya Taylor, “Tangerine”
  • Best Animated Feature: “Anomalisa”
  • Best Foreign Language Film: “Son of Saul”
  • Best Documentary: “Listen to Me Marlon”
  • Best Cinematography: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
  • Best Production Design: “Carol”
  • Best Film Editing: “Mad Max: Fury Road”

ONLINE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

The OFCS went all in for Mad Max, as could be expected, but they also liked Carol quite a bit and yay- another one for Michael Fassbender in Best Actor. If Fassbender was the kind of guy who agreed to campaign, I do believe he could win that Oscar for this- right now Leo Dicaprio appears the frontrunner, but only as a default choice, since the movie isn't exactly beloved. It's definitely up for grabs if Fassy wanted it.

  • Best Picture: Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
  • Best Film Not in the English Language: The Assassin (Taiwan)
  • Best Documentary: The Look of Silence
  • Best Director: George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
  • Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
  • Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Carol)
  • Best Supporting Actor: Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina)
  • Best Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara (Carol)
  • Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: Carol
  • Best Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Best Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road 

Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman Return in Trailer for 'Independence Day: Resurgence'

So, the latest entry in our nostalgia-crazed culture is the sequel to 1995's Independence Day, and call me crazy but whatever this is looks nothing like the cheesy, B-movie fun of that disaster epic, even with Roland Emmerich at the helm again. Doesn't this look overly self-serious and drab? Funny, that's not what I remember that movie being like at all. No Will Smith in this one, but we do get Liam Hemsworth, so...yay?

X-Men Are Back in Trailer for 'Apocalypse'

So Jennifer Lawrence doesn't feel like putting hours worth of makeup on, even though she's playing a comic book character who's entirely blue, so the answer to that is shapeshifter Mystique is now a blond girl all the time who looks jut like Jennifer Lawrence and no one else. That's bullshit. That's the most annoying thing about this trailer. I don't even care about anything else.

The Turtles Are Back in the Trailer for 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2'

I just can't get over how incredibly ugly these turtles look. They do the jokes and the flips and everything, but they look like complete shit. Shudder. Arrow's Stephen Amell makes his major movie debut as Casey Jones in this, but why he wanted his first big movie role to be the sequel to the Ninja Turtles mess, I have no idea. I'll be staying far, far away from this one.