Well, this is turning out to be an interesting year. Spotlight did indeed take Best Picture at all three of these critics groups today, but that did not necessarily correspond with Best Director for any of them, and if you look on down the line at the other major categories, there wasn't much overlap at all in places like Best Actor, Actress, Screenplay or anything else. This is the opposite of a consensus year, even if it looks like Spotlight is kinda out in front. Still, the fact remains that NBR, NYFCC and LA- three of the four major critics groups, since the NSFC doesn't announce until January- all awarded a different movie in Best Picture. We may have to wait for the industry awards and guilds to see what's really going on this year, because critics are split up all over the place.
LA FILM CRITICS
- Best Picture: Spotlight (Runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road)
- Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road (Runner-up: Todd Haynes, Carol)
- Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs (Runner-up: Geza Rohrig, Son of Saul)
- Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years (Runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn)
- Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes (Runner-up: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies)
- Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina (Runner-up: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria)
- Best Screenplay: Spotlight (Runner-up: Anomalisa)
- Best Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road (Runner-up: Carol)
- Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road (Runner-up: Carol)
- Best Editing: The Big Short (Runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road)
- Best Score: Anomalisa & Carol (Runner-up: The Hateful Eight)
- Best Foreign-Language Film: Son of Saul (Runner-up: The Tribe)
- Best Documentary: Amy (Runner-up: The Look of Silence)
- Best Animation: Anomalisa (Runner-up: Inside Out)
- New Generation: Ryan Coogler, Creed
The most interesting and impactful thing the all important LA critics did today was award George Miller in director- I now think he's a lock to get an Oscar nomination now, even if Mad Max is still fighting for one in Picture. Michael Fassbender also got a boost for Steve Jobs, which hasn't shown up much in the critics awards so far, and needed some extra attention.
BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
- Best Original Score: Love & Mercy (Runner-up: Creed)
- Best Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road (Runner-up: Spotlight)
- Best Cinematography: Carol (Runner-up: The Revenant)
- Best New Filmmaker: Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Runner-up: Alex Garland, Ex Machina)
- Best Animated Film: Anomalisa & Inside Out (tie)
- Best Documentary: Amy (Runner-up: The Look of Silence)
- Best Screenplay: Spotlight (Runner-up: Carol)
- Best Ensemble: Spotlight (Runner-up: The Big Short)
- Best Supporting Actress: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria (Runner-up: Alicia Vikander)
- Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies (Runner-up: Sylvester Stallone, Creed)
- Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years (Runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn)
- Best Actor: Paul Dano, Love & Mercy and Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant (tie)
- Best Director: Todd Haynes, Carol (runner-up: Tom McCarthy, Spotlight)
- Best Picture: Spotlight (Runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road
- Best Foreign-Language Film: The Look of Silence (Runner-up: White God)
These are the real Boston film critics, and they did go for the hometown Spotlight up top, but decided, along with LA, to support Charlotte Rampling as a dark horse to get an Oscar nod in Best Actress for the critical fave, 45 Years. What's more interesting there, frankly, is that Saoirse Ronan came in second at both critics groups, after winning New York the other day and picking up the BIFA in London tonight as well. People, I really think she's becoming the favorite to win the Oscar for Brooklyn, and become one of the youngest Best Actress winners ever. The tea leaves are being spilled.
NEW YORK ONLINE
- Breakthrough Performance: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl & Ex Machina)
- Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara, Carol
- Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
- Screenplay: Spotlight
- Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road
- Use of Music: Love & Mercy
- Debut Director: Alex Garland, Ex Machina
- Director: Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
- Actress: Brie Larson, Room
- Actor: Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
- Ensemble: Spotlight
- Foreign-Language Film: Son of Saul
- Documentary: Amy
- Picture: Spotlight
- Animated Feature: Inside Out
The online NY critics stayed mostly middle of the road and went for Brie Larson, but again, tellingly, Saoirse Ronan was the runner-up. It might be notable that Amy and Son of Saul seem to have a strong handle on winning the documentary and foreign language film categories at all of these groups as well, but Amy is still fighting for that Oscar nod from the snobby doc branch of the Academy, which looks down on the "entertainment" docs. And Paul Dano winning for Best Actor here and at Boston is more a sign of the Best Actor race being weak this year for the first time in a while, as no one seems to want to award the genuinely placed "lead" performances and are reaching outside the box for other options.
