Four regional critics groups chose winners today, with three of the four going for Moonlight in top honors, but the biggest organization, the Boston Film Critics, went for La La Land all the way.
BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
'La La Land' continues to win over critics
Best Picture: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle and Things to Come
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Best Supporting Actress, Lily Gladstone, Certain Women
Best Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America
These guys went very Oscar-y, aside from Lily Gladstone, a dark horse contender in a dark horse film almost guaranteed not to be recognized by the Oscars. Otherwise it's more confirmation for our musical frontrunner.
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE
Park Chan-wook's 'The Handmaiden' landed some foreign film prizes today
- Best Picture: Moonlight
- Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
- Best Ensemble Cast: Moonlight
- Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester By the Sea
- Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
- Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences
- Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Best Documentary: 13th
- Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings
- Best Foreign Language Film: The Handmaiden
- Best Debut Director: Robert Eggers, The Witch
- Best Screenplay: Moonlight
- Best Cinematography: Moonlight
- Best Use of Music: La La Land
- Breakthrough Performance: Ruth Negga
The NY online critics chose a couple of interesting choices in the The Handmaiden for Foreign Film and Ava Duvernay's 13th for documentary. But Moonlight has become the critics darling, so it's not surprising to see that film winning a lot this season.
TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Germany's 'Toni Erdmann' is a favorite for foreign-language film
- Best Picture: Moonlight
- Best Director: Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann
- Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann
- Best Actor: Adam Driver, Paterson
- Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
- Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Foreign Language Film: Toni Erdmann
- Screenplay: Manchester by the Sea
- Documentary: Cameraperson
- First Feature: The Witch
- Animated: Zootopia
Toronto went for the celebrated German film Toni Erdmann, not just in foreign-language film but in Director and Actress as well, which is refreshing. Again, critics don't seem to have a consensus on Best Actress, with Isabelle Huppert seemingly the favorite with them, but it's certainly not locked in there.
SAN FRANCISCO FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Denzel gets his first critics win as Best Actor for 'Fences'
- Best Picture: MOONLIGHT
- Best Director: Barry Jenkins, MOONLIGHT
- Best Actor: Denzel Washington, FENCES
- Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, ELLE
- Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
- Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, FENCES
- Best Screenplay, Original: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA & MOONLIGHT (tie)
- Best Screenplay, Adapted: ARRIVAL
- Best Cinematography: MOONLIGHT
- Best Production Design: THE HANDMAIDEN
- Best Original Score: JACKIE
- Best Film Editing: ARRIVAL & MOONLIGHT (tie)
- Best Animated Feature: THE RED TURTLE
- Best Foreign Language Picture: THE HANDMAIDEN
- Best Documentary: I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
San Francisco goes for Moonlight, but also Denzel Washington over Casey Affleck, and hands a couple of prizes to Arrival as well (still my favorite of the year so far, but I'm late to the party in seeing the frontrunners).
