The Atlanta Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2020 earlier today and it was yet another victory for Nomadland.  At this point, Nomadland winning an award from a critics group has become a bit like the sun going up and down during the morning and the evening.  It’s going to happen everyday, or at least it’s going to happen until the sun goes supernova and eliminates all life on this planet.

(Agck!  That’s a scary thought!)

In other news, Atlanta gives us pretty much the usual collection of winners.  Riz Ahmed won best actor for Sound of Metal.  Paul Raci took home another very deserved supporting actor win for the same film.  Carey Mulligan won an also much deserved prize for her work in Promising Young Woman.  Maria Bakalova won another supporting actress prize for the Borat movie, which has emerged as this year’s movie to nominate to own the cons.

(On Earth 2, Hollywood long ago took a random right turn and suddenly, PureFlix films is picking up all sorts of awards.  Oscar-winner Kevin Sorbo?  On Earth 2, that’s such a common event that Kirk Cameron makes a joke about it every time he hosts the Academy Awards.)

I have to admit that I keep hoping that one of these critics groups will just do something totally unexpected and crazy.  I mean, they could have really shaken up the race by giving their best picture prize to Money Plane.  Or maybe Hillbilly Elegy.  With the way that television and movies are becoming one in the same, they really should have considered honoring a Lifetime film.  At this point, I just want to see something really crazy happen, y’know?

Anyway, here are the winners from Atlanta!*

Top 10 Films
1. NOMADLAND
2. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
3. SOUND OF METAL
4. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
5. MINARI
6. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
7. FIRST COW
8. THE FATHER
9. MANK
10. DA 5 BLOODS

Honorable Mentions: SOUL, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, PALM SPRINGS & TIME

Best Lead Actor
Winner: Riz Ahmed – SOUND OF METAL
First Runner Up: Chadwick Boseman – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Best Lead Actress
Winner: Carey Mulligan – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
First Runner Up: Frances McDormand – NOMADLAND

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Paul Raci – SOUND OF METAL
First Runner Up: Sacha Baron Cohen – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Maria Bakalova – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
First Runner Up: Youn Yuh-jung – MINARI

Best Ensemble Cast
Winner: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
First Runner Up: ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

Best Director
Winner: Chloé Zhao – NOMADLAND
First Runner Up: Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Best Screenplay
Winner: Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
First Runner Up: Aaron Sorkin – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Best Documentary
Winner: TIME
First Runner Up: COLLECTIVE

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: ANOTHER ROUND
First Runner Up: BACURAU

Best Animated Film
Winner: SOUL
First Runner Up: WOLFWALKERS

Best Cinematography
Winner: NOMADLAND
First Runner Up: NEWS OF THE WORLD

Best Original Score
Winner: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – SOUL
First Runner Up: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – MANK

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Winner: Kingsley Ben-Adir – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
First Runner Up: Maria Bakalova – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

BEST FIRST FILM
Winner: Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
First Runner Up: Regina King – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

*But, in a way, aren’t we all winners from Atlanta?