Spotlight Wins In St. Louis!

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

You can check out the full nominations of the St. Louis Film Critics by clicking here. And you can see the winners below!

Best Film of 2015: SPOTLIGHT
Runner Up: INSIDE OUT

Best Director of 2015: TOM MCCARTHY – SPOTLIGHT
Runner Up: George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Actress of 2015: BRIE LARSON – ROOM
Runner Up: SAOIRSE RONAN – BROOKLYN

Best Actor of 2015: Leonardo DiCaprio – THE REVENANT
Runner Up: Ian McKellen – MR. HOLMES

Best Supporting Actress of 2015: Alicia Vikander – EX MACHINA
Runner Up: (TIE) – KRISTEN STEWART – CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, Rooney Mara, CAROL

Best Supporting Actor of 2015: Sylvester Stallone – CREED
Runner Up: Mark Rylance – BRIDGE OF SPIES

Best Cinematography of 2015: EMMANUEL LUBEZKI – THE REVENANT
Runner Up: CAROL

Best Original Screenplay: JOSH SINGER AND TOM MCCARTHY – SPOTLIGHT
Runner Up: Alex Garland, Ex Machina

Best Adapted Screenplay of 2015: DREW GODDARD: THE MARTIAN
Runner Up: Nick Hornby: Brooklyn

Best Editing: MARGARET SIXEL: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Runner Up: THE REVENANT

Best Art Direction of 2015: COLIN GIBSON – MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Runner Up: (A 3-Way Tie) CAROL, BROOKLYN, THE DANISH GIRL

Best Visual Effects of 2015: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Runner Up: THE WALK

Best Film Score of 2015: Ennio Morricone – THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Runner Up: INSIDE OUT

Best Film Soundtrack of 2015: ATTICUS ROSS – LOVE AND MERCY
Runner Up: STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Best Foreign Language Film: GOODNIGHT MOMMY
Runner Up: SON OF SAUL

Best Documentary of 2015: AMY
Runner Up: The Look of Silence

Best Comedy: TRAINWRECK
Runner Up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Best Song: WRITING’S ON THE WALL (Spectre)
Runner Up: SEE YOU AGAIN (Furious 7)

Best Scene of 2015: Hugh mauled by grizzly in THE REVENANT
Runner Up: Walk between Twin Towers in THE WALK

Worst film of 2015: “FANTASTIC FOUR”
Runner up: “ALOHA”

The Chicago Film Critics Are … wait for it … MAD ABOUT MAX!

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2015 yesterday and it was another lovely day for Mad Mad: Fury Road! You can check out the nominees here and view the list of winners below!

Best Picture: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Animated Film: Inside Out
Documentary: Amy
Foreign Language: Son of Saul
Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road
Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Score: The Hateful Eight
Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
Most Promising Performer: Jacob Tremblay, Room
Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

The Phoenix Critics Circle Circles Around Spotlight!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Phoenix Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2015 yesterday. You can check out a full list of nominees here and you can see the winners below!

Best Picture: Spotlight

Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Animated Film: Inside Out

Best International Film: Youth

Best Documentary: Amy

Best Horror Film: It Follows

Best Musical Film: Straight Outta Compton

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room

Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

Best Screenplay: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for Spotlight

Best Score: Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Comedy Film: The Big Short

Best Science Fiction Film: Ex Machina

Best Mystery or Thriller Film: Sicario

The Las Vegas Film Critics Announces A Huge Amount of Nominations!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the nominations for the Las Vegas Film Critics! They loved Creed but, for some reason, not Saoirse Ronan!

Best Picture
1. Spotlight
2. Creed
3. Ex Machina
4. Straight Outta Compton
5. Beasts of No Nation

Best Director
1. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
2. Ridley Scott (The Martian)
3. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
4. Cary Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation)
5. Ryan Coogler (Creed)

Best Actor
1. Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
2. Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)
3. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
4. Matt Damon (The Martian)
5. Michael B. Jordan (Creed)

Best Actress
1. Emily Blunt (Sicario)
2. Cate Blanchett (Carol)
3. Brie Larson (Room)
4. Lily Tomlin (Grandma)
5. Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
2. Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)
3. Tom Hardy (The Revenant)
4. Michael Shannon (99 Homes)
5. Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
2. Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
3. Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
4. Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy)
5. Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Best Screenplay (Original)
1. Ex Machina
2. Inside Out
3. Spotlight
4. Trainwreck
5. The Hateful Eight

Best Screenplay (Adapted)
1. Steve Jobs
2. The Martian

3. Room
4. Brooklyn
5. The Big Short

Best Cinematography
1. Roger Deakins (Sicario)
2. Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)
3. John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road)
4. Cary Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation)
5. Robert Richardson (The Hateful Eight)

Best Film Editing
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. The Martian
3. Spotlight
4. Steve Jobs
5. The Revenant

Best Art Direction
1. The Hateful Eight
2. Brooklyn
3. The Danish Girl
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. The Martian

Best Costume Design
1. The Hateful Eight
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. The Danish Girl
4. Carol
5. Cinderella

Best Visual Effects
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Ex Machina
3. The Martian
4. The Walk
5. In the Heart of the Sea

Best Score
1. The Danish Girl
2. The Revenant
3. Spotlight
4. Sicario
5. The Hateful Eight

Best Song
1. ‘See You Again’ (Furious 7)
2. ‘One Kind of Love’ (Love & Mercy)
3. ‘It’s My Turn Now’ (Dope)
4. ‘Simple Song #3’ (Youth)
5. ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ (Spectre)

Best Ensemble
1. The Big Short
2. The Hateful Eight
3. Straight Outta Compton
4. Trumbo
5. Spotlight

Best Animated Film
1. Anomalisa
2. Inside Out
3. The Good Dinosaur
4. Shaun the Sheep Movie
5. The Peanuts Movie

Best Documentary
1. Meru
2. Amy
3. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
4. Cartel Land
5. Best of Enemies

Best Foreign Film
1. Goodnight Mommy
2. Mustang
3. Phoenix
4. Respire
5. Tu Dors Nicole

Best Action Film
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
5. Ant-Man

Best Comedy Film
1. Trainwreck
2. The Big Short
3. Dope
4. Sisters
5. Spy

Best Family Film
1. Goosebumps
2. Cinderella
3. Pan
4. Ant-Man
5. Tomorrowland

Best Horror / Sci-Fi Film
1. Ex Machina
2. The Martian
3. Jurassic World
4. It Follows
5. Krampus

Best Breakout Filmmaker
1. Rick Famuyiwa (Dope)
2. Alex Garland (Ex Machina)
3. David Robert Mitchell (It Follows)
4. Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl)

Youth in Film Award
1. Abraham Attah (Beasts of No Nation)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Milo Parker (Mr. Holmes)
4. Shameik Moore (Dope)
5. Imogene Wolodarsky (Infinitely Polar Bear)

Austin Loves Carol!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Austin Film Critics Association announced their nominations earlier today and guess what? They really, really like Carol!

Love you, Austin!

(I don’t know if I love Carol but seriously, Austin’s the best!)

Best Film:
Anomalisa
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
Trumbo

Best Director:
Todd Haynes, Carol
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Actor:
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Michael B. Jordan, Creed
Jacob Tremblay, Room

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Rooney Mara, Carol
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Supporting Actor:
Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress:
Elizabeth Banks, Love & Mercy
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Original Screenplay:
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Inside Out
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Taylor Sheridan, Sicario
Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Emma Donoghue, Room
Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
Phyllis Nagy, Carol
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs

Best Cinematography:
Roger Deakins, Sicario
Edward Lachman, Carol
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight
John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Score:
Carter Burwell, Carol
Michael Giacchino, Inside Out
Tom Holkenborg (as Junkie XL), Max Max: Fury Road
Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Rich Vreeland (as Disasterpeace), It Follows

Best Foreign-Language Film:
Mustang
Phoenix
Son of Saul
The Tribe
Victoria

Best Documentary:
Amy
Best of Enemies
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
Where to Invade Next

Best Animated Film:
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best First Film:
Bone Tomahawk
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Ex Machina
Mustang
Son of Saul

The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award:
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
Mya Taylor, Tangerine
Jacob Tremblay, Room
Alicia Vikander, Ex-Machina

Best Austin Film:
Arlo and Julie (dir: Steve Mims)
A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story (dir: Sara Hirsh Bordo)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (dir: David Zellner)
Peace Officer (dir: Brad Barber, Scott Christopherson)
Two Step (dir: Alex R. Johnson)

Here Are Nominations of the Kansas City Critics!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi! We briefly interrupt our nonstop Star Wars coverage to bring you the latest developments in awards season! First off, the Kansas City Film Critics Circle — the 2nd oldest critical group in America (the National Board of Review is the oldest) — announced their nominations for the best of 2015 and guess what? They liked one of my favorite movies of the year, Sicario!

BEST PICTURE:
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Sicario
Spotlight

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR:
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant
Denis Villeneuve, Sicario
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

BEST ACTOR:
Steve Carell, The Big Short
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

BEST ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Emily Blunt, Sicario
Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Benicio Del Toro, Sicario

Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Elizabeth Banks, Love & Mercy
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Ex Machina
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Sicario
Spotlight
Trainwreck

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Big Short
Carol
The Martian
Room
Steve Jobs

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
Anomalisa
Inside Out
Minions
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
The Assassin
Goodnight Mommy
Phoenix
Son of Saul
The Tribe
White God

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
Amy
Best of Enemies
The Look of Silence
Where to Invade Next
The Wrecking Crew

VINCE KOEHLER AWARD FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY or HORROR FILM:
Ex Machina
Goodnight Mommy
It Follows
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian

And finally, here’s what won with the Detroit Film Critics!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

You can check out the Detroit nominations here. Remember how stunned everyone was when Liev Schrieber was nominated for best supporting actor? Well, he went on to win!

You can check out all the winners below!

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 Schrieber, Spotlight

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Ensemble: Spotlight

Breakthrough: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl and Ex Machina

Best Screenplay: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for Spotlight

Best Documentary: Amy

The Indiana Film Journalists Have Spoken And They Love A Film About Boston!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Indiana Film Journalist Association have announced their picks for the best of 2015 and they went with … Ted 2!

No, just kidding, they went with Spotlight.

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 Actress

Winner: Brie Larson, “Room”
Runner-up: Charlotte Rampling, “45 Years”

Best Supporting Actress

Winner: Greta Gerwig, “Mistress America”
Runner-up: Elizabeth Banks, “Love & Mercy”

Best Actor

Winner: Jacob Tremblay, “Room”
Runner-up: Jason Segel, “The End of the Tour”

Best Supporting Actor

Winner: Mark Ruffalo, “Spotlight”
Runner-up: Idris Elba, “Beasts of No Nation”

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”

Original Vision Award

Winner: “Anomalisa”
Runner-up: “Chi-Raq”

The Hoosier Award

Winner: Angelo Pizzo, writer/director/producer

Here Are The Houston Film Critics Nominations!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Another one of my former hometowns has checked in with their nominations for the best of 2015! The Houston Film Critics gave Ex Machina another nomination for best picture. Wouldn’t it be kinda neat if Ex Machina snuck into the Oscar race as well?

BEST PICTURE:
The Big Short, Paramount
Ex Machina, A24 Films
Inside Out, Disney/PIXAR
Mad Max: Fury Road, Warner Bros.
The Martian, 20th Century Fox
The Revenant, 20th Century Fox
Room, A24 Films
Sicario, Lionsgate
Spotlight, Open Road Films
Steve Jobs, Universal

BEST DIRECTION OF A MOTION PICTURE:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Ridley Scott, The Martian
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Brian Cranston, Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Matt Damon, The Martian
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Tom Hardy, Legend

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Brie Larsen, Room
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
Emily Blunt, Sicario
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Tom Hardy, The Revenant

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Rooney Mara, Carol

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs
Drew Goddard, The Martian
Emma Donaghu, Room
Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

BEST ANIMATED FILM:
Anomalisa, Paramount
The Good Dinosaur, Disney/PIXAR
Inside Out, Disney/PIXAR
The Peanuts Movie, 20th Century Fox
Shaun the Sheep, StudioCanal

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Dariusz Wolski, The Martian
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight
Roger Deakins, Sicario

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Amy, Altitude Film Distribution
Best of Enemies, Magnolia
Cartel Land, IFC Films
The Look of Silence, Drafthouse Films
Where to Invade Next, IMG Films

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
The Assassin, Well Go USA
Goodnight Mommy, Radius/TWC
Son of Saul, Sony Pictures Classic
The Tribe, Drafthouse Films
White God, Magnolia

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Ennio Moriccone, The Hateful Eight
Michael Giacchino, Inside Out
Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road

Daniel Pemberton, Steve Jobs
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner, The Revenant

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
“Love Me Like You Do,” music & lyrics by Savan Kotecha, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Tove Lo, Max Martin & Ali Payami, 50 Shades of Grey
“One Kind of Love,” music & lyrics by Brian Wilson & Scott Bennett, Love & Mercy
“See You Again,” music & lyrics by Wiz Khalifa, DJ Frank E, Charlie Puth & Andrew Cedar, Furious 7
“Simple Song #3,” music & lyrics by David Lang, Youth
“Writing’s on the Wall,” music & lyrics by Sam Smith & Jimmy Napes, Spectre

TEXAS INDEPENDENT FILM AWARD:
6 Years
7 Chinese Brothers
Last Man on the Moon
Results
Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove

BEST POSTER
Carol – Theatrical Poster
Ex Machina – Theatrical Poster
It Follows – Rear Window Alternate
Mad Max: Fury Road – ‘What A Lovely Day’ Alternate
Sicario – Theatrical Poster
The Walk – IMAX Alternate

WORST FILM OF THE YEAR:
Aloha, Columbia
The Boy Next Door, Universal
Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox
Mortdecai, Lionsgate
Pixels, Columbia

The Infinitely Wise and Benevolent Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Loves Spotlight!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics — that’s right, my hometown! — announced their picks for the best of 2015 yesterday! Oddly enough, they give very little love to two of my favorite films of the year — Sicario and Mad Max: Fury Road — and instead went for Spotlight.

Anyway, here are the DFW winners!

Best Picture:

Spotlight (director — Tom McCarthy)

Best Animated Feature:

Inside Out (director — Pete Docter)

Best Foreign Language Film:

Son of Saul (Hungary)

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 (Josh Singer, TomMcCarthy)

Best Cinematography:

Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)

Best Musical Score:

The Revenant (Bryce Dessner, Carsten Nicolai and Ryûichi Sakamoto)

Russell Smith Award (named for the late Dallas Morning News film critic. The honor is given annually to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film.)

Tangerine (director — Sean Baker)