O Canada! Moonlight Wins In Toronto!


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Oh wow!  I’ve been kind of busy for the last few days so I missed a lot of precursor awards!  I’m going to try to get caught up on them tonight (especially since the Golden Globe nominations are due to be announced on Monday morning).

Let’s start out with the Toronto Film Critics Association!  They announced their picks for the best of 2016 earlier today.  It’s another victory for Moonlight!

Best Picture: Moonlight
Best Director: Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann
Best Actor: Adam Driver, Paterson
Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Best Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Best Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Best Animated Feature: Zootopia
Best Documentary: Cameraperson
Best First Feature: The Witch
Best Foreign Language Film: Toni Erdmann
Technicolor Clyde Gilmour Award: Alanis Obomsawin

Love you, Canada!

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The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Go Crazy For La La Land!


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Oscar season continued today as the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2016!  What films and performers were honored in America’s capitol?

Here the complete list!

Best Film

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Actress

  • Amy Adams (Arrival)
  • Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
  • Ruth Negga (Loving)
  • Natalie Portman (Jackie) — Winner
  • Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

  • Viola Davis (Fences) — Winner
  • Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)
  • Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
  • Molly Shannon (Other People)
  • Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Youth Performance:

  • Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) — Winner
  • Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)
  • Sunny Pawar (Lion)
  • Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)
  • Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch)

Best Voice Performance

  • Jason Bateman (Zootopia)
  • Auli’i Cravalho (Moana)
  • Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Dory)
  • Ginnifer Goodwin (Zootopia)
  • Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls) — Winner

Best Motion Capture Performance

  • Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)
  • Mark Rylance (The BFG) — Winner

Best Original Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Eric Heisserer, Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang (Arrival) — Winner
  • August Wilson, Based on his Play (Fences)
  • Luke Davies, Adapted from the Memoir “A Long Way Home” by Saroo Brierley (Lion)
  • Patrick Ness, Based on his Novel (A Monster Calls)
  • Tom Ford, Based on the Novel “Tony and Susan” by Austin Wright (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Animated Feature

Best Documentary

  • Gleason
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • O.J.: Made in America
  • 13th — Winner
  • Weiner

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Elle — Winner
  • Julieta
  • The Handmaiden
  • The Salesman
  • Toni Erdmann

Best Production Design

Best Cinematography

Best Editing

Best Original Score

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC

Finally, The Oscars Have A Host!


Hi, everyone!

You know what?  2016 has been such a crazy year that I hadn’t even noticed that it was December and the Academy still hadn’t announced who would be hosting next year’s Oscar telecast!

Well, they finally announced their pick earlier today.  With the exception of that time that Eddie Murphy accepted the job and then withdrew, has the Academy ever waited this long to name a host?  I have no idea and, to be honest, I really don’t care enough to look it up.

Anyway, your host will be…

JIMMY KIMMEL!

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Personally, I’m happy.  I like Jimmy Kimmel and I was kind of worried that the Academy would pick someone like the painfully overrated Stephen Colbert.

That said, I’ve always thought that Jon Stewart did a petty good job when he hosted the show and I wouldn’t have minded him returning, on the condition that he shave off that hideous beard.

Speaking of hideous beards, let’s hope that it’s a clean-shaven Jimmy who shows up for the telecast next February!

Congratulations, Jimmy!

The Atlanta Film Critics Society Embraces La La Land!


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It wasn’t just the Los Angeles Film Critics who announced their picks for the best of 2016 today!  The Atlanta Film Critics Society also had their say.

Who won?

Find out below!

BEST FILM – LA LA LAND

BEST DIRECTOR – Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND

BEST ACTOR – Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

BEST ACTRESS – Annette Bening, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Lily Gladstone, CERTAIN WOMEN

BEST ENSEMBLE – Cast of AMERICAN HONEY

BEST ANIMATED FILM – KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM – 13TH

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – TONI ERDMANN

BEST SCREENPLAY – Kenneth Lonergan, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

BEST SCORE – Cliff Martinez, THE NEON DEMON

BEST SONG – “Drive It Like You Stole It” from SING STREET

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Linus Sandgren, LA LA LAND

BEST EDITING – Tom Cross, LA LA LAND

EMPIRE OF THE SOUTH AWARD (Best Motion Picture Filmed in GA) – HIDDEN FIGURES

The Los Angeles Film Critics Honor Isabelle Huppert, Adam Driver, and Moonlight


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Oscar season continued today, with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) naming their picks for the best of 2016!

Best Picture
Winner: MOONLIGHT
Runner-up: LA LA LAND

Best Director
Winner: Barry Jenkins, MOONLIGHT
Runner-up: Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND

Best Actor
Winner: Adam Driver, PATERSON
Runner-up: Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Best Actress
Winner: Isabelle Huppert, ELLE and THINGS TO COME
Runner-up: Rebecca Hall, CHRISTINE

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
Runner-up: Issey Ogata, SILENCE

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Lily Gladstone, CERTAIN WOMEN
Runner-up: Michelle Williams, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Best Screenplay
Winner: Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos, THE LOBSTER
Runner-up: Kenneth Lonergan, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Best Cinematography
Winner: James Laxton, MOONLIGHT
Runner-up: Linus Sandgren, LA LA LAND

Best Production Design
Winner: Ryu Seong-hee, THE HANDMAIDEN
Runner-up: David Wasco, LA LA LAND

Best Editing
Winner: Bret Granato, Maya Mumma, Ben Sozanski, OJ: MADE IN AMERICA
Runner-up: Tom Cross, LA LA LAND

Best Music/Score
Winner: Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, LA LA LAND
Runner-up: Mica Levi, JACKIE

Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: THE HANDMAIDEN
Runner-up: TONI ERDMANN

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film
Winner: I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
Runner-up: OJ: MADE IN AMERICA

Best Animation
Winner: YOUR NAME.
Runner-up: THE RED TURTLE

New Generation Award

Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video Award
THE ILLINOIS PARABLES from writer-director Deborah Stratman

Here’s The Short List for the Best Visual Effects Oscar!


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Okay, Oscar watchers, here’s another piece of the puzzle!

Earlier today, the 20 semi-finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar were announced!  All of the films that you would expect are listed.  And then there’s one that’s taking some people by surprise — Kubo and the Two Strings!

(It’s rare that animated films are ever nominated for Best Visual Effects.  The last time it happened was back in 1993 when The Nightmare Before Christmas was nominated.)

Here they are!

  1. “Alice Through The Looking Glass”
  2. “Arrival”
  3. “The BFG”
  4. “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice”
  5. “Captain America: Civil War”
  6. Deadpool”
  7. “Deepwater Horizon”
  8. “Doctor Strange”
  9. “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them”
  10. “Independence Day: Resurgence”
  11. “The Jungle Book”
  12. “Kubo and the Two Strings”
  13. “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
  14. “Passengers”
  15. “Rogue One”
  16. “Star Trek Beyond”
  17. “Suicide Squad”
  18. “Sully”
  19. “Warcraft”
  20. “X-Men: Apocalypse”

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Here Are The Nominations For The 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards!


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The Broadcast Film Critics Association have announced their nominees for the 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards and here they are!  Once again, in a pattern that will probably see repeated several times of this next month, the nominations were dominated by Moonlight, La La Land, and Manchester By The Sea.

FILM NOMINATIONS FOR THE 22ND ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE

BEST ACTOR

BEST ACTRESS

  • Amy Adams – Arrival
  • Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
  • Isabelle Huppert – Elle
  • Ruth Negga – Loving
  • Natalie Portman – Jackie
  • Emma Stone – La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Viola Davis – Fences
  • Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
  • Naomie Harris – Moonlight
  • Nicole Kidman – Lion
  • Janelle Monáe  – Hidden Figures
  • Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

  • Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
  • Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight
  • Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
  • Madina Nalwanga – Queen of Katwe
  • Sunny Pawar – Lion
  • Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Damien Chazelle – La La Land
  • Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
  • Yorgos Lanthimos/Efthimis Filippou – The Lobster
  • Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
  • Jeff Nichols – Loving
  • Taylor Sheridan – Hell or High Water

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Luke Davies – Lion
  • Tom Ford – Nocturnal Animals
  • Eric Heisserer – Arrival
  • Todd Komarnicki – Sully
  • Allison Schroeder/Theodore Melfi – Hidden Figures
  • August Wilson – Fences

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Stéphane Fontaine – Jackie
  • James Laxton – Moonlight
  • Seamus McGarvey – Nocturnal Animals
  • Linus Sandgren – La La Land
  • Bradford Young – Arrival

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Arrival – Patrice Vermette, Paul Hotte/André Valade
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Stuart Craig/James Hambidge, Anna Pinnock
  • Jackie – Jean Rabasse, Véronique Melery
  • La La Land – David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
  • Live by Night – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

BEST EDITING

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Colleen Atwood – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  • Consolata Boyle – Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Madeline Fontaine – Jackie
  • Joanna Johnston – Allied
  • Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh – Love & Friendship
  • Mary Zophres – La La Land

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

BEST ACTION MOVIE

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE

BEST COMEDY

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

  • Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys
  • Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
  • Dwayne Johnson – Central Intelligence
  • Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
  • Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

  • Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship
  • Sally Field – Hello, My Name Is Doris
  • Kate McKinnon – Ghostbusters
  • Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen
  • Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • Elle
  • The Handmaiden
  • Julieta
  • Neruda
  • The Salesman
  • Toni Erdmann

BEST SONG

  • Audition (The Fools Who Dream) – La La Land
  • Can’t Stop the Feeling – Trolls
  • City of Stars – La La Land
  • Drive It Like You Stole It – Sing Street
  • How Far I’ll Go – Moana
  • The Rules Don’t Apply – Rules Don’t Apply

BEST SCORE

  • Nicholas Britell – Moonlight
  • Jóhann Jóhannsson – Arrival
  • Justin Hurwitz – La La Land
  • Micachu – Jackie
  • Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka – Lion

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La La Land, Moonlight, and Manchester By The Sea Wins With The New York Film Critics Circle


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The New York Film Critics Circle met today and announced their picks for the best of 2016!  The awards were pretty evenly divided between the three films that are rapidly emerging as the early Oscar front runners — Manchester By The Sea, Moonlight, and La La Land!

Here are the winners!

  • BEST FILM: “La La Land”
  • BEST DIRECTOR: Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”
  • BEST ACTRESS: Isabelle Huppert for both “Elle” and “The Things to Come”
  • BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Michelle Williams for both “Manchester by the Sea” and “Certain Women”
  • BEST FIRST FILM: (TIE) “The Edge of Seventeen” and “Krisha”
  • BEST SCREENPLAY: Kenneth Lonergan for “Manchester by the Sea”
  • BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “Toni Erdmann”
  • BEST ANIMATED FILM: “Zootopia”
  • BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight”
  • BEST ACTOR – Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea”
  • SPECIAL AWARDS: One for editor Thelma Schoonmaker, the other for Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust” 25th Anniversary Restoration

Here Are The Annie Nominations!


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The nominations for the Annie Awards were announced yesterdat!  The Annie Awards honor the best in animation.  Looking over the list of nominees, my initial thought is, “Wow, that’s a really long list!”  So, I’m just going to post the nominations for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement For Voice Acting In A Feature Film.  You can view the complete list over at one of my favorite site for Oscar news, Awards Circuit!

Anyway, here are (some of) the Annie nominations!

Best Animated Feature:

Finding Dory

Kubo and the Two Strings

Kung Fu Panda 3

Moana

Zootopia

Voice Acting In An Animated Feature

Art Parkinson in Kubo and the Two Strings

Auli’i Cravalho in Moana

Katie Crown in Storks

Zooey Deschanel in Trolls

Jason Bateman in Zootopia

Here’s What Won At The Gotham Awards!


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Last night, the 2016 Gotham Awards were awarded and it was a very good night for Moonlight, which is quickly emerging as this year’s top indie Oscar contender.

You can check out the Gotham nominations here and the winners below!

Best Feature — Moonlight

Best Documentary — O.J.: Made in America

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award — Trey Edward Shults for Krisha

Best Screenplay — “Moonlight,” Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; Screenplay by Barry Jenkins

Best Actor — Casey Affleck in Manchester By Sea

Best Actress — Isabelle Huppert in Elle

Breakthrough Actor — Anya Taylor-Joy in The Witch

Special Jury Award For Ensemble Performance — Moonlight

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award — Moonlight