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

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’s What Won In San Francisco!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Remember when I shared with you the nominations of the San Francisco Film Critics?

You don’t?

Okay, if you’re not going to pay attention… *sigh*

Well, anyway, the winners were announced on December 13th and here they are!

Best Picture
“Spotlight”

Best Director
George Miller, “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Best Original Screenplay
Oren Moverman; Michael Alan Lerner, “Love & Mercy”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Nick Hornby, “Brooklyn”
Best Actor
Paul Dano, “Love & Mercy”

Best Actress
Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Michael Shannon, “99 Homes”

Best Supporting Actress
Mya Taylor, “Tangerine”

Best Animated Feature
“Anomalisa”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Son of Saul”

Best Documentary
“Listen to Me Marlon”

Best Cinematography
John Seale, “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Best Production Design
Judy Becker; Heather Loeffler, “Carol”

Best Film Editing
Margaret Sixel, “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Special Citation for underappreciated independent cinema
“The Forbidden Room” Guy Maddin’s haunted scream, full of artfully recreated, vinegar-eaten celluloid, is a rat’s nest of affairs too strange to recall and too troubling to forget.

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & innovation in the Bay Area film community
Frank Lee For his lifelong dedication to film culture in San Francisco—in particular his twenty-plus-year film stewardship of the 4 Star Theatre in the tradition of the family-run independent art house and his attention to Hong Kong film, both marked by his astute taste and knowledge.

O Canada! Here are the Toronto Film Critics winners!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Love you, Canada!

Here are the films that the Toronto Film Critics picked (on Sunday) for the best of 2015! Love you, Canada!

Best Picture: Carol

Best Director: Todd Haynes, Carol

Best Actress: Nina Hoss, Phoenix

Best Actor: Tom Hardy, Legend

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best Screenplay: The Big Short

Best First Film: Ex Machina

Best Foreign Language Film: Phoenix

Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Best Animated Feature: Shaun the Sheep Movie

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)

The Chicago Film Critics Society Rounds Up The Usual Suspects!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Film Critics Society announced their nominations for the best of 2015 yesterday and it’s pretty much the usual suspects, with a few unexpected names tossed in as well! Check them out below and try not to get on the Mayor’s bad side because I hear he’s one scary guy.

BEST PICTURE
Carol
Inside Out
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes–Carol
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu–The Revenant
Tom McCarthy–Spotlight
Adam McKay–The Big Short
George Miller–Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR
Christopher Abbott–James White
Leonardo DiCaprio–The Revenant
Michael Fassbender–Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne–The Danish Girl
Jason Segel–The End of the Tour

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett–Carol
Brie Larson–Room
Charlotte Rampling–45 Years
Saoirse Ronan–Brooklyn
Charlize Theron–Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio Del Toro–Sicario
Sam Elliott–Grandma
Mark Rylance–Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon–99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone–Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh–Anomalisa
Jennifer Jason Leigh–The Hateful Eight
Cynthia Nixon–James White
Kristen Stewart–Clouds of Sils Maria
Alicia Vikander–Ex Machina

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge of Spies–Matt Charman and Joel & Ethan Coen
Ex Machina–Alex Garland
The Hateful Eight–Quentin Tarantino
Inside Out–Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley
Spotlight–Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Anomalisa–Charlie Kaufman
The Big Short–Adam McKay & Charles Randolph
Brooklyn–Nick Hornby
Room–Emma Donoghue
Steve Jobs–Aaron Sorkin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Carol–Edward Lachman
The Hateful Eight–Robert RIchardson
Mad Max: Fury Road–John Seale
The Revenant–Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario–Roger Deakins

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Carol–Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight–Ennio Morricone
Inside Out–Michael Giacchino
It Follows–Disasterpeace
Mad Max: Fury Road–Junkie XL

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Assassin
Brooklyn
Carol
Crimson Peak
Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST EDITING
The Big Short–Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road–Jason Ballantine & Margaret Sixel
The Martian–Pietro Scalia
The Revenant–Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight–Tom McArdle

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
The Assassin
The Look of Silence
Phoenix
Son of Saul
White God

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Amy
Cartel Land
The Hunting Ground
The Look of Silence
Where to Invade Next

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
The Shaun the Sheep Movie

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Christopher Abbott–James White
Bel Powley–The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Geza Rohrig–Son of Saul
Amy Schumer–Trainwreck
Jacob Tremblay–Room

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Alex Garland–Ex Machina
Marielle Heller–The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Josh Mond–James White
Laszlo Nemes–Son of Saul
Bill Pohlad–Love & Mercy

The Southeastern Film Critics Celebrate A Film About The Northeast!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the Southeastern Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2015. They picked Spotlight for best picture and George Miller for best director, which seems to be a very popular trend as of late.

Top 10

1. Spotlight

2. Mad Max: Fury Road

3. Room

4. Brooklyn

5. Carol

6. The Big Short

7. The Martian

8. Inside Out

9. Bridge of Spies

10. Trumbo

Best Actor

Winner: Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Runner-up: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Best Actress

Winner: Brie Larson, Room

Runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor

Winner: Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Runner-up: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best Supporting Actress

Winner: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

Runner-up: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Ensemble

Winner: Spotlight

Runner-up: The Big Short

Best Director

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-up: Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Best Original Screenplay

Winner: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer for Spotlight

Runner-up: Bob Petersen, Pete Docter for Inside Out

Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: Emma Donoghue for Room

Runner-up: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for The Big Short

Best Documentary

Winner: Amy

Runner-up: Best of Enemies

Foreign Language

Winner: Son of Saul

Runner-up: The Assassin

Best Animated Film

Winner: Inside Out

Runner-up: Anomalisa

Best Cinematography

Winner: John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-up: Luca Bigazzi for Youth

The Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South

Finders Keepers

The Online Film Critics Society Announce Their Winners!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the Online Film Critics Society announced their picks for the best of 2015 and it was another lovely day for Mad Max! You can check out the OFCS nominations here and the winners below!

The 2015 OFCS AWARD WINNERS:

Best Picture:

Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Director:

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Actor:

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Best Supporting Actor:

Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina)

Best Supporting Actress: