Everything Wins In Houston

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Houston Film Critics Society has announced their picks for the best of 2022. You can see the nominees by clicking here and you can check out the winner below!

Best Picture
Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Director
Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actor – Leading Role
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Actress – Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, Tár

Best Actor – Supporting Role
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actress – Supporting Role
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Animated Feature
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best Cinematography
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Documentary
Good Night Oppy

Best Foreign Language Feature
RRR

Best Original Score
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best Original Song
RRR, Naatu Naatu

Best Visual Effects
Avatar: The Way of Water

Best Stunt Coordination Team
RRR

Best Ensemble Cast
Women Talking

Texas Independent Film Award
Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood

Everything And Mia Goth Wins In Hawaii

Posted on January 14, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Hawaii Film Critics Society has announced their picks for the best of 2022! You can check out the nominees by clicking here and you can see the winners belows!

BEST PICTURE
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST DIRECTOR
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST ACTOR
Brendan Fraser, The Whale

BEST ACTRESS
Mia Goth, Pearl

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Women Talking

BEST ART DIRECTION
Babylon

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Top Gun: Maverick

BEST EDITING
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Sr.

BEST MAKE-UP
The Batman

BEST SOUND
Top Gun: Maverick

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Babylon

BEST SONG
“Hold My Hand” (Top Gun: Maverick)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: The Way of Water

BEST STUNT WORK
Top Gun: Maverick

BEST NEW FILMMAKER
Lee Jung-jae, Hunt

BEST FIRST FILM
Aftersun

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
The Unbearable Weight of Immeasurable Talent

BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Sigourney Weaver, Avatar: The Way of Water

BEST HORROR FILM
Pearl

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
The Batman

BEST SCI-FI FILM
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
RRR (India)

BEST HAWAIIAN FILM
The Wind and the Reckoning (dir. David L. Cunningham) (Hawaii)

WORST FILM OF 2022
The 355

Here Are The 2022 Nominees of The Houston Film Critics Society

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Finally, here’s one last regional critics group for the day. The Houston Film Critics Society has announced their nominations for the best of 2022. The winners will be announced on February 18th so …. hey, we’ve got away!

Anyway, here are the nominees from Houston!

Best Picture
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
RRR
Tár
Till
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking

Best Director
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Tár
Women Talking

Best Actor – Leading Role
Austin Butler, Elvis
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Jeremy Pope, The Inspection

Best Actress – Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, Tár
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Danielle Deadwyler, Till
Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actor – Supporting Role
Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Mark Rylance, Bones and All
Ben Whishaw, Women Talking

Best Actress – Supporting Role
Jesse Buckley, Women Talking
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Janelle Monáe, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Tár
Women Talking

Best Animated Feature
Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red

Best Cinematography
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
Nope
The Fabelmans
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Documentary
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Fire of Love
Good Night Oppy
Navalny

Best Foreign Language Feature
All Quiet on the Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Close
Decision to Leave
RRR

Best Original Score
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Empire of Light
The Fabelmans
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Women Talking

Best Original Song
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Lift Me Up
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Ciao Papa
RRR, Naatu Naatu
Till, Stand Up
Top Gun: Maverick, Hold My Hand

Best Visual Effects
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
RRR
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Stunt Coordination Team
The Batman
Everything Everywhere All at Once
RRR
Top Gun: Maverick
The Woman King

Best Ensemble Cast
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Women Talking

Texas Independent Film Award
Acid Test
Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood
Conception
Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story
Facing Nolan

Here Are The 2022 Nominations of the Hawaii Film Critics Society!

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Woo hoo! I love Hawaii!

Here are the nominations!

BEST PICTURE
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Top Gun: Maverick
The Menu
Tár
Babylon

BEST DIRECTOR
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Todd Field, Tár
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Damien Chazelle, Babylon
Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

BEST ACTOR
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Austin Butler, Elvis
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick

BEST ACTRESS
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Cate Blanchett, Tár
Margo Robbie, Babylon
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu
Mia Goth, Pearl

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brad Pitt, Babylon
Colin Farrell, The Batman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Jean Smart, Babylon

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Menu
Tár
The Fabelmans

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Women Talking
Top Gun: Maverick
She Said
The Whale
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

BEST ART DIRECTION
Babylon
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All At Once
RRR
Avatar: The Way of Water

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Babylon
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
The Fabelmans

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Babylon
Top Gun: Maverick
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Tár
Avatar: The Way of Water

BEST EDITING
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Top Gun: Maverick
Babylon
Elvis
Avatar: The Way of Water

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
The Bad Guys
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
Turning Red

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Sr.
Good Night Oppy
Fire of Love
Three Minutes: A Lengthening
All The Beauty and the Bloodshed

BEST MAKE-UP
The Batman
The Whale
Elvis
Babylon
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST SOUND
Top Gun: Maverick
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
RRR
The Fabelmans

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Babylon
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
The Banshees of Inisherin
Women Talking

BEST SONG
“Lift Me Up” (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
“Ciao Papa” (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)
“Naatu Naatu (Telugu)” (RRR)
“Hold My Hand” (Top Gun: Maverick)
“This Is A Life” (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: The Way of Water
RRR
Top Gun: Maverick
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST STUNT WORK
Top Gun: Maverick
RRR
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Avatar: The Way of Water
Everything Everywhere All At Once

BEST NEW FILMMAKER
John Patton Ford, Emily the Criminal
Charlotte Wells, Aftersun
Elegance Bratton, The Inspection
Lee Jung-jae, Hunt
Carlota Pereda, Piggy

BEST FIRST FILM
Aftersun
Turning Red
Hunt
The Bad Guys
The Bobs Burgers Movie

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
After Yang
The Unbearable Weight of Immeasurable Talent
The Outfit
Emily the Criminal
Zero Fucks Given

BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Sigourney Weaver, Avatar: The Way of Water
Ewan McGregor, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Zazie Beetz, The Bad Guys
Rosalie Chiang, Turning Red

BEST HORROR FILM
Pearl
The Black Phone
Barbarian
Smile
Terrifier 2

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Batman
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
Black Adam
DC League of Super Pets

BEST SCI-FI FILM
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Nope
Prey
Lightyear
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
RRR (India)
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Decision To Leave (South Korea)
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)

BEST HAWAIIAN FILM
The Wind and the Reckoning (dir. David L. Cunningham) (Hawaii)
Waterman (dir. Isaac Halasima) (Oahu)
Cane Fire (dir. Anthony Banua-Simon) (Kauai)
Ala Moana Boys (dir. Keli’i Grace) (Oahu)
Last Hawaiian Sugar (dir. Deja Bernhardt) (Maui)

WORST FILM OF 2022
Blonde
Morbius
Firestarter
The 355
Thor: Love and Thunder

The Power of the Dog Wins in Houston!

Posted on January 23, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On Wednesday (yes, I’m playing catch-up), the Houston Film Critics Society became the latest group to name The Power of the Dog as the best film of 2021!

Here all the winners from Houston:

Picture
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
tick, tick … Boom
The Tragedy of Macbeth

Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Guillermo del Toro – Nightmare Alley
Denis Villeneuve – Dune

Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick … Boom
Will Smith – King Richard
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Actress
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – CODA
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
J.K. Simmons – Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Ann Dowd – Mass
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard

Ensemble Cast
Belfast
CODA
Mass
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog

Screenplay
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog

Animated Feature
Encanto
Flee
Luca
Raya and the Last Dragon
The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Cinematography
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Documentary Feature
Flee
The Rescue
The Sparks Brothers
Summer of Soul
Val

Foreign Language Feature
Drive My Car
Flee
Parallel Mothers
Riders of Justice
The Worst Person in the World

Original Score
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Harder They Fall
The Power of the Dog
Spencer

Original Song
“Dos Oruguitas” – Encanto
“Guns Go Bang” – The Harder They Fall
“Just Look Up” – Don’t Look Up
“No Time to Die” – No Time to Die
“Wherever I Fall – Pt. 1” – Cyrano

Visual Effects
Dune
The Matrix Resurrections
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Stunt Coordination
Black Widow
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Last Night In Soho wins in Hawaii

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Hawaii Film Critics Society has announced their picks for the best and worst of 2021. Last Night in Soho was named the best. Space Jam 2 was named the worst.

Have I mentioned how much I love Hawaii?

Here are all the winners from the Islands!

BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Last Night in Soho
Mass
The Power of the Dog

BEST DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Destin Daniel Cretton – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Guillermo Del Toro – Nightmare Alley
Sian Heder – CODA

BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Will Smith – King Richard

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Emilia Jones – CODA
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Thomasin McKenzie – Last Night in Soho
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Ciaran Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Jared Leto – House of Gucci
Kodhi Smit- McPhee – The Power of the Dog

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Marlee Matlin – CODA

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Last Night in Soho
Pig

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth

BEST ART DIRECTION
Belfast
Dune
The Green Knight
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Dune
House of Gucci
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
Belfast
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog

BEST EDITING
Belfast
Dune
Last Night in Soho
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Encanto
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Sing 2

BEST DOCUMENTARY
9/11: Inside the President’s War Room
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Bunny
The First Wave
Summer of Soul
Val

BEST MAKE-UP
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci

BEST SOUND
Dune
Last Night in Soho
A Quiet Place Part II
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
The Harder They Fall
The Power of the Dog

BEST SONG
“Down to Joy” – Belfast
“Beyond the Shore” – CODA
“Just Look Up” – Don’t Look Up
“Be Alive” – King Richard
“No Time to Die” – No Time to Die

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

BEST STUNT WORK
Black Widow
Nobody
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

BEST NEW FILMMAKER
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Fran Kranz – Mass
Lin Manuel Miranda – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Michael Sarnoski – Pig

BEST FIRST FILM
Mass
The Novice
Passing
Pig
Tick, Tick…Boom!

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
The Card Counter
CODA
Last Night in Soho
Malignant
The Night House

BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE:
Olivia Colman – The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Thomas Hayden Church – Spider-Man: No Way Home
John Leguizamo – Encanto
Kelly Marie Tran – Raya and the Last Dragon
Danny McBride – The Mitchells vs. The Machines

BEST HORROR FILM
Antlers
Candyman
Last Night in Soho
Malignant
A Quiet Place Part II

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
Black Widow
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
The Suicide Squad
Zack Snyder’s Justice League

BEST SCI-FI FILM
Dune
Free Guy
The Matrix Resurrections
A Quiet Place Part II
Reminiscence

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Benedetta (France)
Drive My Car (Japan)
The Hand of God (Italy)
Lamb (Iceland)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

BEST HAWAIIAN FILM
Finding Ohana (Oahu)
I Was a Simple Man (dir. Christopher Makoto Yogi) (Oahu)
Ka Ho’i The Return (dir. Mitchel Viernes) (Oahu)
Waterman (dir. Isaac Halisima) (Oahu)
Our Makawao (dir. Robert Stone, Matt Yamashita) (Maui)

WORST FILM OF 2021
Coming 2 America
Don’t Breathe 2
The Matrix Resurrections
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Here Are The 2021 Nominees of the Hawaii Film Critics Society!

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the Hawaii Film Critics Society announced their nominations for the best of 2021! The neat thing about the Hawaii Film Critics is that they also give out awards for the Best Horror Film, the Best Sci-Fi Film, and the Worst Films of 2021! So, if you like lists, you’ll like our friends in Hawaii.

The winners will be announced on January 14th. Here are the nominees!

BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Last Night in Soho
Mass
The Power of the Dog

BEST DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Destin Daniel Cretton – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Guillermo Del Toro – Nightmare Alley
Sian Heder – CODA

BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Will Smith – King Richard

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Emilia Jones – CODA
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Thomasin McKenzie – Last Night in Soho
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Ciaran Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Jared Leto – House of Gucci
Kodhi Smit- McPhee – The Power of the Dog

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Marlee Matlin – CODA

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Last Night in Soho
Pig

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth

BEST ART DIRECTION
Belfast
Dune
The Green Knight
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Dune
House of Gucci
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
Belfast
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog

BEST EDITING
Belfast
Dune
Last Night in Soho
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Encanto
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Sing 2

BEST DOCUMENTARY
9/11: Inside the President’s War Room
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Bunny
The First Wave
Summer of Soul
Val

BEST MAKE-UP
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci

BEST SOUND
Dune
Last Night in Soho
A Quiet Place Part II
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
The Harder They Fall
The Power of the Dog

BEST SONG
“Down to Joy” – Belfast
“Beyond the Shore” – CODA
“Just Look Up” – Don’t Look Up
“Be Alive” – King Richard
“No Time to Die” – No Time to Die

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

BEST STUNT WORK
Black Widow
Nobody
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

BEST NEW FILMMAKER
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Fran Kranz – Mass
Lin Manuel Miranda – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Michael Sarnoski – Pig

BEST FIRST FILM
Mass
The Novice
Passing
Pig
Tick, Tick…Boom!

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
The Card Counter
CODA
Last Night in Soho
Malignant
The Night House

BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE:
Olivia Colman – The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Thomas Hayden Church – Spider-Man: No Way Home
John Leguizamo – Encanto
Kelly Marie Tran – Raya and the Last Dragon
Danny McBride – The Mitchells vs. The Machines

BEST HORROR FILM
Antlers
Candyman
Last Night in Soho
Malignant
A Quiet Place Part II

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
Black Widow
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
The Suicide Squad
Zack Snyder’s Justice League

BEST SCI-FI FILM
Dune
Free Guy
The Matrix Resurrections
A Quiet Place Part II
Reminiscence

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Benedetta (France)
Drive My Car (Japan)
The Hand of God (Italy)
Lamb (Iceland)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

WORST FILM OF 2021
Coming 2 America
Don’t Breathe 2
The Matrix Resurrections
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Venom: Let There Be Carnage

The Houston Film Critics Society Honors Nomadland

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Houston Skyline

Earlier today, the Houston Film Critics Society announced their picks for the best of 2020. While the Houston critics did give best picture and best director to Nomadland, they bucked the current awards season trend a bit by also honoring Carey Mulligan over Frances McDormand and Leslie Odom Jr. over Paul Raci, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Chadwick Boseman.

Here’s what won in Houston. Winners are in bold:

Best Picture
Da 5 Bloods
The Father
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Soul
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Director
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Regina King – One Night in Miami
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Steven Yeun – Minari

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Youn Yuh‑jung – Minari

Best Screenplay
Minari
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Animated Feature
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

Best Cinematography
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Nomadland
Tenet

Best Documentary Feature
Boys State
Collective
Dick Johnson is Dead
My Octopus Teacher
Time

Best Foreign Language Feature
Another Round
Bacurau
Beanpole
La Llorona
A Sun

Best Original Score
Mank
The Midnight Sky
News of the World
Soul
Tenet

Best Original Song
“Turntables” from All In: The Fight for Democracy
“Lo Si” from The Life Ahead
“Speak Now” from One Night in Miami
“Rocket to the Moon” from Over the Moon
“Wear Your Crown” from The Prom

Best Visual Effects
Tenet
The Invisible Man
The Midnight Sky

Best Stunt Coordination Team
Birds of Prey
Mulan
The Old Guard
Tenet
Wonder Woman 1984

Outstanding Cinematic Achievement
Criterion Channel as Best Movie Streaming Platform
Minari for the performance by Alan S. Kim
Small Axe for Steve McQueen’s vision for film anthology
Sound of Metal for immersive sound design
The Trial of the Chicago 7 for ensemble cast

Best Movie Poster Art
Da 5 Bloods

Here Are The 2020 Nominations of The Houston Film Critics Society!

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Houston Skyline

The Houston Film Critics Society announced their nominations for the best of 2020 on Tuesday. They’ll announce the winners on January 18th and, hopefully, they’ll remember that Texas always goes its own way and they’ll make some unexpected picks.

(Personally, I’m interested to see how Minari does, as it was filmed in the Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas region and I do think there’s something to be said for local critics doing their bit to support local filmmaking. I will also be interested to see who wins the award for Best Texas Independent Film. I’m hoping it’ll be another victory for The Vast of Night. We’ll find out on the 18th!)

Here are the nominees:

Best Picture

Da 5 Bloods
The Father
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Soul
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Director
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Regina King – One Night in Miami
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Steven Yeun – Minari

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Youn Yuh‑jung – Minari

Best Screenplay
Minari
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Animated Feature
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

Best Cinematography
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Nomadland
Tenet

Best Documentary Feature
Boys State
Collective
Dick Johnson is Dead
My Octopus Teacher
Time

Best Foreign Language Feature
Another Round
Bacurau
Beanpole
La Llorona
A Sun

Best Original Score
Mank
The Midnight Sky
News of the World
Soul
Tenet

Best Original Song
“Turntables” from All In: The Fight for Democracy
“Lo Si” from The Life Ahead
“Speak Now” from One Night in Miami
“Rocket to the Moon” from Over the Moon
“Wear Your Crown” from The Prom

Best Visual Effects
Tenet
The Invisible Man
The Midnight Sky

Best Stunt Coordination Team
Birds of Prey
Mulan
The Old Guard
Tenet
Wonder Woman 1984

Texas Independent Film Award
Boys State
Miss Juneteenth
Ready or Not
The Vast of Night
Yellow Rose

Outstanding Cinematic Achievement
Criterion Channel as Best Movie Streaming Platform
Minari for the performance by Alan S. Kim
Small Axe for Steve McQueen’s vision for film anthology
Sound of Metal for immersive sound design
The Trial of the Chicago 7 for ensemble cast

The Hawaii Film Critics Society Honors The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Spike Lee!

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Hawaii Film Critics Society announced their picks for the best of 2020 yesterday and they did not pick Nomadland. Instead, they named The Trial of the Chicago 7 as the best picture of the year and they named Spike Lee as a best director for Da 5 Bloods. (It’s interesting that, after years of struggling to get awards recognition, Lee is feeling getting recognized for films that are nowhere close to being as effective or as revolutionary as his best work.) Nomadland, however, did not go home empty-handed. Frances McDormand won Best Actress and Chloe Zhao did pick up an award for her screenplay. (Zhao won adapted screenplay. Sorkin won original screenplay. I dread that the same thing is going to happen on Oscar night and we’re going to have to sit through an Aaron Sorkin filibuster about protest, politics, and why women need to learn more about sports.)

(“Let me fix you,” Aaron Sorkin says as he pulls out a DVD boxset of Sports Night.)

The best thing about the Hawaii Film Critics Society is that they also gave out awards for Best Comic Book movie so congratulations, Bloodshot! (To be honest, Bloodshot probably deserved the award because it’s not like there’s a lot of competition this year and, seriously, have you tried to sit through Birds of Prey more than once?) Possessor won the award for Best Overlooked Film of the year. (I agree, by the way.) And, of course, Wonder Woman 1984 won worst film of the year, despite all of those early reviews that declared it to be “the film that we need right now.” Then again, with the way things are going, maybe we deserve a bad movie? Who knows?

All I do know is that I wish I lived in Hawaii and now learning that they have their own Film Critics Society, I’m probably even more likely to look into moving. Seriously, Hawaii is beautiful and the film critics are apparently quirky.

Here are the winners!

BEST PICTURE
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST DIRECTOR
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods

BEST ACTOR
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods

BEST ACTRESS
Frances McDormand – Nomadland

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Olivia Cooke – Sound of Metal

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chloe Zhao – Nomadland

BEST ART DIRECTION
Chris Craine and Dan Webster – Mank

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tenet