The Films of 2024: Hit Man (dir by Richard Linklater)


Like Woman of the Hour, Hit Man is a Netflix film that was critically acclaimed when it was released but which didn’t get much of an Oscar push during Awards Season.

The majority of the film’s acclaim was for Glen Powell, who plays Gary Johnson.  Gary is a psychology professor at the University of New Orleans.  When we first see him, he’s not exactly the most dynamic professor on campus.  In fact, he’s so mild-mannered that most of his students would probably be stunned to learn that he has a side job working for the New Orleans Police Department.  He helps them set up sting operations, advising a cop named Jasper (Austin Amelio) on how to pretend to be a hit man.  Jasper, being kind of a douchebag, doesn’t really appreciate the advice.  However, when Jasper gets suspended for beating a suspect, Gary is quickly recruited to take Jasper’s place as the department’s fake killer.

To his surprise, Gary turns out to be very good at pretending to be a professional killer.  Using his academic skills, he gets a read on the person who wants to hire him and then he shapes his persona to appeal to that person’s needs.  The best part of the film are the montages where we see Gary taking on identity after identity.  Soon, Gary is the NPD’s best undercover cop, even if he’s technically not even a part of the force.  He even becomes a better psychology professor as pretending to be someone else allows him to loosen up in his real life as well.  But then he meets a woman (Adria Arjona) who wants to have her abusive husband killed.  For the first time, Gary tries to talk someone out of committing a murder.

And through it all, Glen Powell gives an excellent and charismatic performance as not only Gary but also all the different killers that he pretends to be.  If nothing else, this film proves that Glen Powell is not just a likable actor.  He’s a legitimate film star, capable of creating a believable character and getting the audience to care about what happens to him.  Powell gets good support from both Arjona and Austin Amelio and the various actors who pop up as people who want to hire a hit man all make a strong impression as well.  But, make no mistake about it, Hit Man is a showcase for Glen Powell.  Just as he did with Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater introduces audiences to a film star in Hit Man.

That said, I have to admit that, outside of Powell’s performance, I was a little bit dissatisfied with the direction that Hit Man took its story.  There are eventually two actual murders in Hit Man.  One of the murders occurs offscreen and can at least be justified by what we know about the victim.  The other murder takes place onscreen and, even though the victim isn’t particularly likable, it still feels a bit drawn out and out-of-place in what had otherwise been a fairly breezy comedy.

Narrative flaws aside, Hit Man is worth seeing for Powell’s movie star performance.

 

The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Honors Challengers


Yesterday, the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association announced its picks for the best of 2024.

BEST PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys
No Other Land
Nosferatu
A Real Pain

BEST FOREIGN FILM
All We Imagine as Light (India)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kneecap (Ireland)
No Other Land (Israel)
Red Rooms (Canada)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Daughters
No Other Land
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Luca Guadagnino – Challengers
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

LEAD ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight

LEAD ACTRESS
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
Joan Chen – Dìdi
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
Challengers – Justin Kuritzkes
A Different Man – Aaron Schimberg
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Hit Man – Richard Linklater & Glen Powell
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
Oh, Canada – Paul Schrader
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar / story by
Kwedar, Bentley, Clarence Maclin & John Whitfield

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Challengers – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

BEST EDITING
The Brutalist – David Jancso
Challengers – Marco Costa
Dune: Part Two – Joe Walker
Nickel Boys – Nicholas Monsour
Saturday Night – Nathan Orloff & Shane Reid

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelman
Nosferatu – Robin Carolan
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Yura Borisov – Anora
Lily Collias – Good One
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Mikey Madison – Anora
Izaac Wang – Dìdi

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
India Donaldson – Good One
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Josh Margolin – Thelma
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Aaron Schimberg – A Different Man

The Substance Wins In Columbus


The Columbus Film Critics Association has named The Substance the best film of 2024!

Best Film
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Civil War
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Love Lies Bleeding
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
Sing Sing
The Substance

Best Director
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

Best Lead Performance
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Lily-Rose Depp – Nosferatu
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: Part I
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man

Best Supporting Performance
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked: Part I
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez
Bill Skarsgård – Nosferatu
Stanley Tucci – Conclave
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Ensemble
Anora
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
The Piano Lesson
Sing Sing
Wicked: Part I

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part Two
Nicholas Hoult – The Garfield Movie, Juror #2, Nosferatu, and The Order
Cailee Spaeny – Alien: Romulus and Civil War
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice and A Different Man
Zendaya – Challengers and Dune: Part Two

Breakthrough Film Artist
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist – (for directing and screenwriting)
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance – (for directing, film editing, and screenwriting)
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing – (for acting)
Mikey Madison – Anora – (for acting)
Dev Patel – Monkey Man – (for acting, directing, producing, and screenwriting)

Best Cinematography
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
Benjamin Kracun – The Substance

Best Film Editing
Sean Baker – Anora
Marco Costa – Challengers
Jerome Eltabet, Coralie Fargeat, and Valentin Féron – The Substance
Nick Emerson – Conclave
Dávid Jancsó – The Brutalist
Nicholas Monsour – Nickel Boys

Best Adapted Screenplay
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Chris Sanders – The Wild Robot
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two

Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers

Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

Best Documentary
Daughters
No Other Land
Sugarcane
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Will & Harper

Best Foreign Language Film
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
Evil Does Not Exist
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Frank Gabrenya Award for Best Comedy
Babes
Hit Man
My Old Ass
A Real Pain
Saturday Night
Thelma

Best Overlooked Film
Didi
His Three Daughters
Hundreds of Beavers
The Last Stop in Yuma County
Snack Shack
Thelma

Here Are The 2024 Nominations of The Columbus Film Critics Association!


Awards season marches on!  Yesterday, the Columbus Film Critics Association announced its nominations for the best of 2024.  The winners will be announced on January 2nd.

Best Film
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Civil War
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Love Lies Bleeding
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
Sing Sing
The Substance

Best Director
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

Best Lead Performance
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Lily-Rose Depp – Nosferatu
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: Part I
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man

Best Supporting Performance
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked: Part I
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez
Bill Skarsgård – Nosferatu
Stanley Tucci – Conclave
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Ensemble
Anora
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
The Piano Lesson
Sing Sing
Wicked: Part I

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part Two
Nicholas Hoult – The Garfield Movie, Juror #2, Nosferatu, and The Order
Cailee Spaeny – Alien: Romulus and Civil War
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice and A Different Man
Zendaya – Challengers and Dune: Part Two

Breakthrough Film Artist
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist – (for directing and screenwriting)
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance – (for directing, film editing, and screenwriting)
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing – (for acting)
Mikey Madison – Anora – (for acting)
Dev Patel – Monkey Man – (for acting, directing, producing, and screenwriting)

Best Cinematography
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
Benjamin Kracun – The Substance

Best Film Editing
Sean Baker – Anora
Marco Costa – Challengers
Jerome Eltabet, Coralie Fargeat, and Valentin Féron – The Substance
Nick Emerson – Conclave
Dávid Jancsó – The Brutalist
Nicholas Monsour – Nickel Boys

Best Adapted Screenplay
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Chris Sanders – The Wild Robot
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two

Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers

Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

Best Documentary
Daughters
No Other Land
Sugarcane
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Will & Harper

Best Foreign Language Film
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
Evil Does Not Exist
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Frank Gabrenya Award for Best Comedy
Babes
Hit Man
My Old Ass
A Real Pain
Saturday Night
Thelma

Best Overlooked Film
Didi
His Three Daughters
Hundreds of Beavers
The Last Stop in Yuma County
Snack Shack
Thelma

Here Are The 2024 Austin Film Critics Association!


Yesterday, the Austin Film Critics Association did their part to keep Austin weird by announcing their nominees for the best of 2024!  The winners will be announced January 6th!

Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Conclave
Love Lies Bleeding
Nosferatu
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Sing Sing
Wicked

Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Rose Glass – Love Lies Bleeding
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

Best Actress
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Supporting Actress
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding
Margaret Qualley – The Substance

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Best Ensemble
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Sing Sing

Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers

Best Adapted Screenplay
Dana Fox & Winnie Holzman – Wicked
Greg Kwedar & Clint Bentley – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two

Best Cinematography
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
Greig Frasier – Dune: Part Two
Benjamin Kracun – The Substance

Best Editing
Sean Baker – Anora
Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, & Valentin Féron – The Substance
Dávid Jancsó – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Hansjörg Weißbrich – September 5

Best Original Score
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

Best International Film
Emilia Perez
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary
Dahomey
No Other Land
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance
Kevin Durand – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Lupita Nyong’o – The Wild Robot
Amy Poehler – Inside Out 2
Sarah Snook – Memoir of a Snail
Robbie Williams/Jonno Davies – Better Man

Best Stunt Work
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kill
Monkey Man

Best First Film
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Zoe Kravitz – Blink Twice
Josh Margolin – Thelma
Arkasha Stevenson – The First Omen
Sean Wang – Didi

The AFCA also acknowledges standout works from directors who live in Austin. Our nominees for 2024:
The Bikeriders (Jeff Nichols)
Fugitive Dreams (Jason Neulander)
Hit Man (Richard Linklater)
Sasquatch Sunset (Nathan and David Zellner)
Sing Sing (Greg Kwedar)

Here Are The 2024 Nominations of The Greater Western New York Film Critics Assocation!


On the 23rd, the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association announced its nominations for the best of 2024.  The winners will be announced on January 4th!

BEST PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys
No Other Land
Nosferatu
A Real Pain

BEST FOREIGN FILM
All We Imagine as Light (India)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kneecap (Ireland)
No Other Land (Palestine)
Red Rooms (Canada)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Daughters
No Other Land
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Luca Guadagnino – Challengers
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

LEAD ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight

LEAD ACTRESS
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
Joan Chen – Dìdi
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
Challengers – Justin Kuritzkes
A Different Man – Aaron Schimberg
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Hit Man – Richard Linklater & Glen Powell
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
Oh, Canada – Paul Schrader
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar / story by
Kwedar, Bentley, Clarence Maclin & John Whitfield

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Challengers – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

BEST EDITING
The Brutalist – David Jancso
Challengers – Marco Costa
Dune: Part Two – Joe Walker
Nickel Boys – Nicholas Monsour
Saturday Night – Nathan Orloff & Shane Reid

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelman
Nosferatu – Robin Carolan
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Yura Borisov – Anora
Lily Collias – Good One
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Mikey Madison – Anora
Izaac Wang – Dìdi

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
India Donaldson – Good One
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Josh Margolin – Thelma
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Aaron Schimberg – A Different Man

Here Are The 2024 Satellite Nominations


Yesterday, the nominations for the 28th Annual Satellite Awards were announced.

The Satellites began as an off-shoot of the Golden Globes and they’ve never really escaped the shadow of the Globes (and the Globes themselves have never really escaped the shadow of the Oscars.)  That said, the Sattelites are usually interesting, if just because they usually have a few nominees that haven’t previously been considered to be contenders.  That’s certainly the case this year, with nominations for Cabrini, The Order, and LaRoy, Texas.

The winners will be announced on January 26th.

Motion Picture, Drama
Cabrini – Angel Studios
Conclave – Focus Features
Dune: Part Two – Warner Bros.
Nickel Boys – Amazon MGM Studios
Sing Sing – A24
The Brutalist – A24
The Order – Vertical Entertainment
Young Woman and the Sea – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Anora – Neon
A Real Pain – Searchlight Pictures
Ghostlight – IFC Films
Hit Man – Netflix
LaRoy, Texas – Brainstorm Media
The Substance – MUBI
Thelma – Magnolia Pictures
Wicked – Universal Pictures

Motion Picture, International
I’m Still Here – Brazil
Queens – Swizerland / Peru
The Girl with the Needle – Denmark
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig – Germany
The Wait – Spain
Waves – Czech Republic

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Flow – Janus Films
Inside Out 2 – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Memoir of a Snail – IFC Films
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom – Fathom Events
The Wild Robot – Universal Pictures/Dreamworks Animation
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Netflix

Motion Picture, Documentary
Dahomey – MUBI
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes – HBO Documentary Films
I Am: Celine Dion – Amazon MGM Studios
No Other Land – Self Distributed
Porcelain War – Picturehouse
Sugarcane – National Geographic Documentary Films
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Fathom Events
The Bloody Hundredth – Apple TV+

Director
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
Edward Berger – Conclave
Greg Kwedar – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Sean Baker – Anora

Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Lily-Rose Depp – Nosferatu
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun
Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door

Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Daniel Craig – Queer
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown

Actress in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Demi Moore – The Substance
June Squibb – Thelma
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Winona Ryder – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Actor in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Glen Powell – Hit Man
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
John Magaro – LaRoy, Texas
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight
Michael Keaton – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Ryan Gosling – The Fall Guy

Actress in a Supporting Role
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez

Actor in a Supporting Role
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Yura Borisov – Anora

Screenplay, Original
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Mike Leigh – Hard Truths
Mohammad Rasoulof – The Seed Of The Sacred Fig
Sean Baker – Anora

Screenplay, Adapted
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield (based on “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” by Brent Buell) – Sing Sing
Jacques Audiard (based on “Listen” by Boris Razon) – Emilia Pérez
Pedro Almodóvar (written by), Sigrid Nunez (novel “What Are You Going Through”) – The Room Next Door
Peter Straughan (screenplay by), Robert Harris (book) – Conclave
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes (based on “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead) – Nickel Boys
Vuk Draskovic, Miroslav Lekic (written by), Vuk Draskovic (novel) – Russian Consul

Cinematography
Edward Lachman – Maria
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
John Mathieson – Gladiator II
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist

Costume Design
Janty Yates – Gladiator II
Jacqueline Durran – Blitz
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
Paul Tazewell – Wicked

Film Editing
Dávid Jancsó – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Juliette Welfling – Emilia Pérez
Nick Emerson – Conclave
Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson – Gladiator II
Sean Baker – Anora

Production Design
Arthur Max (Production Designer), Jille Azis and Elli Griff (Set Decorators) – Gladiator II
Craig Lathrop (Production Designer), Beatrice Brentnerova (Set Decorator) – Nosferatu
Judy Becker (Production Designer), Patricia Cuccia and Mercédesz Nagyváradi (Set Decorators) – The Brutalist
Nathan Crowley (Production Designer), Lee Sandales (Set Decorator) – Wicked
Patrice Vermette (Production Designer), Shane Vieau (Set Decorator) – Dune: Part Two
Suzie Davies (Production Designer), Cynthia Sleiter (Set Decorator) – Conclave

Original Score
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door
Clément Ducol, Camille – Emilia Pérez
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave

Original Song
“El Mal” by Clement Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” by Diane Warren – The Six Triple Eight
“Kiss the Sky” by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi – The Wild Robot
“Mi Camino” by Clement Ducol and Camille – Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” by Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Elton John: Never Too Late
“Winter Coat” by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, and Taura Stinson – Blitz

Sound (Editing and Mixing)
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Gladiator II
Twisters
Wicked

Visual Effects
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Mufasa: The Lion King
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Wicked

Ensemble Motion Picture
Nosferatu – Focus Features

Here Are The 2024 Critics Choice Award Nominations


I have one last awards season precursor to share with everyone and then we’ll be up to date!

Earlier this week, the Critics Choice Nominations were announced.  The Critics Choice is kind of a low-rent version of the Golden Globes.  They’ll be handing out their awards on January 12th.  Here are their nominees:

BEST PICTURE
A Complete Unknown
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic

BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

BEST YOUNG ACTOR / ACTRESS
Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Elliott Heffernan – Blitz
Maisy Stella – My Old Ass
Izaac Wang – Didi
Alisha Weir – Abigail
Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Anora
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked

BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Sean Baker – Anora
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum & Alex David – September 5
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox – Wicked
Greg Kwedar & Clint Bentley – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Alice Brooks – Wicked
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Stéphane Fontaine – Conclave
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Judy Becker & Patricia Cuccia – The Brutalist
Nathan Crowley & Lee Sandales – Wicked
Suzie Davies – Conclave
Craig Lathrop – Nosferatu
Arthur Max, Jille Azis & Elli Griff – Gladiator II
Patrice Vermette & Shane Vieau – Dune: Part Two

BEST EDITING
Sean Baker – Anora
Marco Costa – Challengers
Nick Emerson – Conclave
David Jancso – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Hansjörg Weißbrich – September 5

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Lisy Christl – Conclave
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
Paul Tazewell – Wicked
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Janty Yates & Dave Crossman – Gladiator II

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener & Neal Scanlan – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hair and Makeup Team – Dune: Part Two
Hair and Makeup Team – The Substance
Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth & Laura Blount – Wicked
Traci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton & David White – Nosferatu
Mike Marino, Sarah Graalman & Aaron Saucier – A Different Man

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Mark Bakowski, Pietro Ponti, Nikki Penny & Neil Corbould – Gladiator II
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould & David Shirk – Wicked
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe & Gerd Nefzer – Dune: Part Two
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft & Peter Stubbs – Better Man
Visual Effects Team – The Substance
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story & Rodney Burke – Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir Of A Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST COMEDY
A Real Pain
Deadpool & Wolverine
Hit Man
My Old Ass
Saturday Night
Thelma

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All We Imagine As Light
Emilia Pérez
Flow
Kneecap
I’m Still Here
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig

BEST SONG
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Miley Cyrus
“Compress / Repress” – Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
“El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón & Camille
“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Maren Morris
“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Selena Gomez

BEST SCORE
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

The Brutalist Rises From The Ashes In Phoenix


On December 12th, the Phoenix Critics Circle announced its picks for the best of the year!

BEST PICTURE
ANORA
THE BRUTALIST
NICKEL BOYS
SING SING
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST COMEDY FILM
ANORA
BABES
THE FALL GUY
HIT MAN
THELMA

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
I SAW THE TV GLOW
THE WILD ROBOT

BEST HORROR FILM
ALIEN: ROMULUS
HERETIC
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
NOSFERATU
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST ANIMATED FILM
FLOW
INSIDE OUT 2
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
TRANSFORMERS ONE
THE WILD ROBOT

BEST DOCUMENTARY
COPA ’71
DAUGHTERS
NO OTHER LAND
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
WILL AND HARPER

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
EMILIA PEREZ
EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

BEST ACTOR
ADRIEN BRODY – THE BRUTALIST
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
DANIEL CRAIG – QUEER
COLMAN DOMINGO – SING SING
RALPH FIENNES – CONCLAVE

BEST ACTRESS
LILY-ROSE DEPP – NOSFERATU
CYNTHIA ERIVO – WICKED
NICOLE KIDMAN – BABYGIRL
MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
DEMI MOORE – THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
YURA BORISOV – ANORA
KIERAN CULKIN – A REAL PAIN
CLARENCE MACLIN – SING SING
GUY PEARCE – THE BRUTALIST
JEREMY STRONG – THE APPRENTICE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MONICA BARBARO – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
ARIANA GRANDE – WICKED
FELICITY JONES – THE BRUTALIST
MARGARET QUALLEY – THE SUBSTANCE
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – CONCLAVE

BEST DIRECTOR
SEAN BAKER – ANORA
BRADY CORBET – THE BRUTALIST
ROBERT EGGERS – NOSFERATU
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
RAMELL ROSS – NICKEL BOYS

BEST SCREENPLAY
JESSE EISENBERG – A REAL PAIN
BRADY CORBET AND MONA FASTVOLD – THE BRUTALIST
SEAN BAKER – ANORA
PETER STRAUGHAN AND ROBERT HARRIS – CONCLAVE
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SCORE
VOLKER BERTELMANN – CONCLAVE
DANIEL BLUMBERG – THE BRUTALIST
ROBIN CAROLAN – NOSFERATU
TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS – QUEER
HANS ZIMMER – DUNE: PART TWO

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
JARIN BLASCHKE – NOSFERATU
LOL CRAWLEY – THE BRUTALIST
GREIG FRASER – DUNE: PART TWO
JOMO FRAY – NICKEL BOYS
ALICE BROOKS – WICKED

Las Vegas Loves Dune: Part Two


On December 14th, The Las Vegas Film Critics Society announced its picks for the best of 2024!  Dune: Part Two, after being an also-ran with several of the precursor groups, finally picked up the award for Best Picture and a lot of other awards as well!

Best Picture
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Wicked

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothee Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascon – Emilia Perez
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence ‘Divine Eye’ Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Elle Fanning – A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Perez

Best Director
Edward Berger – Conclave
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

Best Screenplay Original
Anora
The Brutalist
His Three Daughters
A Real Pain
Saturday Night

Best Screenplay – Adapted
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
Sing Sing

Best Cinematography
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu

Film Editing
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys

Best Score
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
The Wild Robot

Best Song
El Mal – Emilia Perez
Mi Camino – Emilia Perez
Beautiful That Way – The Last Showgirl
Like a Bird – Sing Sing
Kiss the Sky – The Wild Robot

Best Documentary
Daughters
Music by John Williams
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best International
Emilia Perez
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Costume Design
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked

Best Art Direction
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked

Best Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Best Action Movie
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II

Best Comedy
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Hit Man
My Old Ass
Saturday Night

Best Horror/Sci-Fi
Late Night with the Devil
Heretic
Nosferatu
Strange Darling
The Substance

Best Family Film
Inside Out 2
My Penguin Friend
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Best Animal Performance
Ukai – Arthur the King
Peggy – Deadpool & Wolverine
Dindim – My Penguin Friend
Rat Cast – Nosferatu
Frodo the Cat – A Quiet Place: Day One

Best Ensemble
Anora
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Perez
Wicked

Best Action Stunts
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II
Monkey Man

Breakout Performance (Director)
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Anna Kendrick – Woman of the Hour
J.T. Mollner – Strange Darling
Dev Patel – Monkey Man
Sean Wang – Didi

Best Youth Performance – Male (under 21)
Kit Connor – The Wild Robot
Ian Foreman – I Saw the TV Glow
Elliott Heffernan – Blitz
Cooper Hoffman – Saturday Night
Izaac Wang – Didi

Best Youth Performance – Female (under 21)
Cailey Fleming – If
Maisy Stella – My Old Ass
Ingrid Torelli – Late Night with the Devil
Alisha Weir – Abigail
Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet

William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award
Steve Martin
Demi Moore
Claire Simpson
Isabella Rossellini
Hans Zimmer