Tag Archives: Kristen Stewart

The New York Film Critics Online Honor One Battle After Another

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The New York Film Critics Online have announced their picks for the best of 2015.  The winners are listed in bold.

PICTURE
Hamnet
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
Nuremberg
One Battle After Another (WINNER)
Sentimental Value
Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
Train Dreams

DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (WINNER)
Mona Fastvold – The Testament of Ann Lee
Olivier Laxe – Sirāt
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Lynne Ramsey – Die, My Love
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Chloe Zhao – Hamnet

SCREENPLAY
Bugonia
Hamnet
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
It Was Just an Accident (WINNER)
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value (RUNNER-UP)
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Train Dreams
Twinless

ACTOR
Timothee Chalamet – Marty Supreme (RUNNER-UP)
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Sope Dirisu – My Father’s Shadow
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (WINNER)
Lee Byung Hun – No Other Choice
Dylan O’Brien – Twinless
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

ACTRESS
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (RUNNER-UP)
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (WINNER)
Kathleen Chalfant – Familiar Touch
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Jennifer Lawrence – Die, My Love
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Sydney Sweeney – Christy
Tessa Thompson – Hedda

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Cera – The Phoenician Scheme
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (WINNER)
Noah Jupe – Hamnet
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Pierre Lottin – When Fall is Coming
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Alexander Skarsgard – Pillion
Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value (RUNNER-UP)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Glenn Close – Wake Up Dead Man
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Regina Hall – One Battle After Another
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (WINNER)
Amy Madigan – Weapons (RUNNER-UP)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – Eternity
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

ENSEMBLE CAST
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another (RUNNER-UP)
Sentimental Value
Sinners (WINNER)
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wake Up Dead Man

USE OF MUSIC
Hamnet
KPop Demon Hunters
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners (WINNER)
Sirāt (RUNNER-UP)
Song Sung Blue
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners (WINNER)
Sirāt
Train Dreams (RUNNER-UP)
The Testament of Ann Lee
28 Years Later
Wicked: For Good

DEBUT DIRECTOR
Akinola Davies Jr. – My Father’s Shadow
Harris Dickerson – Urchin
Sarah Friedland – Familiar Touch
Scarlett Johansson – Eleanor the Great
Harry Lighton – Pillion
Carson Lund – Eephus
Charlie Polinger – The Plague (RUNNER-UP)
Kristen Stewart – The Chronology of Water
Constance Tsang – Blue Sun Palace
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (WINNER)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Odessa A’zion
Everett Blunck
Miles Caton (RUNNER-UP)
Chase Infiniti (WINNER)
Jacob Jupe
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Kayo Martin
Abou Sangare
Eva Victor

ANIMATION
A Magnificent Life
Arco (WINNER)
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (RUNNER-UP TIE)
100 Meters
Predator: Killer of Killers
Scarlet
Zootopia 2 (RUNNER-UP TIE)

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
It Was Just an Accident (WINNER)
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
Resurrection
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value (RUNNER-UP)
Sirāt
Sound of Falling
The Voice of Hind Rajib
We Will Not Be Moved

DOCUMENTARY
Afternoons of Solitude
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions (WINNER)
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cover-Up
My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow
Pee-wee as Himself
Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk
The Perfect Neighbor (RUNNER-UP)
The Alabama Solution
2000 Meters to Andriivka

Here Are The 2025 Nominations Of The San Diego Film Critics Society

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the 2025 nominations of the San Diego Film Critics Society.

Best Picture
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
MARTY SUPREME
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Yorgos Lanthimos, BUGONIA
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Chloe Zhao, HAMNET

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, MARTY SUPREME
Leonardo DiCaprio, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Joel Edgerton, TRAIN DREAMS
Michael B. Jordan, SINNERS
Wagner Moura, THE SECRET AGENT

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, HAMNET
Rose Byrne, IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
Renate Reinsve, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Emma Stone, BUGONIA
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jacob Elordi, FRANKENSTEIN
Sean Penn, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stellan Skarsgård, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Jeffrey Wright, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST

Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, MARTY SUPREME
Nina Hoss, HEDDA
Amy Madigan, WEAPONS
Wunmi Mosaku, SINNERS
Teyana Taylor, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

Best Comedic Performance
Will Arnett, IS THIS THING ON?
Molly Gordon, OH, HI!
Liam Neeson, THE NAKED GUN
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, ETERNITY
Tim Robinson, FRIENDSHIP

Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Cary Christopher, WEAPONS
Shannon Mahina Gorman, RENTAL FAMILY
Jacobi Jupe, HAMNET
Alfie Williams, 28 YEARS LATER
Nina Ye, LEFT-HANDED GIRL

Best Original Screenplay
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Zack Cregger, WEAPONS
David Koepp, BLACK BAG
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt, SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, TRAIN DREAMS
JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK
Maggie O’Farrell & Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Will Tracy, BUGONIA

Best First Feature (Director)
Drew Hancock, COMPANION
Scarlett Johansson, ELEANOR THE GREAT
Ben Leonberg, GOOD BOY
Kristen Stewart, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY

Best Documentary
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES
JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME
ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5
PREDATORS

Best Animated Film
ELIO
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS
ZOOTOPIA 2

Best Foreign Language Film
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
LEFT-HANDED GIRL
THE SECRET AGENT
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SIRAT

Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, MARTY SUPREME
Barry Alexander Brown & Allyson C. Johnson, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Affonso Goncalves & Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Andy Jurgensen, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stephen Mirione & Patrick J. Smith, F1: THE MOVIE

Best Cinematography
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, SINNERS
Michael Bauman, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Dan Laustsen, FRANKENSTEIN
Adolpho Veloso, TRAIN DREAMS
Lukasz Zal, HAMNET

Best Production Design
Hannah Bleachler & Monique Champagne, SINNERS
Cara Brower & Stella Fox, HEDDA
Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton, HAMNET
Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau, FRANKENSTEIN
Kasra Farahani & Jille Azis, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

Best Visual Effects
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
FRANKENSTEIN
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
SUPERMAN

Best Costume Design
Alexandra Byrne, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Ruth E. Carter, SINNERS
Kate Hawley, FRANKENSTEIN
Paul Tazewell, WICKED: FOR GOOD
Malgosia Turzanska, HAMNET

Best Sound Design
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
F1: THE MOVIE
FRANKENSTEIN
SINNERS
WARFARE

Best Use of Music
HEDDA
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
MARTY SUPREME
SINNERS
SIRAT

Best Stunt Choreography
BALLERINA: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS
SUPERMAN

Best Ensemble
BLACK BAG
JAY KELLY
THE LONG WALK
SINNERS
WEAPONS

Here are the 2025 nominations of the Austin Film Critics Association!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the 2025 nominations of the Austin Film Critics Association!

Best Picture
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams
Weapons

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Guillermo Del Toro, Frankenstein
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, Marty Supreme
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
David Jonsson, The Long Walk
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly

Best Ensemble
The Long Walk
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Original Screenplay
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Zach Cregger, Weapons
Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, Thomas Pynchon, One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Denis Johnson, Train Dreams
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar, Donald E. Westlake, No Other Choice
Guillermo del Toro, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Will Tracy, Jang Joon-hwan, Bugonia

Best Cinematography
Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald, Sinners
Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme
Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Best Editing
Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another
Stephen Mirrione, F1: The Movie
Michael P. Shawver, Sinners
Joe Murphy, Weapons
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Best Original Score
Daniel Blumberg, The Testament of Ann Lee
Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein
Ludwig Göransson, Sinners
Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (NiN), Tron: Ares

Best International Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt

Best Documentary
Come See Me In The Good Light
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Librarians
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators

Best Animated Film
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance
Oona Chaplin, Avatar: Fire & Ash
Arden Cho, Audrey Nuna, KPop Demon Hunters
Will Patton, Train Dreams
Stephen Lang, Avatar: Fire & Ash
Zoe Saldaña, Avatar: Fire & Ash

Best Stunt Work
Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire & Ash
F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
Sinners
Superman

Best Remake/Franchise Film
Avatar: Fire & Ash
Frankenstein
Superman
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
28 Years Later

Best First Film
Andrew DeYoung, Friendship
Carson Lund, Eephus
Charlie Polinger, The Plague
Kristen Stewart, The Chronology of Water
Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

Here Are The 2025 Nominations of the New York Film Critics Online

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the 2025 nominations of the New York Film Critics Online!

PICTURE
Hamnet
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
Nuremberg
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Mona Fastvold – The Testament of Ann Lee
Olivier Laxe – Sirāt
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Lynne Ramsey – Die, My Love
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Chloe Zhao – Hamnet

SCREENPLAY
Bugonia
Hamnet
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Train Dreams
Twinless

ACTOR
Timothee Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Sope Dirisu – My Father’s Shadow
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Lee Byung Hun – No Other Choice
Dylan O’Brien – Twinless
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

ACTRESS
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Kathleen Chalfant – Familiar Touch
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Jennifer Lawrence – Die, My Love
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Sydney Sweeney – Christy
Tessa Thompson – Hedda

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Cera – The Phoenician Scheme
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Noah Jupe – Hamnet
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Pierre Lottin – When Fall is Coming
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Alexander Skarsgard – Pillion
Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Glenn Close – Wake Up Dead Man
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Regina Hall – One Battle After Another
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – Eternity
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

ENSEMBLE CAST
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wake Up Dead Man

USE OF MUSIC
Hamnet
KPop Demon Hunters
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Song Sung Blue
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
The Testament of Ann Lee
Wicked: For Good

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Train Dreams
The Testament of Ann Lee
28 Years Later
Wicked: For Good

DEBUT DIRECTOR
Akinola Davies Jr. – My Father’s Shadow
Harris Dickerson – Urchin
Sarah Friedland – Familiar Touch
Scarlett Johansson – Eleanor the Great
Harry Lighton – Pillion
Carson Lund – Eephus
Charlie Polinger – The Plague
Kristen Stewart – The Chronology of Water
Constance Tsang – Blue Sun Palace
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Odessa A’zion
Everett Blunck
Miles Caton
Chase Infiniti
Jacob Jupe
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Kayo Martin
Abou Sangare
Eva Victor

ANIMATION
A Magnificent Life
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
100 Meters
Predator: Killer of Killers
Scarlet
Zootopia 2

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
Resurrection
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt
Sound of Falling
The Voice of Hind Rajib
We Will Not Be Moved

DOCUMENTARY
Afternoons of Solitude
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cover-Up
My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow
Pee-wee as Himself
Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk
The Perfect Neighbor
The Alabama Solution
2000 Meters to Andriivka

Film Review: Into the Wild (dir by Sean Penn)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

He went looking for America but couldn’t find it.

That’s not actually the tag line that was used to advertise 2007’s Into The Wild but perhaps it should have been.  Based on the true story of Chris McCandless, a college graduate who gave away all of his money and then roamed the country for two years before starving to death in an abandoned bus in Alaska, Into The Wild seems to be Sean Penn’s attempt to make a modern-day Easy Rider.  Just as Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda crossed the country and met several different people over the course of that seminal road film, Into The Wild follows Emile Hirsch’s Chris McCandless as he takes on the identity of Alexander Supertramp and hikes across the continent.  Along the way, he meets and befriends hippies (Catherine Keener and Brian H. Dierker), blue collar workers (Vince Vaughn), wayward teenagers (Kristen Stewart), and, most poignantly, a retired man (Hal Holbrook) who sincerely tries to help Chris make peace with his wanderlust.

You would think that this would be the type of film that would bring out Sean Penn’s worst directorial instincts but Penn actually directs with a very real sensitivity and a willingness to see the good in just about everyone that Chris meets.  It is true that, especially at the start of the film, Chris can sometimes be a bit difficult to take.  He’s so self-righteous and sure of himself.  He mistakes his college diploma for being a badge of experience and occasionally, he can come across as being incredibly condescending.  But, as the film progresses, Chris starts to realize that he doesn’t know everything and that he can’t do everything by himself.  Sometimes, he does need help, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.  The film’s most moving moments feature Chris and Hal Holbrook’s Ron Franz.  Ron has the years of experience that Chris lacks and Ron also becomes one of the few people to whom Chris is willing to truly listen.  And yet, when Ron offers to adopt Chris and give him a permanent home, Chris’s response is to promise to talk to him about it when Chris returns from Alaska.  As Chris leaves, it’s obvious that Ron knows that he’s never going to see Chris again.  Dying in Alaska, Chris finally makes some sort of inner peace with the parents (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden) and the sister (Jena Malone) that he earlier abandoned.  It’s an amazingly touching scene.  Penn, whose other directorial efforts have been a bit didactic, seems to be willing to grant a certain grace to everyone in the film, even those whose politics or cultural attitudes he might not necessarily share.  Penn not only captures the visual beauty of the America wilderness but also the beauty of the people, a beauty that too many other directors chose to downplay.

It’s a strong film and certainly the best of Penn’s directorial efforts.  Emile Hirsch is not always likable as Chris but, then again, the heart of the film is found in the people that Hirsch meets and Penn gets excellent performances from his entire supporting cast.  Hal Holbrook received a much deserved Oscar nomination.  I also liked Vince Vaughn’s performance as guy who teaches Chris about hard work before getting arrested for stealing cable and also Jena Malone as Chris’s sister, the one person who understands him, even if she’s not invited to travel with him.

Into The Wild is a poignant portrayal of  both wanderlust and the often-neglected corners of America.  Did Chris find a little of something that he was looking for before he died in that bus?  One can only hope.

 

Cronenberg returns to Cannes with the Crimes of the Future teaser!

Posted on by Leonard Wilson

David Cronenberg’s been keeping busy with his latest, Crimes of the Future. It looks like Existenz, but with major upgrades. The film stars Academy Award Nominee Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence), Léa Seydoux (No Time to Die), and Academy Award Nominee Kristen Stewart (Spencer). I can’t begin to understand what the plot’s about, but given it’s Cronenberg, we’re all in.

Crimes of the Future will compete in this years Cannes Film Festival for the coveted Palm d’Or.

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for January

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, here we are. Another awards season is wrapping up. Almost all of the regional critic groups have announced their picks for the best of 2021. The Guilds have spoken. The front runners have emerged. Both Don’t Look Up and Being the Ricardos have weathered bad reviews and become probable Oscar nominees. If nothing else, I’ll have something to complain about for the next three or four months. At the same time, Power of the Dog has emerged as the critical favorite. Belfast seems to be the populist favorite. West Side Story is the big production that has to be nominated, even though no one seems to feel particularly strongly about it one way or the other. Dune is the blockbuster that the Academy is hoping will cause people to tune into the ceremony, especially now that it appears that the Spider-Man Oscar campaign has fizzled. Don’t Look Up is the “Let’s piss off the cons” nominee. Being the Ricardos is this year’s “Wow, our industry really is the best” nominee. Personally, I’m going to view tick, tick….Boom! as being the most likely dark horse to pull off an upset.

So, with all that in mind, here’s my last set of 2021 Oscar predictions.

Looking at the list below, I have to say that we certainly have a good race this year. It’s interesting that, this year, only films that were released between March and the end of December were eligible for the Oscars. 2021 was a very good year for movies! Not only do we have the nominees below but we also had films like The Father and Judas and the Black Messiah, both of which are 2021 films as far as I’m concerned.

(Consider this. If the Oscars had kept the eligibility window the same last year instead of extending it to accommodate films delayed by the pandemic, Anthony Hopkins would probably be the Best Actor front runner right now and the Academy probably would have given Chadwick Boseman a posthumous Best Actor award last April. I also imagine that Jesse Plemons would have a better chance of picking up a supporting actor nomination if the members of the Academy were currently screening both The Power of the Dog and Judas and the Black Messiah at the same time.)

To see how my thinking has evolved,  check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August and September and October and November and December!

The Oscar nominations will be announced on February 8th. Below are my predictions!

Best Picture

Being The Ricardos
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Power Of The Dog
Tick, Tick….Boom!
West Side Story

Best Director

Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Adam McKay for Don’t Look Up

Lin-Manuel Miranda for tick, tick …. Boom!

Steven Spielberg for West Side Story

Denis Villeneuve for Dune

Best Actor

Nicolas Cage in Pig

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield in tick, tick….Boom!

Will Smith in King Richard

Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter

Jennifer Hudson in Respect

Nicole Kidman in Being the Riacardos

Kristen Stewart in Spencer

Best Supporting Actor

Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizzia

Ciaran Hinds in Belfast

Troy Kostur in CODA

Jared Leto in House of Gucci

Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress

Caitriona Balfe in Belfast

Ariana DeBose in West Side Story

Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis in King Richard

Ruth Negga in Passing

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for December

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, the year’s nearly over and that means that it is time for me to post my final Oscar predictions for 2021.  The race has gotten much clearer with the start of the precursor season.  The critics love The Power of the Dog.  However, it’s perhaps a bit too early to declare it the front runner.  I want to see how things go with the Guilds in January before I bestow that title on any film.

A few thoughts:

There are ten Best Picture nominees this year so we won’t have any of that, “Here’s a random number of nominees” crap.  In theory, that should open the door for some unconventional nominees that might have missed the cut-off in previous years.  Again, I said, “In theory.”  They tried this 10 nominee thing before and it didn’t really lead to the results that a lot of people were expecting.

Still, I’m going to swing out on a web and predict a Best Picture nomination for Spider-Man: No Way Home.  It’s got Disney and Sony behind it.  It’s making a ton of money despite not playing in China.  It’ the film that’s currently giving the industry hope that there’s a future outside of the streaming sites.  Plus, after the nominations of Black Panther and Joker, it might be time to give the whole “They’ll never nominate a comic book movie!” argument a rest.  

I’m also going to predict a Best Picture nomination for Drive My Car, which has been getting a lot of attention from the critics.  

The critics also loved West Side Story but now, it’s probably best known for being a bust at the box office.  I still think the movie will be nominated but I don’t think it’ll win.  And I think it’s a lot less likely that Rita Moreno will pick up a nomination.  People seem to have moved on from the movie.  Again, this could all change once the Guilds start announcing their nominations.

The critics are split on Don’t Look Up.  I personally think it’s one of the worst films of 2021.  But the film will be nominated for much the same reason that The Big Short and Vice were nominated.  There’s a lot of Academy members who agree with McKay’s politics.  And the people who do like Don’t Look Up really, really like it.  And I also think there’s probably enough people annoyed with Elon Musk that Mark Rylance will sneak into the supporting actor race.

Belfast has not been dominating the early part of awards season but I think it will come on strong once the Guilds start announce their nominations.

Anywya, these are just my guesses, for better or worse.  To see how my thinking has evolved,  check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August and September and October and November!

Best Picture

Belfast

CODA

Don’t Look Up

Drive My Car

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

The Power of the Dog

Spider-Man: No Way Home

West Side Story

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza

Kenneth Branagh for Belfast

Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Car

Denis Villeneueve for Dune

Best Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Peter Dinklage in Cyrano

Andrew Gardield for tick….tick….BOOM!

Will Smith in King Richard

Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of MacBeth

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Lady Gaga in House of Gucci

Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza

Kristen Stewart in Spencer

Rachel Zegler in West Side Story

Best Supporting Actor

Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza

Ciaran Hinds in Belfast

Troy Kostur in CODA

Mark Rylance in Don’t Look Up

Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress

Ariana DeBose in West Side Story

Ann Dowd in Mass

Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis in King Richard

Marlee Matlin in CODA

 

Here Are the 2021 Nominations of the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics have announced their nominees for the best of 2021!  The winners will be announced tomorrow so that means you have exactly one day to see all the nominees.  GET TO IT!

Best Film
Belfast
The Green Knight
The Power of the Dog
tick, tick…BOOM!
West Side Story

Best Director
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
David Lowery – The Green Knight
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
Denis Villeneuve – Dune

Best Actor
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick…BOOM!
Will Smith – King Richard
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Tessa Thompson – Passing

Best Supporting Actor
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Jesse Plemons – The Power of the Dog
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress
Caitríona Balfe – Belfast
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Ann Dowd – Mass
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard

Best Acting Ensemble
Belfast
The French Dispatch
The Harder They Fall
Mass
The Power of the Dog

Best Youth Performance
Jude Hill – Belfast
Emilia Jones – CODA
Woody Norman – C’mon, C’mon
Saniyya Sidney – King Richard
Rachel Zegler – West Side Story

Best Voice Performance
Awkwafina – Raya and the Last Dragon
Stephanie Beatriz – Encanto
Abbi Jacobson – The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Kelly Marie Tran – Raya and the Last Dragon
Jacob Tremblay – Luca

Best Original Screenplay
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Mike Mills – C’mon, C’mon
Zach Baylin – King Richard
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Fran Kranz – Mass

Best Adapted Screenplay
Siân Heder – CODA
Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth – Dune
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Steven Levenson – tick, tick…BOOM!
Tony Kushner – West Side Story

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

Best Documentary
The First Wave
Flee
The Rescue
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Val

Best International/Foreign Language Film
Drive My Car
A Hero
Lamb
Titane
The Worst Person in the World

Best Production Design
Jim Clay, Production Designer; Claire Nia Richards, Set Decorator – Belfast
Patrice Vermette, Production Designer; Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos, Set Decorators – Dune
Adam Stockhausen, Production Designer; Rena DeAngelo, Set Decorator – The French Dispatch
Tamara Deverell, Production Designer; Shane Vieau, Set Decorator – Nightmare Alley
Adam Stockhausen, Production Designer; Rena DeAngelo, Set Decorator – West Side Story

Best Cinematography
Haris Zambarloukos – Belfast
Greig Fraser – Dune
Andrew Droz Palermo – The Green Knight
Ari Wegner – The Power of the Dog
Bruno Delbonnel – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Editing
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – Belfast
Joe Walker – Dune
Andrew Weisblum – The French Dispatch
Peter Sciberras – The Power of the Dog
Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum – tick, tick…BOOM!

Best Original Score
Bryce Dessner & Aaron Dessner – Cyrano
Hans Zimmer – Dune
Alexandre Desplat – The French Dispatch
Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer

Here Are The Nominations From The Detroit Film Critics Society

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Detroit Film Critics Society announced their nominations for the best of 2021 earlier today.  It’s an interesting group of nomination, though I would point out that Detroit is usually one of the quirkier of the critics groups.  Every awards season, they nominate something or someone unexpected, there’s a brief flurry of excitement, and then everyone moves on.

I guess that’s one reason why I love them.

Anyway, here’s their nominations:

BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up
King Richard

BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – Red Rocket
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
David Lowery – The Green Knight
Adam McKay – Don’t Look Up
Lan-Manuel Miranda – Tick, Tick…Boom!

BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick…Boom!
Oscar Isaac – The Card Counter
Will Smith – King Richard

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Jennifer Hudson – Respect
Nicole Kidman – Being The Ricardos
​Kristen Stewart – Spencer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jon Bernthal – King Richard
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Jared Leto – House Of Gucci
Ray Liotta – The Many Saints Of Newark
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst – The Power Of The Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Rita Moreno – West Side Story
Diana Rigg – Last Night In Soho

BEST ENSEMBLE
CODA
Don’t Look Up
The French Dispatch
The Harder They Fall
House Of Gucci

BREAKTHROUGH
Alana Haim – Actress – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – Actress – CODA
Woody Norman – Actor – C’mon C’mon
Agathe Rousselle – Actress – Titane
Emma Seligman – Writer/Director – Shiva Baby

BEST USE OF MUSIC/SOUND
Cyrano
In The Heights
Last Night In Soho
Tick, Tick…Boom!
West Side Story

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Don’t Look Up
The French Dispatch
The Harder They Fall
Licorice Pizza
Parallel Mothers

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA
The Green Knight
In The Heights
The Power Of The Dog
Tick, Tick…Boom!

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Belle
Cryptozoo
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Flee
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
The Sparks Brothers
Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street
Summer Of Soul