Here Are The 2021 Nominations of the San Diego Film Critics!

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The San Diego Film Critics Society have announced their nominees for the best of 2021! The winners will be announced on January 10th so that gives you a day or two to watch all of the nominees. Have fun!

Best Picture
BELFAST
CODA
DUNE
MASS
THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Director
Kenneth Branagh – BELFAST
Jane Campion – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Guillermo del Toro – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Maggie Gyllenhaal – THE LOST DAUGHTER
Denis Villeneuve – DUNE

Best Actor
Nicolas Cage – PIG
Benedict Cumberbatch – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Peter Dinklage – CYRANO
Andrew Garfield – TICK, TICK…BOOM!
Jude Hill – BELFAST

Best Actress
Caitriona Balfe – BELFAST
Olivia Colman – THE LOST DAUGHTER
Penelope Cruz – PARALLEL MOTHERS
Emilia Jones – CODA
Kristen Stewart – SPENCER

Best Supporting Actor
Ben Affleck – THE TENDER BAR
Ciaran Hinds – BELFAST
Jason Isaacs – MASS
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee – THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Ariana DeBose – WEST SIDE STORY
Ann Dowd – MASS
Ruth Negga – PASSING
Martha Plimpton – MASS

Best Comedic Performance
Bradley Cooper – LICORICE PIZZA
Leonardo DiCaprio – DON’T LOOK UP
Jamie Dornan – BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR
David Harbour – BLACK WIDOW
Simon Rex – RED ROCKET

Best Youth Performance (Performers under the age of 16)
Mckenna Grace – GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
Jude Hill – BELFAST
Daniel Ranieri – THE TENDER BAR
Saniyya Sidney – KING RICHARD
Demi Singleton – KING RICHARD

Best Original Screenplay
Pedro Almodovar – PARALLEL MOTHERS
Kenneth Branagh – BELFAST
Fran Kranz – MASS
Adam McKay – DON’T LOOK UP
Michael Sarnoski – PIG

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jane Campion – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Joel Coen – THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Guillermo del Toro, Kim Morgan – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Rebecca Hall – PASSING
Sian Heder – CODA

Best Documentary
FLEE
MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY
SUMMER OF SOUL
VAL
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

Best Animated Film
ENCANTO
FLEE
LUCA
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

Best Foreign Language Film
DRIVE MY CAR
I’M YOUR MAN
LAMB
PARALLEL MOTHERS
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Best Editing
Úna Ní Dhonghalle – BELFAST
Paula Huidobro – CODA
Myron Kerstein – IN THE HEIGHTS
Joshua L. Pearson – SUMMER OF SOUL
Joe Walker – DUNE

Best Cinematography
Alice Brooks – IN THE HEIGHTS
Bruno Delbonnel – THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Greig Fraser – DUNE
Dan Laustsen – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Ari Wegner – THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Production Design
Jim Clay – BELFAST
Tamara Deverell – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Grant Major – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo – THE FRENCH DISPATCH
Patrice Vermette, Richard Roberts, Zsuzsanna Sipos – DUNE

Best Visual Effects
DUNE
THE GREEN KNIGHT
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

Best Costumes
Jenny Beavan – CRUELLA
Odile Dicks-Mireaux – LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
Antionette Messam, THE HARDER THEY FALL
Jacqueline West, Bob Morgan – DUNE
Janty Yates – HOUSE OF GUCCI

Best Sound Design
Malte Bieler, Brandon Jones – A QUIET PLACE PART II
Simon Chase, James Mather – BELFAST
Theo Green, Dave Whitehead – DUNE
Nathan Robitaille – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Dave Whitehead – THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Use of Music
BELFAST
CRUELLA
IN THE HEIGHTS
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
WEST SIDE STORY

Breakthrough Artist
Alana Haim – LICORICE PIZZA
Jude Hill, BELFAST
Emilia Jones – CODA
Fran Kranz – MASS
Anthony Ramos – IN THE HEIGHTS

Best Ensemble
DON’T LOOK UP
DUNE
THE HARDER THEY FALL
IN THE HEIGHTS
MASS

Here Are The 2021 Nominations of the Georgia Film Critics Association!

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the 2021 nominations of the Georgia Film Critics Association! They’re not quite as much fun as the nominations for Hawaii. Sorry, everyone.

However, like the critics in Hawaii, the Georgia critics will be announcing their winners on January 14th!

Best Picture
BELFAST
CODA
DUNE
FLEE
THE GREEN KNIGHT
LICORICE PIZZA
THE POWER OF THE DOG
TICK, TICK… BOOM!
WEST SIDE STORY
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Best Director
DUNE – Denis Villeneuve
THE GREEN KNIGHT – David Lowery
LICORICE PIZZA – Paul Thomas Anderson
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion
WEST SIDE STORY – Steven Spielberg

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
Lady Gaga – HOUSE OF GUCCI
Alana Haim – LICORICE PIZZA
Agathe Rousselle – TITANE
Kristen Stewart – SPENCER
Rachel Zegler – WEST SIDE STORY

Best Supporting Actor
Bradley Cooper – LICORICE PIZZA
Colman Domingo – ZOLA
Ciarán Hinds – BELFAST
Jason Isaacs – MASS
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee – THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose – WEST SIDE STORY
Ann Dowd – MASS
Kirsten Dunst – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Kathryn Hunter – THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Ruth Negga – PASSING

Best Original Screenplay
BEING THE RICARDOS – Aaron Sorkin
BELFAST – Kenneth Branagh
LICORICE PIZZA – Paul Thomas Anderson
MASS – Fran Kranz
TITANE – Julia Ducournau

Best Adapted Screenplay
CODA – Sian Heder
DRIVE MY CAR – Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
THE GREEN KNIGHT – David Lowery
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion
WEST SIDE STORY – Tony Kushner

Best Cinematography
DUNE
THE GREEN KNIGHT
THE POWER OF THE DOG
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY

Best Production Design
DUNE
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
THE GREEN KNIGHT
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Best Original Score
DUNE – Hans Zimmer
ENCANTO – Germaine Franco
THE HARDER THEY FALL – Jeymes Samuel
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jonny Greenwood
SPENCER – Jonny Greenwood

Best Original Song
“Dos Orugitas” from ENCANTO
“Guns Go Bang” from THE HARDER THEY FALL
“Just Look Up” from DON’T LOOK UP
“No Time to Die” from NO TIME TO DIE
“So May We Start” from ANNETTE

Best Ensemble
CODA
DUNE
LICORICE PIZZA
MASS
THE POWER OF THE DOG

Breakthrough Award
Alana Haim – LICORICE PIZZA
Jude Hill – BELFAST
Cooper Hoffman – LICORICE PIZZA
Emilia Jones – CODA
Agathe Rousselle – TITANE
Rachel Zegler –

Best Foreign Language Film
DRIVE MY CAR
FLEE
THE HAND OF GOD
PETITE MAMAN
TITANE
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Best Animated Film
ENCANTO
FLEE
LUCA
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

Best Documentary Film
THE FIRST WAVE
FLEE
THE RESCUE
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
VAL

Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema
ANGIE (short)
BLACK WIDOW
CLEAN SLATE
CONGRATULATIONS (short)
COPSHOP
A FIRE WITHIN
RED NOTICE
RESPECT
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
THE SUICIDE SQUAD

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)

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

The Central Florida Critics Honors The Tragedy of Macbeth!

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Critics Association of Central Florida (CAFC) is a new group of critics. Today, they announced their picks for the best of 2021 and it was a victory for a film that, so far, has been a bit quiet on the precursor front, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Here are all the winners from Central Florida:

Best Picture
Winner: The Tragedy of Macbeth
Runner-up: Licorice Pizza

Best Director
Winner: Denis Villenueve – Dune
Runner-up: Joel Coen – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actor
Winner: Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!
Runner-up: Peter Dinklage – Cyrano

Best Actress
Winner: Renate Reinsve – The Worst Person in the World
Runner-up: Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Bradley Cooper – Licorice Pizza
Runner-up: Troy Kotsur – CODA

Best Supporting Actress
Winners (tie): Ann Dowd – Mass/Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Runner-up: Ariana DeBose – West Side Story

Best Cast
Winner: Dune
Runner-up: Mass

Best Documentary
Winner: Flee
Runner-up: Summer of Soul (… or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Best International Film
Winner: A Hero
Runner-up: Drive My Car

Best Animated Film
Winner: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Runners-up (tie): Flee/Luca

Best Screenplay
Winner: Fran Kranz – Mass
Runner-up: Aaron Sorkin – Being the Ricardos

Best Cinematography
Winner: Greig Fraser – Dune
Runner-up: Bruno Delbonnel – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Score
Winner: Hans Zimmer – Dune
Runner-up: Johnny Greenwood – Spencer

Best Original Song
Winner: “No Time to Die” – No Time to Die
Runner-up: “Be Alive”- King Richard

Best Central Florida FIlm
Winner: King Richard

Best Achievement in Diversity
Winner: Eternals

The Power of the Dog Wins In North Carolina!

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the North Carolina Film Critics Association became the latest critic group to announce that Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog was their pick for best picture of 2021!

Here are all of the winners and the nominees from North Carolina!

(Winners are in bold!)

BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Drive My Car
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Green Knight
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Pig
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
The Worst Person in the World

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Flee
The Sparks Brothers
Summer of Soul
Val
The Velvet Underground

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

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Drive My Car
A Hero
Riders of Justice
Titane
The Worst Person in the World

BEST DIRECTOR
David Lowery – The Green Knight
Denis Villeneuve – Dune
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story

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

BEST ACTOR
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Dev Patel – The Green Knight
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Will Smith – King Richard

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alex Wolff – Pig
Jason Isaacs – Mass
Jeffrey Wright – The French Dispatch
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog
Woody Norman – C’mon C’mon

BEST ACTRESS
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Renate Reinsve – The Worst Person in the World

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Ann Dowd – Mass
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Ruth Negga – Passing

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATION OR MIXED MEDIA
Abbi Jacobson – The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Danny McBride – The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Jacob Tremblay – Luca
Kelly Marie Tran – Raya and the Last Dragon
Stephanie Beatriz – Encanto

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Dune
The French Dispatch
Licorice Pizza
Mass
The Power of the Dog

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
C’mon C’mon
The French Dispatch
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Pig

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Drive My Car
Dune
The Green Knight
Passing
The Power of the Dog

BEST EDITING
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Last Duel
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Dune
The Green Knight
The Matrix Resurrections
Spider-Man: No Way Home
The Suicide Squad

BEST 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

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Cruella
Dune
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
Spencer

BEST HAIR & MAKE-UP
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Nightmare Alley

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Green Knight
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

BEST SCORE
Don’t Look Up
Dune
No Time To Die
The Power of the Dog
Spencer

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Every Letter – Cyrano
Guns Go Bang – The Harder They Fall
Just Look Up – Don’t Look Up
No Time To Die – No Time To Die
So May We Start – Annette

BEST SOUND DESIGN
Dune
Nightmare Alley
No Time To Die
tick, tick… BOOM!
West Side Story

BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Fran Kranz – Mass
Lin-Manuel Miranda – tick, tick… BOOM!
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Michael Sarnoski – Pig
Rebecca Hall – Passing

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Cooper Hoffman – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – CODA
Woody Norman – C’mon C’mon
Rachel Zegler – West Side Story

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
Anthony Mackie (Falcon and the Winter Soldier; Synchronic; Outside the Wire; The Woman in the Window) – Studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story; Schmigadoon) – From Raleigh, North Carolina
Brian Tyree Henry (Eternals; The Woman in the Window; Godzilla vs. Kong) – From Fayetteville, North Carolina
Jonathan Majors (The Harder They Fall, Loki) – Studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune; Bruised) – Studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Licorice Pizza Wins In Oklahoma

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle have named Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza the best film of 2021!

Actually, I really like the OFCC’s picks. They spread the wealth pretty evenly between Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog and they remembered two of my favorite films of the year, Pig and The Green Knight. They also gave out an award for Most Disappointing Film Of The Year and how can I not cheer their selection of Don’t Look Up?

Here are the winners in Oklahoma!

Best Picture
“Licorice Pizza”

Top 10 Films
1. Licorice Pizza
2. The Power of the Dog
3. West Side Story
4. The Green Knight
5. Summer of Soul
6. The French Dispatch
7. Tick, Tick…Boom!
8. C’mon C’mon
9. Dune
10. Nightmare Alley / Pig / Red Rocket (TIE)

Best Director
Winner: Jane Campion – “The Power of the Dog”
Runner-Up: Paul Thomas Anderson – “Licorice Pizza”

Best Actress
Winner: Alana Haim – “Licorice Pizza”
Runner-Up: Jessica Chastain – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

Best Actor
Winner: Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Power of the Dog”
Runner-Up: Andrew Garfield – “Tick, Tick…Boom!”

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Kirsten Dunst – “The Power of the Dog”
Runner-Up: Ariana DeBose – “West Side Story”

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power of the Dog”
Runner-Up: Ciaran Hinds – “Belfast”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: “The Power of the Dog” – Jane Campion
Runner-Up: “Dune” – Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve & Eric Roth

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: “Licorice Pizza” – Paul Thomas Anderson
Runner-Up: “The French Dispatch” – Wes Anderson

Best Animated Film
Winner: “The Mitchells vs the Machines”
Runner-Up: “Encanto”

Best Documentary
Winner: “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Runner-Up: “The First Wave”

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: “Drive My Car” (Japan)
Runner-Up: “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)

Best First Feature
Winner: “The Lost Daughter” – Maggie Gyllenhaal
Runner-Up: “Tick, Tick…Boom!” – Lin-Manuel Miranda

Best Ensemble
Winner: “The French Dispatch”
Runners-Up: “Licorice Pizza” & “The Power of the Dog” (TIE)

Best Cinematography
Winner: “Dune” – Greig Fraser
Runner-Up: “The Power of the Dog” – Ari Wegner

Best Score
Winner: “The Power of the Dog” – Jonny Greenwood
Runner-Up: “Dune” – Hans Zimmer

Best Body of Work
Winner: Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Tick, Tick…Boom!,” “Encanto,” “In the Heights” & “Vivo”)
Runner-Up: Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick…Boom!,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” & “Spider-Man: No Way Home”)

Most Disappointing Film
Winner: “Don’t Look Up”
Runners-Up: “Halloween Kills” & “Spencer” (TIE)

Here Are The 2021 Nominees Of The Chicago Indie Critics!

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Indie Critics have announced their nominees for the best of 2021! The winners will be announced on January 8th.

Personally, I like the fact that they give an award for both Best Independent Film and Best Studio Film. I sometimes think that the Oscars should do the same. Then I remember how the Oscars manage to screw up nearly every cool idea and I change my mind.

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM (budgets under $20 million)
CODA
NINE DAYS
PIG
SPENCER
SUMMER OF SOUL

BEST STUDIO FILM (budgets over $20 million)
THE HARDER THEY FALL
LICORICE PIZZA
THE POWER OF THE DOG
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
TICK, TICK… BOOM!

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BENEDETTA
DRIVE MY CAR
FLEE
A HERO
PARALLEL MOTHERS

BEST DOCUMENTARY
FLEE
THE RESCUE
ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN
THE SPARKS BROTHERS
SUMMER OF SOUL

BEST ANIMATED FILM
ENCANTO
FLEE
LUCA
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – LICORICE PIZZA
Kenneth Branagh – BELFAST
Jane Campion – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Pablo Larrain – SPENCER
Edson Oda – NINE DAYS

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE FRENCH DISPATCH – Wes Anderson
A HERO – Asghar Farhadi
LICORICE PIZZA – Wes Anderson
NINE DAYS – Edson Oda
PIG – Michael Sarnoski

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA – Sian Heder
DRIVE MY CAR – Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
PASSING – Rebecca Hall
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH – Joel Coen

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
Jessica Chastain – THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
Olivia Colman – THE LOST DAUGHTER
Alana Haim – LICORICE PIZZA
Emilia Jones – CODA
Kristen Stewart – SPENCER
Tessa Thompson – PASSING

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ben Affleck – THE LAST DUEL
Colman Domingo – ZOLA
Mike Faist – WEST SIDE STORY
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jeffrey Wright – THE FRENCH DISPATCH

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ariana DeBose – WEST SIDE STORY
Kirsten Dunst – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Aunjanue Ellis – KING RICHARD
Marlee Matlin – CODA
Ruth Negga – PASSING

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
BELFAST
CODA
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
THE HARDER THEY FALL
THE POWER OF THE DOG
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BELFAST
DUNE
THE GREEN KNIGHT
THE POWER OF THE DOG
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
DUNE
THE LAST DUEL
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
CRUELLA
DUNE
THE GREEN KNIGHT
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
WEST SIDE STORY

BEST MAKEUP
CRUELLA
DUNE
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
HOUSE OF GUCCI
NIGHTMARE ALLEY

BEST EDITING
DUNE
THE HARDER THEY FALL
NINE DAYS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
WEST SIDE STORY

BEST MUSICAL SCORE
DUNE
ENCANTO
THE HARDER THEY FALL
THE POWER OF THE DOG
SPENCER

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Be Alive” – KING RICHARD
“Guns Go Bang” – THE HARDER THEY FALL
“Just Look Up” – DON’T LOOK UP
“No Time to Die” – NO TIME TO DIE
“So May We Start” – ANNETTE

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
DUNE
FREE GUY
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

BEST STUNTS
BLACK WIDOW
DUNE
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
NO TIME TO DIE
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

SPECIAL AWARDS

TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Honors the work of an artist who truly pushes the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content
Paul Thomas Anderson, filmmaker
Rebecca Hall, filmmaker
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, filmmaker
Sian Heder, filmmaker
Lin-Manuel Miranda, filmmaker

IMPACT AWARD
Given to a person whose work has had a positive impact on society
Rebecca Fons, Director of Programming – Gene Siskel Film Center
Rebecca Hall, filmmaker
Ryan Oestreich, General Manager – Music Box Theatre
Steven Spielberg, filmmaker
Jill Wheeler, Director of Publicity and Promotions – Allied Global Marketing

Here Are The 2021 Nominees of the Columbus Film Critics Association!

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Columbus Film Critics Association have announced their nominees for the best of 2021! The winners will be announced on January 6th. That leaves you four days to see all of them. Good luck!

Here are the nominees from Columbus:

Best Film
Belfast
C’mon C’mon
Dune
Licorice Pizza
Pig
The Power of the Dog
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
tick, tick…BOOM!
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
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
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Taylour Paige – Zola
Tessa Thompson – Passing

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

Best Supporting Actress
Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Jodie Comer – The Last Duel
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Marlee Matlin – CODA
Ruth Negga – Passing

Best Ensemble
The French Dispatch
The Harder They Fall
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
Timothée Chalamet (Don’t Look Up, Dune, and The French Dispatch)
Bradley Cooper (Licorice Pizza and Nightmare Alley)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, The Mauritanian, The Power of the Dog, and Spider-Man: No Way Home)
Adam Driver (Annette, House of Gucci, and The Last Duel)
Andrew Garfield (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and tick, tick…BOOM!)

Breakthrough Film Artist
Janicza Bravo – Zola (for directing and screenwriting)
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter (for producing, directing, and screenwriting)
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza (for acting)
Rebecca Hall – Passing (for producing, directing, and screenwriting)
Jude Hill – Belfast (for acting)
Woody Norman – C’mon C’mon (for acting)

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

Best Film Editing
Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn – West Side Story
Andy Jurgensen – Licorice Pizza
Peter Sciberras – The Power of the Dog
Joe Walker – Dune
Andrew Weisblum – The French Dispatch

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Joel Coen – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Siân Heder – CODA
Tony Kushner – West Side Story
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth – Dune

Best Original Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Zach Baylin – King Richard
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Julia Ducournau – Titane
Mike Mills – C’mon C’mon
Michael Sarnoski – Pig

Best Score
Alexandre Desplat – The French Dispatch
Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer
Nathan Johnson – Nightmare Alley
Hans Zimmer – Dune

Best Documentary
Attica
Flee
The Rescue
The Sparks Brothers
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
The Velvet Underground

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

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

Best Overlooked Film
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
CODA
Cyrano
Nine Days

The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Honors Pig!

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association actually announced their picks for the best of 2021 on December 31st but, with the holidays and all, I’m only now getting a chance to share them with you. The GWNFCA picked Pig for the best film of 2021 and that’s actually really cool. Both Pig and Nicolas Cage’s lead performance are probably too weird for the Academy but it’s a damn good film. One of the great things about the critics groups is that the best of them are willing to consider the films that the more mainstream Academy might overlook, films like Pig and The Green Knight.

Here are all the winners and the nominees from Western New York!

(The winners are in bold.)

BEST PICTURE
C’mon C’mon
CODA
Dune
The Green Knight
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Last Duel
Licorice Pizza
Pig
The Power of the Dog
Spencer

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Drive My Car (Japan)
Flee (Denmark)
Parallel Mothers (Spain)
Titane (France)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Flee
No Ordinary Man
Procession
The Sparks Brothers
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Belle
The Boss Baby 2: Family Business
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines

BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Jodie Comer – The Last Duel
Emilia Jones – CODA
Renate Reinsve – The Worst Person in the World
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

BEST LEAD ACTOR
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick … BOOM!
Joaquin Phoenix – C’mon C’mon
Will Smith – King Richard

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana Debose – West Side Story
Ann Dowd – Mass
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Ruth Negga – Passing

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robin de Jesús – tick, tick … BOOM!
Mike Faist – West Side Story
Jason Isaacs – Mass
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Troy Kotsur – CODA

BEST DIRECTOR
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Pablo Larraín – Spencer
Ridley Scott – The Last Duel
Michael Sarnoski – Pig
Denis Villeneuve – Dune

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenneth Lucas & Keith Lucas – Judas and the Black Messiah
Julia Ducournau – Titane
Fran Kranz – Mass
Mike Mills – C’mon C’mon

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon & Nicole Holofcener – The Last Duel
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Tony Kushner – West Side Story

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bruno Delbonnel – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Andrew Droz Palermo – The Green Knight
Greig Fraser – Dune
Claire Mathon – Spencer
Ari Wegner – The Power of the Dog

BEST EDITING
Peter Sciberras – The Power of the Dog
Sebastián Sepúlveda – Spencer
Claire Simpson – The Last Duel
Joe Walker – Dune
Andrew Weisblum – The French Dispatch

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Carter Burwell – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer
Alberto Iglesias – Parallel Mothers
Hans Zimmer – Dune

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Mike Faist – West Side Story
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – CODA
Agathe Rousselle – Titane
Rachel Sennott – Shiva Baby

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Fran Kranz – Mass
Michael Sarnoski – Pig
Emma Seligman – Shiva Baby

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for December

Posted on December 31, 2021 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!