Tag Archives: PFCS

The Phoenix Film Critics Society Honors One Battle After Another

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The members of the Phoenix Film Critics Circle challenge their rivals in the Phoenix Film Critics Society.

The other Phoenix film critics group — the Phoenix Film Critics Society — yesterday announced their picks for the best of 2025.  And here they are:

PFCS 2025 TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another (WINNER: Best Picture)
Sinners
Song Sung Blue
Sorry, Baby
The Life of Chuck
The Long Walk
Train Dreams

BEST PICTURE
One Battle After Another

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Sinners

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Sinners

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
One Battle After Another

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
The Life of Chuck

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Zootopia 2

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
No Other Choice

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Perfect Neighbor

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
I Lied to You – Sinners

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Sinners

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sinners

BEST FILM EDITING
One Battle After Another

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Frankenstein

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Sinners

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: Fire and Ash

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet

The Phoenix Film Critics Society Names The Brutalist The Best Of 2024

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Phoenix Film Critics Society (not to be confused with the other film critic group from Phoenix) has announced its picks for the best of 2024.  Like a bird rising from the ashes, here they are:

PFCS TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
A Real Pain
Anora
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Sing Sing
The Brutalist
The Substance
The Wild Robot
Wicked

BEST PICTURE
The Brutalist

BEST DIRECTOR
Edward Berger – Conclave

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Mikey Madison – Anora

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ariana Grande – Wicked

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Conclave

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Conclave

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Strange Darling

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Wild Robot

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Emilia Pérez

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Will & Harper

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
El Mal – Emilia Pérez

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Conclave

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nosferatu

BEST FILM EDITING
Dune: Part Two

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune: Part Two

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Wicked

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Mikey Madison – Anora

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Alisha Weir – Abigail

Killers Of The Flower Moon Emerges From The Ashes In Phoenix

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Phoenix Film Critics Society, not to be mistaken for the Phoenix Critics Circle, has announced its picks for the best of 2023!  It’s a fiery victory for Killers of the Flower Moon!

Here are all the winners in Phoenix.

PFCS 2023 TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
American Fiction
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
Saltburn
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Holdovers

BEST PICTURE
Killers of the Flower Moon

BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Emma Stone – Poor Things

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ryan Gosling – Barbie

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Da’Vine Joy Randoplh – The Holdovers

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Oppenheimer

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Holdovers

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Killers of the Flower Moon

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
The Boys in the Boat

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Anatomy of a Fall

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
I’m Just Ken – Barbie

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Oppenheimer

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Oppenheimer

BEST FILM EDITING
Oppenheimer

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Abby Ryder-Fortson – Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret

The Phoenix Film Critics Society Honors Everything

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Phoenix Film Critics Society has announced their picks for the best of 2022!

And here they are, rising from the ashes:

PFCS 2022 TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Tár
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Fabelmans
The Whale
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking

BEST PICTURE
Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST DIRECTOR
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Brendan Fraser – The Whale

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
The Whale

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Good Night Oppy

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Lift Me Up – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Babylon

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Top Gun: Maverick

BEST FILM EDITING
Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Babylon

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: The Way of Water

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Austin Butler – Elvis

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Frankie Corio – Aftersun

Belfast Rises From The Ashes, Reborn Thanks To The Phoenix Film Critics Society

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Phoenix Film Critics Society has named Belfast the best film of 2021!

Here are all the winners in Phoenix!

PFCS TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Nightmare Alley
No Time To Die
Spencer
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

BEST PICTURE
Belfast

BEST DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ciaran Hinds – Belfast

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Mass

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
The Power of the Dog

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Mass

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Mitchells vs. the Machines

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Hand of God

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Summer of Soul

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
No Time To Die – No Time To Die

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Dune

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune

BEST FILM EDITING
Dune

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Nightmare Alley

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Dune

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Jude Hill – Belfast

The Philadelphia Film Critics Honor Ma Rainey!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2020 and it was a sunny day for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom!

(Folks, it was either make a Parking Wars joke or a It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia joke.  I went with It’s Always Sunny and I stand by my decision.)

For those of us who were getting bored with Nomadland winning everything in sight, it was kind of nice to see Philadelphia go with another film.  In fact, Netflix should be pretty happy with the results from Philadelphia.  Not only was Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom named best picture but Da 5 Bloods was the runner-up.  While Ma Rainey‘s Viola Davis took best actress, Da 5 Blood‘s Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman took Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.  Meanwhile, Mank’s Amanda Seyfried won best supporting actress.  That’s not to say that Nomadland was ignored.  Chloe Zhao picked up the award for Best Director, preventing Netflix from sweeping the top awards.

Here are the winners from the Parking Wars city, Philadelphia:

Best Film
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Runner-Up: Da 5 Bloods
​
​Best Foreign Film
Jumbo
Runner-Up: La Llorona

Best Director
Chloe Zhao – Nomadland
Runner-Up: Kelly Reichardt – First Cow

Best Documentary
Time
Runner-Up: Dick Johnson Is Dead

Best Actress
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Runner-Up: Aubrey Plaza – Black Bear & Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman (TIE)

​Best Actor
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Runner-Up: Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Supporting Actress
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
​Runner-Up: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

​Best Supporting Actor
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Runner-Up: Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night In Miami

Best Animated Film
Soul
Runner-Up: Wolfwalkers

Best Cinematography
Nomadland
Runner-Up: First Cow

Best Breakthrough Performance
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Runner-Up: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Best Directorial Debut
Regina King – One Night In Miami
Runner-Up: Andrew Patterson – The Vast Of Night

Best Screenplay
First Cow
Runner-Up: Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Soundtrack
Soul
Runner-Up: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Joker Arises From The Ashes To Be Named Best Picture By The Phoenix Film Critics Society!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Joker picked up its first award for best picture earlier today, courtesy of the Phoenix Film Critics Society!

Here’s a complete list of winners:

BEST PICTURE
Joker

BEST DIRECTOR
Sam Mendes – 1917

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Renee Zellweger – Judy

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Laura Dern – Marriage Story

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Knives Out

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Knives Out

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Jojo Rabbit

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Hotel Mumbai

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Toy Story 4

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Parasite

BEST DOCUMENTARY
One Child Nation

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Into the Unknown – Frozen 2

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1917

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1917

BEST FILM EDITING
1917

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
1917

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Rocketman

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Endgame

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit

PFCS TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
1917
Avengers: Endgame
JoJo Rabbit
Joker
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
The Irishman
The Two Popes

The Philadelphia Film Critics Name Knives Out The Best of 2019!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the winners!

Best Picture: Knives Out (Runner-up: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Irishman (Runner-up: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Best Actor: Adam Driver, Marriage Story (Runner-up: Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name)
Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, Us (Runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Little Women)
Best Supporting Actor (tie): Joe Pesci, The Irishman and Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, Little Women (Runner-up: Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers)

Best Script: Rian Johnson, Knives Out (Runner-up: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Best Animated Film: Toy Story 4 (Runner-up: Frozen II)
Best Documentary: Apollo 11 (Runner-up: The Kingmaker)
Best Foreign Film: Parasite (Runner-up: Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

Best Directorial Debut (tie): Joe Talbot, The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Olivia Wilde, Booksmart
Best Breakthrough Performance: Florence Pugh, Little Women (Runner-up: Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit)

Best Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse (Runner-up: Roger Deakins, 1917)
Best Soundtrack: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Runner-up: Us)

Elaine May Award: Harriet
Steve Friedman Award: Joker

It’s Always Sunny As The Philadelphia Film Critics Pick Roma!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On Saturday, The Philadelphia Film Critics announced their picks for the best of 2018.  And, once again, it was Roma that picked up the top prize.  However, the Philadelphians did break with tradition by not selecting Ethan Hawke for Best Actor or Lady Gaga for Best Actress.  Instead, those prizes went to Christian Bale (Vice) and Viola Davis (Widows).

Best Movie: ROMA

Best Director: Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Actor: Christian Bale, Vice

Best Actress: Viola Davis, Widows 

Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Foreign Film: ROMA (Mexico)

Best Animated Film: Incredibles 2

Best Documentary: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? 

Best Cinematography: ROMA (Alfonso Cuarón)

Best Breakthrough Performance: Kiki Layne, If Beale Street Could Talk 

Best Directorial Debut: Boots Riley, Sorry To Bother You 

Best Script: Audrey Wells, The Hate U Give 

Best Score/Soundtrack: Suspiria (Thom Yorke)

Elaine May Award: RBG

Steve Friedman Award: Black Panther

 

Oscar Season Continues With The 2016 Phoenix Film Critics Society Nominations!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

la-la-land

The winners will be announced on the 20th!

BEST PICTURE
A Monster Calls
Arrival
Florence Foster Jenkins
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester By The Sea
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Sing Street

BEST DIRECTOR
Mel Gibson – Hacksaw Ridge
David Mackenzie – Hell or High Water
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester By The Sea
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
Denzel Washington – Fences
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Tom Hanks – Sully

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Amy Adams – Arrival
Emma Stone – La La Land
Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Ruth Negga – Loving

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ben Foster – Hell or High Water
Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Felicity Jones – A Monster Calls
Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Viola Davis – Fences

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Fences
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
The Lobster

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED
FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Lion
Love & Friendship

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Anthropoid
Captain Fantastic
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Sing Street
The Lobster

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Trolls
Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Man Called Ove
Between Sea and Land
Desierto
Elle
The Handmaiden

BEST DOCUMENTARY
13th
Gleason
Oasis: Supersonic
OJ: Made in America
Weiner

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
La La Land – Audition (The Fools Who Dream)
La La Land – City Of Stars
Moana – How Far I’ll Go
Rules Don’t Apply – The Rules Don’t Apply
Sing Street – Drive it Like You Stole It

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Arrival
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Nocturnal Animals

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Lion
Silence

BEST FILM EDITING
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Sully

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hacksaw Ridge
Jackie
La La Land
Silence

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Hacksaw Ridge
Jackie
La La Land

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Arrival
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Ruth Negga – Loving

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Neel Sethi – The Jungle Book
Sunny Pawar – Lion