On Sunday, the Utah Film Critics reminded me why I love awards season.
After a few weeks of the same three or four films winning award after award, the Utah Film Critics decided to go against the conventional wisdom and, as best picture of 2018, they selected the animated film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!
Obviously, the Utah Film Critics aren’t as influential as the National Board of Review or the Golden Globes or even the Critics Choice Awards. If I had to choose between the two, I’d say that Black Panther has a far better chance of becoming the first comic book movie to be nominated for best picture. Still, it’s always fun to play what if.
(Also, Utah deserves credit for giving acting awards to both Elsie Fisher and Hugh Grant.)
Anyway, here are all the winners out of Utah!
Best Picture: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (RU: Roma)
Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (RU: none)
Best Documentary Feature: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (RU: Minding the Gap)
Best Non-English Language Feature: Roma (RU: Burning)
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma (RU: Ryan Coogler, Black Panther)
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed (RU: Christian Bale, Vice)
Best Actress: Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade (RU: Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born)
Best Supporting Actor (tie): Hugh Grant, Paddington 2 and Russell Hornsby, The Hate U Give
Best Supporting Actress: Olivia Colman, The Favourite (RU: Elizabeth Debicki, Widows)
Best Original Screenplay: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade (RU: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (RU: Audrey Wells, The Hate U Give)
Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma (RU: Rob Hardy, Annihilation)
Best Original Score: Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury, Annihilation (RU: Nicholas Britell, If Beale Street Could Talk)
The Black Reel Nominations were announced today, with Black Pantherpicking up a record 17 nominations! Coming in second was If Beale Street Could Talk, which received 14 nominations while Spike Lee’s BlackKklansman received 11 nominations.
Here’s a full list of the nominees:
Outstanding Motion Picture Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Green Book
If Beale Street Could Talk
Widows
Outstanding Actor Chadwick Boseman | Black Panther
Stephan James | If Beale Street Could Talk
Michael B. Jordan | Creed II
LaKeith Stanfield | Sorry to Bother You
John David Washington | BlacKkKlansman
Outstanding Actress Viola Davis | Widows
Regina Hall | Support the Girls
Kiki Layne | If Beale Street Could Talk
Zoe Renee | Jinn
Amandla Stenberg | The Hate U Give
Outstanding Director Ryan Coogler | Black Panther
Barry Jenkins | If Beale Street Could Talk
Spike Lee | BlacKkKlansman
Steve McQueen | Widows
Boots Riley | Sorry to Bother You
Outstanding Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali | Green Book
Brian Tyree Henry | If Beale Street Could Talk
Russell Hornsby | The Hate U Give
Michael B. Jordan | Black Panther
Daniel Kaluuya | Widows
Outstanding Supporting Actress Danai Gurira | Black Panther
Regina King | If Beale Street Could Talk
Simone Missick | Jinn
Lupita Nyong’o | Black Panther
Letitia Wright | Black Panther
Outstanding Screenplay Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Sorry to Bother You
Widows
Outstanding Ensemble Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Sorry to Bother You
Widows
Outstanding Documentary Amazing Grace
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Quincy
Whitney
Outstanding Foreign Language/ World Cinema Motion Picture Green Days by the River (Trinidad & Tobago)
Lionheart (Nigeria)
Rafiki (Kenya)
Vaya (South Africa)
Where Hands Touch (UK)
Outstanding Voice Performance Mahershala Ali | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Taraji P. Henson | Ralph Breaks the Internet
Brian Tyree Henry | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Samuel L. Jackson | Incredibles 2
Shamiek Moore | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Outstanding Score Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Creed II
The Hate U Give
If Beale Street Could Talk
Outstanding Original Song “All the Stars” (Black Panther) | Kendrick Lamar & SZA
“I’ll Fight” (RBG) | Jennifer Hudson
“Love Lies” (Love, Simon) | Khalid & Normani
“Pray For Me” (Black Panther) | The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar
“We Won’t Move” (The Hate U Give) | Arlissa
Outstanding Independent Feature A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.
Jinn
Monsters and Men
Roxanne Roxanne
Yardie
Outstanding Independent Documentary Basquiat: Rage to Riches
Lorainne Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/ Feeling
Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me
Outstanding Short Funk Force | Desmond Levi Jackson
Hair Wolf | Mariama Diallo
Jump | Kofi Siriboe, director
The Tale of Four | Gabourey Sidibe, director
WTFIMH: What the F*ck Is Mental Health | Kofi Siriboe, director
Outstanding Emerging Director Idris Elba | Yardie
Reinald Marcus Green | Monsters and Men
Rashida Jones | Quincy
Nijla Mu’min | Jinn
Boots Riley | Sorry to Bother You
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Daveed Diggs | Blindspotting
Winston Duke | Black Panther
Donald Glover | Solo: A Star Wars Story
Brian Tyree Henry | If Beale Street Could Talk
John David Washington | BlacKkKlansman
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female Cynthia Erivo | Bad Times at the El Royale
Laura Harrier | BlacKkKlansman
Kiki Layne | If Beale Street Could Talk
Zoe Renee | Jinn
Letitia Wright | Black Panther
Outstanding First Screenplay Blindspotting
Jinn
Monsters and Men
Roxanne Roxanne
Sorry to Bother You
Outstanding Cinematography Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Widows
A Wrinkle In Time
Outstanding Costume Design Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Sorry to Bother You
A Wrinkle In Time
Outstanding Production Design Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Green Book
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Wrinkle In Time
On Tuesday, the African-American Film Critics Association announced their picks for the best of 2018!
Best Film: Black Panther
Best Director: Ryan Coogler – Black Panther
Best Screenplay: Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman
Best Actor: John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman
Best Actress: Regina Hall – Support the Girls
Best Supporting Actor: Russell Hornsby – The Hate U Give
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Breakout Performance: Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give
Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Independent Film: If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Foreign Film: Roma
Best Documentary: Quincy
Best Song: “All The Stars” – Black Panther
Best New Media: Red Table Talk
Best TV Drama: Queen Sugar
Best TV Comedy: Insecure
On Friday, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle announced their nominations for the best of 2018! Leading the way with 9 nominations: The Favourite!
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 9th. Here are the nominations:
Best Picture
“BlacKkKlansman”
“The Favourite”
“First Reformed”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Roma”
Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” Barry Jenkins, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite” Paul Schrader, “First Reformed”
Best Actor
Christian Bale, “Vice” Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate” Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed” Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”
Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma” Toni Collette, “Hereditary” Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” Lady Gaga, “A Star is Born” Regina Hall, “Support the Girls” Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman” Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Michael B. Jordan, “Black Panther” Russell Hornsby, “The Hate U Give”
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Vice” Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Thomasin McKenzie, “Leave No Trace” Emma Stone, “The Favourite” Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”
Best Screenplay, Original
Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara, “The Favourite”
Adam McKay, “Vice”
Paul Schrader, “First Reformed”
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole, “Black Panther”
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, “Leave No Trace”
Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Barry Jenkins, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Best Cinematography
Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”
James Laxton, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Robbie Ryan, “The Favourite”
Linus Sandgren,“First Man”
Lukasz Zal, “Cold War”
Best Original Score
Terence Blanchard, “BlacKkKlansman”
Nicholas Britell, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Alexandre Desplat, “Isle of Dogs”
Ludwig Göransson, “Black Panther”
Justin Hurwitz,“First Man”
Best Production Design
Hannah Beachler, “Black Panther”
Eugenio Caballero, “Roma”
Fiona Crombie, “The Favourite”
Nathan Crowley, “First Man”
Mark Friedberg, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Paul Harrod, Adam Stockhausen, “Isle of Dogs”
Best Film Editing
Tom Cross,“First Man”
Yorgos Mavropsaridis, “The Favourite”
Eddie Hamilton, “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
Bob Murawski, Orson Welles,“The Other Side of the Wind”
Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Gough, “Roma”
Best Animated Feature
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Best Foreign Language Film
“Burning”
“Cold War”
“Let the Sunshine In”
“Roma”
“Shoplifters”
Best Documentary
“Free Solo”
“Minding the Gap”
“Shirkers”
“Three Identical Strangers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
The Circle also announced the three finalists for their annual Special Citation Award for under appreciated independent films:
“Chained for Life,” Aaron Schimberg’s playfully penetrating satire about onscreen representations of disability
“The Endless,” a genre-bending story of emotionally estranged brothers starring and directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
“Madeline’s Madeline,” Josephine Decker’s fluid collision of dream, reality and performance starring powerhouse newcomer Helena Howard
The Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society, which is one of the newer critics groups, announced their nominees for the best of 2018 earlier today! Not only did they really like The Favourite but — as you might expect from a group of online critics — they also embraced Black Panther. Which is good because, if Black Panther‘s going to make history as the first comic book movie to score a best picture nomination, it’s going to need the critical precursor support that wasn’t given to Deadpool, Wonder Woman, or Logan.
Here are the nominations!
Best Picture
A Star is Born
Eighth Grade Black Panther
The Favourite
The Hate U Give
BlacKkKlansman
Green Book
Roma A Quiet Place
Searching
Best Actor
Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
Christian Bale – Vice
Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
Viggo Mortensen – Green Book
Best Actress
Toni Collette – Hereditary
Charlize Theron – Tully
Lady Gaga – A Star is Born
Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Nicole Kidman – Destroyer
Best Supporting Actor
Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman
Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Russell Hornsby – The Hate U Give
Sam Elliott – A Star is Born
Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Supporting Actress
Elizabeth Debicki – Widows
Emma Stone – The Favourite
Rachel Weisz – The Favourite
Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Amy Adams – Vice
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bradley Cooper and Eric Roth – A Star is Born
Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Charlie Wachtel – BlacKkKlansman
Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
Audrey Wells – The Hate U Give
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Original Screenplay
Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski – A Quiet Place
Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade
Tony McNamara and Deborah Davis – The Favourite
Boots Riley – Sorry to Bother You
Adam McKay – Vice
Best Male Director
Alfonso Cuaron – Roma
Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman
Yorgos Lanthimos – The Favourite
Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
Ryan Coogler – Black Panther
Best Female Director
Chloe Zhao – The Rider
Debra Granik – Leave No Trace
Tamara Jenkins – Private Life
Marielle Heller – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Lynne Ramsay – You Were Never Really Here
Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Mirai
Best Foreign Film
Burning
Cold War
Roma
Shoplifters
Girl
Best Documentary
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
RBG
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Alex Wolff – Hereditary
Lucas Hedges – Boy Erased
Lucas Hedges – Ben Is Back
Noah Jupe – A Quiet Place
Timothée Chalamet – Beautiful Boy
Best Performance by an Actress 23 and Under
Amandla Stenberg – The Hate You Give
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade
Millicent Simmonds – A Quiet Place
Milly Shapiro – Hereditary
Thomasin McKenzie- Leave No Trace
Best Breakthrough Performance
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade
John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman
Lady Gaga – A Star is Born
Yalitza Aparicio – Roma
Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give
Best Cast
Black Panther
The Favourite
BlacKkKlansman
Crazy Rich Asians
Widows
Justin Hurwitz – First Man
Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk
Alexandre Desplat – Isle of Dogs
Ludwig Göransson- Black Panther
Terence Blanchard – BlacKkKlansman
Best Original Song
All the Stars – Black Panther
Shallow – A Star is Born
Hollywood Ending – Anna and The Apocalypse
Revelation – Boy Erased
Hearts Beat Loud – Hearts Beat Loud
Best Editing
Adam Gough and Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick – Searching
Yorgos Mavropsaridis – The Favourite
Barry Alexander Brown – BlacKkKlansman
Hank Corwin – Vice
Well, 2016 is officially over and soon, it will be time for me to start posting my picks for the best of the year! I’ve still got a lot of movies that I need to review (and, in some cases, watch) before making out that last so let’s not waste any time! It’s time to start playing catch up!
In Fences, Denzel Washington plays Troy Maxson. When the film begins, Troy is 51 years old and lives in Philadelphia in the 1950s. He’s a proud, charming, and often angry man. He’s the type of man who can tell a wonderful story and who can make you laugh but, at the same time, you’re always aware that he could explode at any minute. It’s hard not to like Troy Maxson but, at times, it’s hard not to be a little scared of him.
Troy is a garbage man, apparently destined to spend the rest of his working life hanging onto the back of a garbage truck because his union does not allow black to drive the trucks. Troy has recently complained about the lack of black drivers and, as he tells his best friend, Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson), he’s now expecting to be disciplined. However, to his great surprise, he is instead reassigned to be a driver, making him the first black man to work as a driver for the Philadelphia Sanitation Department.
And that may not seem like much today but, as the film makes clear, that was a huge deal in the 1950s.
Troy, of course, didn’t grow up wanting to be a garbage man. As he tells his son, Troy left home when he was just a teenager and made his living as a mugger. During one robbery, he accidentally killed a man and spent the next decade in prison. It was in prison that he first met and befriended Bono. It was also in prison that Troy discovered that he was a pretty good baseball player. Upon his release, he played for the Negro League. Though everyone agrees that Troy was a good player (and Troy is always quick to claim that he was the best), he never played for the Major Leagues. The film suggests that, after the league was integrated, Troy tried out but was rejected. His wife, Rose (Viola Davis), says that Troy was rejected because, at the age of 40, he was too old. Troy says it was because of the color of his skin.
As I said, it’s hard not to admire Troy. He’s a man who stands up for himself and he seems to sincerely love his wife. When his oldest son, a musician named Lyons (Russell Hornsby), comes by to ask for money, it’s hard not to laugh with and appreciate the style with which Troy shows his irritation. Troy is so charming that, it’s only after Lyons leaves, that you realize that Lyons practically begged his father to come see him play and Troy pretty much blew him off.
And then there’s Troy’s youngest son, Cory (Jovan Adepo). Cory is in high school. He’s a football player and he’s recently been scouted by a college. Troy tells Cory that he’s wasting his time and that no black man will ever be given a fair chance in the NFL. He tells Cory that he needs to get a real job, like he did. And as Troy continues to yell at Cory, you start to understand Troy’s jealousy. Cory has an opportunity that Troy will never have, not due to any difference in talent as much as to the fact that Troy grew up at a time when segregation was the unquestioned law of the land whereas Cory is coming of age the beginning of the civil rights era.
At one point, Cory asks his father, “Why don’t you like me?”
“I don’t have to like you,” Troy replies and the words sting.
Troy is a character about whom you’ll have mixed feelings. Beyond his anger at his son, he’s also exploiting his mentally impaired brother, Gabe (Mykelti Williamson). Gabe has a metal plate in his head, the result of his service in World War II. Gabe receives a monthly disability check and Troy has been using that money to support his family.
Through it all, Rose remains by his side, listening to him when he’s angry and, whenever she can get a word in, acting as his conscience. But then, Bono asks Troy about his relationship with Alberta, the new girl at work and Troy confesses what the audience suspected. Not only is Troy cheating on his wife but Alberta is pregnant….
Troy is a great character and Denzel Washington gives perhaps his best film performance in the role. (Washington already played the role on stage.) In many ways, Troy is a monster but, at the same time, it’s impossible not to feel for him. His anger is real. His selfishness is all too real. But his pain and his (legitimate) frustrations are very real, as well. Troy Maxson is a character who, like everyone, struggles to maintain his balance as he walks the line between right and wrong. He makes several mistakes but he’s never less than fascinating and Washington’s volcanic performance is never less than enthralling. Matching Washington every step of the way is Viola Davis, giving a powerful performance as the loyal but outspoken Rose.
In fact, the entire film is a master class of great acting. (If Mykelti Williamson occasionally goes a bit overboard as Gabe, that has more to do with the character than the performer.) Though the film is dominated by Washington and Davis, I think special mention has to be made of Stephen McKinley Henderson, who brings a lot of understated wisdom to the role of Bono.
Denzel Washington also directed Fences and, unfortunately, he’s not as good a director as he is an actor. While he goes get brilliant performances from his cast, Fences never really breaks free from its theatrical origins. It’s very much a filmed play as opposed to a cinematic work of art and, the few scenes that attempt to “open up” the play feel somewhat awkward. In the end, Fences is best as a record of incredible acting.