Tag Archives: The Boy and the Heron

Boston Honors The Holdovers

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Boston Society of Film Critics have announced their picks for the best of 2023.  I believe this is the first best picture award to be picked up by The Holdovers.

Best Picture
Winner: The Holdovers
Runners Up: The Zone Of Interest & May December

Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: The Zone Of Interest

Best Director
Winner: Jonathan Glazer – The Zone Of Interest
Runners Up: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer & Todd Haynes – May December

Best Ensemble
Winner: Oppenheimer
Runners Up: Asteroid City, The Iron Claw & Killers Of The Flower Moon

Best Actor
Winner: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Runners Up: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer & Kōji Yakusho – Perfect Days

Best Actress
Winner: Lily Gladstone – Killers Of The Flower Moon
Runners Up: Emma Stone – Poor Things, Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall & Natalie Portman – May December

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Runners Up: Charles Melton – May December, Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things & Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: The Zone Of Interest
Runners Up: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. & Killers Of The Flower Moon

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: The Holdovers
Runners Up: May December & You Hurt My Feelings

Best New Filmmaker
Winner: Celine Song – Past Lives
Runners Up: Cord Jefferson – American Fiction & A.V. Rockwell – A Thousand and One

Best Documentary
Winner: Geographies of Solitude
Runners Up: 20 Days in Mariupol, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, Kokomo City & Menus-Plaisirs les Troisgros

Best Animated Feature
Winner: The Boy And The Heron
Runners Up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Robot Dreams & The Peasants

Best Cinematography
Winner: The Taste Of Things
Runners Up: Poor Things & Asteroid City

Best Editing
Winner: Killers Of The Flower Moon
Runner Up: Oppenheimer

Best Score
Winner: Killers Of The Flower Moon
Runner Up: The Zone Of Interest

Los Angeles Honors The Zone of Interest

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), which is one of the bigger critical associations, has announced their picks for the best of 2023!  For best picture, they picked The Zone of Interest, which should boost the film’s chances in the Oscar race.

Here are the winners from Los Angeles:

Best Film
Winner: THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Runner-Up: OPPENHEIMER

Best Foreign Film
Winner: ANATOMY OF A FALL
Runner-Up: TOTEM

Best Director
Winner: Jonathan Glazer – THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Runner-Up: Yorgos Lanthimos – POOR THINGS

Best Documentary Film
Winner: MENUS-PLAISIRS — LES TROISGROS
Runner-Up: THE ETERNAL MEMORY

Best Screenplay
Winner: Andrew Haigh – ALL OF US STRANGERS
Runner-Up: Samy Burch – MAY DECEMBER

Best Leading Performance
Winners: Sandra Hüller – ANATOMY OF A FALL & THE ZONE OF INTEREST & Emma Stone – POOR THINGS
Runners-Up: Andrew Scott – ALL OF US STRANGERS & Jeffrey Wright – AMERICAN FICTION

Best Supporting Performer
Winners: Rachel McAdams – ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. & Da’Vine Joy Randolph – THE HOLDOVERS
Runners-Up: Lily Gladstone – KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON & Ryan Gosling – BARBIE

Best Animated Film
Winner: THE BOY AND THE HERON
Runner-Up: ROBOT DREAMS

Best Editing
Winner: Laurent Sénéchal – ANATOMY OF A FALL
Runner-Up: Jonathan Alberts – ALL OF US STRANGERS

Best Production Design
Winner: Sarah Greenwood – BARBIE
​Runner-Up: Shona Heath & James Price – POOR THINGS

Best Music/Score
Winner: Mica Levi – THE ZONE OF INTEREST (With special recognition of the contribution of sound designer Johnnie Burn)
Runner-Up: Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt – BARBIE

Best Cinematography
Winner: Robbie Ryan – POOR THINGS
Runner-Up: Rodrigo Prieto – BARBIE & KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

New Generation
Celine Song – PAST LIVES

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film
Wang Bing – YOUTH (SPRING)

The National Board of Review Honors Killers Of The Flower Moon

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The National Board of Review, which is one the major Oscar precursors (though perhaps not as major as it once was), has announced its picks for the best of 2023!

Here are the winners:

Best Film — Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Director — Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor — Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers

Best Actress — Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Supporting Actor — Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Best Supporting Actress — Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

NBR Icon Award — Bradley Cooper

Best Original Screenplay — The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay — Poor Things

Breakthrough Performance — Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One

Best Directorial Debut — Celine Song, Past Lives

Best Animated Feature — Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best International Film — Anatomy of a Fall

Best Documentary — Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best Ensemble — The Iron Claw

Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry — John Wick 4

Outstanding Cinematography — Rodrigo Prieto for Barbie & Killers of the Flower Moon

Top 10 Films of 2023:

Barbie

The Boy and the Heron

Ferrari

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

Top 5 International Films:

La Chimera

Fallen Leaves

The Teachers’ Lounge

Totem

The Zone of Interest

Top Five Documentaries:

20 Days in Mariupol

32 Sounds

The Eternal Memory

The Pigeon Tunnel

A Still Small Voice

Top Ten Independent Films of 2023

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

All Of Us Strangers

BlackBerry

Earth Mama

Flora and Son

The Persian Version

Scrapper

Showing Up

Theater Camp

A Thousand and One

The Michigan Movie Critics Guild Honors Barbie!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In their inaugural awards, the Michigan Movie Critics Guild have announced their picks for the best of 2023 and they really liked Barbie!

The winners are listed in bold.

Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Past Lives
Poor Things

Best Director
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Cord Jefferson – American Fiction
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actress
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Zac Efron – The Iron Claw
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Best Supporting Actress
America Ferrera – Barbie
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Julianne Moore – May December
Rosamund Pike – Saltburn

Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

Best Animated Film
The Boy and The Heron
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Best Documentary
Beyond Utopia
Sly
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best Ensemble
Air
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer

Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Past Lives

Breakthrough Award
Sandra Hüller – Actress, Anatomy of a Fall
Cord Jefferson – Director, American Fiction
Greta Lee – Actress, Past Lives
Dominic Sessa – Actor, The Holdovers
Celine Song – Director/Writer Past Lives

Stunts
John Wick: Chapter 4
The Killer
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Polite Society
Silent Night

The MMCG Award for Film Excellence (presented to a filmmaker, writer, actor, crew member etc. who has Michigan ties or to a film made or set in Michigan)
Keegan-Michael Key – Actor Wonka/The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Migration
Ashley Park – Actress, Joy Ride
Paul Schrader – Director, Master Gardener
Lily Tomlin – Actress, 80 For Brady
J.K. Simmons – Actor, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Bruce Campbell – Producer, Evil Dead Rise

Here Are The 2023 Nominations of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tis the season when I struggle to keep up with all of the groups of regional film critics!  Today, a new group — Michigan Movie Critics Guild — announced their nominees for the best of 2023!  The winners will be announced on December 4th!

Interestingly enough, neither Killers of the Flower Moon nor Oppenheimer, the two acknowledged front runners, received Best Picture nominations from the MMCG.  (The two films did, however, pick up nominations in other categories.)  It appears that this is going to be a bit of a quirky group, which is fine by me.  We need more quirky film critics!

Also, they nominated Bruce Campbell for an award!  I’m going to like this group!

Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Past Lives
Poor Things

Best Director
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Cord Jefferson – American Fiction
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actress
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Zac Efron – The Iron Claw
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Best Supporting Actress
America Ferrera – Barbie
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Julianne Moore – May December
Rosamund Pike – Saltburn

Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

Best Animated Film
The Boy and The Heron
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Best Documentary
Beyond Utopia
Sly
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best Ensemble
Air
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer

Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Past Lives

Breakthrough Award
Sandra Hüller – Actress, Anatomy of a Fall
Cord Jefferson – Director, American Fiction
Greta Lee – Actress, Past Lives
Dominic Sessa – Actor, The Holdovers
Celine Song – Director/Writer Past Lives

Stunts
John Wick: Chapter 4
The Killer
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Polite Society
Silent Night

The MMCG Award for Film Excellence (presented to a filmmaker, writer, actor, crew member etc. who has Michigan ties or to a film made or set in Michigan)
Keegan-Michael Key – Actor Wonka/The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Migration
Ashley Park – Actress, Joy Ride
Paul Schrader – Director, Master Gardener
Lily Tomlin – Actress, 80 For Brady
J.K. Simmons – Actor, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Bruce Campbell – Producer, Evil Dead Rise

The New York Film Critics Circle Honors Killers Of the Flower Moon!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the New York Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2023, with Oppenheimer picking up awards for Cinematography and Direction while Killers of the Flower Moon won both Best Picture and Best Actress.

I guess the most unexpected result of the voting was Franz Rogowski’s victory for Best Actor.  Over the next few days, we’ll see if that’s an outlier or if Rogowski is going to emerge as a legitimate Oscar contender.

Here are the winners!

Best Film: “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

Best Actor: Franz Rogowski, “Passages” (Mubi)

Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)

Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, “May December” (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Best Screenplay: “May December” (Netflix) — Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik

Best Animated Film: “The Boy and the Heron” (GKids)

Best Cinematography: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Hoyte van Hoytema

Best First Film: “Past Lives” (A24) — dir. Celine Song

Best International: “Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon)

Best Non-Fiction Film: “Menus-Plaisirs-Les Troisgros” (Zipporah Films) — dir. Frederick Wiseman

Special mention: The NYFCC awarded cash prizes to two regional students — Mick Gaw (New York University, undergraduate) and Katherine Prior (Brooklyn College, graduate) — focusing on film criticism and journalism.

Special Award: Karen Cooper for her five decades of creative leadership as director of Film Forum.