The Hawaii Film Critics Society Embraces La La Land


la-la-land

On January 16th, the film critics of Hawaii (and who wouldn’t want to be a member of that group?) announced their picks for the best of 2016!  They really, really liked La La Land!

BEST FILM:
La La Land

BEST DIRECTOR:
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
BEST ACTOR:
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
BEST ACTRESS:
Viola Davis, Fences
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water (tie)
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Tom Ford (Based on the Novel by Austin Wright), Nocturnal Animals
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Linus Sandgren, La La Land 

BEST EDITING:
Tom Cross, La La Land
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Austin Gorg, La La Land 
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Madeline Fontaine, Jackie
BEST MAKE-UP:
Bill Corso, Deadpool
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Arrival (tie)
Doctor Strange
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Justin Hurwitz, La La Land 
BEST SONG: 
Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, “Audition (Fools Who Dream),” La La Land  (tie)
Lin-Manuel Miranda, “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
BEST ANIMATED FILM:
Kubo and the Two Strings (dir. Travis Knight) (tie)
Zootopia (dir. Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush)
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
OJ: Made in America (dir. Ezra Edelman)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
The Handmaiden (dir. Chan-wook Park), (South Korea) (tie)
Neruda (dir. Pablo Larrain),  (Chile)
BEST HAWAII FILM:
Moana (dir. Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker and Chris Williams)
BEST NEW FILMMAKER:
Dan Trachtenberg,  10 Cloverfield Lane
BEST FIRST FILM:
10 Cloverfield Lane (dir. Dan Trachtenberg)
BEST OVERLOOKED FILM:
Hell or High Water (dir. David Mackenzie)
BEST SCI-FI/HORROR FILM:
Arrival (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
BEST STUNTS:
The Magnificent Seven 
BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE:
Charlize Theron/ Kubo and the Two Strings
WORST FILM OF THE YEAR:
Fifty Shades of Black  (tie)
Zoolander 2

The North Carolina Film Critics Honor La La Land!


la-la-land

Okay, here’s one more precursor before I call it a night.  The North Carolina Film Critics have announced their picks for the best of 2016.  You can check out the nominees here and the winners below!

Best Narrative Film — La La Land

Best Documentary — OJ: Made in America

Best Animated Film — Zootopia

Best Foreign Language Film — The Handmaiden

Best Director — Damen Chazelle — La La Land

Best Special Effects — Doctor Strange

Best Actor — Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea

Best Supporting Actor — Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

Best Actress — Emma Stone, La La Land

Best Supporting Actress — Viola Davis, Fences

Best Original Screenplay — Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water

Best Adapted Screenplay — Eric Heisserer, Arrival

Ken Hanke Memorial Tarheel Award — Jeff Nichols

 

The North Texas Critics Association Names La La Land The Best of 2016!


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I have to admit that I’m starting to reach the point that I always reach during Oscar season.  This is the point where I say, “How many different groups of critics are there!?”

Anyway, the North Texas Critics Association have announced their picks for the best of 2016!  There are my people (in that we all live in North Texas and probably make a lot of jokes about pasty yankee tourists coming down from the North and sweating like pigs) and they picked La La Land as the best of the year.  I’ll be seeing La La Land this weekend so I’ll let you know if they were right.

Best Film
1. La La Land
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Moonlight
4. Hacksaw Ridge
5. Loving
6. Arrival
7. Captain Fantastic
8. Nocturnal Animals
9. Jackie
10. The Birth of a Nation

Best Director
1. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
2. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
3. Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
4. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
5. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress
1. Natalie Portman (Jackie)
2. Emma Stone (La La Land)
3. Amy Adams (Arrival)
4. Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)
5. Ruth Negga (Loving)

Best Actor
1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
3. Denzel Washington (Fences)
4. Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
5. Don Cheadle (Miles Ahead)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Viola Davis (Fences)
3. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
4. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
5. Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
2. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
3. Dev Patel (Lion)
4. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
5. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Cinematography
1. Linus Sandgren (La La Land)
2. James Laxton (Moonlight)
3. Simon Duggan (Hacksaw Ridge)
4.  Bradford Young (Arrival)
5. Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

Best Animated Film
1. Zootopia
2. Kubo and the Two Strings
3. Sing

Best Documentary
1. Gleason
2. 13th
3. Tower
4. Wiener
5. The Eagle Huntress

Best Foreign Language Film
1. Elle
2. The Handmaiden
3. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
4. The Salesman

5.  Toni Erdmann

The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Picks La La Land As the Best of 2016!


la-la-land
The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle has announced their picks for the best of 2016!
Best Picture
La La Land
Best Director
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Runner Up: Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Best Actor
Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
Runner Up: Denzel Washington – Fences
Best Actress
Amy Adams – Arrival
Runner Up: Emma Stone – La La Land
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Runner Up: Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals
Best Supporting Actress
Michelle Williams – Manchester By The Sea
Runner Up: Viola Davis – Fences
Best Animated Film
Zootopia
Runner: Kubo & The Two Strings
Best Documentary
OJ: Made In America
Runner Up: Weiner
Best Foreign Film
The Handmaiden
Runner Up: Elle
Best Ensemble
Manchester By The Sea
Runner Up: Moonlight
Best First Feature
The Witch
Runner Up: The Edge Of Seventeen
Best Original Screenplay
Manchester By The Sea
Runner Up: Hell Or High Water
Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Runner Up: Moonlight
Best Body of Work
Amy Adams
Runner Up: Michael Shannon
Top 10 Films
La La Land
Moonlight
Manchester By The Sea
OJ: Made In America
Arrival
Hell Or High Water
Jackie
Green Room
Kubo & The Two Strings
Sing Street

The Online Film Critics Society Declares Moonlight To Be The Best


moonlight

The Online Film Critics Society announced their picks for the best of 2016 yesterday!  You can check out the nominees here and the winners below!

Best Picture — Moonlight

Best Animated Feature — Kubo and the Two Strings

Best Director — Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best Actor — Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea

Best Actress — Natalie Portman, Jackie

Best Supporting Actor — Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Best Supporting Actress — Naomie Harris, Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay — Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan

Best Adapted Screenplay — Arrival, Eric Heisserer

Best Editing — La La Land, Tom Cross

Best Cinematography — La La Land, Linus Sandgren

Best Film Not In The English Language — The Handmaiden

Best Documentary — OJ: Made in America

 

The Austin Film Critics Association Honors Moonlight!


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The Austin Film Critics Association have announced their picks for the best of 2016!

Best Film: Moonlight (dir: Barry Jenkins)

Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences

Best Original Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Heisserer, Arrival

Best Cinematography: Linus Sandgren, La La Land

Best Score: Justin Hurwitz, La La Land

Best Foreign-Language Film: The Handmaiden (dir: Park Chan-wook)

Best Documentary: Tower (dir: Keith Maitland)

Best Animated Film: Kubo and the Two Strings (dir: Travis Knight)

Best First Film: The Witch (dir: Robert Eggers)

The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award: Keith Maitland, Tower

Austin Film Award: Tower (dir: Keith Maitland)

Special Honorary Award: To the ensemble cast of Moonlight and casting director Yesi Ramirez for excellence as an ensemble.

Special Honorary Award: To honor Anton Yelchin for his contribution to the cinema of 2016, including performances in Green Room and Star Trek Beyond. His was a brilliant career cut profoundly short.

Special Honorary Award: To A24 Films for excellence in production in distribution. Their work gave us Moonlight, Green Room, Swiss Army Man, The Lobster, The Witch, and 20th Century Women, among others.

Special Honorary Award: To filmmaker Keith Maitland and his film Tower for revisiting a tragic event in Austin, Texas history in a sensitive and unique manner.

AFCA 2016 Top Ten Films:

  1. Moonlight
  2. La La Land
  3. Arrival
  4. The Handmaiden
  5. Manchester by the Sea
  6. Elle
  7. Hell or High Water
  8. The Lobster
  9. Jackie
  10. Sing Street

Here Are The Nominations Of The Online Film Critics Society!


oj

The Online Film Critics Society announced their nominations today.  Along with the usual suspects, the 7 and a half hour documentary OJ: Made in America also picked up a nomination for best picture.

Best Picture

Arrival
The Handmaiden
Hell or High Water
Jackie
La La Land
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
O.J.: Made in America
Paterson
The Witch

Best Animated Feature

Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

Best Director

Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Pablo Larraín – Jackie
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester By the Sea
Denis Villeneuve – Arrival

Best Actor

Casey Affleck – Manchester By the Sea
Adam Driver – Paterson
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington – Fences

Best Actress

Amy Adams – Arrival
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Ruth Negga – Loving
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Emma Stone – La La Land

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges – Manchester By the Sea
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis – Fences
Lily Gladstone – Certain Women
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams – Manchester By the Sea

Best Original Screenplay

Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
Jackie – Noah Oppenheim
La La Land – Damien Chazelle
The Lobster – Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou
Manchester By the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Best Adapted Screenplay

Arrival – Eric Heisserer, Ted Chiang
Elle – David Birke, Philippe Djian
Love & Friendship – Whit Stillman
Moonlight – Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney
Nocturnal Animals – Tom Ford

Best Editing

Arrival – Joe Walker
Cameraperson – Nels Bangerter
Jackie – Sebastian Sepulveda
La La Land – Tom Cross
Moonlight – Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders

Best Cinematography

Arrival – Bradford Young
Jackie – Stéphane Fontaine
La La Land – Linus Sandgren
Moonlight – James Laxton
The Neon Demon – Natasha Braier

Best Film Not in the English Language

Elle – France
The Handmaiden – South Korea
Neruda – Chile
The Salesman – Iran
Toni Erdmann – Germany

Best Documentary

13th
Cameraperson
I Am Not Your Negro
O.J.: Made in America
Weiner

Best Non-U.S. Release

After the Storm
The Death of Louis XIV
The Girl With All the Gifts
Graduation
Nocturma
Personal Shopper
A Quiet Passion
Staying Vertical
The Unknown Girl
Yourself and Yours

Here Are The North Carolina Film Critics Association Nominations!


For Christmas, there was a temporary pause in the flood of precursor awards.  Now that Christmas has passed, Oscar season is back in full swing.

Today, the North Carolina Film Critics Association announced their nominations for the best of 2016!

And here they are:

BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Arrival
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
13th
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
Weiner

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

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Elle
The Handmaiden
A Man Called Ove
Toni Erdmann
Things to Come

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle — La La Land
Barry Jenkins — Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan — Manchester by the Sea
David Mackenzie — Hell or High Water
Chan-woo Park — The Handmaiden

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Chung-hoo Chung — The Handmaiden
James Laxton — Moonlight
Giles Nuttgens — Hell or High Water
Linus Sandgren — La La Land
Bradford Young — Arrival

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Arrival
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck — Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton — Loving
Ryan Gosling — La La Land
Viggo Mortensen — Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington — Fences

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali — Moonlight
Jeff Bridges — Hell or High Water
Ben Foster — Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges — Manchester by the Sea
Sam Neill — Hunt for the Wilderpeople

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening — 20th Century Women
Kate Beckinsale — Love & Friendship
Ruth Negga — Loving
Natalie Portman — Jackie
Emma Stone — La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis — Fences
Greta Gerwig — 20th Century Women
Naomie Harris — Moonlight
Nicole Kidman — Lion
Michelle Williams — Manchester by the Sea

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Damien Chazelle — La La Land
Barry Jenkins — Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan — Manchester by the Sea
Mike Mills — 20th Century Women
Taylor Sheridan — Hell or High Water

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Tom Ford — Nocturnal Animals
Eric Heisserer — Arrival
Seo-kyeong Jeong and Chan-wook Park — The Handmaiden
Whit Stillman — Love & Friendship
Taika Waititi — Hunt for the Wilderpeople

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
(To an artist or film with a special connection to North Carolina.)
Anthony Mackie
Jeff Nichols
Starving the Beast

The Florida Film Critics Circle Honors The Lobster!


lobster

Yesterday, the Florida Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2016!  And guess what?  While there’s plenty of familiar names on the list of honorees, Florida still went its own way by naming The Lobster as best film of the year!

Here are the winners!

BEST PICTURE

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST ACTOR

  • Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
  • Runner-Up:  Joel Edgerton – Loving

BEST ACTRESS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
  • Runner-Up: Viola Davis – Fences

BEST ENSEMBLE

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • The Lobster
  • Runner-Up: Manchester by the Sea

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION

BEST SCORE

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • Cameraperson
  • Runner-Up: OJ: Made In America

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • Elle
  • Runner-Up: The Handmaiden

BEST ANIMATED FILM

BEST FIRST FILM

  • The Edge of Seventeen
  • Runner-Up    The Witch

PAULINE KAEL BREAKOUT AWARD:

GOLDEN ORANGE

Here Are The Florida Film Critics Circle Nominations!


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The winners will be announced on December 23rd.

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

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Yorgos Lanthimos – The Lobster
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea

BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton – Loving
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington – Fences

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Ruth Negga – Loving
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Emma Stone – La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Ralph Fiennes – A Bigger Splash
André Holland – Moonlight
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis – Fences
Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Lily Gladstone – Certain Women
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

BEST ENSEMBLE
20th Century Women
American Honey
Hidden Figures
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
20th Century Women
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Arrival
Fences
Love & Friendship
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
The Handmaiden
Jackie
La La Land
Moonlight

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Arrival
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Jackie
La La Land
Love & Friendship

BEST SCORE
Arrival
Jackie
La La Land
Moonlight

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Cameraperson
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made In America
Weiner

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Elle
Embrace of the Serpent
The Handmaiden
The Salesman
Toni Erdmann

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Sausage Party
Zootopia

BEST FIRST FILM
The Childhood of a Leader
The Edge of Seventeen
Moonlight
Spa Night
Swiss Army Man
The Witch

BREAKOUT AWARD
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea

the_witch-3