My Final 2020 Oscar Predictions


Since today is Oscar Sunday and all, I guess it’s time for me to make my final predictions for what will win tonight! Here we go! No guts, no glory!

Best Picture: Nomadland

Best Director: Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Actress: Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman

Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung in Minari

Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman

Best Adapted Screenplay: Nomadland

Best Animated Film: Soul

Best International Feature Film: Another Round

Best Documentary Feature: Collective

Best Documentary Short: A Concerto is a Conversation

Best Live Action Short Film: Two Distant Strangers

Best Animated Short Film: If Anything Happens I Love You

Best Original Score: Soul

Best Original Song: Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Best Sound: Sound of Metal

Best Production Design: Mank

Best Cinematography: Mank

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Costume Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Editing: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (bleh)

Best Visual Effects: Tenet

If I score 100% accuracy on my predictions, here’s how the night will end in totals:

3 Oscars — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Nomadland

2 Oscars — Mank, Promising Young Woman, Soul

1 Oscar — Another Round, Collective, A Concerto is A Conversation, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, If Anything Happens I Love You, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Sound of Metal, Tenet, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Two Distant Strangers

In another few hours, we shall discover how good I am at guessing.

Lisa Marie’s Final 2020-2021 Oscar Predictions


The 2020 Oscar nominations are finally going to be announced on March 15th and then the Oscars themselves are going to be awarded at the end of April.  To be honest, we should call these the 2020-2021 Oscars because I refuse to think of Nomadland, Minari, or The Father as being 2020 films.  Because of the extended eligibility window, they’re all Oscar-eligible but still….

That means that it’s time for me to make my final Oscar predictions for this latest awards cycle.  Last night, The Golden Globes cleared up a few races and suggested that a few others are still in a state of flux.  Of the three big surprise winners from last night (Andra Day, Jodie Foster, and Rosamund Pike) Day seems to be the most likely to benefit from her victory.  I also think that Foster might benefit as well, just because she’s Jodie Foster and she doesn’t appear in a lot of films nowadays.  I’m also willing to say that, based on his getting a GG nom and a SAG nom, I think Jared Leto has a better chance than some might realize of picking up another Oscar nomination.

What about Glenn Close?  On the one hand, Close has never won an Oscar and she gives a very awards baity performance in Hillbilly Elegy.  On the other hand, Hillbilly Elegy was critically-blasted and both the film and Close’s performance were included on the Razzie longlist, which was released earlier today.  (The Razzies suck but that’s a topic for another post.)  I would feel better about Close’s chances if she had won a Golden Globe last night but I’m still inclined to include her in my predictions.

(To be honest, up until Close lost, I still thought there was a chance that Hillbilly Elegy could pick up an Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close-style best picture nomination, the type of nomination that comes as a result of voters watching a critically lambasted film for one performance and saying, “Well, that wasn’t as bad as everyone says!”)

Finally, I’m going to continue to predict a surprise Best Picture nomination for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, just because it’ll be another chance for the same voters who nominated Vice to express their feelings about Donald Trump and Rudy Guiliani.

If you want to see how my thinking has evolved over this long awards season, check out my predictions for January (2020)February (2020), March (2020AprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovember, December, and January (2021)!

Here are my final predictions:

Best Picture

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Mank

Minari

News of the World

Nomadland

One Night In Miami

Promising Young Woman

The Trial of the Chicago 7

(I’m predicting 9 best picture nominees. I’m looking forward to the Academy going back to having a set number of best picture nominees.  It breaks my heart not to include First Cow and Sound of Metal among my predicted nominees.)

Best Director

Lee Isaac Chung for Minari

Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman

Regina King for One Night in Miami

Aaron Sorkin for Mank

Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins in The Father

Gary Oldman in Mank

Steven Yeun in Minari

Best Actress

Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holliday

Vanessa Kirby in Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand in Nomadland

Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman

Best Supporting Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen in The Trial of the Chicago 7

Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods

Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah

Jared Leto in The Little Things

Leslie Odom Jr. in One Night In Miami

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy

Jodie Foster in The Mauritanian

Amanda Seyfried in Mank

Youn Yuh-jung in Minari

We’ll find out how right or wrong I am on March 15th!

The Utah Film Critics Association Honors Minari


Yesterday, the Utah Film Critics Association announced their picks for the best of 2020.  They selected Minari for Best Picture with Soul as their runner-up.  That kind of sets them apart from the other critics groups, which have for the most part been selecting Nomadland.  That said, Frances McDormand still picked up the award for best actress.

Here are the winners from Utah:

Best Picture
Winner: Minari
Runner Up: Soul

Best Director
Winner: Regina King – One Night In Miami
Runner Up: Lee Isaac Chung – Minari

Best Actor
Winner: Riz Ahmed – Sound Of Metal
Runner Up: Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom & Steven Yeun – Minari (TIE)

Best Actress
Winner: Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Runner Up: Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night In Miami
Runner Up: Daniel Kaluuya – Judas And The Black Messiah

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Runner Up: Youn Yuh-jung – Minari

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Runner Up: Promising Young Woman

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: I’m Thinking Of Ending Things
Runner Up: One Night In Miami

Best Cinematography
Winner: Nomadland
Runner Up: I’m Thinking Of Ending Things

Best Original Score
Winner: Soul
Runner Up: Tenet

Best Film Editing
Winner: The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Runners Up: Sound Of Metal & Tenet (TIE)

Best Documentary Feature
Winner: Dick Johnson Is Dead
Runner Up: Time

Best Animated Feature
Winner: Wolfwalkers
Runner Up: Soul

Non-English Language Feature
Winner: Another Round
Runner Up: Bacurau

Vice Martin Award for performance in SciFi/Fantasy
Winner: Elizabeth Moss – The Invisible Man
Runner Up: Cristin Milioti – Palm Springs

The Toronto Film Critics Association Honors Nomadland


They love Nomadland, even in Canada!

The Toronto Film Critics Association announced their picks for the best of 2020 yesterday and Noamdland picked up another best picture prize.  Chloe Zhao and Frances McDormand were also, once again, honored.  Daniel Kaluuya, who has been coming on strong in recent days, picked up Best Supporting Actor for Judas and the Black Messiah, defeating former front runners Paul Raci and Leslie Odom Jr.

Here are the winners from Toronto:

Best Film
Winner: ​​Nomadland
Runners Up: First Cow & Minari

Best Director
Winner: ​Chloe Zhao – Nomadland
Runners Up: Lee Isaac Chung – Minari & Kelly Reichardt – First Cow

Best Screenplay
Winner: ​Minari
Runners Up: Nomadland & Sound of Metal

Best Actress
Winner: ​Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Runners Up: Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom & Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Actor
Winner: ​Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Runners Up: Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom & Mads Mikkelsen – Another Round

Best First Feature
Winner: ​The Forty-Year-Old-Version
Runners Up: The Father & Promising Young Woman

Best Documentary
Winner: ​Collective
Runners Up: Crip Camp, David Byrne’s American Utopia & Time

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: ​Bacurau
Runners Up: Another Round & Beanpole

Best Animated Feature
Winner: ​Wolfwalkers
Runners Up: Soul & The Willoughbys

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Runners Up: Youn Yuh-jung – Minari & Olivia Colman – The Father

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Daniel Kaluuya – Judas And The Black Messiah
Runners Up: Paul Raci – Sound of Metal & Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami

Here Are The SAG Nominations!


Here are the SAG nominations!  I’ll be post my thoughts under the noms because — let’s be honest, the noms are what you’re here for:

BEST ENSEMBLE
Da 5 Bloods
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Minari
One Night In Miami
The Trial Of The Chicago 7

BEST LEAD ACTOR (FEMALE)
Amy Adams – Hillbilly Elegy
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces Of A Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

BEST LEAD ACTOR (MALE)
Riz Ahmed – Sound Of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Gary Oldman – Mank
Steven Yeun – Minari

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (FEMALE)
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman – The Father
Youn Yuh-Jung – Minari
Helena Zengel – News Of The World

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (MALE)
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas And The Black Messiah
Jared Leto – The Little Things
Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night In Miami

BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE
Da 5 Bloods
Mulan
News of the World
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Wonder Woman 1984

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
Bridgerton
The Crown
Lovecraft Country
Ozark

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Gillian Anderson – The Crown
Olivia Colman – The Crown
Emma Corrin – The Crown
Julia Garner – Ozark
Laura Linney – Ozark

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us
Josh O’Connor – The Crown
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Regé-Jean Page – Bridgerton

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
Dead To Me
The Flight Attendant
The Great
Schitt’s Creek
Ted Lasso

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Nicholas Hoult – The Great
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Jason Sudekis – Ted Lasso
Ramy Youseff – Ramy

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate – Dead To Me
Linda Cardellini – Dead To Me
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek

BEST ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES
Bill Camp – The Queen’s Gambit
​Daveed Diggs – Hamilton
Hugh Grant – The Undoing
Ethan Hawke – The Good Lord Bird
Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much Is True

BEST ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES
Cate Blanchett – Mrs. America
Cole – I May Destroy You
Nicole Kidman – The Undoing
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit
Kerry Washington – Little Fires Everywhere

Okay, my thoughts:

I guess the big news is that the SAG appreciated Hillbilly Elegy a bit more than the critics.  Glenn Close picking up a supporting actress nom isn’t a huge shock but I do think a few people were a bit surprised to see Amy Adams nominated.  Personally, I think Amy Adams was okay in Hillbilly Elegy but I’ll be kind of disappointed if — after all the great performance she’s given — this is the one that she picks up an Oscar for.

We all kind of laughed off Jared Leto picking up that supporting nomination from the Golden Globes but the SAG nominated him as well!  Is this a sign of momentum or just a crazy coincidence?  Either way, this doesn’t bode well for the Oscar hopes of Sound of Metal‘s Paul Raci.  Raci’s picked up a lot of critical support but getting snubbed by both the Globes and SAG doesn’t seem like a good sign.

Speaking of signs, I’m going to assume that Sidney Flanigan’s Oscar hopes are pretty much gone.  Like Raci, she seems like she would have needed either a GG or a SAG nomination to really break through.

Amanda Seyfried was not nominated.  That took me by surprise but it didn’t upset me as much as Raci getting snubbed, largely because I like Sound of Metal considerably more than Mank.

I think Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods is the overrated film of 2020 but you still have to wonder how the film could pick up a Best Ensemble nomination without also getting best actor nomination for Delroy Lindo.  Lindo was also snubbed by the Globes so again, the prospect of him getting nominated for an Oscar no longer seems like a sure thing.

Good news for Steven Yeun!  Some people were writing him off after he didn’t get a Golden Globe nomination but the SAG nomination puts him right back into the hunt.

Finally, the SAG is one of the best precursors regarding what films and performances will actually receive Oscar nominations.  So, whether or not I or anyone else agrees with all of the nominations, the nominees have to be feeling very happy right now.  Best of luck to them all!

The Atlanta Film Critics Circle Honors Nomadland


The Atlanta Film Critics Circle announced their picks for the best of 2020 earlier today and it was yet another victory for Nomadland.  At this point, Nomadland winning an award from a critics group has become a bit like the sun going up and down during the morning and the evening.  It’s going to happen everyday, or at least it’s going to happen until the sun goes supernova and eliminates all life on this planet.

(Agck!  That’s a scary thought!)

In other news, Atlanta gives us pretty much the usual collection of winners.  Riz Ahmed won best actor for Sound of Metal.  Paul Raci took home another very deserved supporting actor win for the same film.  Carey Mulligan won an also much deserved prize for her work in Promising Young Woman.  Maria Bakalova won another supporting actress prize for the Borat movie, which has emerged as this year’s movie to nominate to own the cons.

(On Earth 2, Hollywood long ago took a random right turn and suddenly, PureFlix films is picking up all sorts of awards.  Oscar-winner Kevin Sorbo?  On Earth 2, that’s such a common event that Kirk Cameron makes a joke about it every time he hosts the Academy Awards.)

I have to admit that I keep hoping that one of these critics groups will just do something totally unexpected and crazy.  I mean, they could have really shaken up the race by giving their best picture prize to Money Plane.  Or maybe Hillbilly Elegy.  With the way that television and movies are becoming one in the same, they really should have considered honoring a Lifetime film.  At this point, I just want to see something really crazy happen, y’know?

Anyway, here are the winners from Atlanta!*

Top 10 Films
1. NOMADLAND
2. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
3. SOUND OF METAL
4. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
5. MINARI
6. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
7. FIRST COW
8. THE FATHER
9. MANK
10. DA 5 BLOODS

Honorable Mentions: SOUL, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, PALM SPRINGS & TIME

Best Lead Actor
Winner: Riz Ahmed – SOUND OF METAL
First Runner Up: Chadwick Boseman – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Best Lead Actress
Winner: Carey Mulligan – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
First Runner Up: Frances McDormand – NOMADLAND

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Paul Raci – SOUND OF METAL
First Runner Up: Sacha Baron Cohen – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Maria Bakalova – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
First Runner Up: Youn Yuh-jung – MINARI

Best Ensemble Cast
Winner: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
First Runner Up: ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

Best Director
Winner: Chloé Zhao – NOMADLAND
First Runner Up: Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Best Screenplay
Winner: Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
First Runner Up: Aaron Sorkin – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Best Documentary
Winner: TIME
First Runner Up: COLLECTIVE

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: ANOTHER ROUND
First Runner Up: BACURAU

Best Animated Film
Winner: SOUL
First Runner Up: WOLFWALKERS

Best Cinematography
Winner: NOMADLAND
First Runner Up: NEWS OF THE WORLD

Best Original Score
Winner: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – SOUL
First Runner Up: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – MANK

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Winner: Kingsley Ben-Adir – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
First Runner Up: Maria Bakalova – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

BEST FIRST FILM
Winner: Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
First Runner Up: Regina King – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

*But, in a way, aren’t we all winners from Atlanta?

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for January of 2021


Normally, this is when I would be talking about the actual Oscar nominations as opposed to the hypothetical ones but, due to the whole COVID thing, the 2020 Oscar nominations (or really, the 2020-2021 Oscar nominations since neither Nomadland nor Minari is really a 2020 film as far as I’m concerned) will not be announced until March.

So, guess what?

It’s that time of the month again!

It’s time for me to present my own personal predictions of what will eventually be nominated.  With some of the critics groups giving out awards over the past two months, the Oscar picture is definitely a bit clearer.  Still, it’s not as clear as it’s going to be by the end of next week.  February is going to see the Golden Globes and the guilds announcing their nominees.  The Globes and the guilds are far more reliable than the critics groups when it comes to serving as Oscar precursors.

Still, I feel somewhat confident about the nominations below.  So, take a look and be sure to check out my previous predictions for January (2020), February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December!

Best Picture

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Da 5 Bloods

First Cow

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

(I’m going out on a limb with Borat, I know.  My theory is that the same people who nominated Vice for a host of Oscars aren’t going to be able to resist the temptation to give Trump the finger at least one more time.)

Best Director

Lee Isaac Chung for Minari

Spike Lee for Da 5 Bloods

Aaron Sorkin for The Trial of the Chicago 7

Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round

Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

(Again, I know that I’m going out on a limb with Vinterberg but if there’s ever a year that’s going to have a totally surprising and unexpected nomination, it’s going to be this year.  Another Round’s been getting a lot of attention and a lot of acclaim.  Since 2014, despite the expanded best picture lineup, two directors have still managed to get nominated without their film also getting a picture nod.  Bennett Miller was nominated for Foxcatcher.  Paweł Pawlikowski was nominated for Cold War.  I’m going to go ahead and predict that Vinterberg will join them for Another Round.)

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins in The Father

Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods

Steven Yeun in Minari

(I’ve pretty much been predicting this line-up for a while now.  I think Minari will be popular enough with the Academy that Steven Yeun will pick up a nomination.)

Best Actress

Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Sidney Flanigan in Never Rarely Sometimes Often

Vanessa Kirby in Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand in Nomadland

Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman

(Once again, this is a lineup that I’ve been predicting for a while now.  I’m adding Sidney Flanigan to my predictions because of the strength she’s shown with the critics.  I nearly replaced her with Meryl Streep for The Prom but my instincts, for whatever they’re worth, say Flanigan.)

Best Supporting Actor

Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods

Sacha Baron Cohen in The Trial of the Chicago 7

Bill Murray in On The Rocks

Leslie Odom, Jr. in One Night In Miami

Paul Raci in Sound of Metal

(I do think Chadwick Boseman is going to receive two posthumous acting nominations in the same year.  That’s the way the momentum is going and his passing adds an extra poignancy to his Da 5 Bloods performance that wouldn’t be there otherwise.  If I had to guess, I’d say that this is the Oscar that Boseman is going to win.)

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Ellen Burstyn in Pieces of a Woman

Olivia Colman in The Father

Amanda Seyfried in Mank

Youn Yuh-jung in Minari

(I know some people aren’t sure that the Academy is going to go as crazy for Bakalova as some of the critics have.  But I think the same Academy that nominated Vice is going to be open to considering a performance from the Borat sequel, especially one that embarrassed Rudy Giuliani.)

We’ll see whether or not I’m correct about any of these predictions in March!

The North Texas Film Critics Association Honor Nomadland!


While the National Board of Review was announcing that they had selected Da 5 Bloods as the best film of 2020, the North Texas Film Critics Association was busy honoring Nomandland instead.

Here are the winners from North Texas:

(Winners are in bold)

BEST PICTURE
Nomadland
Mank
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Promising Young Woman

BEST ACTOR
Steven Yeun – Minari
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

BEST ACTRESS
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

BEST DIRECTOR
Isaac Chung – Minari
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
David Fincher – Mank

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
JK Simmons – Palm Springs

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Youn Yuh-jung – Minari
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Film
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tenet
Joshua James Richard – Nomadland
Eric Messerschmidt – Mank

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Life Ahead
Minari
The Mole Agent

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Time
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Soul
Wolfwalkers
Over the Moon

BEST NEWCOMER
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Film
Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Linda May – Nomadland

GARY MURRAY AWARD (Best Ensemble)
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Da 5 Bloods
The Glorias

The National Board of Review Honors Da 5 Bloods


In the past, the National Board of Review were considered to be a big deal because they were the first of the critics groups to announce their yearly awards and winning with the NBR could help to generate momentum for a film going into the awards season.  No one was really sure just who exactly the NBR voters were but they were the first to announce and that was all that mattered.

However, that all changed when the Academy decided to extend the year’s eligibility window and to also hold off on announcing the Oscar nominations into February.  The National Board Of Review followed suit and decided to hold off on handing out their awards until late January, presumably so that they could continue to be seen as Academy influencers.  As a result of bunch of regional critics got the jump on the NBR and now Nomadland and Promising Young Woman have so much momentum that it’s kind of hard to really care that the NBR honored Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods instead.

(That said, it is kind of interesting that Nomadland is kind of underrepresented as far as the NBR rewards are concerned.  It won for for Joshua James Richards’s cinematography and it was included as one of the “top films of the year,” but otherwise, it was pretty much ignored in favor of Da 5 Bloods, Promising Young Woman, Minari, and Sound of MetalNomadland didn’t even pick up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, instead losing out to News of the World, a film that otherwise really hasn’t been a huge factor in 2020’s extended awards season.)

Anyway, for what their worth, here are the winners from the National Board of Review:

Best Film: “Da 5 Bloods”
Best Director: Spike Lee – “Da 5 Bloods”
Best Actor: Riz Ahmed – “Sound of Metal”
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan – “Promising Young Woman”
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Raci – “Sound of Metal”
Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung – “Minari”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Greengrass & Luke Davies – “News of the World”
Best Original Screenplay: Lee Isaac Chung – “Minari”
Breakthrough Performance: Sidney Flanigan – “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Best Directorial Debut: Channing Godfrey Peoples – “Miss Juneteenth”
Best Animated Feature: “Soul”
Best Foreign Language Film: “La Llorona”
Best Documentary: “Time”
NBR Icon Award: Chadwick Boseman
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: “One Night in Miami”
NBR Spotlight Award: Radha Blank for writing, directing, producing and starring in “The Forty-Year-Old Version”
Best Ensemble: “Da 5 Bloods”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Joshua James Richards – “Nomadland”

Top Films (in alphabetical order):
First Cow
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Midnight Sky
Minari
News of the World
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Soul
Sound of Metal

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order):
Apples
Collective
Dear Comrades
The Mole Agent
Night of the Kings

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Boys State
Dick Johnson is Dead
Miss Americana
The Truffle Hunters

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
The Climb
Driveways
Farewell Amor
Miss Juneteenth
The Nest
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
The Outpost
Relic
Saint Frances
Wolfwalkers

The Online Film Critics Society Honors Nomadland


Nomadland chalked up yet another victory today as it was named Best Picture by the Online Film Critics Society.

Check out all of the OFCS winners below:

Best Picture
1. Nomadland
2. Da 5 Bloods
3. Promising Young Woman
4. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
5. First Cow
6. Minari
7. Sound of Metal
8. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
9. Soul
10. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Animated Feature
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
The Wolf House
Wolfwalkers

Best Director
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods
Kelly Reichardt – First Cow
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Steven Yeun – Minari

Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Best Supporting Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

Best Supporting Actress
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Olivia Colman – The Father
Talia Ryder – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Youn Yuh-jung – Minari

Best Original Screenplay
Da 5 Bloods – Danny Bilson, Paul Demeo, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
Minari – Lee Isaac Chung
Never Rarely Sometimes Always – Eliza Hittman
Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Aaron Sorkin

Best Adapted Screenplay
First Cow – Jonathan Raymond, Kelly Reichardt
I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Charlie Kaufman
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Nomadland – Chloé Zhao
One Night in Miami – Kemp Powers

Best Editing
Da 5 Bloods – Adam Gough
Mank – Kirk Baxter
Nomadland – Chloé Zhao
Tenet – Jennifer Lame
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Alan Baumgarten

Best Cinematography
Da 5 Bloods – Newton Thomas Sigel
First Cow – Christopher Blauvelt
Mank – Erik Messerschmidt
Nomadland – Joshua James Richards
Tenet – Hoyte Van Hoytema

Best Original Score
Da 5 Bloods – Terence Blanchard
Mank – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Minari – Emile Mosseri
Soul – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Tenet – Ludwig Goransson

Best Debut Feature
Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Regina King – One Night in Miami
Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
Andrew Patterson – The Vast of Night

Best Film Not in the English Language
Another Round (Denmark)
Bacurau (Brazil)
Collective (Romania)
La Llorona (Guatemala)
Minari (United States)

Best Documentary
Boys State
Collective
Dick Johnson Is Dead
The Painter and the Thief
Time

Technical Achievement Awards
Sound of Metal – Sound Design
Emma. – Costume Design
Tenet – Visual Effects
Mank – Production Design
The Invisible Man – Visual Effects

BEST NON-UNITED STATES RELEASE
(This award is for the best films released outside the United States in 2020 that were not released in the United States during the eligibility period.)
A Beast in Love (Japan)
The Disciple (India)
Ghosts (Turkey)
Mogul Mowgli (United Kingdom)
New Order (Mexico)
Notturno (Italy)
Rocks (United Kingdom)
Saint Maud (United Kingdom)
Summer of 85 (France)
Undine (Germany)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Rob Bottin (Makeup Artist)
David Byrne (Composer)
Jane Fonda (Actor)
Jean-Luc Godard (Director)
Frederick Wiseman (Documentarian)

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
“Small Axe” — Director Steve McQueen created a series of films for the small screen that rivals the best of the theatrical features of the year, that can be seen individually and yet work together to explore a cultural experience largely unseen on big screens, television, or streaming to date.
Distributor Kino Lorber for being the first company to offer virtual film distribution as a way to help independent theaters during the pandemic through the Kino Marquee.
Kudos to the independent theater entities that participated in presenting “Virtual Cinema” when forced to close due to the pandemic. Films that otherwise may not have been seen were made available through online platforms, with ticket prices shared by the distributor with the theater.