Critics Choice Nominations: "Fury Road" Leads and Category Fraud Refuses to Die.
Monday, December 14, 2015 at 10:12AM
NATHANIEL R in BFCA, Mad Max Fury Road, Oscars (15), Punditry, comedy, precursor awards

Furiosa is coming to devour your Critics Choice AwardsThough I am a member of the BFCA, the organization behind the Critics Choice Awards, I can't say I'm often too pleased with their choices. Their penchant for attempting to predict the Oscars rather than voting based on earlier reviews continues to be the source of endless frustration. For example: everyone thought the SAG nominations were insane when they were announced but just a week later, the BFCA is repeating them despite lukewarm reviews (at best) for films like Trumbo. And though the reviews for Joy have been anything but great they gave it two major nominations, surely based on a year of Oscar expectations for it. Their difficulty in looking past mainstream pictures even in categories ripe for invasion from indies is also truly unfortunate (Tangerine and What We Do in the Shadows for example have 96% and 97% approval ratings from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and NONE of the BFCA's nominees for Best Comedy come anywhere close to those scores. Hell, Joy is currently at only 56% which is not good. And BFCA members are part of the Tomatometer so what does that tell you?

Unfortunately the members also embraced all the Category Fraud contenders in their studio preferred categories despite the BFCA endorsing a lead vote for Rooney Mara before voting began and somewhat suggesting that maybe Alicia Vikander didn't belong in supporting either. I understand from voting members of the OFCS that this exact situation preceded their vote. It's tough to root out Category Fraud when people have been so conditioned by the studios to believe that anything goes.

The complete list of nominees for film and television (with commentary is after the jump)


FILM AWARDS

BEST PICTURE

The top tier Oscar contenders surfaced but this can't be good news for The Hateful Eight (BFCA having a very short memory and having recently seen it) and it's definitely not good news for Inside Out which will probably have to make do with its own ghetto category at Oscar. Congrats to Bridge of Spies and Sicario which both needed the attention.

BEST ACTOR

Zzzzz This seems to be the big six - with one of them booted for Oscar? A rough outcome for Sir Ian McKellen (Mr Holmes) who seemed like a true dark horse a week ago. It's also so strange that groups haven't embraced Michael B Jordan (Creed) despite him being a rising mainstream star everyone seems to like and that he's carrying a pretty terrific crowdpleaser. Did Damon suck up all the "populist" action traction this year?

BEST ACTRESS

So basically Oscar predictions + Fury Road fanaticism

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Their one bid at originality here is to shove Tom Hardy into the mix as he missed both Globe & SAG. The minor variations in this category from SAG to GLOBE to BFCA probably mean that Rylance, Shannon, are Stallone are locked in for Oscar but the fourth and fifth spots will be a pretty tight battle between Idris Elba, Jacob Tremblay (both SAG nominated) and Ruffalo and Keaton from Spotlight. 

Truly bizarre though that Benicio del Toro has not shown up for Sicario. Even for groups like Critics Choice that put the film in Best Picture lineup.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

No new names here and both Category Fraud women are included. Disappointing. Especially since there were terrific options that critics genuinely loved this year like Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria, Cynthia Nixon in James White, Elizabeth Banks in Love & Mercy, etcetera

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

It's an all male lineup this year. Despite our pulling for Raffey Cassidy from Tomorrowland it didn't happen. Really happy to see Shameik Moore in here.

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Just embarrassing to quote SAG directly don't you think. Where is Sicario? or Brooklyn? or Carol? or any number of films with more consistent acting across the board than Trumbo or The Big Short.

BEST DIRECTOR

The Globe lineup plus Steven Spielberg.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Ex Machina has been performing well in precursors but can it really strike with Oscar? It seems so off-Oscar! I suspect Son of Saul, Sicario, or Youth could wrestle the nomination away from it.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

WHERE IS CAROL???? That is all.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Another probably accurate Oscar prediction but who falls out? I hope it's Richardson. He's been awarded plenty by Oscar and these other men are (mostly) still waiting for a statue.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Pretty solid nominations here though it's always frustrating when well designed contemporary films can't fight their way into these categories. Was pulling for Room here.

BEST EDITING

Where is Creed?

Cinderella's evil stepmother is not happy to fight her doppelganger Carol Aird for Best Costumes

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

It would be so tremendously fun to see Mad Max Fury Road Oscar nominated in this category but it seems too crazy to hope for.

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP

Hmmm. Pretty solid though I'm not sure I understand the Black Mass attention. Was Depp supposed to look inhuman?

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Ex Machina YAAASSS. A rough morning for superheroes though with Age of Ultron and Ant-Man shut out. Let us not speak of Jurassic World

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

An exact match of the Globe list. But neither of those awards bodies have shown much interest in foreign cartoons. Oscar likes them though so we doubt you'll see all of them repeating for Oscar.

BEST ACTION MOVIE

I know it's popular to hate on Avengers Age of Ultron but let's face facts. It's a better movie, even with its big flaws, than Jurassic World.

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE

A nomination Jurassic World actually deserves!

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE

Bryce Dallas Howard when you could've had Shu Qi from The Assassin or Melissa McCarthy from Spy or Scarlett Johansson for Age of Ultron or Lea Seydoux from Spectre or anyone really is my point

BEST COMEDY

With the exception of Inside Out, none of these films have the rave reviews of Tangerine. Truly disappointed -- no actually full on angry that it was snubbed. There's no excuse. Joy is at 56% at Rotten Tomatoes. Critics don't like it and to include it rather than a comedy that's making top ten lists? Stupid.

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Only the Big Short guys repeating from the Globes. Interesting.

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Go Lily Tomlin. Get it. (Though obviously Amy Schumer is winning all these prizes from now through January)

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE

What do you think is missing? Or was it a weak year for horror /sci-fi?

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Hmmm.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

BEST SONG

All but the Love & Mercy song are on Oscar's 74 wide eligibility list.

BEST SCORE

This would be a mighty solid Oscar list... but there are so many possibilities

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

These seem like great choices... mostly because Jim Parsons isn't here!

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Truly pleased that Justin Theroux and Rami Malek are accounted for

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Awesome list, don't you think? Rachel Bloom is having a great week for a struggling show.

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Between the Globe nods and these, Emmy voters are getting a lot of great advice which they will totally ignore next summer and vote for the same ol same ol (it's pronounced "Julianna Marguiles and Claire Danes")

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

BEST COMEDY SERIES

BEST DRAMA SERIES

So much better than Emmy will do next summer.

BEST GUEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

BEST GUEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Painful truth: I don't think Marisa Tomei is very good on Empire though I am normally a big Tomei supporter. But loving loving loving the BD Wong and Patti Lupone nominations.

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Yay Jaime Camil & Mel Rodriguez

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Finally some love for the great Ann Dowd for her indelible work on The Leftovers.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

Mary J Blige was so great as Evilene wasn't she?

BEST ANIMATION SERIES

BEST REALITY SHOW – COMPETITION

Any reality show competition that doesn't include RuPauls' Drag Race is impossible to take seriously.

BEST REALITY SHOW HOST

Any reality show competition that doesn't include RuPaul is impossible to take seriously.

BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SHOW

BEST TALK SHOW

Hooray for the male species.

BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SHOW

 WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE NOMINATIONS THIS YEAR? Seems they did better with TV than film, eh?

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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