In Case You Missed The Gothams...
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 at 9:20AM 
vous m'aimeChris here. Did you catch the Gotham Awards last night? The ceremony is always streams online for easy access - this year on Facebook to glitchy results. It always serves a spunky start thanks to a lack of jadedness that the just beginning season will bring and the idiosyncratic results from separately juried categories.
However, this year those juries were almost unanimous in their love for Barry Jenkins's Moonlight...
The love in the room for the film was vocal as it swept Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and the Audience Award. The Audience Award may be the most telling for its Oscar chances considering the dozen or so films it was up against (and since the Gothams rarely foretell the Oscars). The ensemble was also awarded a special prize, but it was Barry Jenkins who felt like the star.
But the biggest delight of the evening was a somewhat surprising win for Isabelle Huppert for Elle, to which she adorably was the most shocked. Huppert may be beloved for her chilliness but here she was all giddy breathlessness, all but launching into a French version of Sally Field's "You like me!" speech.
The other winners...
Best Documentary
O.J.: Made in America
The episodic, multi-installment documentary doesn't seem to be ruffling any feathers for its consideration in the documentary race. It's quite stellar, but I'm still curious if Oscar voters will sit for its sprawling eight hours.
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Trey Edward Shults - Krisha
Shults was also somewhat flummoxed by his win against stiff competition like Robert Eggers (The Witch) and Anna Rose Holmer (The Fits), sending lots of love to his fellow nominees. He's just as deserving and if you haven't caught up to Krisha's brilliance, it's currently on Amazon Prime.
Best Actor
Casey Affleck - Manchester By The Sea
Manchester felt the most overshadowed by Moonlight's wins but Affleck was warmly received, giving a humble speech that praised writer/director Kenneth Lonergan.
Breakthrough Actor
Anya Taylor-Joy - The Witch
Hooray for The Witch not leaving awards season empty handed! Kate Beckinsale presented the award praising independent cinema's dedication to female-led narratives and how the category's nominees reflected that - oops, you forgot Manchester's Lucas Hedges was nominated.
Breakthrough Series - Long Form
Craxy Ex-Girlfriend
Breakthrough Series - Short Form
Her Story
Spotlight on Women Directors "Live the Dream" Grant
Rory Toporowych - Julia Blue
This cash prize went to the delightful Toporowych, who joked that that morning she only had $13 in her bank account because everything went towards her film. Where is her Kickstarter and how can we buy her lunch?
Tributes
Oliver Stone - Stone kept things refreshingly brief, calling on directors to stay independent, remember that we can question our goverments ("we've forgotten that"), and to think internationally. Remember Snowden?
Arnon Milchan - Nothing was quite so staggering in the evening as producer Milchan's tribute reel, featuring some of the over 130 films he has made. He insisted that he was shy, but gushed his love for fellow tributee Stone.
Ethan Hawke - Hawke joked about his long career, stating the first time he was washed up was at the age of 14. He was presented by Winona Ryder (Reality Bites reunion!), who choked up describing his performance as Chet Baker in this year's Born to Be Blue - a brilliant performance everyone missed that's worth choking up over.
Amy Adams - Ryder got emotional for Hawke, but Cate Blanchett got truly gushy when presenting Adams's tribute, shedding love on the actress's listening in particular. Adams returned in kind, mostly spending her speech in "I'm not worthy" awe of Blanchett. Roundtable performances be damned, because her reel was also a reminder of her formiddable and versatile talents.
Reader Comments (27)
Cates words for Amy were amazing. For me, Cate locked Amy for a Best Actress nomination with that speech.
I expect the Best Actress critics awards will be spread out:
NBR: Bening or Portman
NYFCC: Portman or Stone
LAFCA: Huppert or Stone
Boston: Negga?
Anyway, I don't expect to see a consensus in this category. And even if we do, the televised awards could spoil it.
Too good to be true, right?
"Huppert may be beloved for her chilliness but here she was all giddy breathlessness"
WHERE! IS! THE FOOTAGE?!?!?!!?!!!!!
I'd also love to see any Amy Adams clip reel
Truly wonderful to see Huppert win and melt the offscreen audience with her adorable speech punctuated by a few happy-tears hiccups and that unmistakable French accent. This may be one of the few awards she will be accorded (I hope I'm wrong) but what a great start of the award season to see la reine Isabelle caught off-guard and showing an even more likable quality.
It was such a joy to watch Huppert be so giddy and shocked! Even the coolest and laid-back girl gets giddy :)
That Blanchett speech was...AMAZING! And I learned so many new words on the way as well he he. Adams was so in awe and I liked that
Though Adams is strong in Arrival, I don't think she deserves to be nominated. There are far too many stronger performances that I favor. Also the movie stole her thunder as well. The movie is the STAR of the movie
Isabelle Huppert speech:
https://youtu.be/sPMIs4JwGjw
I love Isabelle Huppert so much; I can hardly stand it!!
Blanchett on Amy:
https://youtu.be/3wDGRQFj5Cw
When did that happen? Never heard a peep about it.
Why is Naomie Harris not in that gorgeous Moonlight cast photo? Was she taking it herself or not present?
Dear God allow Huppert to sweep. Thank you.
Huppert was so pleased I fear she might end up signing for a franchise.
Love that Isabelle Huppert won! but why did they play the theme of Sex & The City when she walked on stage to receive her award?
LOL. I thought the same thing, Cris. What does Sex and the City have to do with Isabelle Huppert? Is it because the film is called Elle (French for she/her)?
HUPPERT!!!
What a fantastic JOLT to start off that category this season! Yes please, all of the awards to her always.
LOVE the Moonlight sweep. That ensemble pic above is lovely.
And Anya Taylor-Joy was great in The Witch so I love that she got their breakthrough prize.
I don't wanna get my hopes up this early but we're starting off on the right foot at least.
Do you think it possible Portman doesn't win a major award all season? It would be so odd (and awful) with THAT performance but it has happened before.
We really don't know anything yet lol. And if Marion can win Huppert can as well.
Annony-
I think Portman is definitely the front runner for Best Actress - Drama at the Golden Globes. So at least she has that going for her.
I am living for Huppert's speech. What a wonderful woman and actress. She's the true dark horse for best actress this year. So happy (and I'll admit, very surprised) that the industry is responding to Elle and her performance.
I want to wallpaper my house with this photo: https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/14726335_238220069931485_4175693889526562816_n.jpg
YAS ISABELLE SLAY GIRL
Huppert! YAY! The Queen reigns!
I adore Cate but somehow the way she gushes over Adams, the effusiveness of it all, makes me a tad uncomfortable if not unconvinced. Then again, it's always a treat to watch one actor swoons over another. I love Isabelle Huppert as an actress, one of the greatest...now I love her more for showing us a side of her that's seldom seen.
I normally hate Best Actress sweeps but how amazing would it be if Huppert picked up award after award on the way to an Oscar?! YEAH!!!
AMY + CATE ?! OH MY GOODNESS!
I know Cate pretends to not follow social media but there is no way she doesn't have her hand on the pulse with the random "fucks" and the ass grabbing and the shoutouts to moonlight. This lady knows what we want and she gives it to us every time
I hate sweeps especially in a year like this. I would totally be ok with Huppert winning SAG, Annette and Stone winning globes and Portman taking oscar.
Do we know where Annette Bening and Isabelle Huppert are being placed at the Globes? Seems like both could straddle between Comedy and Drama...
It would be pure porn for my eyes to see Isabelle Huppert sweep.