We ♥︎ the San Diego Film Critics Society
Monday, December 12, 2016 at 7:00PM 
I want to make out with every member of the San Diego Film Critics Society right now. Why? It's not for their individual choices, no, though some of them are good. It's for this simple fact: they looked at the entire film year and not just movies that are just now hitting theaters. And, my friends, that is EXACTLY what film critics are not only supposed to do but best suited to do. The publicity teams and Oscar campaigns are already on the job of reminding people about which movies are coming out. Critics should notice more than what's being shoved at them minutes before they vote.
Hell or High Water is their big winner but other pre-November releases in their mix include Aquarius, The Nice Guys, Love & Friendship and more. Good work San Diego! You can see the full list after the jump...
Picture: HELL OR HIGH WATER Runner Up: LA LA LAND
Director: David Mackenzie, HELL OR HIGH WATER Runner Up: Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND
Actor, Male: Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Runner Up: Viggo Mortensen, CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Actor, Female: Sonia Braga, AQUARIUS Runner Up: Emma Stone, LA LA LAND
Supporting Actor, Male – Tied: Ben Foster, HELL OR HIGH WATER & Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
Supporting Actor, Female: Michelle Williams, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Runner Up: Judy Davis, THE DRESSMAKER
Comedic Performance: Ryan Gosling, THE NICE GUYS Runner up: Alden Ehrenreich, HAIL, CAESAR!
Ensemble: HELL OR HIGH WATER Runner Up: HIDDEN FIGURES
Breakthrough Artist: Lily Gladstone, CERTAIN WOMEN Runner Up: Lucas Hedges, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Original Screenplay: Taylor Sheridan, HELL OR HIGH WATER Runner Up: Efthimis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos, THE LOBSTER
Adapted Screenplay: Whit Stillman, LOVE & FRIENDSHIP Runner Up: Taika Waititi, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
Documentary: WEINER Runner Up: GLEASON
Animated Film: KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS Runner Up: APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD
Foreign Language Film: MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART Runners Up – Tied: MOTHER (EMA), NERUDA
Editing: Blu Murray, SULLY Runner Up: Joan Sobel, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
Cinematography: Giles Nuttgens, HELL OR HIGH WATER Runners Up – Tied: James Laxton, MOONLIGHT, Linus Sandgren, LA LA LAND
Production Design: HAIL, CAESAR! Runner Up: LA LA LAND
Visual Effects: THE JUNGLE BOOK Runner Up: ARRIVAL
Costume Design: Mary Zophres, LA LA LAND Runner Up: Madeline Fontaine, JACKIE
Use of Music in a Film: SING STREET Runners Up – Tied: JACKIE, LA LA LAND
Body of Work: Michael Shannon – NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, LOVING, ELVIS & NIXON
Reader Comments (13)
Judy Davis! Alden Ehrenreich! Hidden Figures ensemble! (Okay, I haven't seen that last one, but the ensemble work looks good from a mile away...) Sing Street's music! Hurrah! Fun list.
I am curious about the appeal of Hollywood's version of Texas masculinity in San Diego! Very interesting. Of course, haven't seen that one either...so maybe it's something else entirely.
Oh, Braga! Great choices! We should be personally giving them the blowjobs Madonna promised to Hillary voters.
catbaskets -- you should see HELL OR HIGH WATER. it's quite good for its genre.
Loving the "Mountains may Depart" citation in best foreign film! It's not an easy watch but it has a staying power that haunts you. Does anyone know if it's eligible for last or this year's Oscars?
San Diego is about my favorite metropolitan critics group; if you look at some of their atypical choices in previous years, they more than held up over time and certainly have validation. And @catbaskets: I haven't seen Hell or High Water either, but now it's jumped to the top of my must-see list.
These are great. Not a WTF in the bunch - even if I don't always agree with every single award, they're all choices I can respect.
The San Diego Film Critics Society (rightfully) gave their Best Supporting Actress award to Michelle Pfeiffer for White Oleander in 2002, and I've been in love with 'em every since.
I was happy to go along with this until I read 'Mountains May Depart'.
Sample [completely earnest, tear-filled] dialogue: "You are my dad… but it's like Google Translate is your real son!"
I'm sorry no - just no.
Lars, China would never submit MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART for foreign language. It received a theatrical release in, I think February of this year, though. I doubt the distrib would bother tbh.
That being said, I love the citaation of MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART, as well as Judy Davis, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE for screenplay, Lily Gladstone for CERTAIN WOMEN, and those Zophreys and Fontaine costume spots.
Hey All -- as a member of the San Diego Film Critics' -- thank you for the kind words. No, I didn't come here because I heard there were BJs involved (I already had a problem with Madonna claiming she didn't mean it literally, and not taking my "I voted" sticker as proof of anything...but that's another story for another day).
I can't speak for all the members, but during the year, I like to keep a list of my favorite movies because otherwise, as you stated, critics will just be thinking about the movies that have come out the last month as Oscar bail.
I was a little bummed that HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, one of my favorite movies of the year, didn't win anything but what can ya do?
I'm also one of the only critics in the country that didn't care for KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS. The first 30 minutes were mesmerizing and terrific, and...then it got bad, and Matthew McConoughey did horrid narration of his character.
Anything you think we missed that you guys really liked? Or that won an award that you really hated? I always like hearing others opinions.
Now I want to move to San Diego.
What thoughtful, interesting choices.
Michael Shannon for Body of Work! So obvious, yet not stated enough.
"Love and Friendship" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" in Adapted Screenplay, Ehrenreich, Nice Guys, Davis, Gladstone, all seem like choices of people who see all kinds of movies and love and appreciate what is great about them.
I'm genuinely curious about this, so this is a message for the fans of HELL OR HIGH WATER:
Explain me your love.
@Josh Board:
I would have liked to have seen The Handmaiden recognized somewhere -- maybe best foreign film, production design, costume design, or cinematography. I felt it was the best film of the past year to perfectly mesh all filmmaking components. The acting, directing, screenplay and score were outstanding as well. I place it at the top of my favorite films of 2016.
And thank you for visiting The Film Experience, and for your insights. This is a smart, friendly and lively film blog -- please come again soon!