"Shape of Water" way way out front at the Critics Choice Awards
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 12:29PM by Nathaniel R
As always, full disclosure: I am a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So this award announcement is always filled with anxiety for me because I want to be heard. We all want to be heard. Nevertheless most of the longer shots I rallied for didn't make it, he said, pushing away a single tear. The Shape of Water led with 14 nominations... and it was so far out front it nearly doubled the nominations afforded to its nearest rivals (a clump of them jammed together with 8 nominations each: Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, Dunkirk, and The Post).
As ever I'm disappointed that the nominations double so heavily as "general Oscar pundit predictiveness" but here they are in their fullness with very immediate and perhaps too impulsive commentary after the jump.
FILM AWARDS
Best Picture
“The Big Sick”
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“The Florida Project”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
No surprises. Blargh. I sorta thought that if people voted with their hearts we might see something like Wonder Woman or Baby Driver show up here but the only films to factor in from before the late year glut were The Big Sick and Dunkirk. Given the amount of recent press attention to Mudbound I also thought that it might crack the list.
Best Director
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”
Luca Guadagnino, “Call Me by Your Name”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
Steven Spielberg, “The Post”
Whoa, we're now doing 7 nominees in multiple categories? Yikes. No one wants to be the Golden Satellites. Calm down. I'm beginning to think that the Oscar noms are a done deal this year with a lineup that reads: del Toro, Nolan, Guadagnino, Peele, and Spielberg. I will be very sad to see Greta Gerwig miss but Oscar is not kind to comedies, high school movies, female focused pictures, or female directors (sorry also Dee Rees but... Netflix) and I'm assuming the McDonagh fandom will mostly be centered on his writing.
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Stronger”
Tom Hanks, “The Post”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Another seven nominee category. It's not a good lewk. It's basically saying "we dont know what will be Oscar nominated but we're sure to be 100% predictive this way! So happy to see Jake Gyllenhaal included who you know I voted for. It's weird to be kind of dreading a Tom Hanks nomination since he's been stiffed so many times recently for very deserving work. I like him in The Post but Kaluuya and Gyllenhaal are both far more deserving but I can't imagine both will be nominated if Hanks makes it.
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, “Molly’s Game”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”
A more sensible six. This is a big get for Jessica Chastain, ahead of the also-rans (Dench, Stone, Bening, Winslet, etcetera). If she repeats at the Globes or SAG perhaps she'll prove a spoiler on nomination morning?
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Armie Hammer, “Call Me by Your Name”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Patrick Stewart, “Logan”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “Call Me by Your Name”
Interesting that Patrick Stewart surprised but Hugh Jackman did not in lead actor despite an extra nominee. They would have been a fun surprise pair to make a big media deal out of. Missed opportunity.
Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Tiffany Haddish, “Girls Trip”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”
Seven nominees again. Argh. And with seven I must scream into the cosmos that Michelle Pfeiffer should have been here for mother! I campaigned hard within my small circles but there were apparently not enough pfans to make up for the lack of "let's predict the Oscars" general enthusiasms of the BFCA voters.
Best Young Actor/Actress
Mckenna Grace, “Gifted”
Dafne Keen, “Logan”
Brooklynn Prince, “The Florida Project”
Millicent Simmonds, “Wonderstruck”
Jacob Tremblay, “Wonder”
As with past years they've leaned heavily into kids with high profile leading roles. One of my votes went to Noah Jupe for Wonder but I knew it was an uphill climb there as supporting performances almost never make this list. With Dafne Keen and Patrick Stewart both nominated for Logan it's kind of a shame that Hugh Jackman wasn't. Remember when the Critics Choice awards used to have a best Action Actress and Best Action Actor category? No longer.
Best Acting Ensemble
“Dunkirk”
“Lady Bird”
“Mudbound”
“The Post”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Solid list in a competitive year. But no Get Out? Dunkirk over Get Out? "NO SALE!" as Liz once said.
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Call Me by Your Name” (James Ivory)
“The Disaster Artist” (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)
“Mudbound” (Dee Rees, Virgil Williams)
“Molly’s Game” (Aaron Sorkin)
“Wonder” (Jack Thorne, Steve Conrad, Stephen Chbosky)
Weirdly empty Oscar hopeful category as we've previously discussed with most of the big films featuring Original Screenplays this year. Will these 5 repeat at Oscar or will we see a nomination for Last Flag Flying, The Beguiled, Stronger, Wonder Woman, Lost City of Z, Logan, or Victoria and Abdul sneak in
I weep that the BFCA just can't get it together on category size though. Why only 5 nominees here with 4, 6 or 7 in other categories? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS AND STICK WITH IT. WITHOUT CONSISTENCY IT'S HARD TO GET RESPECT.
Best Original Screenplay
“The Big Sick” (Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani)
“Get Out” (Jordan Peele)
“Lady Bird” (Greta Gerwig)
“The Post” (Liz Hannah, Josh Singer)
“The Shape of Water” (Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor)
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Martin McDonagh)
A hugely competitive Oscar category without a clear frontrunner I'd say. Obviously at least one of these will have to go come Oscar time (with less nominee spots) and other films are hanging around that could surprise still like Darkest Hour (McCarten is good on the campaign trail), Downsizing (Oscar loves Payne), I Tonya (its fans are devout), and Phantom Thread (Oscar loves PT Anderson).
Best Cinematography
“Blade Runner 2049” (Roger Deakins)
“Call Me by Your Name” (Sayombhu Mukdeeprom)
“Dunkirk” (Hoyte van Hoytema)
“Mudbound” (Rachel Morrison)
“The Shape of Water” (Dan Lausten)
So curious as to how Oscar might go in this category. We can't yet discount other hopefuls like The Post or Wonder Wheel or Wonderstruck or Darkest Hour since the Academy's cinematographer's branch likes all of those DPs quite a lot more than random broadcast film critics might. In the tech categories at Oscar reputation among your peers can count for a lot. If Rachel Morrison repeats this nomination with Oscar she'll be the first female cinematographer ever so honored.
Best Costume Design
“Beauty and the Beast” (Jacqueline Durran)
“Blade Runner 2049” (Renée April)
“Phantom Thread” (Mark Bridges)
“The Shape of Water” (Luis Sequeira)
“Wonder Woman” (Lindy Hemming)
Nice to see Lindy Hemming show up here but I wonder if she can happen with Oscar too? She's only been nominated once there (though she won on her single nomination for Topsy-Turvy). Though the Critics Choice likes to proclaim how predictive they are in terms of Oscars they statistically aren't really when it comes to tech categories; I currently expect both Consolata Boyle (Victoria & Adbul) and Ann Roth (The Post to show up on nomination morning. And given the costume branch's worship of Sandy Powell (12 noms / 3 wins) she might well make the Oscar list despite the lack of media attention paid to Wonderstruck. Other possible Oscar contenders: The Beguiled, Darkest Hour, Battle of the Sexes, Murder on the Orient Express
Best Editing
“Baby Driver” (Paul Machliss, Jonathan Amos)
“Blade Runner” (Joe Walker)
“Dunkirk” (Lee Smith)
“The Post” (Michael Kahn, Sara Broshar)
“The Shape of Water” (Sidney Wolinsky)
Yay Baby Driver! Though it's shameful that Get Out wasn't included. The editing is one of its principle achievements. You think it's easy balancing satire, drama, comedy, and horror and maintaining such brilliant pacing while doing so?
Best Hair and Makeup
“Beauty and the Beast”
“Darkest Hour”
“I, Tonya”
“The Shape of Water”
“Wonder”
Oy. That is all I want to say about this category.
Best Production Design
“Beauty and the Beast” (Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer)
“Blade Runner 2049” (Dennis Gassner; Alessandra Querzola)
“Dunkirk” (Nathan Crowley; Gary Fettis)
“Murder on the Orient Express” (Jim Clay; Rebecca Alleway)
“Phantom Thread” (Mark Tildesley; Véronique Melery)
“The Shape of Water” (Paul Denham Austerberry; Shane Vieau, Jeff Melvin)
It's a shame that Downsizing is going to be ignored all season because why on earth wouldn't it be competing in this category? This won't be the Oscar list though. Rick Carter is an Oscar favorite (4 noms & 2 wins) and I'd be surprised if he missed for The Post.
I dont understand this nomination for Murder on the Orient Express since the train and settings look very CGI.
Best Score
“Blade Runner 2049″ (Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer”)
“Darkest Hour” (Dario Marianelli)
“Phantom Thread” (Jonny Greenwood)
“The Post” (John Williams)
“The Shape of Water” (Alexandre Desplat)
Will we see John Williams nominated for both of his scores this season come Oscar nom morning? He might be since he's also got Star Wars: The Last Jedi this year. Other people you shouldn't immediately discount that might kick some of these nominees to the curb are Thomas Newman (14 nominations) for Victoria & Abdul), Carter Burwell (1 nomination) for Wonderstruck, or Hans Zimmer (10 nominations) for Dunkirk. I did think that the BFCA might go for Wonder Woman here but I was wrong. If it couldn't crack this list with a younger voting body it's not going to crack Oscars since Rupert Gregson-Williams has yet to be nominated.
Best Song
“Evermore” from “Beauty and the Beast”
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name”
“Remember Me” from “Coco”
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall”
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman”
No comments. Oscar is so hard to predict with this category but the Globes and Critics Choice nominees tend to be more "obvious" in who they might honor.
Best Visual Effects
“Blade Runner 2049”
“Dunkirk”
“The Shape of Water”
“Thor: Ragnarok”
“War for the Planet of the Apes”
“Wonder Woman”
Oscar doesn't truly love superhero movies in Visual effects categories and they have one less nominee than this so what might happen? Perhaps The Shape of Water will rise and both of the superhero pictures here will be cut out of the equation (Historically Oscar isn't into the Thor movies or DC movies in this category)? I can't remember what I voted for and I know that people hate the movie but if we're going by tech achievements Ghost in the Shell probably deserved a slot.
Best Animated Feature
“The Breadwinner”
“Coco”
“Despicable Me 3”
“The Lego Batman Movie”
“Loving Vincent”
Shaking things up after the Annie nominations with a little from column A (best animated feature) a little from column B (best animated indie feature) and a little from column C (Lego Batman Movie)
Best Action Movie
“Baby Driver”
“Logan”
“Thor: Ragnarok”
“War for the Planet of the Apes”
“Wonder Woman”
I voted for Atomic Blonde but this is a great lineup.
Best Comedy
“The Big Sick”
“The Disaster Artist”
“Girls Trip”
“I, Tonya”
“Lady Bird”
Will Girls Trip be nominated at the Globes? That's what I wanna know. Which of these gets kicked to the parallel category at the Globes to make room for a musical like Beauty and the Beast or The Greatest Showman?
Best Actor in a Comedy
Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Chris Hemsworth, “Thor: Ragnarok”
Kumail Nanjiani, “The Big Sick”
Adam Sandler, “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)”
Yay for Chris Hemsworth who I didn't think to vote for but is a good choice given that he is better at comedy than drama and we're only just now realizing that these past few years.
Best Actress in a Comedy
Tiffany Haddish, “Girls Trip”
Zoe Kazan, “The Big Sick”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Emma Stone, “Battle of the Sexes”
Pissed that Regina Hall was not nominated for Girls Trip.
Best Sci-Fi or Horror Movie
“Blade Runner 2049”
“Get Out”
“It”
“The Shape of Water”
Why are their only four nominees? Whenever I vote on a category and my vote includes something that did not make it and they have LESS nominees then they're able I'm like "what happened to my vote!?" I refuse to believe that Split and Thelma, both of which I voted for, got NO other votes from their 200+ members. I don't really care that much about either of them missing, mind you, since Thelma was a contrarian vote (foreign) and Split isn't even that great but they were on my ballot is the point. This happens every year in at least one of the categories that shows up with less than 5 nominations. So WHAT HAPPENS TO THE EXTRA VOTES? Is it some innocent explanation like a 10-20 way tie for 5th place with a bunch of movies receiving only 5 votes and thus no fifth place nominee? And if that's the case, why is preferential voting not able to break ties like it does with Oscar nominations which never have "ties" in nomination and thus no shifts in the amount of films nominated for a given category (well, except the bizarreness of the new Best Picture rules)?
Best Foreign Language Film
“BPM (Beats Per Minute)”
“A Fantastic Woman”
“First They Killed My Father”
“In the Fade”
“The Square”
“Thelma”
The Critics Choice Movie Awards nearly always just pick the handful of foreign Oscar contenders with the highest profiles and they've done so again this year. You should expect that the Oscar list will be different since they'll narrow it down to 9 contenders next week and the Oscar finalist list almost always ditches something with a really high profile so I predict at least 2 of those 6 won't make the 9 wide finalist list. And surely some films that didn't show up here have a great shot at that same 9 wide list (and thus an Oscar nomination) like: Lebanon's The Insult, Spain's Summer 1993, Hungary's On Body and Soul, and Israel's Foxtrot.
TELEVISION NOMINATIONS
I'm still trying to process the film awards so I don't have much to say here. You? I'm thrilled to see Sutton Foster included for her always amazing charismatic funny and moving work on Younger. And having just watched the first two episodes of Marvelous Mrs Maisel (given Spencer's writeup) happy to see the nominations for that as well.
Best Drama Series
American Gods (Starz)
The Crown (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
This Is Us (NBC)
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Paul Giamatti – Billions (Showtime)}
Freddie Highmore – Bates Motel (A&E)
Ian McShane – American Gods (Starz)
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC)
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Caitriona Balfe – Outlander (Starz)
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Claire Foy – The Crown (Netflix)
Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black (BBC America)
Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Robin Wright – House of Cards (Netflix)
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bobby Cannavale – Mr. Robot (USA)
Asia Kate Dillon – Billions (Showtime)
Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
David Harbour – Stranger Things (Netflix)
Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Michael McKean – Better Call Saul (AMC)
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Gillian Anderson – American Gods (Starz)
Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones (HBO)
Ann Dowd – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Cush Jumbo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Margo Martindale – Sneaky Pete (Amazon)
Chrissy Metz – This Is Us (NBC)
Best Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Black-ish (ABC)
GLOW (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Modern Family (ABC)
Patriot (Amazon)
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish (ABC)
Aziz Ansari – Master of None (Netflix)
Hank Azaria – Brockmire (IFC)
Ted Danson – The Good Place (NBC)
Thomas Middleditch – Silicon Valley (HBO)
Randall Park – Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristen Bell – The Good Place (NBC)
Alison Brie – GLOW (Netflix)
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Sutton Foster – Younger (TV Land)
Ellie Kemper – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Constance Wu – Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Walton Goggins – Vice Principals (HBO)
Sean Hayes – Will & Grace (NBC)
Marc Maron – GLOW (Netflix)
Kumail Nanjiani – Silicon Valley (HBO)
Ed O’Neill – Modern Family (ABC)
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Betty Gilpin – GLOW (Netflix)
Jenifer Lewis – Black-ish (ABC)
Alessandra Mastronardi – Master of None (Netflix)
Rita Moreno – One Day at a Time (Netflix)
Best Limited Series
American Vandal (Netflix)
Big Little Lies (HBO)
Fargo (FX)
Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
Godless (Netflix)
The Long Road Home (National Geographic)
Best Movie Made for TV
Flint (Lifetime)
I Am Elizabeth Smart (Lifetime)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO)
Sherlock: The Lying Detective (PBS)
The Wizard of Lies (HBO)
Best Actor in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series
Jeff Daniels – Godless (Netflix)
Robert De Niro – The Wizard of Lies (HBO)
Ewan McGregor – Fargo (FX)
Jack O’Connell – Godless (Netflix)
Evan Peters – American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
Bill Pullman – The Sinner (USA)
Jimmy Tatro – American Vandal (Netflix)
Best Actress in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series
Jessica Biel – The Sinner (USA)
Alana Boden – I Am Elizabeth Smart (Lifetime)
Carrie Coon – Fargo (FX)
Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies (HBO)
Jessica Lange – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
Reese Witherspoon – Big Little Lies (HBO)
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series
Johnny Flynn – Genius (National Geographic)
Benito Martinez – American Crime (ABC)
Alfred Molina – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
Alexander Skarsgård – Big Little Lies (HBO)
David Thewlis – Fargo (FX)
Stanley Tucci – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
Best Supporting Actress in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series
Judy Davis – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
Laura Dern – Big Little Lies (HBO)
Jackie Hoffman – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
Regina King – American Crime (ABC)
Michelle Pfeiffer – The Wizard of Lies (HBO)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Fargo (FX)
Best Talk Show
Ellen (NBC)
Harry (Syndicated)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (BRAVO)
Best Animated Series
Archer (FX)
Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
Danger & Eggs (Amazon)
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
The Simpsons (FOX)
Best Unstructured Reality Series
Born This Way (A&E)
Ice Road Truckers (History)
Intervention (A&E)
Live PD (A&E)
Ride with Norman Reedus (AMC)
Teen Mom (MTV)
Best Structured Reality Series
The Carbonaro Effect (truTV)
Fixer Upper (HGTV)
The Profit (CNBC)
Shark Tank (ABC)
Undercover Boss (CBS)
Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC)
Best Reality Competition Series
America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Chopped (Food Network)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (LOGOtv)
The Voice (NBC)
Best Reality Show Host
Ted Allen – Chopped (Food Network)
Tyra Banks – America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Cat Deeley – So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
Joanna and Chip Gaines – Fixer Upper (HGTV)
RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (LOGOtv)
Reader Comments (72)
Critics Choice made no choices. They basically nominated everyone in contention. The only surprise to me has been the lack of nominations for Phantom Thread. Too divisive?
No ATOMIC BLONDE for costume design??? GET THE F OUTTA HERE!
Raised my fist when I saw I beat out Dame Judi Dench. Go me!
Really? NONE of the kids from IT? GET OUT missing for Ensemble is downright silly. We all should be thanking the movie Gods for Betty Gabriel's "No" scene. Love the LOGAN love.
I just noticed that they nominated Godless, the dull, exceedingly stretched out western from Netflix, but did not nominate the great Mindhunter. That's messed up. If they were going to nominate anything from Godless it should have been Merritt Wever, but guess what? They did not! To be fair, the TV actress categories are stacked.
There's no excuse for that Pfeiffer snub: Practically every review of mother! singled her out, enthusiastically. The very critics who voted for these awards loved her in the movie, and are on the record to that effect. Even people who weren't sold on the movie.
If a branch of actors can't divorce their prejudice against a movie from the quality of a performance, you might shake your head and say "Well, they're not professional film critics." These people are professional film critics.
BFCA nominees? (in reality Best Oscar Prediction nominees)
Dull, boring, desperate and funny :)
No Surprises!
Yay WONDER in Adapted Screenplay!
Some of us have been warning you to watch out for Chastain for months!
The television nominations are so bad on the whole that you know they would have nominated Kevin Spacey if it weren't for the sexual assault allegations against him.
Was Twin Peaks: The Return eligible in the tv categories? Kind of funny, after all the arguing this week about whether it's a film or a tv show, for it to be absent from both sets of categories.
Andrew Carden:
I saw WONDER last night.... I cried! it was surprisingly moving and Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson are really quite amazing in it. I hope it continues to perform well.
Jessica Biel over Susan Sarandon?
Adam Sandler is nominated for... acting? (I haven't seen that, but... Adam Sandler...?)
Sterling K. Brown is Lead, but Chrissy Metz is Supporting on "This Is Us"?
NONE of the kids from "IT"?
Only Sean Hayes for "Will and Grace"?
Jeff Probst and "Survivor" still not be recognized for still having it?
On the plus side, happy for Michael McKean on "Breaking Bad", and Ted and Kristin for "The Good Place", and Frreddie Highmore for "Bates Motel"
I still have to process all this (and to see much of the films, Vive la France!) but i have to say one thing : YAY to The Good Fight love!!! It's not reaaally deserved BUT i just love when anything related to The Good Wife gets rewarded, especially Baranski!
Surprising to see the love for Jessica Lange in FEUD but no Susan Sarandon! *gasp*
WTH with Tiffany Haddish being nom'd as Best Supporting Actress, then again as Best ACTRESS in a comedy??!?! Critics are crazy!
Also, these TV categories are ridiculous without The Americans. Critics kept that show relevant even when the TV Academy and audiences weren't on board. And season 5 was widely praised.
It's like even critical darlings can't be critical darlings on this list.
Way too many nominees per category.
"The Beguiled" and "A Ghost Story" should be serious Best Cinematography contenders if people actually voted for superior craft rather than broadly liked and "hot" year-end releases. Ditto for Editing.
Also, "Coco" should be at the top of every Production Design ballot. It's time we started recognizing brilliant animation in design categories!
No Pfeiffer
Of all the years to do away with the Best Actor/Actress in an Action Movie, you do it when Charlize Theron kicked a$$ in Atomic Blonde (and basically validated the category)? Get the fuck out of here, BFCA.
The Critics Choice and Golden Satellite awards are equally embarrassing, quite frankly. There's really no (qualitative) difference, which is why the stars' attending the former's awards show makes me laugh. Why? Does it give their Oscar campaign a real boost?
P.S. Team Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes.
No Pfeiffer.
These are embarrassing -- and so damn predictable. I wish Hollywood would stop paying so much attention to this group since they only care about predicting the Oscars and not honoring their actual favorites.
Glad to see Michelle Pfeiffer at least got in for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series. Still crossing my fingers she gets in at the Oscars for "mother!" (or even "Murder on the Orient Express"). I hope CBS' "Life in Pieces" gets some awards attention in the near future at these awards groups, especially for Dianne Wiest who is awesome in every episode!
I know she just won but I'm sad for Emma Stone. So strong in BOTS.
I'm still on Team Will Throw Fit If War Of The Planet Of The Apes Doesn't Win Visual Effects.
I haven't seen Call me By Your Name yet, so I'm having a hard time believing Armie Hammer did something awards worthy, but why is Mary J. Blige the only one being singled out for Mudbound? Rob Morgan and Jason Mitchell were fantastic in that.
@Raul
Hear! Hear! 100% agree.
Nat: That what I was trying to say all along! You say: "It's basically saying "we dont know what will be Oscar nominated but we're sure to be 100% predictive this way!"
That's the mistake. Why being predicting! Whay NOT just be yourselves? I know you are. Can you do sometthing with this little problem?
The day the CCA follow their own insticts intead of WE KNOW WHAT THE OSCARS WILL NOMINATE, the Nixons, Mara, A quiet Passion, baby Driver, etc. will start to make the surface of your selections.
Intil then, your collective seem like another Oscars' suckers. It's kinda pathetic.
sorry for all ther typos. I'm rushing to work.
Best Picture
“The Big Sick” [should instead be Blade Runner 2049]
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour” [should instead be Faces Places]
“Dunkirk”
“The Florida Project”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
No Pfeiffer!!!
Please don't take this personally - it isn't directed at you - but I just hate The BFCA. Such is their preoccupation with showcasing their predictive acumen, it's hard to shake the impression that many of these "critics" are actually just junket surfers, fanboys and girls trying to shoehorn their way in on the action. At least, during their Awards ceremony, they don't preface each ceremony by telling us how many previous winners have won Oscars - something which always made my skin crawl.
It's a shame these awards have become such a joke. Just take a took at the Supporting Actress category.
All of these names have been bandied around since before they came out, for mostly for no good reason. The nomination for Octavia Spencer is particularly egregious! Mary J. Blige doesn't deserve the attention for what is objectively a nice but nothing performance. Hong Chau shouldn't be there. Metcalf is of course deserving, I'm indifferent to Hunter, and I haven't see Janney. Tiffany Haddish is the only inspired choice.
It's a sad state of affairs when an awards body such as this can't come to their own conclusions. It's a shame that despite your best efforts Pfeiffer was snubbed, and so too were Miranda Richardson, Jennifer Ehle, Tilda Swinton, Elizabeth Marvel, Kirsten Dunst, Lois Smith, Nicole Kidman, Tatiana Maslany, Betty Buckley, Allison Williams, and Taliah Webster.
These women are not even in the conversation, and yet a certain group of 'critics' and prognosticators praise these overlooked performances and yet come up with a select few names in the end for performances that are barely worth mentioning. Is there one review out there that even singles out Spencer's efforts in The Shape of Water?
Where is the originality? If these are anything to go by, it's going to be a boring Oscar season.
Boy, these film noms are an autopilot snooze. Some group, any group, buy me a surprise in the weeks ahead.
Over in TV, my first and only question is: WHERE IN THE HOLY HELL IS TWIN PEAKS?
Why don't they do a Documentary category?
BillyBob: Throw Jennifer Tilly's work in Cult of Chucky into that list. There's a reason the Academy will never go there, but just because the Academy has a rule against honouring DTV, doesn't mean critics groups should go with that.
Nat: Yeah, I don't like Haddish's double dip, and, at the end of the day, Kazan is more a supporting performance than Hunter is. Either should be Regina Hall instead, leaning on Haddish.
You are all just jealous haters!
Raul
I thought the same thing. When I saw mindhunter wasn’t in best drama I figured it must’ve come out to recently to be in contention but then I saw godless in the limited. I actually like godless but mindhunter was fantastic should be fighting for the win let alone get nominated. Outside of Patrick Stewart in supporting and Pateiot in best TV comedy there aren’t a ton of surprises here, which is disappointing for a awards show that has so many nominees in their categories.
All kidding aside, I would be thrilled if Jessica Chastain was nominated. That would be one of the all-time best actress line ups (Chastain, Hawkins, McDormand, Ronan, Streep).
All things considered, the absence of TWIN PEAKS is particularly odd. A total shut out? Not even McLachlan for Actor? What happened there, I wonder.
Anyway, the BFCA are shameless and gross.
I am just glad that The Good Fight received nominations. Totally deserving.
Then again, this body should just stick to five nominees. It is indeed turning into a Golden Sattelite.
Surprise to see Dame Judi missing fr Comedy actress n Sarandon fr Limited Series..
Since they r gonna hav 7 at almost all the film acting cat, why not incl Bening? Or Dench, or even Vegas, Kruger or Krieps??
Ok. I'm aware of the Woody Allen embargo. But let's stop pretending that Molly's Game is a better movie than Wonder Wheel. Jessica Chastain's performance in that movie is pure stereotype - strong dangerous woman, the same in Miss Sloane - and Kate Winslet in Wonder Wheel is, well, she's just magic.
...and I still do not get the love for Girls Trip. Sure I laughed watching the film, but Haddish overacted throughout the film. Can anyone explain to me why some people love her performance?
Well, some would say that there is a political agenda going on with Haddish.
And B:
100% agree. I'll take Kate over Chastain anyday.
B.: Two notes. 1. Just because a performance is more "textured" or more "subtle" doesn't mean it's better. You still have to play what's given to you on the page. 2. The performance being good doesn't mean the film is. It can be part of the package, but you can be giving the best performance in the world and inert filmmaking is inert filmmaking. And, nothing in the Wonder Wheel trailer looked like it wasn't inert filmmaking.
Nick Davis gave Wonder Wheel a D+ on Twitter yesterday and it has a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, which seems generous based on the reviews I've read. Defend it if you wish - I haven't seen it and I probably won't - but the reviews are not good, and many have not been kind to its leading lady.
And the Winslet stans came to defend a dreadful performance as it wasn't enough in twitter and pretending her queen is unquestionable.
Friends... Peace out.
Suzanne: Try the movie instead of the reviews. Isn't cinema we are talking about or high school grades? There was a time when people actually had independent opinions. Nick Davis has one. You may have another.
Volvagia: I'm a screenwriter myself so I'm pretty much aware of everything you've said. But thank you anyway. I suppose you didn't watch Wonder Wheel too. If the movie's long final take - entirely shot in close up - qualifies itself as "inert filmmaking" in your book, really, my friend, you'll be the next Andrei Tarkovski. I'll look up for that.
About the trailer, just look up for Vittorio Storaro's lighting or Santo Loquasto's production design. Apart from Woody Allen, they're both legends of the screen and master in their craft.
Nat: How many people vote? Could it be that the seven nominees are the result of a tie in the film or performance or whatever that came in sixth and seventh?
I don't agree with the fact that Franco and Ronan, by way of example, can be nominated for the same film both as Actor or Actress and as Best Actor or Actress in a Comedy. They even run the risk of coming out empty handed! This travesty divvies up their votes!!!
B.
You're losing time. They didn't even saw the movie they're trashing out. They didn't like it before seen it.
Oh God! Now look at LEON!
We're here trying to chat like normal people about cinema and stuff and that's what we receive back at us. This is social media afterall.
Remember when Meryl Streep called Weinstein GOD in broadcast live television? Do you know Timothée Chalamet is in the next Woody Allen movie? And Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for Blue Jasmine? What are we going to do now? Hang them all?
Or maybe put a list with their names in the newspaper so they can't get another job?
This actually seems quite close to what really happenned in your country not so long time agora. Learn, mes amis.
Life (and cinema) are more complex than that.