"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)
Volvagia -- you really need to stop judging entire movies by their trailers. Actual movies are much different experiences than commercials for them.
Suzanne -- woody hasn't agreed with Nick since i think Bullets Over Broadway. I thought Wonder Wheel was much better than critics are saying but it is kind of confrontationally "theatrical" melodrama and modern critics, generally speaking, are very unsure of what to do with filmmaking styles that don't fit contemporary norms.
B -- agreed. Molly's Game is *not* a good movie. I like Jessica in it (always do) but a nomination would be a stretch given the other performances out there this year --and I say this as a huge fan of hers but like i'm constantly saying with Streep every year you can love an actor and recognize that they're not always one of the five best each time they make a movie. And the movie itself is a mess. But it's easy for people to digest (as it's constantly explaining itself to you in voiceover) and i guess that's what people need this season (The Post is another one. MUCH better than Molly's Game but takes every single opportunity it can to explain its themes to you and make sure you get how strong its heroine is when the shit hits the fan.
Volvagia -- you really need to stop judging entire movies by their trailers. Actual movies are much different experiences than commercials for them.
Suzanne -- woody hasn't agreed with Nick since i think Bullets Over Broadway. I thought Wonder Wheel was much better than critics are saying but it is kind of confrontationally "theatrical" melodrama and modern critics, generally speaking, are very unsure of what to do with filmmaking styles that don't fit contemporary norms.
B -- agreed. Molly's Game is *not* a good movie. I like Jessica in it (always do) but a nomination would be a stretch given the other performances out there this year --and I say this as a huge fan of hers but like i'm constantly saying with Streep every year you can love an actor and recognize that they're not always one of the five best each time they make a movie. And the movie itself is a mess. But it's easy for people to digest (as it's constantly explaining itself to you in voiceover) and i guess that's what people need this season (The Post is another one. MUCH better than Molly's Game but takes every single opportunity it can to explain its themes to you and make sure you get how strong its heroine is when the shit hits the fan.
Well, Sissy Spider. Do you want to know? Well I saw the film, in press conference by festival and yep, beyond the spectacular work of Storano, the film failed completely in expectations and yep Winslet's performance is tbe definition of dinner's theater at night. But then, she was in recent automode for her recent films. The comment was mostly for her rabbid stans claiming a second Oscar and even staring threats as the oppositors.
Bish, You wish you could be as inspired as the Golden Satellites once were.
Leon.
I get your opinion.
But nobody here was claiming her a second Oscar, let alone threatening somebody.
As much as you, we would like to share our opinion without being cursed. You think she was dreadful, wich is a strong word. I think she was superb and, in France, the press love the movie and her performance too.
That's all.
I think the Oscar nom I am going to be most excited or most disappointed about will be whether or not Rachel Morrison gets recognized for the beautiful Mudbound.
Honestly, Nathaniel is big enough not to need to be a member of the BFCA. At this point his remaining so is seen as an endorsement of prognostication over individual thought of the year's best. The chance to be the change he wants to see in the critic world has been available for the last few years. Time to put up or shut up to be honest. Also, I just looked up this year's Golden Satellite nominations and they are leagues ahead of the BFCA nominations, so out of the two groups with large nominee counts per category you are far more guilty of uninspired.
Your comments about these caregories are such a weird contradiction, since you mention/complain about your votes and where do they go, but then you see these categories with 6 and 7 nominees and criticize them with real honest criticism. Unlike some members who don't mention that this is just a prediction contest.
So why complain about your own votes and their whereabouts, when you show that you know perfectly well that whatever you voted for doesn't even count because some idiot is just making these lists based on what is being predicted for the Oscars, giving zero f*cks about films that nobody knows about or nobody predicts (Good Time, Wonderstruck, Pfeiffer, Baby Driver, super indies...) even though you all (voters) have given them high ratings and named them your yearly favorites (Mudbound, anyone?) and giving zero f*cks about who voted for what.
The Critics Choice Awards are doing nothing more than trying to predict the Oscars. That's it. And then they can pat themselves on the back and say SEE LOOK WE TOLD YOU HE/SHE/THEY WON HERE FIRST!
I mean, the Golden Globes and SAG are more adventurous. The Globes have shown incredible taste over the past few years (Gerwig's nomination in Best Actress for Frances Ha / Sing Street for Best Picutre - just a few of the recent nice surprises that come to mind). They're not even willing to go balls-to-the-walls whacko and nominate Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy or Naomi Watts in St. Vincent or Sarah Silverman in I Smile Back like the SAGs are. Just really disappointing all around.
Also, Jessica Chastain is not getting nominated at Oscar. She'll probably get a Globe nom, Judi Dench and Emma Stone will as well (in comedy), and Dench will receive a BAFTA nom (and potentially SAG). But I think Hawkins/McDormand/Robbie/Ronan/Streep are our final five. Best Actor, on the other hand, is a trickier proposition.
All the comparisons to the Golden Satellites, but... while messy, the Golden Satellite's nominations have more personality than this.
I am still not buying that the Oscars is gonna love Get Out and The Big Sick.
For Original Screenplay, I would trade those two with Phantom Threads, which I HOPE will factor in greatly for the film. I want PTA to have an Oscar!
On the other hand, YES FOR THE GOOD FIGHT AND CHRISTINE BARANSKI!!
Poot -- while I appreciate your perception that i'm a big deal I am a struggling independent and always have been. I dont work for a major media corporation (like most oscar pundits these days since most sites are now owned by Penske media) and I dont belong to a regular film critics association and am dependent on the BFCA for screeners which is why I stay. You have to belong to a major organization to get screeners and though I've applied to a couple critics orgs over the years I've been turned down. Hilariously a lot of critics organizations look down on oscar bloggers as not real critics meanwhile I fully accept that i'm an oscar blogger but I *guarantee* --by the evidence of year end lists alone -- that i'm doing more actual criticism than they are when it comes to doling out annual kudos :) Maybe because I understand that awards shoudln't be Oscar predictions? I think this is a simple concept, the fact they're two different things, but I've heard from friends in actual critics orgs that when they go down to vote they're constantly seeing lists of basically the oscar field.
it's a funny world we live in.
but really year in and year out i'm disillusioned with film critics when it comes to awards. we know from their reviews that they see movies all year long but they never seem to remember the raves they gave before October (and yet when they write articles about Oscar voters they ding them for the exact same forgetfulness)
This term "Stans" and how some cinephiles treat some actresses (today, specifically Winslet) is annoying. This type of person brings to the discussions about film and art a competitive and unhealthy climate. Stop it!
I'm glad The Good Fight got some acting nominations.Being on CBS all access allowed its actors to get overlooked by the Emmys (though it probably wouldn't have gotten a second season on the main network).
I wish they kept the best actor/actress in an action movie categories. Especially now that there is more actual action roles for women.
If everyone is going to moan about a list of boring Oscar front-runners shouldn’t someone offer a plausible scenario by which wild outside-the-box thinking somehow magically gains the necessary votes?
Say you go in guns blazing saying, "Screw her Oscar chances. I’m voting Anne Hathaway for Colossal!” And while you doing that other voters are pushing Aubrey Plaza for Ingrid Goes West or Cynthia Nixon for Quiet Passion. And -BOOM- another nod for Meryl Streep. Such is the nature of group voting. Personal passion picks fall to popular favorites.
And anyway, the mentality in which any choice becomes dull and risible the instant it becomes predictable is so, so tiresome. Six months ago the strong possibility of a nomination for Daniel Kaluuya would have made everyone’s eyes pop out of their heads but now it’s “Ho-Hum, yawn. A bunch of nods for Get Out. So obvious.”
Less making a fetish of surprise nods and more focus on celebrating quality work.
Now that 7 nods business. That’s some bullshit.
Holly is right. Not sure what was a more tough read, the nominations or these comments. Let's all try to lighten up THIS awards season.
Holly agreed on that weird dynamic... and it's true every season. but i still think surprises, though unlikely (hence them being actually surprising) do actually prove that some people aren't voting based on predictions. Just not enough of them :) I wouldn't have nominated Patrick Stewart for LOGAN but that nomination alone made me think that someone was actually tallying the votes rather than just saying "let's collate some oscar prediction charts"
Yay for Jessica Chastain and Ed O'Neill, who should have won an Emmy by now for Modern Family.
100% agree with Holly. Come on, folks, it's just awards. We love our awards, but let's place in the proper context. The world is in such dire straits these days and I for one welcome the distraction of the Oscars, the Globes, etc, etc. no matter how many dull or boneheaded choices are ultimately made.
@Hayden: Agreed. It really is perplexing The Americans received zero nominations, and it's arguably the best series with the best cast on television. Here's hoping that the final year gets its deserved accolades.
The Original Score category has six nominees:
Alexandre Desplat – The Shape of Water
Jonny Greenwood – Phantom Thread
Dario Marianelli – Darkest Hour
Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer – Blade Runner 2049
John Williams – The Post
Hans Zimmer - Dunkirk