NYFCC Obsesses Over Roma
Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 12:33PM 
The New York Film Critics Circle are one of the two most influential groups who pass out critics prizes (the other being their Los Angeles counterparts the LAFCA) during Oscar's preseason. Today the 40+ New York critics made their choices which involve multiple rounds of voting and discussions among the critics attending in the room. They were wild for Roma giving the Mexican black & white memoir the top prize and giving writer/director/producer/editor/director of photography Alfonso Cuarón two additional prizes with Best Director and Best Cinematography.
Their prizes went like so...
Film: Roma
Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Actress: Regina Hall, Support the Girls
It's nice to see support for fine actors in miniscule movies even if they have no prayer of the kudos leading to mainstream nominations (Support the Girls made just $129,000 in release). Hall lost the Gotham Award to Toni Collette in Hereditary so here's a delicious consolation prize for her very well reviewed work as the manager of a 'boobs and burgers' style bar. Hall is also nominated for the Spirit Award for Best Actress.
Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
I will refrain from saying 'told ya so' but why did I get so much flak early in the year when I swore he'd stay the course all year for an Oscar nomination?
Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
A good week to be King since she just won the NBR, too.
Supporting Actor: Richard E Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Richard E Grant is still rising as a formidable Oscar player for this great performance as a promiscuous gay alcoholic man of a certain age.
Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The first of what I suspect will be multiple prizes for this film. I've seen it and am happy to report that it's wonderfully fresh, creative, and funny.
Documentary: Minding the Gap
This Hulu documentary about skateboarders has been winning heaps of praise and various pre-Oscar honors. Can it make the Oscar finalist list of 15 which is coming up soon before the final nominations?
Foreign Film: Cold War (Poland)
Pawel Pawlikoswki's tragic romance about two musicians in the 1960s is shaping up to be Roma's chief competitor for Foreign prizes (and it's also the leader at the European Film Award nominations)
First Film: Bob Burnham for Eighth Grade
Special Award: Kino Classics Box Set "Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers" This is a six disc set with films by Lois Weber, Alice Guy Blaché, Helen Holmes, Mabel Normand, Ida May and many more. Most of the discs are collections of short films but there are a few features too from the late 1920s.
Special Award: David Schwartz, stepping down as Chief Film Curator at Museum of the Moving Image after 33 years
Reader Comments (71)
Wow, lots of Glenn Close enablers here. Why would she win the Oscar when a) it's a small boring film, and b) no one is recognizing her work as award-worthy?
I’ve just emerged from ROMA! I thought it was beautiful and that it definitely deserves awards, especially for Direction and Cinematography. There is one scene in particular that is as heartbreaking as any I’ve ever seen. (Shirley Manson was seated behind me and appeared much moved.)
@BC: because a) it's the best performance by an actress this year and b) "small film" doesn't mean squat.
More than anytink, I'm shocked by the total shutout o The Favourite!
I thot it is rite up NYFCC's alley n wld scoop sum top prizes under Film, Dir, Actress or Screenplay. I wonder issit bcos the three ladies split the votes among themselves?
I dun ustand the Glenn's hate here? Not winning the critics awards doesn't mean the end o her momentum, juz ask Bullock, Portman n even McDormand last yr. They din pick up any major critic's prizes before they won the televised ones.
The first bellwether is still the Golden Globes, imo.
BC - people said the same exact thing about Julianne Moore in Still Alice and look how that turned out. Granted, it was less competitive, but being a "small, boring film" and "not winning awards" (when like only a few have been handed out lmao) are not valid reasons right now.
This year is the goddamn Hunger Games--it's blood sport in Best Actress. This is one of the greatest and largest collection of female performances in decades. Nobody is safe. But I do think Glenn will miss before Gaga does.
At this point in the season, Julianne Moore won Gotham and NBR, not to mention Best Actress at Cannes. And Still Alice made NBR's list of the top 10 independent films. As I recall, it was thought to be a given that she would win the Oscar once Still Alice premiered at TIFF, and people rallied around her after that.
I believe Whitaker, Moore and Theron are the only actors who have won lead acting Oscars as the sole nominees from their films this century. All received some major awards prior to the Golden Globes.
Regina Realness for you bitches today! I'm living! Hope this continues the sweep for King and boosts the career and stature of Hall. And how is this the first black best actress EVER for NYFCC? That's just pathetic and so sad.
I could see Glenn getting Cleveland critics, etc.
I feel like so many people are trying to impose their narratives on this awards season, and often twisting information about past winners to fit their own personal tastes and preferences. There's so much revisionist history going on!
Bottom line: so far the Best Actress race seems EXTREMELY fractured. Maybe a clear winner will emerge in time, but isn't it kind of cool that so far there isn't a concensus? It's so boring when one performance dominates, and that also makes for a boring Oscars ceremony.
JJM -- totally agreed... but there's still plenty of time for consensus to emerge, however boring consensus is. But if i had my way it would be fractious every year because years do not exist where only one person is worthy of trophies.
BC -- what Bruno said. Small films never stopped people from winning Oscars and lots of us don't think that the movie is boring and *do* think that Glenn Close is brilliant in it. I think it's her best work since Dangerous Liaisons.
Nathaniel, this is my take. Glenn is brilliant. The movie is forgettavble. She should be nominated. Is she the best? It is one of her best works. But everyone is so good this year.
I will still put Gaga, Melissa and Toni before Glenn. Then there's only one last spot. Aghhgggh
Weird that Richard E. Grant is emerging as a possible lock in Supporting Actor, even a potential threat for the win when McCarthy seems to be fading fast in actress. What's going on there? Also this list, on the whole, is leaps and bounds better than NBR's. Congrats Reginas!
I didn’t hear anyone worth a damn give you flak for the Hawke prediction. From what I read, it was a common, almost basic bitch level, early consensus.
I don't see who's revising history or shaping narratives here. This is the ONE time of year where people can think what the fuck they want to think and it's all valid. Because after Globes night, you'll have your four winners and that'll be that. Then the "it's so boringggg!" and "I have to be continually surprised with new winners!"' whining bullshit. You can't please anyone nowadays.
Lano -- every year i wish i had time capsules to prove to everyone these things because it was NOT a basic bitch level early consensus. THAT is revisiionist history, hindsight being 20/20. The early consensus was 'he's great but no way Oscar will remember it due to release date / miniscule box office' and I was like 'nope, nope, he'll be the passion pick'
@Ryan Crowe: NO WAY, MAN!!! I'm a huge fan of Garbage. I would've crapped my pants if I had the chance of meeting her, even if she was two blocks away from me. I'm terribly jealous of you right now.
Remember earlier this year when every film critic in the U.S. was outraged about the Popular Film Oscar category, because it would marginalize Black Panther, which they all said deserved to be in the regular Best Picture category?
Let's see how many of those critics now name Black Panther best film in their year-end awards. No love for Coogler, for Michael B. Jordan, for Rachel Morrison, NYFCC? SMH.
So so so happy for Regina Hall. She is totally deserving of a big prize like this. It's an incredible performance in one of my favourite films of the year. Likewise Ethan Hawke. So glad they've got some silverware even if they'll get drowned out by the bigger names come the televised ceremonies (at least Hawke seems likely for a nod, I can't imagine Hall will come anywhere close to Oscar or even Golden Globe, but perhaps SAG...?)
Who would have thought a month ago that Regina Hall would hit everywhere that Melissa McCarthy has missed?!
Glenn Close is not getting the sweep that she deserves. Hasn't won anything yet. But the fact there is no actress sweeping all the awards like Helen Mirren did a few years ago could be good for Glenn. I remember when Michelle Pfeiffer was winning everything for Fabulous Baker Boys and then Jessica Tandy winning.
Fingers crossed Glenn wins on her 7th try.
As for Regina Hall - isn't this similar to when Steve Martin won for the lightweight disposable All of Me?