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