"The Favourite" Leads the Critics Choice Nominations
Monday, December 10, 2018 at 10:55AM
NATHANIEL R in BFCA, Black Panther, The Americans, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, The Favourite, critics awards, film critics

by Nathaniel R

me giving my fellow BFCA members the side-eye for some of their choices

Yorgos Lanthimos' pitch black comedy The Favourite led the Critic's Choice Nominations with a staggering 14 nods. Black Panther wasn't far behind with 12. The morning's biggest (and best) surprise is surely the resurgence of First Man, which had been struggling with precursors but has a very healthy 10 nominations with the BFCA. One wonders if it can rocket to a Best Picture nomination despite its box office troubles? In other very good news Toni Collette is nominated (though we aren't surprised in this case) and the foreign film list is aces. Well done.

Not that it's all good news but we're starting with the positives.

In the television categories (which are worth a read because they're quite different than the Globe nominations) Escape at Dannemora, The Americans, and The Assassination of Gianna Versace led all shows with 5 nominations a piece.  The complete list of nominees is after the jump along with a few comments...

THE FILM NOMINEES

BEST PICTURE

 

The currently expected Oscar lineup plus First Man. It's a tough break for critical darlings like First Reformed and Eighth Grade but the BFCA gonna BFCA and they often ignore critical darlings in the top category despite being called "Critics Choice" 

BEST ACTOR

Some combo of five of these men will be Oscar's five. Nice to see Gosling here though. 

BEST ACTRESS

I wasn't aware that we were expanding the category to 7 nominees. But even with 7 there was no room for Elsie Fisher OR Carey Mulligan OR Nicole Kidman? Ouch. YAY FOR TONI COLLETTE AND GLENN CLOSE. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

 With two leads in the category there was no room for fine character actos like Alessandro Nivola in Disobedience or Russell Hornsby in The Hate U Give or Steven Yeun in Burning. (sigh). It is interesting, though, that the BFCA voters really loved Vice (9 nominations) but didn't feel it necessary to include Sam Rockwell or Steve Carell from that film.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 

 The expected future Oscar nominees plus Nicole Kidman. I'm horrified that Elizabeth Debicki isn't nominated. I fought the good fight for her but whenever you include leads in your supporting categories, by necessity you negate the chances of hard-working non-headliners to be recognized for their own brilliance. 

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

All English-language performances (sigh). I tried to help my fellow voters with that handy eligibility list. I'm sorry but Zain Al Rafee from Capernaum and Evan Rosado from We the Animals runs circles around many of  these performances. Not that these aren't talented young actors. It's a good set.

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

A solid list. We don't expect SAG to match it on Wednesday though. 

BEST DIRECTOR 

 Another 7 nominee category that mirrors the Globe nominations plus Damien Chazelle (First Man) and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite). I hate 7 wide categories. It's only interesting by comparison from group to group if there is consistency. I wish we knew who the top 5 really were. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY


The surprise here is A Quiet Place but it's a real pity there's no room for Tully despite seven nominations.  (Yes, I voted for Tully)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Only six nominations for this one -- try consistency BFCA. Consistency helps people to take you seriously! Look it up.  Pity that Wildlife isn't included. 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

No Cold War means I can't take this category seriously, sorry "critics". Also I like Black Panther and I love Rachel Morrison who deserved her Oscar nom for Mudbound but her work on Black Panther is not one of the five best DP jobs of the year. Sorry about it. If you wanted a female DP in there, why not Charlotte Bruus Christensen for A Quiet Place?   

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN


I am really starting to wonder what kind of movie production designer Mark Friedberg would have to make to get arrested for prizes. He's so talented and he's just always shut out, even when he designs movies with Best Picture heat. This year he designed If Beale Street Could Talk  which is super gorgeous throughout.   

BEST EDITING 

Hmmm. Where is BlacKkKlansman? Editing is quite obviously one of its most provocative and strongest elements.  

BEST COSTUME DESIGN 

 Sigh. Just go ahead and ignore contemporary designs again, fellow critics. A Simple Favor was right there being instantly future culture classic iconic. 

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

 

I can dig some of these but Border shoulda been here.  

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

 

 

 No Annihilation? BOO. Also Ant-Man and the Wasp has better effects than Black Panther. It's not as good of a movie, no, but you really should concentrate on the category at hand when you vote. We know that's a lot to ask of voters from any organization (sigh)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Grinch huh? Way to mainstream it! But nice to see Mirai pop up. I voted for Isle of Dogs (because I love it) and Ruben Brandt Collector (because I knew the latter needed my help, and it's totally worth seeing)  

BEST ACTION MOVIE

 

 A conundrum. I am secretly a fan of the action movie genre but I hate two of these movies and am indifferent to a third so only half of this category works for me. 

BEST COMEDY 

No A Simple Favor? BOOOOO 

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Okay. 

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Unexpected that this is an exact match for Globes (plus McAdams since Critics Choice can't help themselves with tons of nominees per category)

BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE

So Annihilation gets its due here but can't get into "visual effects"? Whatever! 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM 

I mean... this is a beautiful beautiful list (and better than the Globe list which it matches 3/5... but we'll take Cold War and Burning -- both snubbed at the Globes -- over most movies any day of the week so cheers to the BFCA for this list) 

BEST SONG

 

The Globes list with a Mary Poppins double replacing Troye Sivan and Annie Lennox. And since BFCA has larger nomination shortlists (to make Oscar predictions easier) a little Diane Warren thrown in because ya gotta love Diane Warren. I don't remember what I voted for beyond "Shallow"

BEST SCORE

 

 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see Green Book pop up here but in truth I don't remember that score (AT ALL). For what it's worth they have been pushing the score hard. Bowers was honored at Middleburg and the movie has a robust awards campaign. This is very similar to the Globes list but Oscar and the Globes rarely see eye to eye on Best Original Score so we have to wonder what surprises lie in store on Oscar nomination morning for this category. Maybe Incredibles 2, Welcome to Marwen, BlacKkKlansman, or Mary Queen of Scots?

THE TELEVISION NOMINEES

BEST DRAMA SERIES

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

 BILLY!

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES 

MAGGIE! 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

THANDIE! 

BEST COMEDY SERIES

 

THE GOOD PLACE! 

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

RACHEL & JUSTINA!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES


 RITA MORENO AND MIRIAM SHOR. *BLOWS INFINITE KISSES*

BEST LIMITED SERIES

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Hmmm. how you throw Sharp Objects TWO supporting nominations and don't include Eliza Scanlen? That's as perverse as poisoning your own daughter! 

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

 

 

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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