Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, AAFCA, Phoenix, and Kansas Pick Their Winners
Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 6:00PM Little Women was a hot commodity in the latest round of critics awards. The esteemed Boston Society of Film Critics and the relatively famous Chicago Film Critics Association and the actually very old Kansas City Film Critics have recently announced as have St Louis, Phoenix, and the AAFCA (African American Film Critics Association). Most of those groups found something to love in Greta Gerwig's period piece. Naturally the other usual suspects are accounted for again though The Irishman (which led with Parasite in early critics announcements) isn't particular beloved by today's roundup of associations and circles and societies winning no new Picture or Director prizes.
The winners and a few comments are after the jump...
BSFC
(Boston Society of Film Critics)
Picture Little Women (runner up: Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Director Bong Joon ho, Parasite (runner up: Greta Gerwig, Little Women)
Actress Saoirse Ronan, Little Women (runner up: TIE Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell and Mary Kay Place, Diane)
Actor Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (runner up: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker)
Supporting Actress Laura Dern, Marriage Story (runner up: Florence Pugh, Little Women)
Supporting Actor Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up: Joe Pesci, The Irishman)
Ensemble: Little Women (runner up: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Parasite)
New Filmmaker Joe Talbot, Last Black Man in San Francisco (runner up: Mati Diop, Atlantics)
Screenplay Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up TIE Marriage Story and Little Women)
Cinematography Portrait of a Lady on Fire (runner up: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Editing The Irishman (runner up: Uncut Gems)
Score Little Women (runner up: Last Black Man in San Francisco)
Foreign Language Film Parasite (runner up: Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Animated Film I Lost My Body (runner up: Toy Story 4)
Documentary Honeyland (runner up: TIE Apollo 11 and Hail, Satan?)
Boston really embraced the New England hometeam with four prizes for Little Women including a Best Actress prize that we did not see coming. In fact, seeing Elisabeth Moss's name as a runner up reminds us how absurdly critics have ignored her work in Her Smell this awards season despite their frankly ecstatic reviews for her performance earlier in the year. Same goes for Florence Pugh in MidSommar actually. Is it because neither of these actors have a shot at an Oscar nod?
Boston critics also clearly loved Portrait of a Lady on Fire which was runner up for both Best Film and Best Foreign Film.
CFCA
(Chicago Film Critics Association)
There hasn't been a sweeper in "breakthrough actor" style prizes making a window for The Nightingale to get noticed here
Picture Parasite
Director Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Actress Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Actor Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Supporting Actress Florence Pugh, Little Women
Supporting Actor Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Screenplay Parasite
Adapted Screenplay Little Women
Cinematography 1917
Editing The Irishman
Art Direction Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Score Little Women
Costume Design Little Women
Visual Effects Ad Astra
Most Promising Performer Aisling Franciosi, The Nightingale
Foreign Language Film Parasite
Animated Film Toy Story 4
Documentary Apollo 11
Milos Stehlik Award (for a Breakthrough Filmmaker) Lulu Wang, The Farewell
SLFCA
(St Louis Film Critics Association)
Picture Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up: 1917)
Director Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up: Bong Joon Ho, Parasite)
Actress Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story (runner up: Renée Zellweger, Judy)
Actor Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (runner up: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker)
Supporting Actress Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood AND Bombshell (runner up: Laura Dern, Marriage Story)
Supporting Actor Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up: Joe Pesci, The Irishman)
Screenplay TIE Marriage Story and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adapted Screenplay The Irishman (runner up: TIE Little Women and Jojo Rabbit)
Cinematography 1917 (runner up: The Lighthouse)
Editing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up: TIE The Irishman and 1917)
Production Design Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runners up: 1917 and Little Women)
Score : 1917 (runner up: Marriage Story)
Soundtrack Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runners up: TIE Frozen 2 and Waves)
Visual Effects Avengers Endgame (runner up: TIE Ad Astra and 1917)
Foreign Language Film Parasite (runner up: A Long Day's Journey Into Night)
Animated Film Toy Story 4 (runner up: TIE Klaus and Frozen 2)
Comedy: Booksmart (runner up: Jojo Rabbit)
Action Film: 1917 (runner up: Avengers Endgame)
Worst Film: Dumbo (runner up: Joker)
Horror Film: Us (runner up: Parasite)
Best Scene: Spahn Ranch in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (runner up: Jack visits the cottage in Yesterday)
Documentary Apollo 11 (runner up: Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice)
Nice to see ScarJo recognized. Such an undervalued actor. How has she given performance as rich and varied as the ones she gave in Under the Skin, Don Jon, Her, Lost in Translation, Ghost World, Girl with the Pearl Earring and Marriage Story and STILL gets 'can't act' dismissals. She's brilliant and we're happy she's finally getting some kudos this year.
KCFCC
(Kansas City Film Critics Circle)
Film 1917
Director Sam Mendes, 1917
Actress Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Actor Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Supporting Actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dolemite is My Name
Supporting Actor Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Original Screenplay Knives Out
Adapted Screenplay Little Women
Cinematography 1917
Animated Feature Toy Story 4
Foreign Language Film Parasite
Documentary TIE Amazing Grace and Apollo 11
SciFi/Fantasy/Horror Film Us
LGBT Film Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Kansas says "hey, what about 1917?!?!" and it takes its first Best Film prize in the precursor season. Did you know that Kansas is actually the second oldest of all US film critics organizations? Isn't that wild?
PCC
(Phoenix Critics Circle)
Picture Parasite
Director Bong Joon ho, Parasite
Actress Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Actor Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Supporting Actress Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit
Supporting Actor Song Kang Ho, Parasite
Cinematography 1917
Screenplay Knives Out
Score Joker
Foreign Language Film Parasite
Animated Film Toy Story 4
Documentary Apollo 11
Comedy Jojo Rabbit
Sci-Fi Ad Astra
Horror Us
Ensemble Knives Out
Lifetime Acheivement: Thelma Schoonmaker, Editor
We find it strange that Parasite can't catch a break in any of the acting or craft categories (Bong Joon Ho isn't the only artist working at the top of his game on this movie) so it's nice to se Song Kang Ho pop up here... though why aren't critics falling all over themselves to recognize this movie's editing or its production design. It's a mystery to us.
AAFCA
(African American Film Critics Association)
Film Us
Director Jordan Peele, Us
Actress Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Actor Eddie Murphy, Dolemite is My Name
Supporting Actress Davine Joy Randolph, Dolemite is My Name
Supporting Actor Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy
Breakout Performance Kelvin Harrison Jr, Waves
Animated Film: Abominable
Documentary: The Black Godfather
Foreign Film: Parasite
Screenplay: Parasite
Impact Award: Queen & Slim
We See You Award: Taylor Russell, Waves
Top Ten Films
- Us
- Dolemite Is My Name
- Just Mercy
- Clemency
- The Irishman
- Queen & Slim
- Waves
- [TIE] Parasite / Atlantics
- The Farewell
- Harriet
WHOA. Even when Clemency gets really high marks Alfre Woodard misses out on Best Actress. She's looking more and more like the extremest of long shots this year for Best Actress. It's not how we would've called it in January when Clemency premiered at Sundance.
Reader Comments (31)
As with A24’s bungled last-minute release of 20th Century Women in 2016, Neon sat on Clemency for no good reason (to Woodard’s—and the film’s!—detriment). Why would a distributor even acquire a film like Clemency, which requires TLC, if not prepared to nurture its release? For shame.
KCFCC gave its Best Actress prize in 1970 hrs to Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? I’ll always have respect for that org.
Every year, the AAFCA seems like such a dependably strong critics' organization that advocates for the best black-led and -supported films as well as other films its member critics especially appreciate (like Parasite). I wish there were a similar group for female critics, instead of the miscellaneous groups we have now, which often produce embarassing awards.
I'm glad that some of the critics' groups are going to bat for Little Women, now that they recognize the film needs it. It would be nice to see them throw some love A Beautiful Day's way as well, but that's too much to ask for.
Song Kang Ho is supporting?? LOL
All of these wins for Adam Sandler continues to make me think Oscars will course correct SAG’s lineup. Bale is the most obvious to go since his part really isn’t a juicy enough compared with Sandler or Eddie Murphy. But then I also feel like Oscars will course correct SAG’s all-white lineup too for Murphy. I think Egerton would be next to be dropped, since his film is so old at this point but at the same time this category could be retitled “Best Famous Person Portrayal”. I just don’t know.
The Pitt swept enrages me.
Looking at the AAFCA top 10 list, one of those movies is not like the others...
Kansas City is in Missouri.
Scarlett is good in Marriage Story but had several ropey what do i do with my arms moments.
How is Kang-Ho NOT supporting? It's arguably a small ensemble, and his character watches a lot from the outside.
Outside of the kid, they're all clearly supporting.
Btw, on that Dafoe supporting point I keep making..I can accept him as a lead, but NO DOUBT Pitt is a clearer lead. Two men who each led a slice of the film. He's only supporting in that DiCaprio plays the movie star. Just curious if people disagree with the more part.
Pitt deserves everything he’s getting and then some.
Watched the argument scene from Don Jon again yesterday. ScarJo is electrifying in that movie. I may not be the biggest fan of her work in Marriage Story or Jojo Rabbit but she hit a stride circa 2014 that was truly something to behold. I look forward to her continuing to challenge herself.
Happy to see Da’Vine Joy Randolph receiving her laurels. I’ve been a fan since her acting chops made me sit up and go, “WHO is that?” on the TBS show, People of Earth.
I’m holding out hope that Alfre can still sneak into Best Actress once the film is released. It’ll be close, but I suspect some voters may be waiting to see it before writing her name down.
Lucky - Care to elaborate?
The Alfre erasure mystifies me.
St Louis give runner-up Best Actor to Joaquin, and runner-up Worst Film to JOKER.
That's a statement.
I keep thinking of Adam Sandler and Mary Kay Place as a contrasting pair.
Place has been a consistently excellent supporting actor for decades, from “The Big Chill”
and “Private Benjamin” onwards. She makes every movie she’s in a little more fun. After decades, she FINALLY gets a lead role and she aces it.
Adam Sandler has made decades of tawdry movies and laughed all the way to the bank. When he makes a rare serious movie, critics fawn all over him, and want to shower him with awards.
If Sandler gets a little bit of praise, that’s enough reward for him.
Mary Kay Place is the kind of actor who deserves awards, acknowledgement, and recognition.
Charlea: That didn't work for Ethan Hawke last year... and don't forget Ford v Ferrari is a box office hit and more AMPAS-friendly...
Pitt doesn't act in OUATIH. He acts cool.
It's sad to think anyone believes he needs to be showered with accolades for that piece of acting.
Not to mention category fraud. Herd mentality is the world's demise!
"Us" is not on the same league as "Get Out"
I miss Antonio Banderas as best actor. I know that Marriage Story is loved in US, but, in my country (Brazil) we didn't fell on love for the movie. And lot of this is because of Bergman's Scenes of a Marriage and Autumn Sonata, Allen's Interiors + Hannah and her sisters + Husband's and Wife's + Match Point, Heigh's 45 years.
Scarjo for the win in any category!!
Could the academy makes an Solomon Decision and share the awards of Picture + Directing + Screenplays + Acting + International film between Parasite, Pain and Glory, The Irishman and Little Women?
Picture: Parasite
Directing: Bong Joon-ho / Scorsese
O. screenplay: Bong Joon-ho
A. Screenplay: Little Women / The Irishman
Actor: Banderas
International Film: Pain and Glory (if Parasite be the frontrunner for best picture)
Richter Scale: Believe me, I will never forget (or forgive) the academy snubbing Hawke last year. It still stings. But that is by far the exception to the rule: whenever anyone dominates the critics prizes they almost always at least get nominated.
It always bothers me when someone is nominated that clearly very few would probably vote for the win. Sandler clearly would get #1 votes for Uncut Gems. Would anyone realistically vote for Bale to win for THIS performance? If not then why nominate him? Especially in a crowded year.
I hope to God that Joaquin still wins the Oscar. I like Adam but he stole Jake Gylenhall's career.
Kansas City is also in Kansas, so what about it
Kansas City Film Critics Circle is in Missouri...
Little Women needed this.
I literally don't remember a single thing about Brad Pitt's performance in Once Upon a Time. Oh yeah, there was that one scene where he took his shirt off and then there was another scene where they joked about murdering his wife. Wonderful.
Well that mixes up things !
So glad - will it help ? Oh Nathaniel I really need an update on ur predictions ... this feels like x-mas ;-) x
Is there any evidence at all that Academy voters pay attention to any critics groups beyond NYFCC and LA Film Critics Association? Maybe a tiny uptick if FYC ads appaer that have the awards laurels of four or five different groups on it, but I think the impact is basically at the level of: "oh, wasn't ScarJo fun on SNL last weekend!"
As for Pitt, Pitt has an Oscar (for producing) so when he died the words "Oscar winner" will be in the first sentence of his obituary. Dafoe does not have an Oscar yet and certainly deserves one for at least two previous performances (Platoon and Shadow of the Vampire). Category fraud aside, Pitt getting an Oscar for ambling through OUaTiH when Dafoe is right there for a soon-to-be-legendary performance in The Lighthouse is a potentiality that if, made real, will not age well.
I too would prefer Pitt to win for a more distinguished performance,I think also it's A Lead Oscar he should have based on his status.
Brad Pitt is definitely a good actor, which people didn't always recognize. But how is he overdue?