"Belfast" and "West Side Story" lead the 27th annual Critics Choice nominations 
Monday, December 13, 2021 at 12:39PM
NATHANIEL R in Critics Choice Awards, Oscars (21), Punditry, film critics

by Nathaniel R

It's not a spread the wealth year (sigh). Belfast and West Side Story led the 27th annual Critics Choice nominations with a potent 11 nominations each. Dune and The Power of the Dog were close behind with 10 nods each. With four films in the double-digits, chances are we're not heading into a spread-the-wealth kind of year as all roads lead in to the Oscar nominations (still a month and a half way on February 8th). That's sad for us given the wealth of options out there but it is what it is.

Full list of nominees with commentary after the jump...

BEST PICTURE 

This list never lines up exactly with Oscars though CCA clearly wishes it would. So which one or two films get the chop and for what? We can't totally rule out Being the Ricardos, Spencer, Tragedy of Macbeth, C'mon C'mon or one of the international titles (A Hero? Parallel Mothers? Drive My Car? Flee? Hand of God?) 

BEST ACTOR

Since the CCAs always extend to six in the big categories, to better predict the Oscars (sigh) occassionally something that is actually a 'critical darling' like Nicolas Cage in Pig will squeak in. But if we were only doing one of those this year, we were hoping it would be Simon Rex in Red Rocket.

 

BEST ACTRESS

There's your probable Oscar list minus Alana Haim, who was 'practically designed in a lab for film twitter appeal' which in the Venn Diagram overlaps with film critic appeal.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

We will continue to be embarrassed for everyone nominated alongside Jared Leto. It's such an awful brush to tar them with. One of the worst performances I've ever seen and I've been watching a hundred plus movies ever year for decades. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 

Supporting Actress continues to be a bloodbath this year. There are only five slots at the Oscars and someone with major momentum and raves will be shut out. The shut out this time is Ruth Negga but there's an extra spot here. Who will the (two) shut outs be at SAG?

 

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS 

 This category is always a frustration both because the age requirement is way too broad (it should be under 18) and because people just vote on whichever movies they already like. But young actors really did fine work this year... there were a ton of quality options for this category in both Oscar-bound movies and well outside of Oscar-appeal movies. 

 

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

To deny Mass here is super-duper dumb. Just saying. That film's entire appeal is the collective humanity and wallop of its ensemble acting.

 

BEST DIRECTOR 

 I don't personally see Del Toro as a true threat to an Oscar nomination this year  but Anderson, Branagh, Campion, Spielberg, and Villeneuve are all looking strong going into Oscar voting. But will we get a surprise nomination booting one of them out from, say, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Asghar Farhadi, Paolo Sorrentino, or Maggie Gyllenhaal. It's probably worth noting Adam McKay's absence here given that Don't Look Up made the Best Picture lineup.

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Will C'mon C'mon, A Hero, Parallel Mothers, The Hand of God, Spencer, or Mass  be able to knock any of these out with Oscar voters next month?

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY 

 We don't think this will list will transfer to Oscars but it might. Other possibilities include Tragedy of MacBeth, The Last Duel, Cyrano, and Nightmare Alley. Though we weep for Zola, Passing, and Benedetta which don't seem to be getting any consideration despite being brilliant adaptations. 

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

Despite their frequent boasting that they're highly Oscar predictive, the Critics Choice Awards are not actually super predictive in the craft categories. That's partially because they have a bizarrely fluctuating number of nominees (we've seen as low as 4 and as many as 8 --?-- in various categories with no explanations given) but also because, if you're voting as a pundit rather than to your own taste, chances are strong that you won't be as accurate in categories that aren't as endlessly discussed and analyzed. Cinematography is highly competitive this year (as always) and other great looking films that the American Society of Cinematographers (or the Oscars) might site include Passing, Spencer, Cyrano, C'mon C'mon, and Green Knight. Other previously Oscar nominated cinematographers in the mix this year include the DPs behind King Richard, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Being the Ricardos, The Last Duel, No Time To Die, and The Matrix Ressurection.

 

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Belfast? Oh, okay.  But there are stronger options out there for Production Design including Power of the Dog, Cruella, Cyrano, Tragedy of Macbeth, and The Green Knight... Still Best Picture heat, as we see year in and year out, does wonders for getting a film random craft nominations, too.  

BEST EDITING

I'm having trouble imagining King Richard missing at the Oscars in this category given its Best Picture heat plus its noticeably energetic tennis match editing.  

BEST COSTUME DESIGN 

No Spencer is a bit of a surprise here but it could well  pop up in the Oscar list. Other films that Oscar might take to in this category include Power of the Dog as well as any of the previously nominated designers behind the lewks of Cyrano, Tragedy of Macbeth, French Dispatch, The Last Duel, and Electrical Life of Louis Wain.   Then again the costuming branch isn't always as "out there" with Off-Best Picture citations as they once were.

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP 

The Makeup artists in the Academy regularly surprise with their Oscar finalist list inclusions and omissions so we'll see on December 21st which of these films is the shocking exclusion from the finals. There usually is one! Other possibilities for Oscar nods in this category include  Spencer, Cyrano, The Green Knight, West Side Story, Power of the Dog, The Last Duel, The Suicide Squad, The French Dispatch, and under Most Makeup/Hair we might also see The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and Being the Ricardos in the finals.

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

 We're very curious which films will make the Oscar finals on December 21st in this category. Other possibilities include Eternals, Spider-Man No Way Home, Godzilla vs Kong, Black Widow, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Tomorrow War, The King's Man, and Finch.

 

BEST COMEDY

I proudly voted for Barb and Star... though Licorice Pizza will obviously take this since the CCA does not have a Best Drama category (dumb since there is a Best Comedy category) so we know which comedies they actually take seriously as they are nominated in Best Picture instead which is not called Best Drama (though it basically is).

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE 

 This list includes three Disney films. Happily, though Oscar usually defaults to Disney in terms of wins, they are almost always more adventurous in this category than the Critics Choice Awards have been, historically. It's kind of embarrassing that a Critics Awards is almost always less adventurous than Mainstream Oscars. We've never been sure why there's that disconnect with animated feature prizes but there is.

The Oscars generally include a foreign animated film or two. While it's possible that this list transfers we'd bet against it. We think the Japanese film Belle will be nominated at the Oscars in place of one of these, probably Raya and the Last Dragon. 

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

That's a delicious list but the International Cinema category is super-stacked with high profile contenders. We're guessing that all of these films make the 15 wide finals at the Oscars given that they're generally liked and high profile but can they fend off the other high profile generally liked international cinema offerings (I'm Your Man, Titane, Compartment No 6) PLUS whatever surprise darlings the nominating committees includes in the top 15 on December 21st? Will we see... Memoria? Great Freedom? Souad? Brighton 4th? Prayers for the Stolen? Do Not Hesitate? The Good Boss? Unclenching the Fists? Escape from Mogadishu? in that pre-nomination list.

 

BEST SONG

 I personally voted for "Every Letter" from Cyrano which is not included. I am bad luck, dear readers. But you can't convince me that it isn't deserving.

 

BEST SCORE 

Greenwood doesn't seem like a consensus enough industry favourite (despite his immense talent) to score a double-nod at the Oscars and Nathan Johnson has never been honored by Oscar. It's tough to say who is vulnerable going into Oscar nominations (since we don't have the 15 wide Oscar finalist list yet) but Alexandre Desplat (The French Dispatch) with 11 nominations and 2 previous wins is always a threat; he's basically taken over the John Williams 'always nominated' spot.

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