For the LAFCA, the Future is Female

by Cláudio Alves

The Los Angeles Critics LOVE actresses, and Sandra Hüller most of all.

Many bristled (and still do) when some awards bodies started changing their acting awards to genderless categories. One of the principal complaints was that this would mean fewer artists awarded and that men would dominate. Or, in the LAFCA's case, a new name on the same system since having two winners each for Lead and Supporting meant they could go on giving prizes equivalent to the gendered divide of yore. That happened last year when Blanchett and Nighy took the Lead, Quan and de Leon Supporting. This year, however, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association decided to forego tradition altogether. Their four acting prizes went to women, making this their first edition without a single male actor among the honorees. 

Come discover the complete set of winners and a lot of statistics, after the jump…

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BSFC, LAFCA, and NYFCO winners

by Nathaniel R

"ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED" won three more prizes today

A big Critics awards day today the night before Oscar begins voting on its finalist lists for the categories that use that process (i.e. not the ones that get the most press). After the jump one of the three most important critics associations, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, plus the enduring and usually interesting Boston Society of Film Critics, and the relatively new group New York Film Critics Online (not to be confused with the biggie, NYFCC, which already announced).

Today's three critics groups had some similaries but agreed unanimously on two things: Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed for Best Documentary. We're happiest of course with complete disagreements since TFE loves the spreading of wealth. Best Animated Feature and Best Supporting Actress for example, resulted in a different winner at each of these orgs. Winners and a few comments are after the jump...

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LAFCA hands their top prize to a series rather than a film with "Small Axe"

by Nathaniel R

The Los Angeles Film Critics have spoken awarding two prizes each to Steve McQueen's series Small Axe (film and cinematography), the new adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (winning both male acting awards), and the controversial rape revenge comedy Promising Young Woman (actress and screenplay). Because I am something of a purist when it comes to movie awards I have to sigh a bit at their reaction to Small Axe. It's like pick a lane, LA critics. You're obviously trying to make a statement that it's a film rather than tv series (and from our understanding it was pitched and produced as the latter and will definitely be considered television for its awards campaign) but if it is one mammoth film why are you also admitting that it's a series by singling out one "episode" for a runner up Best Score prize? So which is it, LA? Or were you arguing amongst yourselves about this during voting...

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Photos and fun from the Los Angeles Film Critics Dinner

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Podcast: Everything you wanted to know about precursor awards week ... but were afraid to ask*

Nathaniel R and Murtada Elfadl welcome back NICK DAVIS! 

In this hour long conversation Nick, Murtada, and your TFE mastermind Nathaniel discuss the first gigantic week of precursor season. What hath the Globes and SAG wrought and who are we sad about (Alfre Woodard!) and who are we rooting for (Antonio Banderas) and the like. We're divided on Judy and Dark Waters and Robert DeNiro's The Irishman and we dunk a little on Richard Jewell and The Two Popes (sorry!). We also have words for NEON not finding a way to honor Clemency while pushing Parasite. Finally we try to suss out the impossible "Best Actor" race which is giving everyone predictive pause.  

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

Precursor Madness