Weekend Awards Wrap-Up: Just Before the Globes

by Cláudio Alves

Da'Vine Joy Randolph won the Big Four critics awards. Nothing can stop her now!

Hours away from the Golden Globes, it's time to consider the past two weeks of winners, runners-up, and the whole shebang. The new year started with a golden tsunami, as Randolph consolidated her favorite status even more than before, and Past Lives staked its claim as one of the season's major contenders. The NSFC was more conventional than expected, while the Astras were their usual self, regional critics groups did their thing, and the Alliance of Women Journalists continued to prove its un-seriousness. Also, a potentially fake critics group is making some noise.

Though the Oscar nominations are just a few weeks away, the season is far from over. If anything, the race is just now heating up…

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National Society of Film Critics choose "Nomadland"

by Nathaniel R

After LAFCA and the NYFCC, the NSFC completes what is essentially the holy trinity of American critics prizes for films. For the latter half of the 20th century these were the three that would get all the press. In the past two decades their influence has not waivered, exactly, but has become less visible. With 30 critics groups now voicing their opinions each year (the bulk of which formed after the year 2000) it's more important for films and performances to have a plurality of voices... unending FYC campaign noise. While LAFCA, NYFCC, and NSFC don't differ a lot this year they all chose separate films for their top prize, LAFCA went with Steve McQueen's collection of five telefilms Small Axe, NYFCC went with First Cow, and the NSFC chose Nomadland (which has been the most dominant with regional prizes...

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The prizes literally never stop... NSFC, GLAAD, NAACP and more

As per usual we've fallen a bit behind in the awardage department so we're doing a massive post right now to catch up. Here are the latest critics groups to announce their awards as well as nominations from two civil rights organizations, GLAAD and the NAACP...

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National Society of Film Critics Chooses "The Rider"

by Nathaniel R

The televised awards shows are about to take over but before they do, the NSFC has had their say. They're always the last major critics group to chime in, and unlike the other two members of the critical trinity (LAFCA & NYFCC) they have not chosen Roma. Instead that honor went to Chloe Zhao's rodeo injuries drama The Rider. I recently caught up with this arthouse sleeper hit and though I found it gorgeous and moving, it struck me as a bit modest in its artistic goals, or at least a touch repetitive about achieving them. So to each their own as far as "very best" goes but it's the kind of film that deserves to find ardent fans so it's wonderful that critics have gone to bat for it here and there. It's had such a long run; the film was actually an Indie Spirit nominee in 2017 due to its festival premieres so it's been kicking around with awards for an entire year now!

The full list of NSFC winners and a few more comments after the jump...

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NSFC Gives Isabelle Huppert the Critical Triple

The National Society of Film Critics have spoken. The last important critics prizes of each season is sometimes idiocyncratic but not this year. They've gone with the the leaders in every single category (in terms of past critics prizes from all over the nation) except Best Cinematography. That award has varied from groups to groups and here it goes to Moonlight.

Most importantly they've given Isabelle Huppert the rare triple crown of film critic prizes. She'd previously won both New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. To show you how infrequently that happens a list of the previous winners of all three after the jump...

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