Best Limited Performances, Breakthrough Actors, and more...

by Nathaniel R

I'm currently in a mad-dash effort to wrap up the 2021 film year before the Oscars. This means our own awards need to be completed. On the Film Bitch Award pages you've already seen the Oscar parallel categories but now the "Extra" Acting categories are complete...

• Best Actress in a Limited Role
• Best Actor in a Limited Role
• Breakthrough Performer
• Best Juvenile Performance (Under 18)
• Best Vocal of MoCap Performance (new category)
• Best Ensemble
• Best Casting 

So click on over for odes to Vanessa Bayer, Ana de Armas, Harriet Samson Harris, Moses Ingram, Britne Oldford, David Clavel, Bradley Cooper, Barry Keoghan, Chris Messina, Channing Tatum, Stephanie Beatriz, Mike Rianda, Woody Norman, David Alvarez, Simu Liu, and many more...

FYC Critics Choice Young Performers Awards

by Nathaniel R

Saniyya Sidney as "Venus Williams" in King Richard

Each year the Critics Choice votes on a category that doesn't get a lot of press or campaigning: Best Young Actor/Actress. Without constant discussion (as with other acting categories) I've noticed critics default to whatever movie is popular that happens to have a major role for a child. Which is why, say, Belfast's Jude Hill could easily be in contention. But, generally speaking, there are better performances out there than whichever one happens to be most visible in this particular category in any given year. (Same goes for famous adult movie stars in the regular categories, come to think of it). So each year we try to help by listing eligible performers in this "Young Performer" category which requires a bit of research since the actors often aren't famous (yet) and the attention is usually directed at their adult co-stars...

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Best Supporting Actor is unusually confusing for mid-November!

by Nathaniel R

19 of the Oscar hopefuls in this category

If you've been reading The Film Experience for more than a year you already know that we do our best to avoid the typical Punditry habit of giving out Oscar statues before nominations are even announced. That's the super gross reductive part of Punditry and its far more exciting (and generous) to focus on who might and who should be nominated. Every once in a while the awards gods will comply and throw us a truly confusing race. Such is the case with Best Supporting Actor this season.

Depending on how you look at it there are anywhere from 10-20 contenders still in play and this is just the way we like it...

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NYFF: "C'mon C'mon"

by Jason Adams

Mike Mills, the maestro of what actually matters, strikes excellence yet again with C'mon C'mon, his latest film screening at NYFF this week. How in the ever-loving world is this only his fourth -- yes you read that right, his fourth! -- feature film? The math don't lie: Thumbsucker, to the grand Beginners, to the masterpiece 20th Century Women, and now C'mon C'mon, and Mills' ability to laser right in on the emotional truth of any and every moment remains unparalleled. Jettisoning all the Joker toxicity from his body, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix, thankfully in his sweet smiling airiest tender boy mode. This is the Joaquin I personally signed up for, whispering his feelings into a telephone with wet eyes. What a heartfelt symphony this whole experience is; a gift..

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