Tag Archives: movie awards

The best films of 2020 (and early 2021)

Feb. 5 is the deadline for Critics Choice Awards nominations, and — as a longtime voting member of the film branch — I often share my ballot. I do this not because I have any special sway in the group (I don’t, as I’m only one of nearly 450 members) but because some readers may be interested in my personal picks.

In my humble opinion, this nomination ballot notes the best films, performances, writing, directing and technical work of the year. Hopefully, you can use it to guide your viewing. Or … if you are one of those folks who always disagrees with my picks (trust me, they exist) … you can print this out and use it to line bird cages and kitty litter boxes. Before you do either of those things, though, be sure to note that March 7 is the date for this year’s Critics Choice Awards ceremony. Although there will not be a traditional audience, due to the pandemic, the show will be broadcast live on The CW at 7 p.m. ET/PT. I’ll miss attending in person … as I have missed so many things this year, but I trust that the televised broadcast will be as polished and fun as ever.

NOMINATING BALLOT FOR THE 26th ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE 
1. The Trial of the Chicago 7
2. Mank
3. The Prom
4. Soul
5. Personal History of David Copperfield

BEST ACTOR – name AND film
1. Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
2. Gary Oldman, Mank
3. Casey Affleck, Our Friend

BEST ACTRESS – name AND film
1. Jo Ellen Pellman, The Prom
2. Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
3. Zendaya, Malcolm & Marie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – name AND film
1. Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
2. Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
3. Jared Leto, The Little Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – name AND film
1. Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
2. Amanda Seyfried, Mank
3. Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21) – name AND film
1. Sophia Lillis, Uncle Frank
2. Caoilinn Springall, The Midnight Sky
3. Helena Zengel, News of the World

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE – film only
1. Trial of the Chicago 7
2. The Prom
3. Da 5 Bloods

BEST DIRECTING – film only
1. The Trial of the Chicago 7
2. Mank
3. The Prom

BEST SCREENWRITING (Original Screenplay) – film only
1. The Trial of the Chicago 7
2. Mank
3. Soul

BEST SCREENWRITING (Adapted Screenplay) – film only
1. The Prom
2. Personal History of David Copperfield
3. News of the World

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – film only
1. Mank
2. Personal History of David Coperfield
3. Mulan

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – film only
1. Personal History of David Copperfield
2.Mank
3. The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST EDITING – film only
1. The Trial of the Chicago 7
2. Mank
3. Tenet

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – film only
1. Personal History of David Copperfield
2. Mulan
3. Wonder Woman 1984

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP – film only
1. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
2. Hillbilly Elegy
3. The Prom

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – film only
1. Tenet
2. Wonder Woman 1984
3. Mulan

BEST COMEDY
1. Death to 2020
2. Bill and Ted Face the Music
3. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Abstain

BEST SONG (please list the song and film)
1. Wuhan Flu, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
2. Husavik, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
3. Square Root of Possible, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

BEST SCORE – film only
Abstain

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Critics’ Choice Nominees Announced

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Michael Keaton, left, and Mark Ruffalo in a scene from “Spotlight.” The movie was nominated for eight Critics’ Choice Awards, including best picture. Ruffalo was nominated for best supporting actor.
Photo courtesy of Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films

I am a longtime member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, a group representing more than 300 critics in the U.S. and Canada, and today the organization announced nominees for the 21st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards. As usual, some of my personal favorites made the cut and others did not (I’m only one voter among hundreds). Regardless of my personal preferences, it’s a strong field of movies, and you can use the nominee list (below) to seek out the best in film. This year’s awards are slated for broadcast Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. (PT) on A&E, Lifetime and LMN. This event will be particularly special because — for the first time — the movie awards are being combined with honors doled out by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 21st ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

FILM

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Sicario

Spotlight

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Top 10 Movies of 2014

From left to right, Zoe Saldana plays Gamora, Bradley Cooper plays Rocket, Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, Vin Diesel plays Groot and Dave Bautista plays Drax in “Guardians of the Galaxy.”  Forrest ranks the film among the best of 2014. Photo courtesy of Disney

From left to right, Zoe Saldana plays Gamora, Bradley Cooper plays Rocket, Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, Vin Diesel plays Groot and Dave Bautista plays Drax in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Forrest ranks the film among the best of 2014.

Photo courtesy of Disney 

As we march into the new year and prepare ourselves for upcoming awards shows, it’s appropriate to reflect on the best movies of 2014. As usual, the year produced sure bets from well-known auteurs and a strong crop of art-house darlings, but we also had terrific pictures emerge from the much-derided cinematic mainstream. In fact, a number of blockbusters cracked my top 10. Following is the cream of the 2014 movie crop, complete with notes on how you can see them.

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Critics’ Choice Movie Award Winners

The 19th Critics’ Choice Movie Awards were doled out Thursday, Jan. 16, in Santa Monica. Here is a complete list of winners.

Best Picture – “12 Years a Slave”
Best Actor – Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”
Best Actress – Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”
Best Supporting Actor – Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”
Best Supporting Actress – Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
Best Young Actor/Actress – Adele Exarchopoulos, “Blue Is The Warmest Color”
Best Acting Ensemble – “American Hustle”
Best Director – Alfonso Cuarón, “Gravity”
Best Original Screenplay – Spike Jonze, “Her”
Best Adapted Screenplay – John Ridley, “12 Years a Slave”
Best Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki, “Gravity”
Best Art Direction – Catherine Martin (Production Designer), Beverley Dunn (Set Decorator), “The Great Gatsby”
Best Editing – Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, “Gravity”
Best Costume Design – Catherine Martin, “The Great Gatsby”
Best Hair & Makeup – “American Hustle”
Best Visual Effects – “Gravity”
Best Animated Feature – “Frozen”
Best Action Movie – “Lone Survivor”
Best Actor in an Action Movie – Mark Wahlberg, “Lone Survivor”
Best Actress in an Action Movie – Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”
Best Comedy – “American Hustle”
Best Actor in a Comedy – Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Best Actress in a Comedy – Amy Adams, “American Hustle”
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie – “Gravity”
Best Foreign Language Film – “Blue Is the Warmest Color”
Best Documentary Feature – “20 Feet From Stardom”
Best Song – “Let It Go” Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, “Frozen”
Best Score – Steven Price, “Gravity”

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Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominees announced

Sandra Bullock earned a best actress nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards thanks to her work in "Gravity." The movie also received nine additional nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron).

Sandra Bullock earned a Best Actress nomination for the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards thanks to her work in “Gravity.” The movie also received nine additional nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron).

Longtime readers know that I am a voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), which hosts the nationally televised Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Each year, the BFCA (consisting of more than 280 television, radio and online critics) honors the best in film. Our nomination ballots were cast Friday and tallied over the weekend. That means the nominees represent a critical consensus from the group.

Next, BFCA members will vote for our favorites among these nominees. Winners will be crowned live Jan. 16 at our awards show in Santa Monica, Calif. The show will be broadcast on The CW Network at 8 p.m. PT/ET.

Following is a complete list of nominees:

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‘The Artist’ tops Las Vegas Film Critics Society’s Sierra Awards

Jean Dujardin, left, and Berenice Bejo in a scene from "The Artist." The movie won Best Picture in the Las Vegas Film Critics Society's annual Sierra Awards.

It’s a big day for movie awards. Not only did the Broadcast Film Critics Association announce the nominees for its annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards today, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society announced the winners of its Sierra Awards. I vote in both groups, so I always like to publicize the winners.

“The Artist” was the big Sierra Awards winner, nabbing five honors, including Best Picture. The male star of the film, Jean Dujardin, picked up Best Actor, and the movie also nabbed Best Score, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.

“Hugo” also performed well, winning awards for Best Family Film and Best Film Editing and helping its young star, Asa Butterfield, take the Youth In Film honor.

Following is a complete list of winners, plus the Las Vegas Film Critics Society list of the top 10 films of 2011.

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‘Hugo,’ ‘The Artist’ lead Critics’ Choice nominees

Martin Scorsese, front, and Ben Kingsley work on the film "Hugo," which received 11 nominations for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Longtime readers know that I’m a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association thanks to my affiliation with Alice Radio (96.5 FM in Reno, NV) and Idaho Country (KQFC-FM in Boise, ID). Today our organization released its nominee list for the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, which will be telecast live at 8 p.m. Jan. 12 on VH1. Often, Critics’ Choice award winners go on to nab Oscars, so the nominee list gives you a nice look at the movies that are likely to be players in the coming months.

Martin Scorsese’s charming family film “Hugo” and the beautiful silent-movie “The Artist” led all contenders this year with 11 nominations each. Also toward the top of the pack were “The Help” and “Drive,” each scoring eight nominations.

Following is a complete list of nominees. Winners will be revealed live during the Jan. 12 VH1 broadcast.

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Las Vegas critics friend ‘The Social Network’

Jesse Eisenberg, left, and Joseph Mazzello in a scene from "The Social Network." The film was named best of 2010 by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.

I’ve been a member of the Las Vegas Film Critics Society for years, and I’m pleased to say that we doled out our annual Sierra Awards today. Below is a complete list of the winners. For a story on the awards, visit http://www.rgj.com/article/20101216/ENT01/101216020

Las Vegas Film Critics Society
2010 Sierra Award Winners

Best Picture
“The Social Network”

Best Actor
James Franco, “127 Hours”

Best Actress
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”

Best Director
David Fincher, “The Social Network”

Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)
Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network” 

Best Cinematography
Wally Pfister, “Inception”

Best Film Editing
Lee Smith, “Inception”

Best Costume Design
Colleen Atwood, “Alice in Wonderland”

Best Art Direction
“Black Swan”

Best Visual Effects
“Inception” 

Best Documentary
“Waiting for Superman”

Best Foreign Film
“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sweden)

Best Song
“I See the Light” from “Tangled”

Best Score
Trent Reznor, “The Social Network”

Best Family Film
“Toy Story 3”

Best Animated Film
“Toy Story 3”

Youth in Film
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”

Best DVD (Packaging, Design, and Content)
“Alien Anthology” (Blu-Ray) Fox Home Entertainment

The William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award
Thelma Schoonmaker

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