Tag: Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association

Pre-Oscars Round Up: European Film Awards, BIFA, WAFCA

Lars von Trier's Melancholia was named the best European film at the European Film Awards.

And so we move further along into awards season.

The European Film Awards and the British Independent Film Awards were held this past weekend while the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) announced their nominees and picks for the best films of the year on December 5.

The Artist and Melancholia continue to be named the best films of the year as well as winning ample technical awards. (Sorry Hugo. Though Martin Scorsese did pick up his second best director award from WAFCA and he’ll probably get a few more.)

George Clooney (The Descendants) is still the frontrunner in the lead actor category and Albert Brooks picked up his second award for his supporting turn in Drive. Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin) could face some competition for best actress after WAFCA awarded Michelle Williams best actress for My Week in Marilyn. (These critics really do love movies about movies, don’t they?)

Based on the few critics groups that have announced their winners so far, some other trends are emerging. The ensembles for The Help and Bridesmaids as well as Will Reiser’s screenplay for 50/50 are all inching their ways towards an Oscar nod. Or at the very least, a Golden Globes nomination. (That’s not saying a lot because if Bridesmaids doesn’t receive a Globes nod, there is no hope for society.)

There were some surprises at the British Independent Film Awards. Paddy Considine’s directorial debut Tyrannosaur received three awards at the BIFAs: best picture, best first-time director and best actress (Olivia Colman, edging out Swinton).  Michael Fassbender was named best actor for Shame.

Awards season can seem very American-centric at first, especially once all the critics groups start announcing their winners. (Think about last year when The Social Network was the early critical darling.) While this American-centrism is felt less this year because The Artist and Melancholia are two mostly European productions, the BIFAs are a refreshing change of pace from what trends we have seen so far and the trends that will emerge. It’s also worth noting that last year The King’s Speech received five awards at the British Independent Film Awards and it was the first major award the film received.

Remember The King's Speech? That was a great time last year. It also won some awards.

The round up of this week’s award shows and critics awards winners is below. Share any of your thoughts on the awards season so far in the comments.

Continue reading “Pre-Oscars Round Up: European Film Awards, BIFA, WAFCA”

Critics Roundup: Washington D.C.

The Washington, D.C., Film Critics Association announced its picks on Dec. 7. Once again, Up in the Air, Precious and The Hurt Locker are the top picks.

Best Film: Up in the Air
Best Actor: George Clooney, Up in the Air
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, An Education
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay Adapted: Up in the Air
Best Screenplay, Original: Inglourious Basterds
Best Breakthrough Performance: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Best Ensemble The Hurt Locker
Best Animated Film Up
Best Foreign Film Sin Nombre
Best Art Direction Nine
Best Documentary Food, Inc.

Best of 2008: WAFCA

Another day, another round of critics awards.
The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Assocation (WAFCA) announced their picks for the best films of 2008.

Slumdog Millionaire, the story of a street urchin who winds up on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, was named Best Picture. Mickey Rourke, who is the midst of a big comeback, received the award for Best Actor and Heath Ledger received the Best Supporting Actor prize.

Here are all the winners.

Best Film
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
Best Actress
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Best Ensemble
Doubt
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress
Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel Getting Married
Best Breakthrough Performance
Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Adapted Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay
Jenny Lumet Rachel Getting Married
Best Animated Feature
Wall•E
Best Foreign Language Film
Let The Right One In
Best Documentary
Man On Wire
Best Art Direction
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Race So Far: The Critics Have Spoken

his is just the beginnings of the critics picks. Based on their picks (listed below) the Oscar frontrunners are:

Best Picture
No Country for Old Me
There Will Be Blood

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marianne Cotillard, La Vie En Rose

Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men,

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone;

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Best Documentary Film
No End in Sight
Sicko

Best Animated Film
Persepolis
Ratatouille

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The Critics’ Picks – New York Film Critics Circle

Best Foreign Film
The Lives of Others

Best Animated Film
Persepolis

Best First Film
Sarah Polley, Away from Her

Best Documentary
No End in Sight

Best Cinematographer
Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood

Best Screenplay
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men

Lifetime Achievement
Sidney Lumet

Special Critics’ Award
Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep

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San Francisco Film Critics Circle

Best Picture
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Original Screenplay
The Savages

Best Adapted Screenplay
Away from Her

Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton

Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck , The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan Gone Baby Gone

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Documentary
No End in Sight

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Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Runner-up
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Runner-up
Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Runner-up
Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening

Best Screenplay
The Savages, Tamara Jenkins

Runner-up
There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Runner-up
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There

Best Supporting Actor
Vlad Ivanov, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Runner-up
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Best Foreign Language Film:
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Runner-up
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Documentary Film
No End in Sight

Runner-up
Sicko
Best Production Design
Jack Fisk, There Will Be Blood

Runner-up
Dante Ferretti, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Animated Film
(tie) Ratatouille and Persepolis

Best Music
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Once

Runner-up
Jonny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood

Best Cinematography
Janusz Kaminski, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Runner-up
Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood

New Generation
Sarah Polley, Away From Her

Career Achievement
Sidney Lumet

Best Independent/Experimental
Colossal Youth,directed by Pedro Costa

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Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association

Best Film
No Country for Old Men

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (dir. Julian Schnabel)

Best Documentary
Sicko (dir Michael Moore)

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton

Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Ensemble
No Country for Old Men

Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson’s War

Best Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Best Breakthrough Performance
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Art Direction
Dante Ferretti, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

——————————————————————————————————————–Boston Society of Film Critics

Best Picture

No Country For Old Men

Best Actor
Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Director
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Screenplay
Brad Bird; Ratatouille

Best Cinematography
Janusz Kaminski; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Documentary
Crazy Love

Best Foreign-Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best New Filmmaker
Ben Affleck for Gone Baby Gone

Best Ensemble Cast
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead