The Critics’ Choice Association just announced their film nominations, on the heels of the HFPA announcing the Golden Globes nominations earlier this morning. Full disclosure, I am a member of the CCA, so I get to nominate films, and while I didn’t expect all my nominations to line up with the final nominees, I am ECSTATIC to see Nicolas Cage get a Best Actor for nomination forPig. It’s truly one of his best performances in recent memory—and more award-friendly than the super out-thereMandy—and it’s one of the best films of the year. The Chicago Film Critics Association, another voting body I belong to, also nominated Cage, and therePig获得最佳原创剧本和Breakthrough Filmmaker nominations for Michael Sarnoski, as well. You can see the full CFCA nominationshere, it’s a more adventurous list than the CCA.
The CCA is trying to fill the partial void left by the HFPA’s semi-collapse. (I say “partial” and “semi” because the HFPA hasn’t gone away and they are going to FORCE the industry to decide their continued relevance next year.) To that end, the CCA is trying to become a prognosticator the way the Golden Globes have been for the last 20-plus years and honestly, their nominations are not far off Oscar expectations.West Side StoryandDunelead the way with eleven nominations each,The Power of the DogandBelfast—a crowd pleaser if ever there was one—right behind with ten each. Those four movies will be heavily in play come Oscar time.
The CCA doesn’t stick to five nominees in a category, though, so not everyone honored will make the Oscars cut, but early favorites Denzel Washington, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Will Smith are all Best Actor nominees, with Nicolas Cage, Peter Dinklage, and Andrew Garfield rounding out the field. In the Oscars group of five, Cage is the obvious cut.Pigis wonderful and you should watch it—it’s streaming on Hulu—but it’s also totally under the radar, in a wayTick, Tick…BOOM!andCyranoare not, thoughCyranowon’t hit wide theatrical release until January. It’s a similar story on the actress side. Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, and Lady Gaga are nominated, along with Olivia Colman, Jessica Chastain, and Alana Haim. Out of that group, Alana Haim feels the most vulnerable, though Chastain and Gaga aren’t locks, either. The Oscars, a more international voting body, might break for Penelope Cruz, for instance, for a career-best performance inParallel Mothers,或者他们会去今年的天真无邪的少女,Rachel Zegler, relegated to the “young actor/actress” category here.
I do have to say that ANYONE nominating Jared Leto forHouse of Gucciis embarrassing and I had nothing to do with that. Almost as embarrassing is SIX nominations forDon’t Look Up, which is Not Good (my review is coming later this week). I honestly cannot figure out what anyone is doing withDon’t Look Upon any year-end list besides “biggest disappointments”.
Some good nominations to see: Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno in Best Supporting Actress forWest Side Story, Aunjanue Ellis in the same category forKing Richard,The Harder They Fallnominated for Best Acting Ensemble, and Maggie Gyllenhaal picking up a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination forThe Lost Daughter(that’s her best shot for an Oscar nomination, too).
The movies I expect to be major players at the Oscars are also major players here, and the acting races are starting to solidify around a few expected, big names (Kidman, Stewart, Washington, and Cumberbatch). Kirsten Dunst is looking more and more solid for a Best Supporting Actress nomination, and Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno are, too. If Peter Dinklage can get a little more traction, I wouldn’t count him out, either, he’s the best part ofCyrano. Overall, this isn’t a terrible list of nominations. I can’t agree withDon’t Look Upand Jared Leto, but nothing else enrages me.
ExceptThe Green Knightdidn’t get ANY nominations and I put it in EVERY possible category, what the hell, people. What are we even doing here.
Check out the complete list of CCA nominationshere.
