Well, I was going to profile 10 groups this week, but the Nevada Film Critics don’t seem to have announced in time, so we’re going ahead with the following nine:
- Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA)
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA)
- Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA)
- Portland Critics Association (PCA)
- Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC)
- St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA)
- Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA)
- Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC)
Picture:
- CFCA: The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: The Power of the Dog
- IFJA: Mass
- LAFCA: Drive My Car
- NFCS:
- PCA: The Green Knight
- PCC: The Power of the Dog
- StLFCA: Licorice Pizza
- UFCA: The Power of the Dog
- WFCC: Passing/The Power of the Dog*
*The WFCC’s awards are focused on films by and about women; Passing won “Best Film About Women,” and The Power of the Dog won “Best Film By a Woman.”
Some awards groups list their runners-up, including the LAFCA, whose runner-up here was The Power of the Dog, and the IFJA, whose top 10 in this category included Annette, C’mon C’mon, and The Last Duel. Kudos to the Hoosiers for their good taste.
Anyway, having now seen Power of the Dog…it’s a good film, very good even (it’s a low ****), quite effective, and I’m fine with it being a nominee…but I’m not quite certain it deserves to win so many awards. It’s not a film like Bohemian Rhapsody or Green Book that outright doesn’t belong in the race, not by a long shot. But it’s not like Parasite or Nomadland where I’d be happy with it winning Picture because it’s still in my top 5 even though it’s not my #1. It’s a weird position I’m in.
Also, Drive My Car has now won New York, L.A., and Boston, putting it in the company of films like Boyhood, The Social Network, The Hurt Locker, Brokeback Mountain, and Sideways – only one of them won Best Picture, but the rest were most certainly nominated. Now, those were all American films, made by directors well established in Hollywood, and this is a Japanese film by a respected director, but not one who’s worked in or in league with Hollywood (as Bong Joon-ho had). But I think you have to keep an eye on it.
Director:
- CFCA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- IFJA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- LAFCA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- NFCS:
- PCA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- PCC: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- StLFCA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
- UFCA: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Well, this is pretty unanimous, isn’t it? Not that I necessarily agree – I think Campion’s direction is quite good, but I wouldn’t rate it as the best of the year, or even in my top 5. But she’s sure starting to look like the favorite to win the Oscar.
Actor:
- CFCA: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
- IFJA: Oscar Isaac, The Card Counter
- LAFCA: Simon Rex, Red Rocket
- NFCS:
- PCA: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
- PCC: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
- StLFCA: Nicolas Cage, Pig
- UFCA: Nicolas Cage, Pig
- WFCC: Will Smith, King Richard
Likewise, Cumberbatch is very good in the movie – I’ve never really liked him, so it helps that he’s playing an unlikable character – but better than Isaac? Not to me.
Cool choice by the LAFCA – I’m eager to see that film. More kudos to Indiana for picking Isaac. And I can’t argue with anyone giving Cage some recognition, especially for that film.
Actress:
- CFCA: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- DFWFCA: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- IFJA: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- LAFCA: Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
- NFCS:
- PCA: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- PCC: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- StLFCA: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- UFCA: Emilia Jones, CODA
- WFCC: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
On the other hand, Stewart is easily my #1 in Actress right now, and I’m not sure anyone will seriously threaten her. So if she wins the Oscar – which is looking more and more like a distinct possibility – I’ll be very happy.
I like Utah’s nod for Emilia Jones, though. I had mixed feelings about the film, but she was really good in it.
Supporting Actor:
- CFCA: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
- IFJA: Troy Kotsur, CODA
- LAFCA: (tie) Vincent Lindon, Titane and Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
- NFCS:
- PCA: Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch
- PCC: Mike Faist, West Side Story
- StLFCA: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
- UFCA: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
I will say, Smit-McPhee is really good in that movie. I’d be fine with him winning the Oscar. Wright or Lindon (whom I’ve been going back and forth on as to whether he’s lead or supporting) would be even better, and Kotsur would be nice, but Smit-McPhee is objectively a worthy pick.
Supporting Actress:
- CFCA: Ruth Negga, Passing
- DFWFCA: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
- IFJA: Gaby Hoffmann, C’mon C’mon
- LAFCA: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
- NFCS:
- PCA: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
- PCC: Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
- StLFCA: Ann Dowd, Mass
- UFCA: Ann Dowd, Mass
God bless you, Indiana. That performance was incredibly and has hardly received any attention.
Nothing against DeBose, who’s a fine Anita. Dunst, I felt, was somewhat underserved by her film, but I like her, so I don’t really mind her winning.
Ensemble:
- IFJA: Mass
- NFCS:
- PCA: The French Dispatch
- StLFCA: Mass
Looks like I won’t get to see Mass until the end of the month. Oh well.
Original/Adapted Screenplay:
- CFCA: Licorice Pizza/The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: The Power of the Dog
- IFJA: Mass/Drive My Car
- LAFCA: Drive My Car
- NFCS:
- PCA: The Power of the Dog
- PCC: Licorice Pizza
- StLFCA: Mass/The Power of the Dog
- UFCA: The Mitchells vs. the Machines/CODA
- WFCC: The Power of the Dog
More kudos to Indiana, for having The Last Duel as their runner-up in Adapted. And I love that Utah gave Original Screenplay to The Mitchells, even if CODA was a bad choice for Adapted.
I outright disagree with the acclaim for Dog here; I think the script, for all its strengths, is the weakest part of the film. Nominate it, sure, but it shouldn’t win.
Cinematography:
- CFCA: The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: Dune: Part One
- LAFCA: The Power of the Dog
- NFCS:
- PCA: Dune: Part One
- PCC: The Tragedy of Macbeth
- StLFCA: The Power of the Dog
- UFCA: The Green Knight
Dog is well shot, but Dune is better. (Dune is actually better by virtually every metric, but that’s beside the point.)
Editing:
- CFCA: The French Dispatch
- LAFCA: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- NFCS:
- StLFCA: Last Night in Soho
Huh. Summer of Soul I can see, though I think it could’ve been a little more tightly-structured. Soho I guess is well edited – the problem is really the writing. But neither would come near a win for me. (French Dispatch is at least a decent choice.)
Production Design:
- CFCA: The French Dispatch
- LAFCA: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
- NFCS:
- PCA: Dune: Part One
- StLFCA: The French Dispatch
Barb and Star isn’t even Oscar-eligible this year (it was eligible last year), making this an odd choice for L.A. (Their runner up was Nightmare Alley, a good but not great choice.)
Costume Design:
- CFCA: Spencer
- NFCS:
- PCA: Dune: Part One
- StLFCA: Cruella
I think these are my top three in the category, so…cool. Go team.
Makeup/Hair:
None of these groups had a Makeup category. Boo.
Score:
- CFCA: The Power of the Dog
- DFWFCA: Dune: Part One
- IFJA: The Power of the Dog
- LAFCA: Parallel Mothers
- NFCS:
- PCA: Dune: Part One
- PCC: The Power of the Dog
- StLFCA: Dune: Part One
- UFCA: The Power of the Dog
Chicago gave a nomination to Annette, which was awesome of them. It didn’t win, of course, but it’s better than nothing.
I do think the score in Dog is really good, even if I probably think Spencer is the better of Greenwood’s two scores this year.
Song:
No one had a Best Song category either. So may we start? No, we may not.
Sound:
- NFCS:
- PCA: Dune: Part One
Well, at least the one group who had a Sound category got it right.
Visual Effects:
- CFCA: Dune: Part One
- NFCS:
- PCA: Dune: Part One
- StLFCA: Dune: Part One
Chicago also nominated Annette here, which is awesome.
But really, Dune will win this Oscar by a mile, and deserves to.
Foreign-Language Film:
- CFCA: Drive My Car
- DFWFCA: Drive My Car
- IFJA: Drive My Car
- LAFCA: Petite Maman
- NFCS:
- PCA: The Worst Person in the World
- PCC: Drive My Car
- StLFCA: Drive My Car
- UFCA: Flee
- WFCC: Titane
I figure this is probably Drive My Car‘s Oscar to lose, if it gets nominated. We actually get the shortlists tomorrow, so we’ll see if the Academy manages to drop the ball.
Animated Film:
- CFCA: Flee
- DFWFCA: Encanto
- IFJA: Flee
- LAFCA: Flee
- NFCS:
- PCA: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- PCC: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- StLFCA: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- UFCA: Flee
Encanto is lovely, but The Mitchells is the best of the contenders I’ve seen. I just don’t know when I’ll get to see Flee.
Documentary Film:
- CFCA: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- DFWFCA: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- IFJA: Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
- LAFCA: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- PCA: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- PCC: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
- StLFCA: Flee
- UFCA: The First Wave
- WFCC: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Kurt Vonnegut was from Indianapolis, which explains a lot. I seem to recall the Seattle critics last year gave their Documentary award to an animated timeline of the Mariners’ history. Which is fine – I’d rather each group do their thing rather than just trying to pick the big films of the year.
Having seen Summer of Soul, it’s very good and I don’t mind it being the big winner of the year…but I still think The Sparks Brothers is better. (Objectively. It’s not just because I’m a fan.)
Also, Utah had Flee as their runner-up, which means it came close to pulling off the specialty-category hat trick. Pity.
So that’s what we’ve got for this week. Power of the Dog is, well, the top dog right now. Whether or not I agree is irrelevant. Tomorrow come the Oscar shortlists, and after that, things go quiet for a little while. I may do another one of these posts for the 27th, but I’m not committing to that just yet.
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