With today's announcement of the Los Angeles Film Critics Associations winner the die is set for critics awards. People can argue until pigs fly about whether and how and to what extend critics awards affect Oscar voters but here is a fairly universal consensus among people in the know: these things only matter to the extent they convince voters to attend that particular screening or put that specific screener on top of their to-watch stack. And the two critics groups that voters hear most about and are thus most likely to be influenced by are the two most prestigious coastal giants, LAFCA and NYFCC (who already announced with Carol winning big).
Will Oscar voters take MAD MAX: FURY ROAD seriously or just think "action film"
LAFCA 2015 Winners
Film Spotlight (ru: Mad Max: Fury Road)
Director George Miller, Mad Max Fury Road (ru: Todd Haynes, Carol)
Actress Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years (ru: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn)
Actor Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs (ru: Geza Rohrig, Son of Saul)
Supporting Actress - Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina (ru: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria)
Supporting Actor - Michael Shannon, 99 Homes (ru: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies)
More and a very cool bit of trivia after the jump via Joe Reid...
Screenplay Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy for Spotlight (ru: Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa)
Production Design -Colin Gibson for Mad Max: Fury Road (ru: Judy Becker, Carol)
Cinematography -John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale (ru: Ed Lachman for Carol)
Editing Hank Corwin for The Big Short (ru: Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road)
Score - Carter Burwell for Anomalisa & Carol (ru: Ennio Morricone for Hateful Eight)
Documentary - Amy (ru: Look of Silence)
Animated Film - Anomalisa (ru: Inside Out)
Foreign Film -Son of Saul (ru: The Tribe)
New Generation - Ryan Coogler (the director of Creed)
The most fascinating thing about LAFCA's final results is that given the way they fell we have a pre-season like maybe none other. People have been saying that this season feels far more in flux than it usually does at this point and that's totally true. Joe Reid gets a lot more specific and makes this awesome realization about how special this open race really is...
Such great variety from NBR/NYFCC/LAFCA this year. Picture: Mad Max / Carol / Spotlight Director: Scott / Haynes / Miller ...
— Joe Reid (@joereid) December 6, 2015
... Actor: Damon / Keaton / Fassbender Actress: Larson / Ronan / Rampling ...
— Joe Reid (@joereid) December 6, 2015
S Actor: Stallone / Rylance / Shannon S Actress: Leigh / Stewart / Vikander
— Joe Reid (@joereid) December 6, 2015
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The last time the three organizations split on everything was was way back in 1988 over 25 years ago.
NYFCO
New York Film Critics online, not to be confused with the venerable NYFCC, first launched in 2000... just before the avalanche of new groups began to fall (at last count there were well over 30 and the US doesn't need that many critics groups doing the same thing). By 2015 it's gotten so insane that we decided last year to stop following any group that arrived post 2001. New York City is our home base and we love a few members but...
Today's release of their finalist list was so horrifying that it's now difficult to take them seriously at all. In short, whoever voted for Cate Blanchett AND Rooney Mara as supporting actresses in Carol should be banned from internet connectivity until the end of time. Listen people are confused these days about what "supporting" means (even though it's not super difficult) but it sure as shit does not mean "protagonists".
If we don't laugh about it we'll cry so let's play along...
This just in. Category Fraud Reveal: Kyle Chandler is actually the lead of CAROL. it's all just Harge's girl-on-girl fever dream.
— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) December 6, 2015
NYFCO Winners
Picture Spotlight
Director Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Animated Feature Inside Out (ru: Anomalisa)
Foreign Film Son of Saul (ru: Mustang)
Documentary Amy (ru: Look of Silence)
Actor Paul Dano for Love and Mercy (ru: Johnny Depp for Black Mass)
Actress Brie Larson for Room (ru: Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn)
Supporting Lead Actress Rooney Mara for Carol (ru: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs)
Supporting Actor Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies (ru: Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight)
Ensemble Spotlight
Breakthrough Performance Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl and Ex Machina
Screenplay Spotlight
Cinematography Mad Max Fury Road
Debut Director Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Use of Music Love and Mercy
4 prizes for SPOTLIGHT today from NYFCO... and every Best Picture prize today from NYFCO, BSFC, and LAFCA
Top Ten
45 Years
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Spotlight
Steve Jobs
Trumbo
HOW ARE YOU FEELING AFTER THIS CRITICS PRIZE FILLED DAY?