NYFCC Obsesses Over Roma
Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 12:33PM 
The New York Film Critics Circle are one of the two most influential groups who pass out critics prizes (the other being their Los Angeles counterparts the LAFCA) during Oscar's preseason. Today the 40+ New York critics made their choices which involve multiple rounds of voting and discussions among the critics attending in the room. They were wild for Roma giving the Mexican black & white memoir the top prize and giving writer/director/producer/editor/director of photography Alfonso Cuarón two additional prizes with Best Director and Best Cinematography.
Their prizes went like so...
Film: Roma
Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Actress: Regina Hall, Support the Girls
It's nice to see support for fine actors in miniscule movies even if they have no prayer of the kudos leading to mainstream nominations (Support the Girls made just $129,000 in release). Hall lost the Gotham Award to Toni Collette in Hereditary so here's a delicious consolation prize for her very well reviewed work as the manager of a 'boobs and burgers' style bar. Hall is also nominated for the Spirit Award for Best Actress.
Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
I will refrain from saying 'told ya so' but why did I get so much flak early in the year when I swore he'd stay the course all year for an Oscar nomination?
Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
A good week to be King since she just won the NBR, too.
Supporting Actor: Richard E Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Richard E Grant is still rising as a formidable Oscar player for this great performance as a promiscuous gay alcoholic man of a certain age.
Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The first of what I suspect will be multiple prizes for this film. I've seen it and am happy to report that it's wonderfully fresh, creative, and funny.
Documentary: Minding the Gap
This Hulu documentary about skateboarders has been winning heaps of praise and various pre-Oscar honors. Can it make the Oscar finalist list of 15 which is coming up soon before the final nominations?
Foreign Film: Cold War (Poland)
Pawel Pawlikoswki's tragic romance about two musicians in the 1960s is shaping up to be Roma's chief competitor for Foreign prizes (and it's also the leader at the European Film Award nominations)
First Film: Bob Burnham for Eighth Grade
Special Award: Kino Classics Box Set "Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers" This is a six disc set with films by Lois Weber, Alice Guy Blaché, Helen Holmes, Mabel Normand, Ida May and many more. Most of the discs are collections of short films but there are a few features too from the late 1920s.
Special Award: David Schwartz, stepping down as Chief Film Curator at Museum of the Moving Image after 33 years
Reader Comments (71)
Melissa McCarthy COME THROUGH! Please, lord.
By the way, does NYFCC announce runners-up? Curious to see the also-rans.
NSFC is my favorite of the critics groups. Less tribal and more iconoclastic than the rest.
I figured ISLE OF DOGS was likely to sweep most of the critics' prizes for animation. Is that a less likely scenario now? I didn't like it nearly as much as I loved THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX myself, so I wouldn't mind another worthy film sneaking in.
You're the master, Nathaniel - calling Hawke as a contender so early on. Good on you! :)
I LOVE it when they announce runners up or when you just hear about it informally.
Ethan Hawke will probably sweep into an Oscar win. I still haven't seen the film, but it sounds like the perfect culmination of a great performance and a respected, long career.
Regina Hall. Wow.
Wow, go Regina x 2!
They're ignoring the Oscar bait so far. Does that mean that The Rider might even have a chance here, too? (Please please please)
Very shades of Cameron Diaz's win in 1998 for There's Something About Mary... Do y'all think Gaga, Close, and Colman split the votes?
Regina Hall? Oh man. Is this what happens when you let Richard Lawson join the club?
@Adam - At first I thought you were talking about Tina Knowles' husband. LOL.
How appropriate the actress and supporting actress winners are named Regina. They are the reigning queens!
Just. Wtf.
Is this "First Reformed" shite really winning screenplay over the brilliance of "The Favourite" ?
I don't necessarily think Regina Hall gave the best performance by a woman actor in a leading role this year (Toni Collette did the damn thing) but I am GAGGING for these major hosannas she's getting. Such a deserving name to bolster.
Tyler - That is who Adam's talking about. And I feel some type of way about it. Nevermind the Gotham and Spirit nods as if she's not worthy. *sideye to your racism. Kudos to Regina Hall. Well deserved.
PFEIFFER not winning SHOCKED (it’s all about politics sadly)
@Morgan - This is who he's talking about: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2141621/richard-lawson
He's the chief film critic for Vanity Fair.
REGINA HALL IS MY MICHELLE PFEIFFER!
King is the early critics fave who''ll lose to Amy Adams.
Richard Lawson is the chief film critic at Vanity Fair, y’all.
Morgan — Tyler’s referring to Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair, who admits to starting a whisper campaign for Hall’s performance among fellow NYFCC voters on this week’s Little Gold Men. I don’t see the problem. She’s a worthy winner and hers isn’t a name you’re going to see ad nauseum this awards season. Why not spread the wealth?
Also Lawson has been in the NYFCC for multiple years by now (he helped David Sims with his application per the Blank Check podcast) so....some people should shut the fuck up?
Both Reginas are 47. Weird.
It's not going the way most thought but Hwke is definietly on his way now,more people are going to watch the screener and it works very well on the small screen.
If i hear about runners up i'll add them but only if its an official thing from one of the members and not a rumor. I miss when they used to share them as part of the announcement.
Regina Hall is the first black actress to win lead at NYFCC.
Ooo baby, you came back just in time! She’s about to get it in with Shakerspere! I have t see. The film but god bless & congratulations to Regina Hall
As surprised as I was by the Hall win, I cheer it and will be excited to see the film. Share the wealth, indeed. There are plenty of prize opportunities at this point for most of the frontrunners and I'm glad to see the top 3 (NYFCC, LAFCC, and NFCC) steering some attention to much smaller films and doing their best to change up the idea that critics' prizes are mere rubber stamps.
Regina Hall is GREAT in Support the Girls; the movie is one of my favorites of the year. It is wonderful to see awards bodies spreading the wealth.
...except in Best Actor and Screenplay, where they can award everything to Hawke and Schrader.
It seems like it's been a long time since a Tier 4 "Longshot" snuck into the conversation. Here's to surprises!
I'm now fairly convinced that Regina Hall will make the Golden Globe Comedy or Musical Actress lineup somehow. With Colman, Blunt, Theron, Wu and Elsie Fischer also in the mix, that category isn't looking as hard to fill out as it initially did in Lady Gaga's absence.
What a great sign for Ethan Hawke. That performance is gut-wrenching in the most quiet ways. I haven't seen everyone yet, but so far that's the best lead actor performance I've seen this year.
Roma is an understandable pick, as it's an excellent film. And Hawke and Schrader deserve every prize. Looking forward to seeing the two Reginas in their award-winning performances!
I see Glenn Close is continuing her long coronation to ... no awards!
Damn.... I always love the New York Film Critics Circle as they always pull out some great surprises. Last year, it was Tiffany Haddish for Best Supporting Actress which was awesome.
This year, Regina Hall and Regina King. The NYFCC always had the balls to award films and actors that offer something and I love them for it. Now let's see what L.A. is going to do.
Okay, okay. I was trippin'. But stil....a bizarre comment.
Nathaniel, do I really have to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? I was hoping to avoid it but if you think it's going to be a contender.
Ethan Hawke was great in First Reformed. The movie and screenplay as a whole, however, are awful.
I thought they would go crazy with The Favourite and Roma would be the big winner with LAFCA.
I know nothing.
Regina Hall at least deserves to be a "possibility" now, right? At least more so than Maggie Gyllenhaal or Julia Roberts. Critics are going wild for her work.
I never expected Glenn Close to do well with the critics awards. She only needs the Globe and the SAG.
I forget how annoying it is to read comments on film sites during this time of year. One group announces their picks and people are suddenly making calls on Oscar nominations lmao.
"This is the end of Close!" or "______ is dead in the water!" Not just here, but I was on awardsdaily earlier and some of the comments really irked me.
Glenn Close was never likely to win critics awards, and it's pretty evident that although it could help, it's not necessary to winning all the big awards and get an Oscar. The Globe, I admit, is iffy, but I honestly think she still has the edge over Gaga. And as long as the SAG goes for her, she's still in the running.
I'm more interested to see who SAG nominates in Best Actress... I could see a Toni Collette or Regina Hall type of nomination.
Best Actress seems like a free-for-all to me right now. I enjoyed Regina Hall but I'm not really getting this level of love. Happy for her anyway. The problem with Close not getting any precursors until the big ones is that the narrative may be set that she's fallen short. Just look at how some on this very blog are falling into that trap already.
No one can be counted in or out inc GaGa and Close remember Madonna did not get in for Evita..
It's tough to separate Gaga's NBR win from their general love of the movie—Top 10 list, Cooper, Elliott. A rising tide lifts all boats, etc. Obviously there was no tide at NYFCC. I'll be impressed if Gaga gets a solo win from an organization.
There's no reason to think HFPA or AMPAS won't go similarly nuts for A Star is Born. But if they don't, hers would be one of the first wins to fall away, IMO. Just based on their other options.
Hayden - I think Cooper's Best Director win would be the first win to fall away.
There are a lot of naysayers here, but I keep thinking about the fact that critics (per Indiewire) ranked Gaga's performance the third best at TIFF.
@Suzanne—I guess you're right, but I'm not predicting Cooper for BD anyway. I would rank Best Actress near the bottom of places where the movie is likely competitive—behind Song, Supporting Actor Editing, and even Picture.
As in, if it wins all those then watch out for Gaga (and Cooper).
i just realised that whenever i hear regina hall i’m thinking regina king
turns out they’ two different people
in other news, i’m an idiot