Regional Critics Round 4: "The Green Knight" joins the 'Best Film' fray

by Nathaniel R

Previously in the overcrowded circus that is precursor awards, we've had three wins for Power of the Dog (Philadelphia, NY Online, and Boston Online), three for Japan's Drive My Car (NYFCC, LAFCA, and Boston). two wins for Licorice Pizza (Atlanta and NBR), and one each for Cyrano (Detroit), Dune (Sunset Circle), The Lost Daughter (Gothams) and Belfast (DC). 

We got only one "new" Best Picture winner (The Green Knight!) from the latest batch of six critips groups: Chicago, Portland, St Louis, Las Vegas, Southeastern Film Critics, Las Vegas, and the Women Film Critics Circle. You can see the selections from all of those groups after the jump...

CFCA
Chicago Film Critics Association. Founded in 1990. 61 members

Film Power of the Dog
Director Jane Campion, Power of the Dog
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, Power of the Dog
Supporting Actress Ruth Negga, Passing
Supporting Actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, Power of the Dog
Original Screenplay Licorice Pizza
Adapted Screenplay, Power of the Dog
Animated Feature Flee
Documentary Summer of Soul
Foreign Langage Film Drive My Car
Production Design French Dispatch
Cinematography Power of the Dog
Costume Design Spencer
Editing The French Dispatch
Score Power of the Dog
Visual Effects Dune
Most Promising Performer Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Breakthrough Filmmaker Michael Sarnoski, Pig

PCA
Portland Critics Association. Founded in 2021. 10 Members.

"Pig" wins a region-specific prize

This is their first year. Though they didn't stray far afield of the popular Oscar-bound titles, they did offer up two surprise with a stronger than usual love for French Dispatch and a Best Picture award going to The Green Knight. And we're happy to see that they have an Oregon specific prize (regional critics awards really should try to be area specific like this!)

Film The Green Knight
Director Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Supporting Actor Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch
Ensemble The French Dispatch
Screenplay The Power of the Dog
Animated Feature The Mitchells vs the Machines
Documentary Summer of Soul
International Film Worst Person in the World
Cinematography Dune
Score Dune
Costume Design Dune
Production Design Dune
Sound Design Dune
Visual Effects Dune
Stunts/Action Choreography No Time To Die
Comedy French Dispatch
Horror Titane
SciFi Dune
Oregon Feature Pig

StLFCA
St Louis Film Critics Association. Founded in 2012. 20 Members

Mass managed three awards which is a nice surprise.

Film Licorice Pizza
Director Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Nicolas Cage, Pig
Supporting Actress Ann Dowd, Mass
Supporting Actor, Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Ensemble Mass
Original Screenplay Mass
Adapted Screenplay The Power of the Dog
Animated Feature The Mitchells vs the Machines
Documentary Flee
International Film Drive My Car
Cinematography The Power of the Dog
Production Design  The French Dispatch
Costume Design  Cruella
Visual Effects  Dune
Editing  Last Night in Soho
Score Dune
Action Film Shang-Chi
Comedy Licorize Pizza
Horror A Quiet Place Part 2
Best Scene driving in reverse - Licorice Pizza

SEFCA
Southeastern Film Critics Association. Founded in 1992. 62 members.

They were identical to the awards from the Boston Online critics in all but four categories: Ensemble, Documentary, International, and Cinematography.

Film The Power of the Dog
(the rest of their top ten was: 2. Licorice Pizza, 3. Belfast 4. The Green Knight,  5. West Side Story,  6. The French Dispatch,  7. tick,tick...BOOM!,  8. Drive My Car,  9. Dune,  10 Summer of Soul)
Director Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Supporting Actress Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Supporting Actor, Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Ensemble The French Dispatch
Original Screenplay Licorice Pizza
Adapted Screenplay The Power of the Dog
Animated Feature The Mitchells vs the Machines
Documentary Summer of Soul
International Film Drive My Car
Cinematography Dune
Score Dune

LVFCS
Las Vegas Film Critics Society. Founded in 1997. 18 members.

I've personally never understood the impetus of giving a normal prize plus a lifetime achievement prize to the same person in the same year but this has been a semi-frequent bug of awards (from multiple groups) over the years. It happens here with Spielberg.

Film Belfast
(the rest of their top ten: 2. West Side Story 3. The Power of the Dog 4. Licorice Pizza,  5. CODA,  6. tick,tick...BOOM!,  7. King Ricard, 8. Dune,  9 Spencer, 10 Mass)
Director Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
Actress Jessica Chastain, Eyes of Tammy Faye
Actor Nicolas Cage, Pig
Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Supporting Actor, Troy Kotsur, CODA
Ensemble CODA
Original Screenplay Belfast
Adapted Screenplay The Power of the Dog
Animated Feature The Mitchells vs the Machines
Documentary Summer of Soul
International Film Flee
Cinematography West Side Story
Costume Design  Cruella
Production Design  West Side Story
Visual Effects  Dune
Song No Time To Die
Score Spencer
Action Film Nobody
Comedy Don't Look Up
Horror/Sci-Fi Dune
Family Film CODA
Breakout Filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Male Youth Performance Jude Hill, Belfast
Female Youth Performance Emilia Jones, CODA
Lifetime Achievement Award Steven Spielberg

WFCC
Women Film Critics Circle. Founded in 2004. 75 members.
Not specific to any city. The membership is now international.

We only wish they had a traditional "Best Picture" prize so that Passing could finally get that feather in its cap. But kudos to them for loving it since so few groups have acknowledged its existence.

Movie About Women Passing
Movie By a Woman Power of the Dog
Foreign Film By or About Women Titane
Documentary by or About Women  Rita Moreno Just a Girl Who Decided To Go For It
Woman Storyteller (Screenplay) Jane Campion, Power of the Dog
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Will Smith Spencer
Equality of the Sexes King Richard
Animated Female Mirabel, Encanto
Screen Couple Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson, Passing
Adrienne Shelley Award (Movie opposing violence against women) Last Night in Soho
Josephine Baker Award (Movie best expressing the WOC experience) Passing
Karen Morley Award (Movie exemplifying a woman's place in history) Passing
Acting and Activism Award Dolly Parton
Lifetime Achievement Award Betty White

Special Awards (for some reason these are juried -- which we assume means not voted on by the entire organization) and each has two winners

Female Action Hero -Sandra Bullock, Unforgivable / Sandra Oh, The Chair
Courage in Filmmaking - Julia Ducournau Titane / Sian Heder, CODA
Courage in Acting (radically redefining images of women onscreen) - Halle Berry, Bruised / Sandra Bullock, Unforgiveable
Women's Work Ensemble Cast Kathyrn Hunter as The Three Witches: Tragedy of Macbeth / King Richard
Invisible Woman Award (Supporting Performance with exceptional impact that have been ignored)  Danielle Feadwyler, The Harder They Fall / Rae Dawn Chong, The Sleeping Negro
Women Saving Themselves Award A Quiet Place Part 2 / Holler
Best Kept Secret - Overlooked Gems Mama Weed / Small Time
Outstanding Series (TV or Streaming) Lovecraft Country / The Handmaid's Tale
Mommie Dearest - Worst Screen Mom of the Year Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter

Comments

[Mr Ripley79]

Could Nicolas Cage be the in that 5th spot that seems like it could go to anyone if you feel Denzel,Bendedict,Andrew and Will are in.

[Frank Zappa]

This Flee vs Summer of Soul/Flee vs The Mitchells vs the Machines situation is already making me anxious...similar anxiety with DeBose vs Negga vs Dunst vs Mass ladies...

[Lucky]

Woah Kristen Stewart.

[choog]

I think supporting actress is going to be a lot of fun this year! So much talent recognised already. Ruth Negga is absolutely singular in beauty and talent. Poised (I hope!) for a small gold man.

[Fadhil]

Kristen is SWEEPING.
The frontrunner for supporting actress is hopefully Dunst?!

And HOW IS SANDRA OH IN THE CHAIR AN ACTION STAR?
How come the Adrienne Shelley own doc lose to Soho in that category??
Not King Richard being called a sex equality champion??? LMFAO

[McGill]

I loved The Green Knight and am happy it’s getting some recognition.

I saw it early in my return to live cinemas and I was afraid I would have lost any ability to concentrate for an uninterrupted viewing. But I was with it every step of the way, each unexpected different woooo what now step.

Some moments just took my breath away.