The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced its nominees for the 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Friday, January 14, 2011. This year’s event will again take place at the Hollywood Palladium and VH1 will broadcast the event live.
Interest in the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards has grown because they have become an accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations. According to the press release: "All four major acting category winners at the Academy Awards in 2010 were first Critics’ Choice Movie Awards winners in the same categories and were present at the January 15, 2010 ceremony to graciously give their first acceptance speeches of the awards season. The BFCA also recognized 'The Hurt Locker' for Best Picture and Kathryn Bigelow as Best Director, making her the first female to win the award. 'The Hurt Locker' and Bigelow also went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, but were both overlooked at the Golden Globes."
If these are a good prediction of the Oscars then it looks to be another bland awards season. It's not that these films are bad but it's a predictable lot without highlighting some fine indie work. The closest we get to a true indie is "Winter's Bone" but no mention of Tilda Swinton for "I am Love" or Patricia Clarkson for "Cairo Time," or "44 Inch Chest" or "Four Lions." Plus no "Machete," no "Ondine," no "Scott Pilgrim." I understand those not nabbing any of the main categories but what about cinematography for "Machete's" perfectly realized 70s grindhouse look or "Scott Pilgrim's" great sound design? I may be a voting member in the organization but I am certainly in the minority for the films I'd like to see nominated.
But here are the nominations. Maybe it will get you ruminating about what films you liked this year or what films you'll want to seek out over the holidays. The San Diego Film Critics Society will also be announcing its nominations and awards this week. Meanwhile, "The Social Network" has been gathering up other film critic groups' awards.
BEST PICTURE
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"Inception"
"The King’s Speech"
"The Social Network"
"The Town"
"Toy Story 3"
"True Grit"
"Winter’s Bone"
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – “True Grit”
Robert Duvall – “Get Low”
Jesse Eisenberg – “The Social Network”
Colin Firth – “The King’s Speech”
James Franco – “127 Hours”
Ryan Gosling – “Blue Valentine”
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman – “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman – “Black Swan”
Noomi Rapace – “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Michelle Williams – “Blue Valentine”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale – “The Fighter”
Andrew Garfield – “The Social Network”
Jeremy Renner – “The Town”
Sam Rockwell – “Conviction”
Mark Ruffalo – “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush – “The King’s Speech”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter – “The King’s Speech”
Mila Kunis – “Black Swan”
Melissa Leo – “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld – “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver – “Animal Kingdom”
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – “Somewhere”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Winter’s Bone”
Chloe Grace Moretz – “Let Me In”
Chloe Grace Moretz – “Kick-Ass”
Kodi Smit-McPhee – “Let Me In”
Hailee Steinfeld – “True Grit”
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
"The Fighter"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The King’s Speech"
"The Social Network"
"The Town"
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky – “Black Swan”
Danny Boyle – “127 Hours”
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – “True Grit”
David Fincher – “The Social Network”
Tom Hooper – “The King’s Speech”
Christopher Nolan – “Inception”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Another Year” – Mike Leigh
“Black Swan” – Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin
“The Fighter” – Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson)
“Inception” – Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right” – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
“The King’s Speech” – David Seidler
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“127 Hours” – Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
“The Social Network” – Aaron Sorkin
“The Town” – Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Sheldon Turner
“Toy Story 3” – Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
“True Grit” – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter’s Bone” – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“127 Hours” – Anthony Dod Mantle
“Black Swan” – Matthew Libatique
“Inception” – Wally Pfister
“The King’s Speech” – Danny Cohen
“True Grit” – Roger Deakins
BEST ART DIRECTION
“Alice in Wonderland” – Stefan Dechant
“Black Swan” – Therese DePrez and Tora Peterson
“Inception” – Guy Hendrix Dyas
“The King’s Speech” – Netty Chapman
“True Grit” – Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh
BEST EDITING
“127 Hours” – Jon Harris
“Black Swan” – Andrew Weisblum
“Inception” – Lee Smith
“The Social Network” – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Alice in Wonderland” – Colleen Atwood
“Black Swan” – Amy Westcott
“The King’s Speech” – Jenny Beavan
“True Grit” – Mary Zophres
BEST MAKEUP
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Black Swan"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"
"True Grit"
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"
"Inception"
"Tron: Legacy"
BEST SOUND
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"Inception"
"The Social Network"
"Toy Story 3"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"Despicable Me"
"How to Train Your Dragon"
"The Illusionist"
"Tangled"
"Toy Story 3"
BEST ACTION MOVIE
"Inception"
"Kick-Ass"
"Red"
"The Town"
"Unstoppable"
BEST COMEDY
"Cyrus"
"Date Night"
"Easy A"
"Get Him to the Greek"
"I Love You Phillip Morris"
"The Other Guys"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Biutiful"
"I Am Love"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Exit Through the Gift Shop"
"Inside Job"
"Restrepo"
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"
"The Tillman Story"
"Waiting for Superman"
BEST SONG
“I See the Light” – performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi/written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater – Tangled
“If I Rise” – performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong – 127 Hours
“Shine” – performed and written by John Legend – Waiting for Superman
“We Belong Together” – performed and written by Randy Newman – Toy Story 3
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet” – performed by Cher/written by Diane Warren – Burlesque
BEST SCORE
“Black Swan” – Clint Mansell
“Inception” – Hans Zimmer
“The King’s Speech” – Alexandre Desplat
“The Social Network” – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“True Grit” – Carter Burwell
