Critics Choice Noms Analysis: Feinberg’s 5 Biggest Takeaways

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As a film critic with over two decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that this year’s Critics Choice Awards nominations have left me both thrilled and perplexed. On one hand, it’s fantastic to see new talents like Yura Borisov from Anora getting the recognition he deserves. On the other, the absence of Selena Gomez for Emilia Pérez is a mystery that even Sherlock Holmes himself might find hard to crack!

On Thursday morning, it was officially announced that the nominees for the 30th Critics Choice Awards, happening on January 12, 2025, were out. This announcement seems to have validated a notion I’ve had for some time – six films appear to be strong contenders for the 10 best picture Oscar nominations. These six movies have made notable appearances in important places so far, such as on the AFI’s top 10 list, one of the two best picture Golden Globe categories, and now in the Critics Choice best picture race.

In terms of their performance rankings, as determined by the approximately 500 members of the Critics Choice Association (of which I am one), the following films stood out: Focus’ “Conclave” and Universal’s “Wicked,” both with 11 nominations each; Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” and Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part Two,” each receiving 10 nominations; A24’s “The Brutalist” with seven; and Neon’s “Anora” with five. Each of these films also garnered directing and screenplay nominations. With the exception of “Dune: Part Two,” all received at least one acting nomination, and all except “The Brutalist” and “Dune: Part Two” were nominated for ensemble acting awards.

What else did we learn Thursday?

1. The Substance and Nickel Boys are surging across the board

Neither MUBI’s “The Substance” nor Amazon/MGM’s “Nickel Boys” may appeal to everyone – yet, surprisingly, they have resonated with a substantial number of viewers, as evidenced by their impressive performance in recent days, even on a Thursday.

Following its Golden Globe nods for Best Picture, Director (Coralie Fargeat), Screenplay (Fargeat), Actress (Demi Moore) and Supporting Actress (Margaret Qualley), the film “The Substance” has now garnered Critics’ Choice nominations in all those same categories, as well as for hair/makeup and visual effects. I’ve long believed that Demi Moore had a strong chance at an Oscar nod – possibly even a win – for her remarkable performance. However, prior to this week, the film, Fargeat, and Qualley were often considered mid to long shots. Now, they appear increasingly likely to receive Oscar nominations or, at the very least, are on the cusp of receiving them.

The film “Nickel Boys” entered the Critics’ Choice Awards having received only one Golden Globe nomination for best picture, but it had also made AFI’s top 10 list, been nominated for the best feature Spirit Award, and performed exceptionally well with critics groups. (Additionally, RaMell Ross won the best director awards at the Gotham and New York Film Critics Circle, Jomo Fray was awarded best cinematography by the NYFCC and LA Film Critics Association, and Nicholas Monsour won the LAFCA’s best editing award.) Therefore, it wasn’t surprising, but still significant, to see its impressive performance on Thursday — specifically, nominations for picture, director, supporting actress (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), adapted screenplay (Ross), and cinematography.>

The recognition mentioned earlier is causing these movies to be more frequently chosen by Academy members when deciding which films to watch before they cast their votes for the Oscar shortlists in ten categories (deadline is this Friday) and for the nominations themselves (voting takes place from January 8th to January 12th, 2025).

2. A Complete Unknown and Sing Sing look here to stay

The final contender for major awards this season to be shown to voters was “A Complete Unknown,” produced by Searchlight Pictures. Despite its late release, it doesn’t appear to have affected its chances significantly. In fact, it has been included in the top 10 lists of the National Board of Review and AFI, and subsequently earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet), and Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton). It also received similar Critics Choice nominations. I feel confident that it’s a strong contender for a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars, and it’s very close to being nominated for both Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor as well.

In simpler terms, the film “Sing Sing” from A24 has been on a unique journey to its current standing, with some initial doubts about its timing. However, its lead actor, Colman Domingo, has consistently performed well, winning the Gotham Award for Best Lead Performance and getting nominated for equivalent Spirit and Golden Globe awards, strengthening his chances for a second consecutive Oscar nomination. On the other hand, Clarence Maclin, making his major film debut, won the Gotham Award for Best Supporting Performance, was nominated for the equivalent Spirit award, but missed a Golden Globe nomination. This has led to less certainty about his prospects for an Oscar nod. The film itself has received recognition with a nomination for the best feature Spirit Award, appearances on the AFI’s and NBR’s top 10 lists, but failed to secure a best picture Golden Globe nomination, raising some concerns. However, on Thursday, it demonstrated significant strength among Critics Choice voters, earning nominations for picture, actor, supporting actor, acting ensemble, and adapted screenplay, which suggests a resurgence in its chances.

3. A Real Pain and September 5 stumbled

The films “Searchlight’s A Real Pain” and “Paramount’s September 5” were both nominated for the Golden Globe (GG) award for Best Picture, with “A Real Pain” being nominated in the Musical or Comedy category and “September 5” in the Drama category. Interestingly, neither film managed to secure a nomination for Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice (CC) awards. “A Real Pain” did receive CC nominations for Best Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, and Best Picture – Comedy, while “September 5” was only recognized in the categories of Original Screenplay and Film Editing. In addition to these nominations, “A Real Pain” also received GG nods for Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Best Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin), as well as a screenplay nomination for Eisenberg himself.

This suggests that both films remain very much on the best picture Oscar bubble.

4. A number of films are now on life support

The film “Gladiator II” by Paramount is starting to appear as a strong contender primarily in the supporting actor category (Denzel Washington) and certain technical categories, having garnered nominations at the GG Awards for Washington and cinematic/box office performance, and at the CC Awards for Washington, costume design, production design, and visual effects. However, it’s running out of time to demonstrate more significant strength. The only thing that could significantly boost its chances is a SAG Award nomination for either the best ensemble or lead actor (Paul Mescal).

In the meantime, Apple’s “Blitz” and Sony Classics’ “The Outrun,” both starring Saoirse Ronan, were overlooked for Critics Choice nominations. Similarly, Sony Classics’ “The Room Next Door,” featuring Tilda Swinton in the lead role (who was nominated at the Golden Globes and could have benefited from additional momentum), also did not receive a nod. Additionally, “The Apprentice” produced by Briarcliff/Rich Spirit, which had Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong hoping to capitalize on their Golden Globe nominations, were also excluded. Lastly, the Critics Choice Awards overlooked “Babygirl” from A24, despite Nicole Kidman’s Golden Globe-nominated lead actress performance.

5. Other notable hits and misses

In the voting process of the Critics Choice awards, the ballot provided to the voters differs from that of most other organizations as it only allows voters to list or rank three choices per acting category instead of five. This could lead many voters to distribute their selections across different films rather than favoring multiple performers from the same film, especially when they have fewer options. This behavior might be why Selena Gomez, who was nominated for a GG award in the supporting actress category for her role alongside Zoe Saldaña, wasn’t nominated in the corresponding Critics Choice category. Despite the movie receiving ten nominations overall, it is somewhat surprising that Selena Gomez didn’t receive a nod in this category given the apparent fondness of CC voters for the film.

Two other nominees at the GG awards that I believed could gain favor among CC voters, but fell short as well: Felicity Jones from The Brutalist in the supporting actress category and Fernanda Torres from I’m Still Here.

Conversely, Anora’s Yura Borisov, who was earlier this season recognized for his best supporting performance at the Gotham and European Film awards, has now added a CC nomination to his LAFCA win and Spirit and GG nominations. This string of accolades strongly indicates that Borisov is the most likely contender from among the trio of Anora’s supporting actors – Mark Eydelshteyn and Karren Karagulian – to secure an Oscar nomination.

In addition, some notable mentions receiving nods today include: Daniel Craig (for A24’s “Queer”) and Hugh Grant (for A24’s “Heretic”), who, despite uncertain nominations for Best Actor at the GG awards, have now received nominations at the CC awards; Janus/Sideshow’s “Flow,” which followed its nomination for Best Animated Feature at the GG awards with nods for both Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature at the CC awards; IFC’s independent film “Memoir of a Snail,” which also received an equivalent nomination for Best Animated Feature at the CC awards after being nominated at the GG awards; and “Harper and Will Go West,” an original song from Netflix’s “Will & Harper,” which was the only documentary to receive recognition at the CC awards (as documentaries are only eligible for awards at the CC Documentary Awards).

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2024-12-12 23:56