Sunday, December 09, 2007

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

The LAFCA (one of the twin behemoths of critics awards -the other being the NYFCC) are announcing their awards. They're located at ground zero of all things movie, so it's a big deal.


Their choices for best of 2007
Picture: There Will Be Blood
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Very interesting. Nice to see him getting the credit he's deserved since the beginning
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Actress: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Supporting Actor: Vlad Ivanov (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)
Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone and Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)
LA critics like the unsavory characters for their supporting awards --both are total nightmares

Animated -tie: Ratatouille and Persepolis
Two of the year's finest so that's a nice twist
Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)

Cinematography:
Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and Butterfly)
Production Design: Jack Fisk (There Will Be Blood)
Documentary: No End in Sight
New Generation: Sarah Polley (Away From Her)
Smart choice here.
Legacy Award: Milestone Film & Video and Outfest Legacy Project
Douglas Edward Indie Award: Pedro Costa (Collossal Youth)
Music: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (Once)
Sigh. I guess they're only getting a song nomination at the Oscars. It's an easy way to honor a film that a lot of people love.
Career: Sidney Lumet
He could still be your lone wolf directorial nominee for Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, though competition is stiff

Their BEST decrees from years past...
2006 Pic: Letters from Iwo Jima, Dir: Greengrass (United 93), Actor -tie: Whitaker (Last King of Scotland) and Cohen (Borat), Actress: Mirren (The Queen), Supp Actor: Sheen (The Queen), Supp Actress: Gheorghiu (The Death of Mr Lazarescu)
2005 Pic: Brokeback Mountain Dir: Lee (Brokeback Mountain), Actor: Hoffman (Capote), Actress: Farmiga (Down to the Bone), Supp Actor: Hurt (A History of Violence), Supp Actress: Keener (a bunch of movies)
2004 Pic: Sideways Dir: Payne (Sideways), Actor: Neeson (Kinsey), Actress: Staunton (Vera Drake), Supp Actor: Church (Sideways), Supp Actress: Madsen (Sideways)
2003 Pic: American Splendor Dir: Jackson (The Return of the King) Actor: Murray (Lost in Translation), Watts (21 Grams), Supp Actor: Nighy (a bunch of movies), Supp Actress: Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog)
2002 Pic: About Schmidt Dir: Almodovar (Talk to Her) Actor -tie: Nicholson (About Schmidt) and Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York), Actress: Moore (Far From Heaven and The Hours), Supp Actor: Cooper (Adaptation), Supp Actress: Falco (Sunshine State)
2001 Pic: In the Bedroom Dir: Lynch (Mulholland Dr), Actor: Washington (Training Day), Actress: Spacek (In the Bedroom), Supp Actor: Broadbent (Iris and Moulin Rouge!), Supp Actress: Winslet (Iris)
2000 Pic: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dir: Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich and Traffic), Actor: Douglas (Wonder Boys), Actress: Roberts (Erin Brockovich), Supp Actor: Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), Supp Actress: McDormand (Almost Famous and Wonder Boys)
1999 Pic: The Insider Dir: Mendes (American Beauty), Actor: Crowe (The Insider), Swank (Boys Don't Cry), Supp Actor: Plummer (The Insider), Supp Actress: Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry)
1998 Pic: Saving Private Ryan Dir: Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Actor: McKellen (Gods and Monsters), Actress -tie: Montenegro (Central Station) and Sheedy (High Art), Supp Actor -tie: Thornton (A Simple Plan) and Murray (Rushmore), Supp Actress: Allen (Pleasantville)
1997 Pic: LA Confidential Dir: Hanson (LA Confidential) Actor: Duvall (The Apostle), Actress: Bonham-Carter (Wings of the Dove), Supp Actor: Reynolds (Boogie Nights), Supp Actress: Moore (Boogie Nights)

57 comments:

Slayton said...

When exactly are these announced?
I've been up all night waiting because I misunderstood something and thought they were being announced at 5am eastern (2am NZ, where I am).

NATHANIEL R said...

it depends on how fast voting goes...

Anonymous said...

Wow. They have an uncanny skill for calling the one-off Director nominee naming Greengrass, Almodovar, and Lynch.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I was going to say - whoever is named Best Director is pretty much a lock for an Oscar nomination it looks like. Here's hoping it's Andrew Dominick.

Anonymous said...

So far winners according to The Envelope. Is Amy Ryan that good? I haven't seen Gone Baby Gone.

2007 LAFCA Awards

Supporting actress: Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
Supporting actor: Vlad Ivanov, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
Documentary/Non-fiction film: "No End in Sight" directed by Charles Ferguson
Production design:Jack Fisk, "There Will Be Blood"
Music: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, "Once"
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Douglas Edwards Indie Award: "Colossal Youth" directed by Pedro Costa
Career Achievement: Sidney Lumet

Anonymous said...

Ratatouille & Persepolis ties for Animation.

Anonymous said...

Finally Persepolis gets a mention somewhere! Easily the best animated film since Spirited Away - I'm actually surprised Ratatouille is giving it a run for its money this season.

And oh-em-gee for Amy Ryan. I'm officially excited about seeing this performance now - especially as some critics don't feel it's that special (Nathaniel included). Interesting...

Anonymous said...

Re: Vlad Ivanov - this is so LAFCA, like they rewarded Gheorghiu last year in supp actress. It's a serviceable, totally unremarkable performance, why bother mentioning it?

Also I haven't seen Diving Bell yet, but to people who have: is Kaminski's photography on the film that good? It's been such a stellar year for cinematography, I already have 5 award-worthy films on my shortlist: Elswit (Michael Clayton), Gautier (Into the Wild), Lachman (I'm Not There), McGarvey (Atonement) and Savides (American Gangster/Zodiac). Not to mention runners-up like first-timer Ruhe (Control) and Yeoman (The Darjeeling Limited)...

Nick M. said...

Amy Ryan is fine, but whenever I reflect upon her performances this year (Baby and Devil), I keep imagining Rosanna Arquette really taking over the roles.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Amy Ryan is that good. I think that she's solidifying her Oscar nomination today.

Anonymous said...

Best Picture: "There Will Be Blood"
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard
Best Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"

Wow! TWBB gets a big boost!

Anonymous said...

2007 LAFCA Awards

Best Picture: "There Will Be Blood"
Runner-up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Runner-up: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

Actress: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose"
Runner-up:

Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Runner-up: Frank Langella, "Starting Out In The Evening"

Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"
Runner-up:

Supporting actress: Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"

--> Supporting actor: Vlad Ivanov, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
Runner-up:
Foreign language film: "4 MOnths, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
Runner-up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Documentary/Non-fiction film: "No End in Sight" directed by Charles Ferguson
Production design:Jack Fisk, "There Will Be Blood"
Music: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, "Once"
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
New generation: Sarah Polley, "Away From Her"
Douglas Edwards Indie Award: "Colossal Youth" directed by Pedro Costa
Career Achievement: Sidney Lumet

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness.

TWWB desperately needed a swift kick to be a viable Oscar contender.

No way in hell is it going to win, but at least now it could possibly get a nomination.

RC said...

how great...i'm excited to see a list with some variety that's doing it's own thing.

this is good news for PT Anderson, that's for sure.

Anonymous said...

Marion Cotillard! Two critics prizes in a day! Loving the sound of that. Get that Oscar win.

Anonymous said...

NYC Winners- I don't know if anyone can confirm though. I thought they were announcing tommorrow.

Picture - (tie) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly/There Will Be Blood
Actor - Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Actress - Julie Christie (Away from Her)
Director - PT Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
Breakthrough Performer - Ellen Page (Juno)
Debut Director - Sarah Polley (Away from Her)
Ensemble Cast - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Screenplay - The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola)
Documentary - Sicko
Foreign Language - (tie) Lives of Others/Persepolis
Animated - Persepolis
Cinematography - There Will Be Blood (Robert Elswit)
Film Music - There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood)

Top Ten Films:
1 Atonement (Focus Features)
2 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (THINKFilm)
3 The Darjeeling Limited (Fox Searchlight)
4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Miramax)
5 I'm Not There (The Weinstein Company)
6 Juno (Fox Searchlight)
7 Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)
8 No Country for Old Men (Miramax)
9 Persepolis (Sony Pictures Classics)
10 Sweeney Todd (DreamWorks)
11 There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)

NATHANIEL R said...

rc --yes, it is very good news for PTA.

Scott said...

Hey Nat - you've got Cotillard as the LA winner but Awards Daily has Christie. Which is it?

The Jaded Armchair Reviewer said...

What is it with Amy Ryan suddenly winning this rapidly? I'm getting flashbacks of Rachel Weisz's surprise steamroll for some reason.......

NATHANIEL R said...

Tera --the NYFCO is in fact announcing today. But people need to remember that that's NOT the NYFCC (which is the one that gets the mainstream media attention --the east coast counterpart to the LAFCA)

--I hate that they made their name so similar but I suppose it's strategic

NATHANIEL R said...

scott i got my info from THE ENVELOPE which has Cotillard as the winner with ANAMARIA MARINCA as runner up (4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days) --no Julie Christie unless The Envelope has it wrong.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Nat.

Cottilard won but Christie won for NYFCO.

Anonymous said...

I think Awards daily made a mistake Variety is reporting the same thing Nat is.

Awards Daily also has Blood & Diving Bell Tied...same as NYFCO.

gabrieloak said...

Kaminski's photography is certainly fine in Diving Bell and has a lot to do with the film being as effective as it is. But I certainly wouldn't say it's better than the work of the cinematographers for Assassination of Jesse James, Into the Wild, or Lust, Caution.

Anonymous said...

There will be Blood won both - Los Angeles and New York Online, the last one tied with The Diving Bell -.
Marion Cottilard is Los Angeles Best Actress, while New York Online has Christie. That's it.

Anonymous said...

There will be Blood is now as strong contender for Picture and Director,as well as The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. I can easily see both in this final top five for Picture:
No Country for Old Men
There will be Blood
Atonment
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sweeney Todd

Anonymous said...

The awards season is so amazing and exciting! I love it! Christie vs. Cotillard for actress - hasn't been this proper a race in this category since Kidman vs. Zellweger in 2002. That Frank Langella films sounds beautiful. Day-Lewis is back. Amy Ryan surprise steamrolling. PT Anderson, Wes Anderson, Cate Blanchett, Michael Moore, Persepolis, The Savages, Atonement all getting citations. No general consensus. So many great films. Love it love it love it!

I think that NYFCO Top 11 of the year (in alpha order) posted by Tera, pretty much sums up who the major players are this season though.

PS. Daveylow: I've yet to see Jesse James and Lust, Caution but note that Deakins and Prieto's cinematography is exceptional (they almost always are) - looking forward to them both immensely. They'll make it even tougher to choose a final 5 in that category in this vintage year.

Anonymous said...

Amy Ryan is now the new frontrunner for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

adam k. said...

Looks like all the masterpieces are comin' outta the woodwork at the last minute. I hope Nat finds at least one "A" film between Atonement, There Will Be Blood and Sweeney Todd.

Anonymous said...

DC Critics just announced!!:

No Country - Picture, Director, Ensemble
Clooney, Christie, Bardem, Ryan win for acting.
Juno - Screenplay/Page - Breakthrough

4 for 4 for Ryan! Nathaniel, will you be doing those critics charts for this year's race too? It's one of my absolute fave things of awards season seeing your charts with those gorgeous little thumbnail pics and all the info tabulated there.

NATHANIEL R said...

i don't think a couple of critics awards makes anyone a new frontrunner... the thing that matters is consensus. so we'll see what NYFCC says soon and what the smaller cities say... if you hear amy ryan over and over again than it's a steamroller BUT... these things ebb and flow.

if you look at other years there's a conversation that happens.

sometimes the critics agree. sometimes they don't. but it's VERY early.

as to Kaminski's work on DIVING BELL... it's beautiful (Kaminski is always good) but i think why it's getting attention is that it's a character in the film as opposed to just filming it. Rarely are you asked to spend that much time consciously seeing a movie through its lens.

NATHANIEL R said...

amir --i want to but i'm having computer issues. we'll see.

Anonymous said...

Apologies, 4 out of 5 for Ryan so far. Blanchett took NYFCO (good on her too).

Christie and Bardem both 3/5 so far - so we have our critics choice frontrunners. Actor is between Clooney, Day-Lewis and Langella it seems (so far).

Anonymous said...

Washington D.C. Films Critcs:
Picture: No Country for Old Men
Director: The Cohen Brothers
Actor:George Clooney
Actress:Julie Christie
Supporting Actor:Javier Bardem
Supporting Actress:Amy Ryan

Anonymous said...

Cheers Nathaniel, no worries if critics charts not possible this year.

Also, why is Diving Bell so much about the lens? Intriguing. Or is it something I should just wait and see?...

Anonymous said...

Is anyone else beginning to doubt Atonement's nom?

It seems everyone's writing it off as too cold and British.

NATHANIEL R said...

I'm not sure Atonement is in danger but I think it waited way too long to come out. Choosing the week that critics awards are coming out fighting for attention with big Hollywood holiday efforts?

I don't get it. [broken record] Nathaniel: December is not best for every film Hollywood. Learn it! [/broken record]

Pablete said...

Romantic movies, even when they are the best of the year, never get the biggest honors from the critics. "Gone with the Wind" only won a NYFCC prize for Vivien Leigh, and "Casablanca" did not win any. "The English Patient" did not have any luck either, although "The Apartment" and "Shakespeare in Love" won some. Movies that appeal more to our feelings have a better chance among artists, because they usually have an intense sensitivity. Critics rave better the movies that include impresive tecnical elements, but artists usually chose movies that appeal to their hearts for the win.

adam k. said...

I don't think Atonement is in danger at all. It'll probably figure prominently in the Critics Choice awards and also get the most globe noms. Critics awards naturally wouldn't go for it cause it's such an "academy" movie. It's just already assumed that it'll be huge, so why bother.

The academy and globe voters just have to like it, that's all. I have a hard time picturing it NOT being nommed at the globes for pic, director, screenplay, actor, actress, supporting actress, and score.

adam k. said...

I'm also kinda wondering why Nat's been saying nothing about Atonement...

Joe Reid said...

LOVE that Sarah Polley mention. Too much to hope for a screenplay nod, you think? Competition is so stiff.

And yeah, Atonement was never going to figure in the critics' awards, I don't think. Not their type of movie. If it underwhelms w/ the Globes, then it's time to panic.

NATHANIEL R said...

don't worry. i loved atonement i just don't have any time to write about it and i like thinks to "sink in" before i do.

which is why in some ways i'm just not made for awards season where everyone wants to vote on best of the year before the year is up and dozens of movies have yet to come out. i'm so not into that.

Y Kant Goran Rite said...

My favourite award by far out of all these is Mr. Bebe for Best Supporting Actor. And it's awesome that Anamaria Marinca came so close to Best Actress with LAFCA as well (should have won though)

NATHANIEL R said...

hmmm. see, i loved 4 months... but i'm not so sure what's great about that particular performance. The cast was uniformly good but that as the "best" of the year. curious

adam k. said...

Nat, please don't give Juno the B+ when you wouldn't give it to Little Miss Sunshine. No fair.

: P

Anonymous said...

Heh.

Kurtis O said...

I knew I wasn't giving "There Will Be Blood" enough respect, looks like it's cleaning up. But things have been pretty quiet about it, no? It didn't feel huge.

Glenn Dunks said...

Yeah, wait until the SAG nominations. When you know what the ACTORS are going for then you can get a good reading, considering they make up a very very large portion of the Academy. Plus most of the critics groups don't do "top fives" for each category. They name a winner and that's it so it may seem like movies like Atonement or Sweeney Todd are being shut out, when they may have been getting second or third and we're just not hearing it.

Nevertheless - Amy Ryan, TWBB and Diving Bell are the big winners today by a wide margin. I can see Ryan getting a globe nod though not necessarily the win - remember when they nominated people like Hope Davis and Maria Bello that one year for small indie flicks?

Anonymous said...

I think that Kamiński is way too far in your predictions for cinematography, even if Diving Bell and Butterfly isn't big with Oscars. He has already won a couple of awards, including the Golden Frog and the Academy surely like him. I'd be also pleased to see Wolski (I'm Polish and cinematography is probably one of very few things our filmmakers are good at. They can't even choose the best film they've done and that's why "Tricks" isn't in the race).

Anonymous said...

Goran, I'm with Nathaniel on this one too. Loved 4 Months but didn't understand why LAFCA chose Ivanov as the best supporting actor of the year. I mean, really? It wasn't anything special - especially when Hal Holbrook is given runner-up honours (when he IS the best supp actor, for me anyway).

Holbrook needed the boost such a mention would give; Ivanov doesn't even figure in the race seeing as his film doesn't officially come out until 2008.

NATHANIEL R said...

well 4 months did get a one week qualifying run so it is eligible for other Oscars besides foreign film.

and i normally love it when critics organizations ignore "oscar suggestions" when they name their best because really... their job is to name the best, not worry about the Oscars --but I just don't get it with that particular performance. A good one, sure.

anonymous --i know the tech predictions are out of date but again --COMPUTER ISSUES with my program that builds the website.

Anonymous said...

Nat - 4 Months got a qualifying run? When? Where?!

Anonymous said...

Nat, take your time grading Atonement. Especially f you have read the book.

First time i saw it, i gave it an A-. After a rewatch and fully realising just how good the direction and acting was across the board was, i gave it A+.

I'm desperate to see it again.

NATHANIEL R said...

from my understanding 4 MONTHS got one week in LA either last week or this week. can't remember. i saw a press release

Anonymous said...

Amy Ryan just won New York Film Critics Circle! Oscar nomination locked and loaded!

Anonymous said...

What happened to Cate? Congrats to Amy for sweeping all these key critics awards but I have seen both movies and thought Cate did a far better job. In fact, Cate can play Amy's role in "Gone Baby Gone" any time of day, and not vice versa. Anyway, do you think because Cate's role in I'm Not There is not the traditional supporting role and that is what hurting her chances? I am bummed.

Ethan

Anonymous said...

I agree Nathaniel, I like it too when critics groups think outside Oscar-bubble for their acting picks (Nighy, Sarsgaard, M Gyllenhaal, Johansson, Plummer, Moore etc etc etc). I just though Ivanov was a dull pick, especially when there's been so many great performances this year.