Thursday morning’s announcement of the movie nominees for the thirtieth Critics Choice Awards, which can happen on Jan. 12, 2025, confirmed one thing that I’ve lengthy suspected to be the case: there at the moment are six titles which are all however sure to land among the many 10 finest image Oscar nominees, based mostly on the truth that they’ve proven up nearly in all places that issues up to now — together with, however not restricted to, on the AFI’s prime 10 record, in one of many two finest image Golden Globe classes and now within the Critics Choice finest image race.
They are, so as of how they carried out with the roughly 500 voting members of the Critics Choice Association (of which I’m one): Focus’ Conclave and Universal’s Wicked (which led the CC subject with 11 noms every); Netflix’s Emilia Pérez and Warners’ Dune: Part Two (10 noms every); A24’s The Brutalist (seven); and Neon’s Anora (5). Each additionally acquired directing and screenplay noms. All however Dune: Part Two acquired at the least one performing nom. And all however The Brutalist and Dune: Part Two acquired performing ensemble noms.
What else did we be taught Thursday?
1. The Substance and Nickel Boys are surging throughout the board
Neither MUBI’s The Substance nor Amazon/MGM’s Nickel Boys are for everybody — however, it seems, they’re for sufficient folks to have carried out very strongly, of late, together with Thursday.
The Substance, on the heels of Golden Globe noms for finest image, director (Coralie Fargeat), screenplay (Fargeat), actress (Demi Moore) and supporting actress (Margaret Qualley), landed CC noms in all of those self same classes, plus hair/make-up and visible results. I’ve all the time felt that Moore stood a robust shot at an Oscar nom — and perhaps even a win — for her tour de pressure efficiency, however heading into this week, the movie, Fargeat and Qualley had been extensively thought to be mid to lengthy pictures. They now need to be seen as probably Oscar nominees, or at the least proper on the bubble of noms.
Nickel Boys, in the meantime, got here into the CC noms having netted just one GG nom — albeit for finest image — nevertheless it additionally made the AFI’s prime 10 record, was nominated for the perfect characteristic Spirit Award and had carried out significantly effectively with critics teams. (Among different recognition, RaMell Ross received the perfect director Gotham and New York Film Critics Circle awards; Jomo Fray was awarded finest cinematography NYFCC and LA Film Critics Association awards; and Nicholas Monsour received LAFCA’s finest enhancing award.) So it wasn’t a shock, however was nonetheless notable, to see simply how effectively it did Thursday — specifically, noms for image, director, supporting actress (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), tailored screenplay (Ross) and cinematography.
All of the aforementioned recognition is leading to these movies being more and more prioritized by Academy members as they weigh which movies to look at earlier than they vote for Oscar shortlists in 10 classes (ballots are due Friday) and for precise nominations (voting will run Jan. 8-Jan. 12, 2025).
2. A Complete Unknown and Sing Sing look right here to remain
The final of this season’s massive awards hopefuls to display screen for voters was Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown, however its late unveiling doesn’t appear to have harm its prospects. Indeed, on the heels of snagging spots on the National Board of Review’s and AFI’s prime 10 lists, it garnered GG noms for finest image, actor (Timothée Chalamet) and supporting actor (Edward Norton), after which acquired those self same three Critics Choice noms. My sense is that, when it comes to Oscars, the movie is a slam dunk for a finest actor nom, and is true on the bubble for finest image and supporting actor noms.
I might really say the very same factor for the Oscar prospects of A24’s Sing Sing, although its path up to now has been very completely different (my concern was that it might have been launched too early). Colman Domingo received the perfect lead efficiency Gotham Award and has been nominated for the equal Spirit and Golden Globe awards, so he’s persistently appeared stable for a second consecutive Oscar nom. Clarence Maclin, for his first main movie function, received the perfect supporting efficiency Gotham Award and has been nominated for the equal Spirit award, however missed a Golden Globe nom, so I’ve felt much less assured about his Oscar prospects. And the movie itself was nominated for the perfect characteristic Spirit Award and secured spots on the AFI’s and NBR’s prime 10 lists, however missed a finest image Globe nom, so it was trying a bit shaky too. Thursday, although, it confirmed main energy with CC voters, with noms for image, actor, supporting actor, performing ensemble and tailored screenplay.
3. A Real Pain and September 5 stumbled
Searchlight’s A Real Pain and Paramount’s September 5 each had been GG nominees for finest image (musical/comedy and drama, respectively), and A Real Pain additionally acquired GG noms for finest musical/comedy actor (Jesse Eisenberg), supporting actor (Kieran Culkin) and screenplay (Eisenberg). Both, nonetheless, missed finest image CC noms. A Real Pain registered just for finest supporting actor, authentic screenplay and comedy, whereas September 5 confirmed up just for authentic screenplay and movie enhancing.
This means that each movies stay very a lot on the perfect image Oscar bubble.
4. Quite a lot of movies at the moment are on life help
Paramount’s Gladiator II is more and more trying like an Oscar nomination chance for less than supporting actor (Denzel Washington) and a few below-the-line classes, having acquired GG noms for less than Washington and cinematic/field workplace achievement, and now CC noms for less than Washington, costume design, manufacturing design and visible results. It’s working out of time to indicate larger energy — at this level, the one factor that will sign a significant enchancment of its prospects could be a SAG Award nom for finest ensemble and/or lead actor Paul Mescal.
Apple’s Blitz can also be struggling to achieve traction — after being completely neglected by GG voters, its solely CC nom was for finest younger actor/actress (Elliott Heffernan).
Meanwhile, completely shut out from the Critics Choice noms had been Sony Classics’ The Outrun and The Room Next Door (lead actresses Saoirse Ronan and GG nominee Tilda Swinton, respectively, may have used a shot of momentum); Briarcliff/Rich Spirit’s The Apprentice (lead actor Sebastian Stan and supporting actor Jeremy Strong had been hoping to construct on their GG noms); and A24’s Babygirl (it was considerably stunning that the GG-nominated lead actress Nicole Kidman missed right here).
5. Other notable hits and misses
CC voters are offered with a nominating poll that appears completely different from the nominating poll of most different organizations — it invitations them to record/rank solely three selections per performing class, moderately than 5, although there are in the end six nominees for every performing race. I believe that this ends in many citizens spreading their slots amongst performers from completely different movies, moderately than allocating a number of slots to performers from the identical movie, which they’d be likelier to do if that they had extra slots. If I’m appropriate, that may clarify the absence of Emilia Pérez’s GG-nominated Selena Gomez from the supporting actress CC class by which her costar, Zoe Saldaña, was nominated. Given CC voters’ apparent affection for the movie — once more, it acquired 10 noms — it’s somewhat stunning to not see her there.
Two different GG nominees who I assumed CC voters may embrace, however who additionally got here up brief: The Brutalist’s supporting actress Felicity Jones and I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres.
On the flip aspect, Anora‘s Yura Borisov, who was earlier this season nominated for finest supporting efficiency on the Gotham and European Film awards, has now adopted his finest supporting efficiency LAFCA win and Spirit and GG noms with a CC nom. This all however confirms that Borisov has emerged from the trio of Anora supporting actors — the others being Mark Eydelshteyn and Karren Karagulian — because the one with the perfect shot at touchdown an Oscar nom.
Also getting a lift right now: Daniel Craig (A24’s Queer) and Hugh Grant (A24’s Heretic), who, on the heels of far-from-assured finest actor GG noms, nabbed far-from-assured CC noms; Janus/Sideshow’s Flow, which adopted its finest animated characteristic GG nom with CC noms for each finest animated characteristic and finest worldwide characteristic; IFC’s indie Memoir of a Snail, which additionally adopted its finest animated characteristic GG nom with an equal CC nom; and “Harper and Will Go West,” an authentic tune from Netflix’s Will & Harper, which was the one documentary to obtain CC recognition (doc movies themselves are solely eligible on the CC Documentary Awards).
