Criddic's Picks
BEST PICTURE
Belfast
Dune
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick...Boom!
West Side Story
BEST DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Julia Decournau, Titane
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tick, Tick...Boom!
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
This is Branagh's second nod for directing, after winning for Hamlet (1996). Campion was nominated for The Piano (1993). Decournau and Miranda are new. Spielberg, on his 15th directing nomination, wins his 7th Criddic award in this category!
BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage, Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick...Boom!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Cage finally makes it onto the ballot after years of close misses. Cumberbatch has been nominated previously for The Imitation Game (2014).
Smith is on his third nomination, having won for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and been up for Concussion (2015). Washington is on his 8th acting nomination, winning thrice: in support for Glory (1989) and lead for Courage Under Fire and Fences (2016). Garfield wins for a revelatory dramatic and musical performance. He had been nominated in lead for Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and won support for his role in The Social Network (2010).
BEST ACTRESS
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Emilia Jones, CODA
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Tessa Thompson, Passing
Colman won last year for her supporting role in The Father and was nominated previously in support for The Favourite (2018).
Cruz has been here before for another Almodovar film, Volver (2006). Kidman has been listed in lead for The Others (2001) and support for Boy Erased (2018). Thompson is on her first. Jones, also on her first, is our winner.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mike Faist, West Side Story
Jason Isaacs, Mass
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
In a bit of unusual schedule shuffling, last year's Oscar-winner Kaluuya is the only acting beneficiary of the Covid-inspired eligibility listing. Criddic did not change the calendar acceptance arrangement and did not coincide with Oscar patterns. He was the recipient of the lead actor award for Get Out (2017). Everyone else is new to Criddic, with Kotsur edging out his competition.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Ann Dowd, Mass
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Ruth Negga, Passing
Dowd was mentioned here for Compliance (2012). Dunst makes a long-anticipated return after her breakout win for Interview with the Vampire (1994), nearly two decades ago. Ellis and Negga are new to BKM. Newcomer DeBose takes the prize.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast
C'mon, C'mon
Don't Look Up
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mass
Mills is on his first. McKay was nommed in adapted for The Big Short (2015). Berson, King and Lucas are new. So is Kranz.
Branagh won the adapted screenplay award, somewhat controversially for Hamlet (1996) and takes the original category for a deeply personal work.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick... Boom!
West Side Story
Everyone is new here, except Kuschner and Campion. Kushner was nominated for Lincoln. Campion lost both of her previous bids for The Piano (1993) and Bright Star (2009), but third time's the charm.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Encanto
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Ron's Gone Wrong
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Flee
Pray Away
The Rescue
Summer of Soul
Val
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Drive My Car (Japan)
Flee (Denmark)
Parallel Mothers (Spain)
Petite Maman (France)
Titane (Belgium)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The French Dispatch
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
The Green Knight
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Coming 2 America
Cruella
The Green Knight
The Harder They Fall
West Side Story
BEST FILM EDITING
Belfast
The Harder They Fall
No Time to Die
Spider-Man: No Way Home
West Side Story
BEST MAKEUP
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
No Time to Die
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Annette
Dune
Encanto
The Green Knight
The Power of the Dog
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"So May We Start" from Annette
"Down to Joy" fromBelfast
"Beyond the Shore" from CODA
"Guns Go Bang" from The Harder They Fall
"No Time to Die" from No Time to Die
BEST SOUND EDITING
Black Widow
Dune
The Green Knight
No Time to Die
A Quiet Place, Part II
BEST SOUND MIXING
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
Tock, Tick... Boom!
West Side Story
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Free Guy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Godzilla vs. Kong
Spider-Man: No Way Home
BEST PICTURE
Da 5 Bloods
Minari
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The Trial of the Chicago 7
BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Regina King, One Night in Miami
Spike Lee, Da 5 Bloods
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
--Everyone nominated is new except Spike Lee, who won this category two years ago for BlacKkKlansman.
BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
-- Possibly the toughest category for me this year. All wonderful performances. Boseman's death adds poignancy to his nomination, but I went with the legendary Hopkins doing some of his best work. Hopkins is actually a two-time winner in this category, having won for The Silence of the Lambs and Nixon (with another win in support for Amistad). Ahmed was nominated a few years ago for his supporting role in Nightcrawlers. Patel won in support for Lion.
BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis,
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Diane Lane, Let Him Go
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Elizabeth Moss, The Invisible Man
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
-- Davis won in support for Doubt (2008) and Fences (2016). Lane was nominated for Unfaithful (2002). McDormand won here for Fargo (1996) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). Mulligan as nominated for An Education (2009) and in support for Shame (2011).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods
Billy Crystal, Standing Up, Falling Down
Bill Murray, On the Rocks
Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
-- I debated whether this would seem too calculated. In my defense, I did very much like Boseman's performance when I saw the film so I'm not merely giving this as a consolation prize. However, I was so strongly moved by Hopkins in The Father that I felt I couldn't resist awarding him in lead over Boseman. His role is what a true supporting part should be, and he gives Da 5 Bloods some its best emotional scenes.
Some will wonder about the choice of nominating Crystal. I think it's his best work in years, and some scenes resonated with me since I was close with someone who had been diagnosed with clinical depression -- something that affects his character's life in the film. Murray was nominated here in support for Get Low and won in lead for Lost in Translation.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Candice Bergen, Let Them All Talk
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Olivia Coleman, The Father
Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari
Helena Zengel, News of the World
-- Coleman was nominated here for The Favourite, though she won the Oscar for lead that year. Everyone else is on their first nomination.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Father
News of the World
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The Personal History of David Copperfield
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mank
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Boys State
Crip Camp
The Social Dilemma
Time
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Another Round (Sweden)
The Disciple (India)
I Carry You with Me (Mexico)
The LIfe Ahead (Italy)
Night of the Kings (Ivory Coast)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Da 5 Bloods
Gretel & Hansel
Minari
News of the World
Nomadland
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Emma
Enola Holmes
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
The Personal History of David Copperfield
BEST FILM EDITING
The Father
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7
BEST MAKEUP
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Emma
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Pinocchio
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Blizzard of Souls
Mank
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Soul
Wolfwalkers
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"The Square Root of Possible," from Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
"Lo Si (Seen)," from The Life Ahead
"Rain Song," from Minari
"Speak Now," from One Night in Miami
"Rocket to the Moon," from Over the Moon
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
News of the World
The Personal History of David Copperfield
BEST SOUND EDITING
Greyhound
The Invisible Man
Mulan
Tenet
Wonder Woman 1984
BEST SOUND MIXING
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Greyhound
The Invisible Man
Love & Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Sonic the Hedgehog
AUDIENCE AWARD (voted on by the public):
The Invisible Man
Minari
Palm Springs
Promising Young Woman
Soul
___________________________________________________________________
TALLY:
7 Nominations:
News of the World (0 wins)
6 Nominations:
Nomadland (3 wins)
5 Nominations:
Da 5 Bloods (1 win)
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (0 wins)
Mank (0 wins)
Minari (Audience Award)
One Night in Miami (1 win)
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2 wins)
4 Nominations:
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3 wins)
The Father (2 wins)
3 Nominations:
Greyhound (1 win)
The Invisible Man (1 win)
Jingle Jangle (0 wins)
Sound of Metal (1 win)
Soul (2 wins)
2 Nominations:
Emma (0 wins)
The Life Ahead (0 wins)
Mulan (0 wins)
Over the Moon (0 wins)
Wolfwalkers (0 wins)
