Category: Precursors
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Precursor: 9th Detroit Critics Nominations (2015)
This is, to date, the most idiosyncratic set of nominations we’ve seen. Brooklyn has its best showing to date, but when a significant portion of the nominees selected aren’t going to compete very well at the Oscars, this list can be taken merely as it is: a group of critics’ choices, not a group of…
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Precursor: 73rd Golden Globe Nominations (2015)
Nominations were announced by America Ferrera, Chloe Grace Moretz, Angela Bassett, Dennis Quaid. After much waiting and surfing to find the final list (since the Globes website still hasn’t posted the nominations), I finally have a complete list. Below are my comments on the nominations. Comments on nominations so far: Animated Feature: this seems to…
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Precursor: 22nd Screen Actors Guild Nominations (2015)
In a very uncharacteristic move, the Screen Actors Guild has gone so far away from the current Oscar narrative that either they will redefine the competition or they’ll be thought entirely irrelevant. Harvey Weinstein’s influence is clear with both the Woman in Gold nomination and the category fraud of Rooney Mara. Trumbo did surprisingly well,…
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Oscar Preview: Precursor Winners & Losers, Week 2
As the precursor awards continue unabated until Oscar night, I’m going to be providing a weekly update highlighting the films that have won and lost momentum through the precursor awards (and in some cases other outside influences). The flood of precursors has been with some of the big names in criticism weighing in with their…
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Precursor: 14th DC Critics Awards (2015)
Another victory for Spotlight gives the film a strong edge at an Oscar nomination. However, Mad Max: Fury Road earned more awards than any other film, giving it a nice boost. Leonardo DiCaprio’s prize will help him towards Oscar and Saoirse Ronan is quietly becoming the actress to beat. Award Tallies (3) Mad Max: Fury…
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Precursor: 19th Online Critics Nominations (2015)
The Online Film Critics have presented its annual semi-eclectic list of nominees, with several frontrunners peppered with occasional niche choices that may not get very far with Oscar. Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian get significant boosts as does the category frauds of Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander. Nominations Tallies (6) Carol, Sicario…
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Precursor: 58th Grammy Awards Nominations (2015)
The Grammy nominations have released and, to no one’s surprise, it’s heavy on 2014 films with only two Compilation Soundtrack nominations from 2015 and none from Score Soundtrack. The good news is that the Song nominees are predominantly 2015 entries, though they aren’t your typical Oscar competitors, so it may not be very instructive in…
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Precursor: 36th Boston Critics Awards (2015)
Rack up another award for Spotlight, muted by a Best Director win for Todd Haynes and Carol. Charlotte Rampling gets more attention, as do Mark Rylance and Kristen Stewart. Paul Dano gets another win in lead actor, tying with Leonardo DiCaprio, his first award of the season. Award Tallies (2) Carol, Spotlight The Awards
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Precursor: 14th New York Online Critics Awards (2015)
What is shaping up to be a battle between Spotlight and Mad Max: Fury Road at the critics awards has earned Spotlight another top prize, taking more awards than it has so far. Rooney Mara gets gerrymandered in support in spite of being the co-lead of her film, while Mark Rylance picks up another trophy.…
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Precursor: 41st Los Angeles Critics Awards (2015)
Winning one other award, Spotlight came out on top of this year’s L.A. Film Critics Awards, with Mad Max: Fury Road as runner-up and three other prizes of its own. Michael Fassbender gets some love, as does Charlotte Rampling. Rampling needs the attention to get an Oscar nomination, Fassbender doesn’t. Michael Shannon and Alicia Vikander…
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Precursor: 14th DC Critics Nominations (2015)
The DC Film Critics have bestowed their nominations with Carol and Mad Max: Fury Road earning the most nominations with 7 each, including the gerrymandered Rooney Mara in support for her co-lead role. Brooklyn had a good day, as did The Revenant, which hadn’t gotten a lot of love before today. Spotlight got a Best…
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Precursor: 4th Boston Online Critics Awards (2015)
Another critics group has been topped by Mad Max: Fury Road. We’ll have to wait to see if there’s a trend. Notably absent are The Revenant, Joy, and The Hateful Eight, all major awards players that screened late in the game. They may be able to overcome these issues, but the early-year competition might be…
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Precursor: 81st New York Critics Awards (2015)
The New York Film Critics Circle have announced their annual awards with Carol dominating the proceedings with four awards including Best Picture, Director and Screenplay. No other film scored more than one award. Of note is that Michael Keaton was bumped to lead for Spotlight even though he’s being campaigned in support. Kristen Stewart manages…
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Precursor: 20th Satellite Awards Nominations (2015)
In spite of a website showing that their nominations announcement would be made tomorrow, they’ve announced early. As usual, the International Press Academy doesn’t know how to stick to their own rules. As to the nominations? Well, they are like Golden Globes nominations back before the Globes got serious about selecting the best films of…
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Precursor: 87th National Board of Review Awards (2015)
NBR’s predilection towards Warner Bros. continues unabated with Mad Max: Fury Road taking the top spot on their annual Best Of list. The film gets a sizable boost from the exposure, as does The Martian and Sylvester Stallone for Creed. Award Tallies (3) The Martian (2) The Hateful Eight, Room The Awards
