The critics awards are revealing more and more patterns this year, with three key films appearing on almost every list so far: Todd Haynes’ 1950s lesbian romance Carol, Tom McCarthy’s based on a true story journalism drama Spotlight, and George Miller’s non-stop car chase thriller Mad Max: Fury Road.
Yes, one of those things is not like the others but critics seem hellbent on recognizing George Miller’s dynamite filmmaking in the fourth Mad Max movie. The Los Angeles Film Critics Assocation (LAFCA) are no exception; they bestowed the film with Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design awards this weekend. Mad Max: Fury Road was also the runner-up in two categories: Film Editing and Best Picture.
The Best Picture award went to Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, which also won Best Screenplay from LAFCA but otherwise went home empty-handed. It’s beginning to look like McCarthy’s excellently crafted film may be the one movie everyone can agree that they like this year, even though the individual elements aren’t necessarily inspiring a lot of passion. That’s a good recipe for Oscar glory. The critics may be be focused on quality, but on some level these awards – including the Academy Awards – usually boil down to a popularity contest.
Related: This Six Movies Deserve a LOT More Oscar Buzz
Perhaps more interesting are the few categories in which LAFCA didn’t tow the conventional line. Michael Fassbender won Best Actor for Steve Jobs, a critically praised biographical film that has largely been ignored so far this awards season. Alicia Vikander, considered a potential contender for her performance in the melodramatic The Danish Girl, earned a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in the sci-fi drama Ex Machina instead. And The Big Short, an upcoming dramedy about the most recent economic collapse, surprisingly bested Mad Max in the Best Editing category.
If these surprise wins mean anything, it’s that there still isn’t a 100% consensus on any of the year’s major film awards, and that this could turn out to be an unusual and exciting year. Check out all of LAFCA’s award-winners below:
PICTURE: Spotlight
Runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road
DIRECTOR: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Todd Haynes, Carol
ACTOR: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Runner-up: Géza Röhrig, Son of Saul
ACTRESS: Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Runner-up: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Runner-up: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria
SCREENPLAY: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
ANIMATION: Anomalisa
Runner-up: Inside Out
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Son of Saul
Runner-up: The Tribe
DOCUMENTARY / NON-FICTION FILM: Amy
Runner-up: The Look of Silence
NEW GENERATION: Ryan Coogler, Creed
FILM EDITING: Hank Corwin, The Big Short
Runner-up: Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Road
CINEMATOGRAPHY: John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Edward Lachman, Carol
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Colin Gibson, Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Judy Becker, Carol
MUSIC/SCORE: Carter Burwell, Anomalisa and Carol
Runner-up: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
SPECIAL CITATION: David Shepard, for his invaluable work in film preservation, particularly of films from the silent era
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Anne V. Coates
Top Photo: Open Road Films
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
