It might be the holidays, but awards season is in full swing, and with it comes ever evolving dynamics with just who is a frontrunner. Only a week ago, the Gotham Awards recognized Netflix and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story as the Best Feature of the year, while the New York Film Critics Circle anointed another Netflix production, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, with that title. But as critics groups continue pouring in their picks all December, a big one just moved the conversation into what potentially looks like a competition between The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
That is at least one potential takeaway from the Critics Choice Association, which revealed its nominations Sunday afternoon. The Critics Choice Awards remains an important barometer in the awards season calendar, as their annual January ceremony is the first major televised awards event of the new year, and often acts as a good indicator of knowing where support is among critics and press (note: critics, not industry like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). The Critics Choice pick for Best Picture has aligned with the Oscars’ selection six of the last 10 years.
The Critics Choice Association—which this writer is a member of—showered 14 nominations on The Irishman and 12 on Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Both were recognized for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Ensemble. Further Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio were both nominated for Best Actor, and films took between them three of the six Best Supporting Actor slots, including Brad Pitt for playing Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time and both Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for their roles in The Irishman.
Notably, there is not a single female performance between them.
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That absence might suggest that their popularity among some critics isn’t as airtight as it could appear at a glance. While both Scorsese and Tarantino’s movies could be viewed as what Mark Harris described as “the long goodbye [for] alpha males,” other movies recognized in a major way by the CCA include Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and Baumbach’s Marriage Story. The former walked away with nine nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Adapted Screenplay for Gerwig, and Best Actress for Saoirse Ronan and Best Supporting Actress for Florence Pugh. Marriage Story, meanwhile, earned eight nominations, including Picture, Director, and both Best Actor for Adam Driver and Best Actress for Scarlett Johansson. It also earned a nomination for Laura Dern in the Best Supporting Actress category.
In fact, Marriage Story joins The Irishman and Dolemite is My Name—which also earned four nominations, including Best Actor for Eddie Murphy—in making Netflix the most nominated studio at this year’s Critics Choice. Including its TV wing, Netflix earned 61 nominations. It would appear among film critics, the argument that Netflix is not cinema has fallen on deaf ears.
On the genre front, fanboys should be pleased that Joker earned seven nominations, including for Best Picture and for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. Fandom darling Taika Waititi also continues to defy the alleged divisiveness in early reviews to Jojo Rabbit, which accrued seven nominations, including Best Picture. It even beat out Rian Johnson’s holiday sleeper hit Knives Out, which I personally consider a shame. It was nominated though for Best Comedy, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Ensemble. Lupita Nyong’o also earned a very deserved Best Actress nomination for her work in Us. Avengers: Endgame earned three nominations, including Best Visual Effects, Best Action Movie, and Best Sci-Fi or Horror Movie.
The 25th Annual Critics Choice Awards will be held on Sunday, Jan. 12 and will be televised on the CW. The full list of nominations is below.
BEST PICTURE
1917
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite
Uncut Gems
BEST ACTOR
Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
Robert De Niro – The Irishman
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Eddie Murphy – Dolemite Is My Name
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems
BEST ACTRESS
Awkwafina – The Farewell
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renée Zellweger – Judy
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Zhao Shuzhen – The Farewell
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Julia Butters – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
Noah Jupe – Honey Boy
Thomasin McKenzie – Jojo Rabbit
Shahadi Wright Joseph – Us
Archie Yates – Jojo Rabbit
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Bombshell
The Irishman
Knives Out
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite
BEST DIRECTOR
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Greta Gerwig – Little Women
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Sam Mendes – 1917
Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Rian Johnson – Knives Out
Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won – Parasite
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Lulu Wang – The Farewell
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Greta Gerwig – Little Women
Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes
Todd Phillips & Scott Silver – Joker
Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit
Steven Zaillian – The Irishman
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jarin Blaschke – The Lighthouse
Roger Deakins – 1917
Phedon Papamichael – Ford v Ferrari
Rodrigo Prieto – The Irishman
Robert Richardson – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Lawrence Sher – Joker
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran – Joker
Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales – 1917
Jess Gonchor, Claire Kaufman – Little Women
Lee Ha Jun – Parasite
Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Bob Shaw, Regina Graves – The Irishman
Donal Woods, Gina Cromwell – Downton Abbey
BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie – Uncut Gems
Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker – Ford v Ferrari
Yang Jinmo – Parasite
Fred Raskin – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Thelma Schoonmaker – The Irishman
Lee Smith – 1917
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ruth E. Carter – Dolemite Is My Name
Julian Day – Rocketman
Jacqueline Durran – Little Women
Arianne Phillips – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson – The Irishman
Anna Robbins – Downton Abbey
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Bombshell
Dolemite Is My Name
The Irishman
Joker
Judy
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Rocketman
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
1917
Ad Astra
The Aeronauts
Avengers: Endgame
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
The Lion King
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Abominable
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
BEST ACTION MOVIE
1917
Avengers: Endgame
Ford v Ferrari
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Spider-Man: Far From Home
BEST COMEDY
Booksmart
Dolemite Is My Name
The Farewell
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE
Ad Astra
Avengers: Endgame
Midsommar
Us
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Atlantics
Les Misérables
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
BEST SONG
Glasgow (No Place Like Home) – Wild Rose
(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again – Rocketman
I’m Standing With You – Breakthrough
Into the Unknown – Frozen II
Speechless – Aladdin
Spirit – The Lion King
Stand Up – Harriet
BEST SCORE
Michael Abels – Us
Alexandre Desplat – Little Women
Hildur Guðnadóttir – Joker
Randy Newman – Marriage Story
Thomas Newman – 1917
Robbie Robertson – The Irishman
TELEVISION
BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Crown (Netflix)
David Makes Man (OWN)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Pose (FX)
Succession (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)
Watchmen (HBO)
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Mike Colter – Evil (CBS)
Paul Giamatti – Billions (Showtime)
Kit Harington – Game of Thrones (HBO)
Freddie Highmore – The Good Doctor (ABC)
Tobias Menzies – The Crown (Netflix)
Billy Porter – Pose (FX)
Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Olivia Colman – The Crown (Netflix)
Jodie Comer – Killing Eve (BBC America)
Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies (HBO)
Regina King – Watchmen (HBO)
Mj Rodriguez – Pose (FX)
Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO)
Zendaya – Euphoria (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Asante Blackk – This Is Us (NBC)
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple)
Asia Kate Dillon – Billions (Showtime)
Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)
Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Tim Blake Nelson – Watchmen (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown (Netflix)
Gwendoline Christie – Game of Thrones (HBO)
Laura Dern – Big Little Lies (HBO)
Audra McDonald – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Jean Smart – Watchmen (HBO)
Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies (HBO)
Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Barry (HBO)
Fleabag (Amazon)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Mom (CBS)
One Day at a Time (Netflix)
PEN15 (Hulu)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ted Danson – The Good Place (NBC)
Walton Goggins – The Unicorn (CBS)
Bill Hader – Barry (HBO)
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Paul Rudd – Living with Yourself (Netflix)
Bashir Salahuddin – Sherman’s Showcase (IFC)
Ramy Youssef – Ramy (Hulu)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)
Alison Brie – GLOW (Netflix)
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Kirsten Dunst – On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep (HBO)
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag (Amazon)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
Anthony Carrigan – Barry (HBO)
William Jackson Harper – The Good Place (NBC)
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Nico Santos – Superstore (NBC)
Andrew Scott – Fleabag (Amazon)
Henry Winkler – Barry (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
D’Arcy Carden – The Good Place (NBC)
Sian Clifford – Fleabag (Amazon)
Betty Gilpin – GLOW (Netflix)
Rita Moreno – One Day at a Time (Netflix)
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Molly Shannon – The Other Two (Comedy Central)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
Catch-22 (Hulu)
Chernobyl (HBO)
Fosse/Verdon (FX)
The Loudest Voice (Showtime)
Unbelievable (Netflix)
When They See Us (Netflix)
Years and Years (HBO)
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Brexit (HBO)
Deadwood: The Movie (HBO)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)
Guava Island (Amazon)
Native Son (HBO)
Patsy & Loretta (Lifetime)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Christopher Abbott – Catch-22 (Hulu)
Mahershala Ali – True Detective (HBO)
Russell Crowe – The Loudest Voice (Showtime)
Jared Harris – Chernobyl (HBO)
Jharrel Jerome – When They See Us (Netflix)
Sam Rockwell – Fosse/Verdon (FX)
Noah Wyle – The Red Line (CBS)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kaitlyn Dever – Unbelievable (Netflix)
Anne Hathaway – Modern Love (Amazon)
Megan Hilty – Patsy & Loretta (Lifetime)
Joey King – The Act (Hulu)
Jessie Mueller – Patsy & Loretta (Lifetime)
Merritt Wever – Unbelievable (Netflix)
Michelle Williams – Fosse/Verdon (FX)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Asante Blackk – When They See Us (Netflix)
George Clooney – Catch-22 (Hulu)
John Leguizamo – When They See Us (Netflix)
Dev Patel – Modern Love (Amazon)
Jesse Plemons – El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård – Chernobyl (HBO)
Russell Tovey – Years and Years (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Patricia Arquette – The Act (Hulu)
Marsha Stephanie Blake – When They See Us (Netflix)
Toni Collette – Unbelievable (Netflix)
Niecy Nash – When They See Us (Netflix)
Margaret Qualley – Fosse/Verdon (FX)
Emma Thompson – Years and Years (HBO)
Emily Watson – Chernobyl (HBO)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Big Mouth (Netflix)
BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix)
The Simpsons (Fox)
Undone (Amazon)
BEST TALK SHOW
Desus & Mero (Showtime)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
BEST COMEDY SPECIAL
Amy Schumer: Growing (Netflix)
Jenny Slate: Stage Fright (Netflix)
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons (ABC)
Ramy Youssef: Feelings (HBO)
Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby (Netflix)
Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia (Netflix)
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal (Netflix)
Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!
David Crow is the Film Section Editor at Den of Geek. He’s also a member of the Online Film Critics Society. Read more of his work here. You can follow him on Twitter @DCrowsNest.