Critics Groups

My favorite time of year is at hand - the various critics circles and pre-Oscar awards will be announced over the following two weeks. I always have a special place in my heart for the New York Film Critics Awards - www.nyfcc.com - I tend to be in tune with their selections far more than the eventual Oscar winners and I'm eager to hear who they choose this year.  Sissy Spacek has been selected as the Best Actress 3x - In the Bedroom, Crimes of the Heart and Coal Miner's Daughter (with an additional citation as Best Supporting Actress for Altman's Three Women in 77). 

I am expecting the following films and actors to pop up all over the critics awards this year;

Best Picture

The Wrestler - If the advance word from Toronto comes true, this will be the critics darling for the year, most likely in NY, which responds best to indie grunge (see Leaving Las Vegas, Naked, 

Wall-E  - the best reviewed film of the year.  At least one of the groups is going to push it outside the Animated Category and acknowledge it's brilliance and ingenuity with the big prize.

Benjamin Button 

Best Actress

This is gonna come down to Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky vs. Kristin Scott-Thomas in I've Loved You So Long (Although the Oscar is looking more like a Streep/Blanchett contest).

Best Actor

Mickey Rourke

Sean Penn

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz

Rosemary DeWitt

(I personally could be argued to award the female cast of Synecdoche, New York here but that's not really fair.  Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Dianne Wiest, Hope Davis, Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson, etc)

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder

or the breakout from Revolutionary Road -Michael Shannon.

I'm expecting NYC to go with Downey, for the coolness factor. Also, Heath isn't likely to show up at the ceremony.

Best Director

It's going to be a total surprise. Mike Leigh for Happy Go Lucky, Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight, Woody Allen???