The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) voted on their 2021 awards on Saturday. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” won Best Film, completing the high-brow trifecta of New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
The journey this Japanese film, owned by Janus Films, has been through is absolutely phenomenal. What else is left to say except there is no way it gets a Best Picture nomination and I’m fine with that, because these critics awards were never really supposed to be about Oscar. And, all the better for it.
Hamaguchi’s film and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” which was the runner-up with L.A, New York and Boston, are the best movies of the year (alongside Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza”).
Simon Rex FINALLY won a Best Actor award. I voted for him with the online Boston critics last week. Benedict Cumberbatch is easily my second favourite male performance this year. Will Smith is likely to be contending against Cumberbatch for the Actor Oscar.
Best Actress went to HE favourite Penelope Cruz for “Parallel Mothers.” The wonderful Renate Reinsve (“The Worst Person in the World” was runner-up. Both are some of the year’s best performances.