Critics Choice: ‘Oppenheimer’ Seals its Oscar Frontrunner Status, Giamatti and Stone Up the Ante

The Critics Choice Awards membership did not disrupt the Best Picture Oscar narrative, if anything it reinforced what we already knew: that Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is probably winning Best Picture.

Nolan’s film was, again, the big victor of the night taking Best Picture, Acting Ensemble, Director (Nolan), Supporting Actor (Robert Downey, Jr.), Editing (Jennifer Lame), Score (Ludwig Göransson), Cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema) and Visual Effects.

Can anything stop this film? At this point, it’ll have to take an upset at the PGA for that happen, but I wouldn’t bet on it. No other film has gained momentum on Nolan’s film this awards season. It’s a train that keeps on rolling, and it’ll continue to steam ahead come Oscar night.

The acting races are more interesting. Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” won three awards including Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Supporting Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), and Best Young Actor/Actress (Dominic Sessa).

The Oscar for Best Actor seems to be between Giamatti and Cillian Murphy, and, as much as I admired Murphy’s turn as Robert J. Oppenheimer, it’s very hard not to root for Giamatti whose pitch perfect performance in ‘Holdovers’ deserves to win.

How about Best Actress? You can call Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) winning the CC award last night an “upset,” but was it really? Many pundits have Lily Gladstone a lock to win the Oscar, but going against her is my firm belief that her role is a supporting turn, and that might lose her some votes — it doesn’t help that Stone’s performance is so damn brilliant.

“Barbie” took six honors including Best Comedy, Best Original Song (“I’m Just Ken”) and Original Screenplay (Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach). At this point, Gerwig’s film will get nominated for plenty of Oscars, but THR’s Scott Feinberg claiming that it’s the Best Picture frontrunner is all kinds of crazy.

Foreign Language Film went to “Anatomy of a Fall”while Best Animated Feature was rewarded to “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

'Cosmic Motors,' John Lasseter's First Film in 15 Years, Moves from Netflix to Paramount Theatrical Release

Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.

Edward Berger’s Lance Armstrong Biopic, Starring Austin Butler, Starts Production in January

Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.

Ramin Bahrani’s ‘Last Meals’ to Star Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Michael Shannon, and Tessa Thompson

In "Last Meals," Mikkelsen stars as Walter Karat, a disgraced former White House chef now preparing final meals for death row inmates at a maximum security prison.

‘NAZA’: Israel Moves to Strip Citizenship From Oscar-Winning Filmmakers Behind Gaza Doc

After its much-reported Venice premiere, Israel's culture minister is vowing to strip citizenship from the two Israeli filmmakers behind "NAZA."

Chris Rock’s ‘Misty Green’ Premieres, Rosalind Eleazar Stuns — 73 on Metacritic [TIFF]

I wouldn't call this film great — it stops short of that because of how neatly it resolves itself — but I'll give Rock his due here: this is much better than his previous directorial effort, "Top Five."

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Joaquin Phoenix Reuniting with Mike Mills for Next Film, Shooting in January 2027

Phoenix is set to reunite with Mills on this next film, which is being distributed by A24 and starts shooting January 2027. This will be Phoenix’s first film since “Eddington.”

Paul Thomas Anderson Has Already Chosen His Next Film, Jonny Greenwood Says

“Paul is getting close to pressing the button on the next film, I believe, and I’m already trying to learn a new instrument that would be central to it,” Greenwood tells Screen Daily.

Ridley Scott Says “I Didn’t Say That” After Calling ‘The Dog Stars’ His Best Movie Since ‘The Martian’

In June 2026, Scott told The Buyer that “The Dog Stars” is “probably the best movie I’ve done since The Martian.” He’s now denying he ever said that.

Todd Field-Written ‘The Girls’ Sets Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic to Direct, November Shoot

Cinephiles another Todd Field movie, and although we might have to wait for his next directorial effort, “The Girls” will have to suffice for now.

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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