44th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Winners

Last night the so-called "most powerful" group of American critics voted their 2018 awards and to the surprise of many as it doesn't happens often (only 13 times in 45 years), their top award matched their east coast counterpart.  Yes, LAFCA gave top award to Roma which was New York Film Critics Circle top award.  Then quite a few critics groups between the east and west coast have also given top award to Roma, which makes me think that critics at least when it comes to Best Film seems to have a consensus that wonder if will repeat when Academics vote.

Do not mind at all that critics are honoring Roma as really wish film could get a major Oscar as, according to many industry pundits, will give a huge push to still consider as films to those being consumed by audiences outside movie theaters.  No doubt that most industry players need to recognize that WE the audience nowadays have many options to consume films.  Not long ago situation was different as to watch movies you went to a movie theater or waited for DVD to be released with another awful "window" system implemented by ... yes, movie theaters chains!

Traditional distributors will not let power slip easily but things will change as now WE the audience have the power to decide.  So, let's give Roma many accolades, not only because film high values but also because it will help to move the movie industry monsters into today, hoping that the future belongs more to audiences than to industry players.  After all that's what happened to TV that now belongs to US, the audience.  Yay!

So going back to LAFCA, notice that it is the first time the group two top choices have both been in a language that is not English which makes me wonder the reason why, but obviously I strongly agree as English-language films have become less and less awards worthy, sigh.   Burning was the best picture runner up but also was the group's best foreign-language film winner in a tie with Shoplifters.

The group is the first one this season to award Best Director to a female director which undoubtedly is remarkable.  Not much surprises in the other categories, except perhaps the presence in list of documentaries in not the doc category.

The 2018 winners

Best Picture: Roma
Runner-up: Burning

Best Foreign-language: Burning and Shoplifters (tie)

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: Shirkers
Runner-up: Minding the Gap

Best Animation: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Runner-up: Incredibles 2

Best Director: Debra Granik for Leave No Trace
Runner-up: Alfonso Cuarón for Roma

Best Actress: Olivia Colman in The Favourite
Runner-up: Toni Collette in Hereditary

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk
Runner-up: Elizabeth Debicki in Widows

Best Actor: Ethan Hawke in First Reformed
Runner-up: Ben Foster in Leave No Trace

Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun in Burning
Runner-up: Hugh Grant in Paddington 2

Best Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty for Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Runner-up: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite

Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuaron for Roma
Runner-up: James Laxton for If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Editing: Joshua Altman and Bing Liu for Minding the Gap
Runner-up: Alfonso Cuarón and Adam Gough for Roma

Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler for Black Panther
Runner-up: Fiona Crombie for The Favourite

Best Music Score: Nicholas Britell for If Beale Street Could Talk
Runner-up: Justin Hurwitz for First Man

Career Achievement Award: Hayao Miyazaki

Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film: Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin for The Green Fog

New Generation: Chloe Zhao for The Rider

Special Citation: The Other Side of the Wind