On the red carpet for the 2023 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Keke Palmer, Jenny Slate, and others were there.
The New York Film Critics Circle is the first group of critics to announce their choices for the year’s top films. On Friday, the winners of their respective categories were announced, and as a result, numerous underdog candidates for the Academy Awards gained significant prominence. Keke Palmer delivers an explosively good and delightful performance in Nope, directed by Jordan Peele. She pulled off a stunning upset by winning the award for best supporting actress, which is a crucial step toward gaining wider popularity in a messy and crowded genre in the future. (It could be compared to another breakout first-timer who won the NYFCC, Maria Bakalova of the Borat sequel, who went on to garner an Oscar nomination.) And S.S. Rajamouli, the director of the action epic RRR, bested a number of well-known personalities in the directing industry, which is significant as this box office smash attempts to develop a campaign despite India’s decision not to nominate it for best foreign film.
The night, however, belonged to Tár, Todd Field’s beloved portrayal of a legendary conductor, which went on to win both the award for best picture and the award for best actress for Cate Blanchett, who was the clear front-runner at this point in the latter category.
In other developments, the NYFCC has identified a handful of heavy hitters who have already shown indications of growing increasingly unstoppable by the day. Among them are Martin McDonagh, who won a Gotham Award this week for his screenplay in The Banshees of Inisherin, and Ke Huy Quan, who won a Gotham Award this week for his performance as the best supporting actor in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. The erstwhile child star of “Indiana Jones” is currently riding a narrative of a significant return while concurrently representing one of the year’s most formidable overall rivals. To slow down Quan’s upward momentum, his competitors, such as Brendan Gleeson and Judah Hirsch of Banshees and The Fabelmans, will need to move quickly.
Meanwhile, one of the most formidable competitors in the cinematography race, Top Gun: Maverick’s Claudio Miranda, prevailed over fellow Oscar winners The Fabelmans’ Janusz Kamiski and Empire of Light’s Roger Deakins (Miranda won the Oscar for Life of Pi), and Colin Farrell made a significant leap in the best-actor race, being nominated for both The Banshees of Inisherin and the spring sci-fi hit After Earth.
There is currently little reason to view any film other than All the Beauty and the Bloodshed by Laura Poitras as the one to beat, at least among its predecessors. When it comes to the Academy, the documentary race will open up to more populist options that reviewers aren’t as drawn to—remember My Octopus Teacher?—but for the time being, there is no reason to view any film as the frontrunner. The incendiary portrait of Nan Goldin, which covers her artistry as well as her explosive activism war against the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, wins with the New York Film Critics Circle, kicking off what is certain to be a robust prize run in the coming months.
It is not always simple to determine the extent of the NYFCC’s impact on the overall race. Lady Gaga was voted best actress the year prior, which appeared to be a fantastic benefit for her House of Gucci campaign. This was one of the most egregious snubs of the year, as the Academy rejected the film to such a degree that she was not even nominated. However, the NYFCC also selected Drive My Car as the finest picture of the year in the same year. It was a relatively unknown Japanese film at the time, but in the years that followed, it became the favourite of film critics across the United States (it would eventually win with Los Angeles and the National Society of Film Critics) and an inspired Oscar nominee for best picture. The fact that it won the NYFCC is directly related to this accomplishment.
Consequently, what does this mean for Tár’s future? La La Land, Boyhood, Lady Bird, and Roma are examples of recent films that fit this description. However, the New York Film Critics Circle’s top choices are not always nominated for best picture. Examples include Carol from 2014 and First Cow from 2020.In the case of this difficult but excellent film, it is an indication that it will be a force to be reckoned with once the season gains steam.
The East Coast organisation, which is presently commemorating its 88th year, is comprised of over fifty journalists from publications such as Time and Variety.
Cate Blanchett won the award for best actress for her portrayal of a controversial German composer on the verge of losing her grip on power in “Tár.” This triumph occurred in one of the most competitive fields in recent years, and it was one of “Tár’s” two victories. This is her second triumph with the group, following “Blue Jasmine” (2013), for which she won her second acting Academy Award (after “The Aviator” in 2004). This is her second victory overall against the group. Michelle Williams (for her performance in “The Fabelmans”), Gotham winner Danielle Deadwyler (for her role in “Till”), and fan favourite Michelle Yeoh are among her competitors (for her role in “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”). This race’s outcome is far from clear.
The fact that S. S. Rajamouli received the award for best director for the epic and adventure picture “RRR” in Tollywood was one of the many things that stunned everyone. Variance Films has made a substantial push to have the film recognised in the general categories, including best picture, even though it was not selected to represent India in the international feature category. Despite the fact that the film was not chosen to represent India in the international feature film category, it has received acclaim. It appears like it may be worthwhile in the end.
Colin Farrell won the prize for best actor for two of the four films in which he participated in 2022: “The Banshees of Inisherin” by Martin McDonagh and “After Yang” by Kogogo. The prize was given to Farrell for his work in both of these films. The 46-year-old Irish actor is the fifth leading actor to win the award for multiple performances, following Brad Pitt for “Moneyball” and “The Tree of Life” (2011), Robert DeNiro for “Awakenings” and “Goodfellas” (1990), Jack Nicholson for “Chinatown” and “The Last Detail” (1974), and William Powell for “Life With Father” and “The Senator Was Indiscreet” (1947). Eventually, each man won a nomination for one of the films he made during the relevant year.
The performance that Brendan Fraser gave in the film “The Whale” by Darren Aronofsky has dominated the debate this year. However, Farrell’s portrayal of the lovable drinking companion Pádraic in McDonagh’s comedy has captivated audiences since the film’s Venice premiere, when Farrell won the Volpi Cup for best actor over Fraser, whose film also premiered in Venice.
The original screenplay for Martin McDonagh’s Irish comedy also received the award for best screenplay at the New York Film Critics Circle competition, in addition to Colin Farrell’s award for best actor in a comedy or musical. This is the ninth consecutive year that an original script has won the NYFCC award; four of the previous winners received Oscar nominations. “Carol” was the most recent piece to be adapted and win an Oscar (2015).
The competition in this year’s Original Script category is also fierce. This award is up for contention between “Everything Everywhere at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” and “Tár.”
