LA LA LAND WINS HAWAII FILM CRITICS SOCIETY'S SECOND AWARDS

The Hawaii Film Critics Society is pretty new on the critics group block, featuring only four members, so it's understandable that I missed their nominations for the year, and would have missed their award winners were I not graciously prompted on Twitter. La La Land wins very big, and 10 Cloverfield Lane, Hell or High Water and Nocturnal Animals fare decently too; not a single prize for Moonlight however, which is naturally extremely disappointing. This is the first group to give their Best Actress prize to Viola Davis, also. Their full slate is below, whose nominations appear to be in ranked order...

Best Film

La La Land

Moonlight

Nocturnal Animals

Hell or High Water

Silence

Best Director

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Denis Villeneuve (Nocturnal Animals)

Martin Scorsese (Silence)

Best Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Amy Adams (Arrival)

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Amy Adams (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Chris Pine (Hell or High Water)

Best Supporting Actress

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Lupita Nyong'o (Queen of Katwe)

Nicole Kidman (Lion)

Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)

Best Supporting Actor

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals)

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Dev Patel (Lion)

Best Original Screenplay

Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

La La Land

20th Century Women

Manchester by the Sea

The Nice Guys

Best Adapted Screenplay

Tom Ford, based on the novel by Austin Wright (Nocturnal Animals)

Fences

Moonlight

Arrival

Silence

Best Cinematography

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Nocturnal Animals

Arrival

Knight of Cups

The Neon Demon

Best Editing

Tom Cross (La La Land)

Hacksaw Ridge

Arrival

Moonlight

Hell or High Water

Best Art Direction

Austin Gorg (La La Land)

Jackie

Arrival

Nocturnal Animals

The Handmaiden

Best Costume Design

Madeline Fontaine (Jackie)

La La Land

The Neon Demon

Hail, Caesar!

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Best Visual Effects

Arrival

Doctor Strange

La La Land

Kubo and the Two Strings

The Jungle Book

Best Make-Up

Bill Corso (Deadpool)

Silence

Star Trek Beyond

The Neon Demon

X-Men: Apocalypse

Best Original Score

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Moonlight

Jackie

The Neon Demon

20th Century Women

Best Song

Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul - 'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)' (La La Land)

Lin-Manuel Miranda - 'How Far I'll Go' (Moana)

'Can't Stop The Feeling' (Trolls)

'City Of Stars' (La La Land)

'Drive It Like You Stole It' (Sing Street)

Best Stunts

The Magnificent Seven

Hacksaw Ridge

Deadpool

Captain America: Civil War

Deepwater Horizon

Best Animated Film

Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight)

Zootopia (Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Rich Moore)

Moana

The Little Prince

Trolls

Best Documentary

O.J.: Made in America (Ezra Edelman)

de Palma

Amanda Knox

Life, Animated

13th

Best Foreign Language Film

The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)

Neruda (Pablo Larrain)

The Wave

Seasons

Elle

Best Sci-Fi / Horror Film

Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)

Ouija: Origin of Evil

10 Cloverfield Lane

Rogue One

The Witch

Best First Film

10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg)

Indignation

The Witch

The Eyes of My Mother

The Edge of Seventeen

Best Hawaii Film

Moana (Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker and Chris Williams)

Shorebreak - The Clark Little Story

Best Overlooked Film

Hell or High Water (David MacKenzie)

Jane Got a Gun

Little Men

Everybody Wants Some!!

The Nice Guys

Best New Filmmaker

Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane)

Robert Eggers (The Witch)

James Schamus (Indignation)

Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother)

Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen)

Best Vocal / Motion Capture Performance

Charlize Theron (Kubo and the Two Strings)

Dwayne Johnson (Moana)

Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)

Rachel McAdams (The Little Prince)

Jeff Bridges (The Little Prince)

Worst Film

Fifty Shades of Black

Zoolander 2

Suicide Squad

Mother's Day

How to Be Single

NSFC TOES THE AWARDS SEASON LINE WITH 2016 AWARDS PICKS

The National Society of Film Critics is the last of the major critics groups to announce each awards season, often offering up an alternative to the consensus thus far. Maybe its members aren't feeling terribly alternative this year, or maybe it's a sign that this season has been high on quality, but they're offering up nothing but the same old same old this time. Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea hit their marks very nicely, while La La Land and Hell or High Water make decent showings in the runner-up slots.

Best Picture

1. Moonlight

2. Manchester by the Sea

3. La La Land

Best Director

1. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

2. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

3. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress

1. Isabelle Huppert (Elle / Things to Come)

2. Annette Bening (20th Century Women)

3. Sandra Huller (Toni Erdmann)

Best Actor

1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Denzel Washington (Fences)

3. Adam Driver (Paterson)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Lily Gladstone (Certain Women)

3. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

2. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

3. Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Screenplay

1. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

3. Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Cinematography

1. James Laxton (Moonlight)

2. Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

3. Rodrigo Prieto (Silence)

Best Nonfiction Film

1. O.J.: Made in America

2. I Am Not Your Negro

3. 13th

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Toni Erdmann

2. The Handmaiden

3. Elle
=  Things to Come

Film Heritage Award

Kino Lorber's five-disc collection Pioneers of African-American Cinema

Special Citation for a Film Awaiting American Distribution

Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu)

HELL OR HIGH WATER TRIUMPHS AT NEVADA CRITICS AWARDS

Them desert states were always gonna love David MacKenzie's Hell or High Water. The Western wins four awards from the Nevada Film Critics Society, which also finds space to show support for a female-focused film amid Hell or High Water's sausage-fest: 20th Century Women wins the two female acting awards. Check out all the results below.

Best Film

Hell or High Water

Best Director

David MacKenzie (Hell or High Water)

Best Actress

Annette Bening (20th Century Women)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actress

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Best Supporting Actor

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)

Best Original Screenplay

Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Heisserer (Arrival)

Best Cinematography

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Best Production Design

Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and David Wasco (La La Land)

Best Visual Effects

Rogue One

Best Ensemble

Moonlight

Best Animated Movie

Moana

Best Documentary

O.J.: Made in America

SAN DIEGO CRITICS WINNERS REVEALED - HELL OR HIGH WATER WINS BEST PICTURE

Some suspected it, few predicted it, but enough about the election. Another vote has yielded a surprise victory, this time for precisely the type of film that would win Best Picture in Trump's America, whether or not it were ever intended to ignite such interest. Hell or High Water sweeps the San Diego Film Critics Circle awards, advancing its standings in the Oscar race by a notch or two perhaps, and likely winning more awards than its projected total Oscar nominations. So there's that! Check out their nominations right here, and their award winners below.

Best Picture

1. Hell or High Water

2. La La Land

Best Director

1. David MacKenzie (Hell or High Water)

2. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Best Actor, Female

1. Sonia Braga (Aquarius)

2. Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Actor, Male

1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)

Best Supporting Actor, Female

1. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

2. Judy Davis (The Dressmaker)

Best Supporting Actor, Male

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

2. Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Whit Stillman (Love & Friendship)

2. Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople)

Best Cinematography

1. Giles Nuttgens (Hell or High Water)

2. James Laxton (Moonlight)

=  Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Best Editing

1. Blu Murray (Sully)

2. Joan Sobel (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Production Design

1. Jess Gonchor (Hail, Caesar!)

2. David Wasco (La La Land)

Best Costume Design

1. Mary Zophres (La La Land)

2. Madeline Fontaine (Jackie)

Best Visual Effects

1. The Jungle Book

2. Arrival

Best Use of Music

1. Sing Street

2. Jackie

=  La La Land

Best Ensemble

1. Hell or High Water

2. Hidden Figures

Best Animated Film

1. Kubo and the Two Strings

2. April and the Extraordinary World

Best Documentary

1. Weiner

2. Gleason

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Mountains May Depart

2. Mother

=  Neruda

Best Breakthrough Artist

1. Lily Gladstone (Certain Women)

2. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Comedic Performance

1. Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys)

2. Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!)

Body of Work Award

Michael Shannon (Elvis & Nixon / Loving / Midnight Special / Nocturnal Animals)

KANSAS CITY FILM CRITICS CIRCLE'S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2016

The Kansas City Film Critics Circle won't reveal its 2016 award winners until the 18th of December, but until then, you can mull over their top ten films of the year. It's the only slate of nominees announced by the circle, who'll otherwise simply declare winners for the remainder of their categories. With the same films turning up near everywhere so far this season up top, it's interesting to note the differences among the apparent filler entries, as you'll see below...

Best Film

Arrival

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

Jackie

La La Land

The Lobster

Loving

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Swiss Army Man

2016 WAFCA NOMINATIONS

It's always interesting to note, early into awards season, how the race is shaping up. This year, the most interesting facet of the race appears to be how uninteresting it currently is, as the same names keep turning up in the same categories. The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association nominations contribute to that narrative with a thoroughly predictable slate. It only leaves space for us to see if any voting group, critic or industry, should decide to shake things up from here out. Winners announced on the 5th of December - that's tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Best Film

Arrival

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Director

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

David MacKenzie (Hell or High Water)

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Best Actress

Amy Adams (Arrival)

Annette Bening (20th Century Women)

Ruth Negga (Loving)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Joel Edgerton (Loving)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Molly Shannon (Other People)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Original Screenplay

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Luke Davies - adapted from the memoir A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (Lion)

Tom Ford - based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright (Nocturnal Animals)

Eric Heisserer - based on the story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (Arrival)

Patrick Ness - based on his novel (A Monster Calls)

August Wilson - based on his play (Fences)

Best Cinematography

Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

James Laxton (Moonlight)

Seamus McGarvey (Nocturnal Animals)

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Bradford Young (Arrival)

Best Editing

Tom Cross (La La Land)

Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders (Moonlight)

Blu Murray (Sully)

Sebastian Sepulveda (Jackie)

Joe Walker (Arrival)

Best Production Design

Stuart Craig and Anna Pinnock (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Paul Hotte and Patrice Vermette (Arrival)

Craig Lathrop (The Witch)

Veronique Melery and Jean Rabasse (Jackie)

Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and David Wasco (La La Land)

Best Original Score

Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Johann Johannsson (Arrival)

Mica Levi (Jackie)

Cliff Martinez (The Neon Demon)

Best Acting Ensemble

20th Century Women

Fences

Hell or High Water

Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Animated Feature

Finding Dory

Kubo and the Two Strings

Moana

Sausage Party

Zootopia

Best Documentary

13th

Gleason

I Am Not Your Negro

O.J.: Made in America

Weiner

Best Foreign Language Film

Elle

The Handmaiden

Julieta

The Salesman

Toni Erdmann

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington D.C.

Jackie

Jason Bourne

Loving

Miss Sloane

Snowden

Best Youth Performance

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)

Sunny Pawar (Lion)

Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch)

Best Motion Capture Performance

Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)

Mark Rylance (The BFG)

Best Voice Performance

Jason Bateman (Zootopia)

Auli'i Cravalho (Moana)

Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Dory)

Ginnifer Goodwin (Zootopia)

Liam Neeson (A Monster Calls)

EARLY BIRDS MISS A FEW WORMS TOO: 2016 CRITICS CHOICE NOMINATIONS

In their latest desperate attempt at appearing 'relevant,' the Broadcast Film Critics Association has bumped its awards dates way up, resulting in nominations arriving today, the 1st of December, and awards next week, on the 11th. Subsequently, this group has not had the chance to catch all of the titles that would otherwise have been eligible; that hasn't stopped them before, though, and it didn't stop them shunting Star Wars: The Force Awakens into their already-announced Best Picture lineup after it turned out to be a huge hit, despite no members having even cast a vote for it. That decision prompted resignations from the BFCA, and their choice to push their 2016 dates so far forward (and thereby surely only diminishing their potential to maintain relevance to the Oscar race) has prompted more still. It's a laughable situation from a laughable organization, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Nominations and awards for documentaries have already taken place. Take a look at all the new announcements below:

Best Picture

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Lion

Loving

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Sully

Best Director

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

David MacKenzie (Hell or High Water)

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Actress

Amy Adams (Arrival)

Annette Bening (20th Century Women)

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Ruth Negga (Loving)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Joel Edgerton (Loving)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)

Tom Hanks (Sully)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Fences)

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Nicole Kidman (Lion)

Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Dev Patel (Lion)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Original Screenplay

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Jeff Nichols (Loving)

Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Luke Davies (Lion)

Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)

Eric Heisserer (Arrival)

Todd Komarnicki (Sully)

Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures)

August Wilson (Fences)

Best Cinematography

Stephane Fontaine (Jackie)

James Laxton (Moonlight)

Seamus McGarvey (Nocturnal Animals)

Linus Sandgren (La La Land)

Bradford Young (Arrival)

Best Editing

Tom Cross (La La Land)

John Gilbert (Hacksaw Ridge)

Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders (Moonlight)

Blu Murray (Sully)

Joe Walker (Arrival)

Best Production Design

Stuart Craig, James Hambridge and Anna Pinnock (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh (Live by Night)

Paul Hotte, Andre Valade and Patrice Vermette (Arrival)

Jean Rabasse and Veronique Melery (Jackie)

Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and David Wasco (La La Land)

Best Costume Design

Colleen Atwood (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Consolata Boyle (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Madeline Fontaine (Jackie)

Joanna Johnston (Allied)

Eimer ni Mhaoldomhnaigh (Love & Friendship)

Mary Zophres (La La Land)

Best Visual Effects

Arrival

Doctor Strange

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Jungle Book

A Monster Calls

Best Hair & Makeup

Doctor Strange

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Hacksaw Ridge

Jackie

Star Trek Beyond

Best Score

Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran (Lion)

Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)

Johann Johannsson (Arrival)

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)

Mica Levi (Jackie)

Best Song

'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)' (La La Land)

'Can't Stop the Feeling' (Trolls)

'City of Stars' (La La Land)

'Drive It Like You Stole It' (Sing Street)

'How Far I'll Go' (Moana)

'The Rules Don't Apply' (Rules Don't Apply)

Best Acting Ensemble

20th Century Women

Fences

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Animated Feature

Finding Dory

Kubo and the Two Strings

Moana

The Red Turtle

Trolls

Zootopia

Best Foreign Language Film

Elle

The Handmaiden

Julieta

Neruda

The Salesman

Toni Erdmann

Best Action Movie

Captain America: Civil War

Deadpool

Doctor Strange

Hacksaw Ridge

Jason Bourne

Best Comedy

Central Intelligence

Deadpool

Don't Think Twice

The Edge of Seventeen

Hail, Caesar!

The Nice Guys

Best Sci-Fi / Horror Movie

10 Cloverfield Lane

Arrival

Doctor Strange

Don't Breathe

Star Trek Beyond

The Witch

Best Young Actor / Actress

Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight)

Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)

Madina Nalwanga (Queen of Katwe)

Sunny Pawar (Lion)

Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Best Actress in an Action Movie

Gal Gadot (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

Scarlett Johansson (Captain America: Civil War)

Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad)

Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange)

Best Actress in a Comedy

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)

Sally Field (Hello, My Name Is Doris)

Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters)

Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Best Actor in an Action Movie

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange)

Matt Damon (Jason Bourne)

Chris Evans (Captain America: Civil War)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)

Best Actor in a Comedy

Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys)

Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Dwayne Johnson (Central Intelligence)

Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)