LONDON LOVES LA LA LAND

Awards season has taken a brief break this past week, as utterly nothing but speculation has fuelled the conversation online. The London Critics' Circle Film Awards have today restarted it, with a resumption of success for La La Land. The LCC has made some choices you're unlikely to see elsewhere here, for better or worse, but it's their choice of Film of the Year that you're extremely likely to see just abut everywhere else, imo. Check out their nominations, from way back last year, at this link.

Film of the Year
La La Land

Director of the Year
Nemes Laszlo (Son of Saul)

Actress of the Year
Isabelle Huppert (Things to Come)

Actor of the Year
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Supporting Actress of the Year

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Supporting Actor of the Year

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Tom Bennett (Love & Friendship)

Screenwriter of the Year

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Technical Achievement of the Year

Sturla Brandth Grovlen (Victoria) - cinematography

Documentary of the Year
Fire at Sea

Foreign-Language Film of the Year
Toni Erdmann

British / Irish Film of the Year
I, Daniel Blake

British / Irish Actress of the Year
Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)

British / Irish Actor of the Year
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge / Silence)

Philip French Award for Breakthrough British / Irish Filmmaker of the Year
Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow)

Young British / Irish Performer of the Year

Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)

British / Irish Short Film of the Year

Sweet Maddie Stone (Brady Hood)

Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film

Isabelle Huppert

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2016 LONDON CRITICS CIRCLE FILM AWARDS

The London Critics Circle is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious critics groups, and today they've announced their film nominations for 2016. Love & Friendship and Moonlight boast the most nominations each, with seven and eight respectively. Winners will be announced on the 22nd of January at a ceremony in the British capital.

Film of the Year

American Honey

Fire at Sea

I, Daniel Blake

La La Land

Love & Friendship

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Nocturnal Animals

Son of Saul

Toni Erdmann

Director of the Year

Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann)

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Nemes Laszlo (Son of Saul)

Actress of the Year

Amy Adams (Arrival)

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)

Sandra Huller (Toni Erdmann)

Isabelle Huppert (Things to Come)

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Actor of the Year

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Adam Driver (Paterson)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nocturnal Animals)

Peter Simonischek (Toni Erdmann)

Supporting Actress of the Year

Viola Davis (Fences)

Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Riley Keough (American Honey)

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Supporting Actor of the Year

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Tom Bennett (Love & Friendship)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Shia LaBeouf (American Honey)

Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Screenwriter of the Year

Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann)

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Whit Stillman (Love & Friendship)

Technical Achievement of the Year

Sylvain Bellemare (Arrival) - sound design

Sturla Brandth Grovlen (Victoria) - cinematography

John Carney and Gary Clark (Sing Street) - music

Justin Hurwitz (La La Land) - music

Mica Levi (Jackie) - music

Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders (Moonlight) - editing

Gary Powell (Jason Bourne) - stunts

Robbie Ryan (American Honey) - cinematography

Neal Scanlan (Rogue One) - visual effects

Mark Tildesley (High-Rise) - production design

Documentary of the Year

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

Cameraperson

The Eagle Huntress

Fire at Sea

Life, Animated

Foreign-Language Film of the Year

Fire at Sea

Son of Saul

Things to Come

Toni Erdmann

Victoria

British / Irish Film of the Year

American Honey

High-Rise

I, Daniel Blake

Love & Friendship

Sing Street

British / Irish Actress of the Year

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)

Rebecca Hall (Christine)

Naomie Harris (Collateral Beauty / Moonlight / Our Kind of Traitor)

Ruth Negga (Iona / Loving)

Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake)

British / Irish Actor of the Year

Tom Bennett (Life on the Road / Love & Friendship)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge / Silence)

Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Dave Johns (I, Daniel Blake)

David Oyelowo (Queen of Katwe / A United Kingdom)

Breakthrough British / Irish Filmmaker of the Year

Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow)

Mike Carey (The Girl with All the Gifts)

Guy Hibbert (Eye in the Sky / A United Kingdom)

Peter Middleton and James Spinney (Notes on Blindness)

Rachel Tunnard (Adult Life Skills)

Young British / Irish Performer of the Year

Ruby Barnhill (The BFG)

Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls)

Sennia Nanua (The Girl with All the Gifts)

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch)

Ferdia Walsh-Peelio (Sing Street)

British / Irish Short Film of the Year

Isabella (Duncan Cowles and Ross Hogg)

Jacked (Rene Pannevis)

Sweet Maddie Stone (Brady Hood)

Tamara (Sofia Safonova)

Terminal (Natasha Waugh)

LONDON CRITICS CIRCLE FILM AWARDS - MAD MAX: FURY ROAD IS FILM OF THE YEAR

British and Irish talent won the night, appropriately, at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. Mad Max: Fury Road won the top awards, and 45 Years claimed two well-earned acting awards plus the British Film of the Year prize. All in all, it's a fine slate of winners from a fine slate of nominees, and a pleasant tonic to what was a rather dissatisfying bunch of BAFTA nominations last week. Take a look below:

Film of the Year

Mad Max: Fury Road

Director of the Year

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Actor of the Year

Tom Courtenay (45 Years)

Actress of the Year

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Supporting Actor of the Year

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Supporting Actress of the Year

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Screenwriter of the Year

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Technical Achievement Award

Edward Lachman (Carol) - cinematography

Documentary of the Year

Amy

Foreign Language Film of the Year

The Look of Silence

British / Irish Film of the Year

45 Years

British / Irish Actor of the Year

Tom Hardy (Legend / London Road / Mad Max: Fury Road / The Revenant)

British / Irish Actress of the Year

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn / Lost River)

The Philip French Award for Best Breakthrough British / Irish Filmmaker

John MacLean (Slow West)

Young British / Irish Performer of the Year

Maisie Williams (The Falling)

Best British / Irish Short Film

Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary)

LONDON CRITICS CIRCLE FILM AWARDS: CAROL LEADS AMONG CONTROVERSY

The London Critics' Circle has often defined its local film awards as 'British', despite featuring Irish talent in these categories. Following today's nominations announcement, in which Todd Haynes' Carol leads all nominees with seven mentions, the circle made an adjustment, and renamed these categories. About time too. The nominees are pretty impressive, however, with Best Film mentions for two documentaries, and a brilliant slate of Foreign Language contenders (as ever from this group). A gala ceremony will be held on Sunday the 17th of January during which the award winners will be announced. Check out their choices below:

Film of the Year

45 Years

Amy

Carol

Inside Out

The Look of Silence

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Director of the Year

Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)

Andrew Haigh (45 Years)

Todd Haynes (Carol)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

Actor of the Year

Tom Courtenay (45 Years)

Paul Dano (Love & Mercy)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Tom Hardy (Legend)

Actress of the Year

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Supporting Actor of the Year

Benicio del Toro (Sicario)

Tom Hardy (The Revenant)

Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina)

Michael Keaton (Spotlight)

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Supporting Actress of the Year

Olivia Colman (The Lobster)

Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria)

Tilda Swinton (Trainwreck)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Screenwriter of the Year

Emma Donoghue (Room)

Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Phyllis Nagy (Carol)

Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)

Technical Achievement Award

Carter Burwell (Carol)

Wade Eastwood (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation)

Colin Gibson (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Elliot Graham (Steve Jobs)

Edward Lachman (Carol)

Tom Ozanich (Sicario)

Sandy Powell (Cinderella)

John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Alistair Sirkett and Markus Stemler (Macbeth)

Andrew Whitehurst (Ex Machina)

Documentary of the Year

Amy

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

The Look of Silence

Palio

A Syrian Love Story

Foreign-Language Film of the Year

Eden

Hard to Be a God

The Look of Silence

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Tribe

British / Irish Film of the Year

45 Years

Amy

Brooklyn

The Lobster

London Road

British / Irish Actor of the Year

Michael Caine (Kingsman: The Secret Service / Youth)

Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation / Second Coming)

Colin Farrell (The Lobster / Miss Julie)

Michael Fassbender (Macbeth / Slow West / Steve Jobs)

Tom Hardy (Legend / London Road / Mad Max: Fury Road / The Revenant)

British / Irish Actress of the Year

Emily Blunt (Sicario)

Carey Mulligan (Far from the Madding Crowd / Suffragette)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years / The Forbidden Room)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn / Lost River)

Kate Winslet (The Dressmaker / A Little Chaos / Steve Jobs)

Breakthrough British / Irish Filmmaker

Tom Browne (Radiator)

Mark Burton and Richard Starzak (Shaun the Sheep Movie)

Emma Donoghue (Room)

Alex Garland (Ex Machina)

John MacLean (Slow West)

Young British / Irish Performer

Asa Butterfield (X+Y)

Milo Parker (Mr. Holmes / Robot Overlords)

Florence Pugh (The Falling)

Liam Walpole (The Goob)

Maisie Williams (The Falling)

British / Irish Short Film

Directed by Tweedie (Duncan Cowles)

Leidi (Simon Mesa Soto)

Over (Jorn Threlfall)

Rate Me (Fyzal Boulifa)

Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary)