The Music City Film Critics Association (of which I am a voting member) has given its awards for 2020 filmmaking. We made our picks for the best. They're listed below. And then see who I predict will at The Oscars.
IMHO this was a tough year for movies. Many weren't released because of the pandemic, and the ones that were... aren't exactly big-bucks, crowd-pleasers. The movies in the main contention are more of the kind only critics would like (slow, smaller stories, with not very many happy endings. But there were some great movies among those slow-burning films. Frances McDormand and Nomadland is a perfect example of the slower, beautiful, incredible films. But while it was my pick, it did not win best pic (the winner was my personal runner-up). Here are the winners.
Best Picture: Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell – Director
Tom Ackerley, Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox,
Josey McNamara, Margot Robbie – Producers
OSCAR PREDICTION: Nomadland
Best Director: Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
OSCAR PREDICTION: Chloe - Nomadland
Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
OSCAR PREDICTION: Chadwick Boseman
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
OSCAR PREDICTION: Carey Mulligan
Best Supporting Actor: Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
OSCAR PREDICTION: Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Supporting Actress: Tie
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari
OSCAR PREDICTION: Yuh-Juong Youn
Best Acting Ensemble: Tie
One Night In Miami
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
OSCAR PREDICTION: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Best Animated Feature: Soul - Pete Doctor and Kemp Powers – Directors
Dana Murray, Jonas Rivera, Jessie Thiele Schroeder – Producers
OSCAR PREDICTION: Soul
Best Documentary: The Social Dilemma - Jeff Orlowski – Director
Larissa Rhodes, Shawna Schultz – Producers
OSCAR PREDICTION: My Octopus Teacher
Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin - The Trial of the Chicago 7
OSCAR PREDICTION: Minari
Best Song: “Speak Now” – Sam Ashworth, Leslie Odom, Jr.
One Night In Miami
OSCAR PREDICTION: "Speak Now"
Best Score: Ludwig Göransson – Tenet
OSCAR PREDICTION: TYrent Reznor - Mank
Best Cinematography: Joshua James Richard - Nomadland
OSCAR PREDICTION: Joshua James Richard - Nomadland
Best Editing: Tie
Andy Canny - The Invisible Man
Alan Baumgarten - The Trial of the Chicago 7
OSCAR PREDICTION: - The Trial of The Chicago 7
Best Production Design: Donald Graham Burt – Mank
OSCAR PREDICTION: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
The Jim Ridley Award: William Tyler – Composer – First Cow