It appears the film critics of Houston have a thing for movies about 18th-century English royalty being bitchy to one another.
That would explain why the period piece The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Olivia Colman and Oscar winners Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, has a whopping seven nominations in the 12th Annual Houston Film Critics Society Movie Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.
The monster Marvel hit Black Panther and If Beale Street Could Talk, the James Baldwin-adapted latest from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, are both tied with six nominations, while the Bradley Cooper-directed remake of A Star is Born and the Dick Cheney biopic Vice each have five. All these films are nominated for best picture, along with BlacKkKlansman, Eighth Grade, First Reformed, Green Book, Hereditary, and Roma.
“Once again, the HFCS nominations tell the story of the year in film,” Joshua Starnes, president of the organization (which this writer is a member), said in a statement. “By celebrating popular blockbusters as well as acclaimed independent films, the nominations remind us why we love to go to the movies.”
The winners will be announced on Thursday, January 3, 2019 at a free "Oscar-style" ceremony (with promotional assistance from ESPN 97.5 FM and SportsMap 94.1 FM, which is owned by Gow Media, which also owns CultureMap) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, starting at 7 pm.
There will also be awards given out the Best Poster (BlacKkKlansman and Suspiria both have two nominations) as well as Worst Picture (yes, Venom is in there). A silent auction benefitting the HFCS will include movie industry collectables and will be staged at the after-party at Hotel ZaZa, located in the Houston Museum District. Tickets are required to ensure a manageable level of attendance.
Here is a full list of the nominees:
Best Picture
A Star is Born
Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Eighth Grade
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Hereditary
Roma
Vice
Best Director
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Adam McKay, Vice
Best Actor
Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Best Actress
Glenn Close, The Wife
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothee Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther
Amy Adams, Vice
Claire Foy, First Man
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Best Screenplay
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara, The Favourite
Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Adam McKay, Vice
Best Cinematography
Rachel Morrison, Black Panther
Linus Sandgren, First Man
Robbie Ryan, The Favourite
James Laxton, If Beale Street Could Talk
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther
Justin Hurwitz, First Man
Nicholas Britell, If Beale Street Could Talk
Alexandre Desplat, Isle of Dogs
Thom Yorke, Suspiria
Best Original Song
All the Stars from Black Panther
Ashes from Deadpool 2
Hearts Beat Loudfrom Hearts Beat Loud
Revelation from Boy Erased
Shallow from A Star is Born
Best Foreign Language Film
Burning
Border
Cold War
Roma
Shoplifters
Best Documentary Feature
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
RBG
Three Identical Strangers
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Texas Independent Film Award
1985
An American in Texas
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Support the Girls
Tejano
Visual Effects
Black Panther
First Man
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Best Poster
BlacKkKlansman (two different posters)
Mandy
Suspiria (two different posters)
Best Worst Film of the Year
The 15:17 to Paris
The Happytime Murders
Life Itself
Peppermint
Venom
