The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced the winners of the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards last night, live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Hollywood’s brightest shined at the gala event, which aired on The CW Network and was hosted by acclaimed film, television, and stage star Taye Diggs. See who won big below with the full winner’s list.
FILM NOMINEES
BEST PICTURE
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
First Man
Green Book
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
WINNER: Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice
BEST ACTOR
WINNER: Christian Bale — Vice
Bradley Cooper — A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe — At Eternity’s Gate
Ryan Gosling — First Man
Ethan Hawke — First Reformed
Rami Malek — Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen — Green Book
BEST ACTRESS
Yalitza Aparicio — Roma
Emily Blunt — Mary Poppins Returns
WINNER (TIE): Glenn Close — The Wife
Toni Collette — Hereditary
Olivia Colman — The Favourite
WINNER (TIE): Lady Gaga — A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy — Can You Ever Forgive Me?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER: Mahershala Ali — Green Book
Timothée Chalamet — Beautiful Boy
Adam Driver — BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott — A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant — Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Michael B. Jordan — Black Panther
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams — Vice
Claire Foy — First Man
Nicole Kidman — Boy Erased
WINNER: Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone — The Favourite
Rachel Weisz — The Favourite
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
WINNER: Elsie Fisher — Eighth Grade
Thomasin McKenzie — Leave No Trace
Ed Oxenbould — Wildlife
Millicent Simmonds – A Quiet Place
Amandla Stenberg — The Hate U Give
Sunny Suljic — Mid90s
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Black Panther
Crazy Rich Asians
WINNER: The Favourite
Vice
Widows
BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle — First Man
Bradley Cooper — A Star Is Born
WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
Peter Farrelly — Green Book
Yorgos Lanthimos — The Favourite
Spike Lee — BlacKkKlansman
Adam McKay — Vice
Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade
Alfonso Cuarón — Roma
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara — The Favourite
Adam McKay — Vice
WINNER: Paul Schrader — First Reformed
Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly — Green Book
Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski — A Quiet Place
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole — Black Panther
Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty — Can You Ever Forgive Me?
WINNER: Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters — A Star Is Born
Josh Singer — First Man
Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee — BlacKkKlansman
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón — Roma
James Laxton — If Beale Street Could Talk
Matthew Libatique — A Star Is Born
Rachel Morrison — Black Panther
Robbie Ryan — The Favourite
Linus Sandgren — First Man
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WINNER: Hannah Beachler, Jay Hart — Black Panther
Eugenio Caballero, Barbara Enriquez — Roma
Nelson Coates, Andrew Baseman — Crazy Rich Asians
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton — The Favourite
Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas — First Man
John Myhre, Gordon Sim — Mary Poppins Returns
Jay Cassidy — A Star Is Born
Hank Corwin — Vice
WINNER: Tom Cross – First Man
Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Gough — Roma
Yorgos Mavropsaridis — The Favourite
Joe Walker — Widows
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alexandra Byrne — Mary Queen of Scots
WINNER: Ruth Carter — Black Panther
Julian Day — Bohemian Rhapsody
Sandy Powell — The Favourite
Sandy Powell — Mary Poppins Returns
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Mary Queen of Scots
Suspiria
WINNER: Vice
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Infinity War
WINNER: Black Panther
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Mission: Impossible — Fallout
Ready Player One
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Grinch
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
WINNER: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
BEST ACTION MOVIE
Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther
Deadpool 2
WINNER: Mission: Impossible — Fallout
Ready Player One
Widows
BEST COMEDY
WINNER: Crazy Rich Asians
Deadpool 2
The Death of Stalin
The Favourite
Game Night
Sorry to Bother You
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
WINNER: Christian Bale — Vice
Jason Bateman — Game Night
Viggo Mortensen — Green Book
John C. Reilly — Stan & Ollie
Ryan Reynolds — Deadpool 2
Lakeith Stanfield — Sorry to Bother You
Emily Blunt — Mary Poppins Returns
WINNER: Olivia Colman — The Favourite
Elsie Fisher — Eighth Grade
Rachel McAdams — Game Night
Charlize Theron — Tully
Constance Wu — Crazy Rich Asians
BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE
Annihilation
Halloween
Hereditary
WINNER: A Quiet Place
Suspiria
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Burning
Capernaum
Cold War
WINNER: Roma
Shoplifters
BEST SONG
“All the Stars” — Black Panther
“Girl in the Movies” — Dumplin’
“I’ll Fight” — RBG
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” — Mary Poppins Returns
WINNER: “Shallow” – A Star Is Born
“Trip a Little Light Fantastic” — Mary Poppins Returns
BEST SCORE
Kris Bowers — Green Book
Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk
Alexandre Desplat – Isle of Dogs
Ludwig Göransson — Black Panther
WINNER: Justin Hurwitz — First Man
Marc Shaiman — Mary Poppins Returns
TV NOMINEES
BEST DRAMA SERIES
WINNER: The Americans (FX)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Homecoming (Amazon)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
My Brilliant Friend (HBO)
Pose (FX)
Succession (HBO)
Freddie Highmore — The Good Doctor (ABC)
Diego Luna — Narcos: Mexico (Netflix)
Richard Madden — Bodyguard (Netflix)
Bob Odenkirk — Better Call Saul (AMC)
Billy Porter — Pose (FX)
WINNER: Matthew Rhys — The Americans (FX)
Milo Ventimiglia — This Is Us (NBC)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jodie Comer — Killing Eve (BBC America)
Maggie Gyllenhaal — The Deuce (HBO)
Elisabeth Moss — The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
WINNER: Sandra Oh — Killing Eve (BBC America)
Elizabeth Olsen — Sorry For Your Loss (Facebook Watch)
Julia Roberts — Homecoming (Amazon)
Keri Russell — The Americans (FX)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Richard Cabral — Mayans M.C. (FX)
Asia Kate Dillon — Billions (Showtime)
WINNER: Noah Emmerich — The Americans (FX)
Justin Hartley — This Is Us (NBC)
Matthew Macfadyen — Succession (HBO)
Richard Schiff — The Good Doctor (ABC)
Shea Whigham — Homecoming (Amazon)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Dina Shihabi — Jack Ryan (Amazon)
Julia Garner — Ozark (Netflix)
WINNER: Thandie Newton — Westworld (HBO)
Rhea Seehorn — Better Call Saul (AMC)
Yvonne Strahovski – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Holly Taylor — The Americans (FX)
Atlanta (FX)
Barry (HBO)
The Good Place (NBC)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
WINNER: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
The Middle (ABC)
One Day at a Time (Netflix)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Hank Azaria — Brockmire (IFC)
Ted Danson — The Good Place (NBC)
Michael Douglas — The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
Donald Glover — Atlanta (FX)
WINNER: Bill Hader — Barry (HBO)
Jim Parsons — The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Andy Samberg — Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Rachel Bloom — Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW)
WINNER: Rachel Brosnahan — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Allison Janney — Mom (CBS)
Justina Machado — One Day at a Time (Netflix)
Debra Messing — Will & Grace (NBC)
Issa Rae — Insecure (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
William Jackson Harper — The Good Place (NBC)
Sean Hayes — Will & Grace (NBC)
Brian Tyree Henry — Atlanta (FX)
Nico Santos — Superstore (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
WINNER: Henry Winkler — Barry (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
WINNER: Alex Borstein — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Betty Gilpin — GLOW (Netflix)
Laurie Metcalf — The Conners (ABC)
Rita Moreno — One Day at a Time (Netflix)
Zoe Perry — Young Sheldon (CBS)
Annie Potts — Young Sheldon (CBS)
Miriam Shor — Younger (TV Land)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
A Very English Scandal (Amazon)
American Vandal (Netflix)
WINNER: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
Genius: Picasso (National Geographic)
Sharp Objects (HBO)
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Icebox (HBO)
WINNER: Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
King Lear (Amazon)
My Dinner with Hervé (HBO)
Notes from the Field (HBO)
The Tale (HBO)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Antonio Banderas — Genius: Picasso (National Geographic)
WINNER: Darren Criss — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Paul Dano — Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
Benicio Del Toro — Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
Hugh Grant — A Very English Scandal (Amazon)
John Legend — Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
WINNER (TIE): Amy Adams – Sharp Objects (HBO)
WINNER (TIE): Patricia Arquette — Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
Connie Britton — Dirty John (Bravo)
Carrie Coon — The Sinner (USA Network)
Laura Dern — The Tale (HBO)
Anna Deavere Smith — Notes From the Field (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Brandon Victor Dixon — Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
Eric Lange — Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
Alex Rich — Genius: Picasso (National Geographic)
Peter Sarsgaard — The Looming Tower (Hulu)
Finn Wittrock — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
WINNER: Ben Whishaw — A Very English Scandal (Amazon)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ellen Burstyn — The Tale (HBO)
WINNER: Patricia Clarkson — Sharp Objects (HBO)
Penelope Cruz — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Julia Garner — Dirty John (Bravo)
Judith Light — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Elizabeth Perkins — Sharp Objects (HBO)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network)
Archer (FXX)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
WINNER: BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
The Simpsons (Fox)
South Park (Comedy Central)
Gladiator 2 builds on the legacy of its predecessor, delivering a captivating story that honors the original while forging a compelling new path. The cast shines in their roles, with Paul Mescal delivering a powerhouse performance as Lucius, the now-grown son of Maximus. Mescal captures a blend of vulnerability and strength, embodying a character driven by both honor and revenge. Alongside him, Denzel Washington commands the screen, adding gravitas and depth to a key supporting role
The screenplay is a triumph, keeping the audience engaged at every turn. While the overarching story gives you a sense of where it’s headed, the journey remains unpredictable, and packed with twists. The film balances themes of legacy, vengeance, and redemption, weaving them seamlessly into the narrative.
Action sequences, particularly the gladiatorial combat, are visually pleasing. The fights are brutal and visceral, with just enough gore to feel authentic without veering into excess. Visually, Gladiator 2 is stunning. The production design, cinematography, and score come together to create a visceral and immersive experience.
As a follow-up to a beloved classic, Gladiator 2 meets expectations, proving to be both a thrilling spectacle and a worthy successor. It’s a 9/10—a tale of honor and legacy.
Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, the long-awaited cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical, soars as a dazzling spectacle that captivates audiences with its lush visuals, heartfelt performances, and rich storytelling. The film, the first in a two-part series, delves into the origins of Elphaba and Glinda, exploring their unlikely friendship and the events that transform them into the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) lead the cast with exceptional performances. Erivo’s powerful vocals and nuanced portrayal of Elphaba’s internal struggles bring depth to the character. Grande, in her most notable film role to date, is both hilarious and heartfelt as Glinda, perfectly capturing her charm and comedic timing. Supporting performances by Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), and Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard) add layers to the narrative, enriching the world of Oz with compelling subplots.
Chu, known for his work on Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, brings his signature style to Wicked, blending vibrant visuals with emotional resonance. The production design by Nathan Crowley is stunning, vividly rendering Oz with grandeur, from the Emerald City to Shiz University. Paul Tazewell’s costume design is equally striking, updating the Broadway look with cinematic flair. The score, by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell, retains iconic musical numbers like “Defying Gravity” while incorporating new arrangements that heighten their cinematic impact.
Critics have hailed Wicked as one of the best musical-to-film adaptations in decades, rivaling Chicago and Mamma Mia. Chu’s decision to split the adaptation into two parts allows for a deeper exploration of the story, giving audiences time to connect with the characters and their journeys. Fans of the Broadway show will appreciate its faithfulness to the source material, while newcomers will be enchanted by its universal themes of acceptance, ambition, and friendship.
With Wicked, Jon M. Chu has delivered a masterpiece that sets a new standard for musical adaptations. The film is a visual and emotional triumph, showcasing unforgettable performances and a meticulously crafted world. Whether you’re a fan of the original musical or new to the story, Wicked is a must-see cinematic event.
Rating: 3.5/5
Devara Part 1 dives deep into the heart of coastal India, merging high-stakes action with rich, emotional storytelling. Directed by Koratala Siva, this movie delivers both visually arresting cinematography and a gritty, dramatic narrative that examines the impact of power, loyalty, and revenge. The film stars Jr. NTR as Devara, alongside Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, both in pivotal roles. With its mix of action, suspense, and drama, Devara has quickly become a must-watch on Netflix.
The film is set in a fictional coastal region, where Devara, played by Jr. NTR, emerges as a man caught in the crossfire of a world rife with ambition and betrayal. The narrative pivots around land issues and the power struggles within the community, which expose Devara’s journey from a common man to a feared figure within his circle. Saif Ali Khan’s antagonist is a complex and calculated character whose machinations add depth to the storyline, setting the stage for a high-stakes conflict with Devara.
The film uses classic Bollywood tropes of revenge and honor but explores them through a modern lens. Devara’s journey is marked by his raw emotional drive and relentless courage, and the character’s depth makes him a gripping protagonist. Janhvi Kapoor adds a softer, more vulnerable counterbalance as Devara’s love interest, providing relief amid the film’s intensity.
Jr. NTR shines in the title role, embodying Devara with both intensity and vulnerability. His transformation into this hardened figure is subtle and believable, allowing viewers to empathize with his struggles. Saif Ali Khan, as the antagonist, is charismatic yet menacing, bringing layers to his role that make him much more than a standard villain. Janhvi Kapoor, while not the primary focus, delivers a grounded performance, effectively conveying the emotional depth needed in a film as intense as this.
One of the strongest elements of Devara Part 1 is its cinematography. Siva and his team bring the coastal setting to life, with expansive shots that capture the rugged beauty of the region. Each scene is meticulously crafted to capture the landscape’s natural colors and textures, lending authenticity to the story. The high-quality production value, along with the tight pacing and impressive action sequences, ensures that the audience remains engaged from start to finish.
Korotala Siva’s direction keeps the narrative’s emotional core intact while focusing on action and drama. The way he layers tension and reveals character motives adds a degree of realism rarely seen in mainstream cinema.
At its core, Devara is about the moral complexities that arise when survival and loyalty collide. It tackles themes of power, corruption, and revenge, all within a tightly woven plot that never strays too far from the human element. The film also dives into social issues, shedding light on the systemic corruption affecting the lives of ordinary people in coastal India. Devara’s journey is one of self-discovery and confrontation with societal norms, and this depth keeps the film compelling beyond its action sequences.
The film also sets up exciting possibilities for Devara Part 2, hinting at an even deeper exploration of these themes, as the stakes rise and alliances shift.
Devara Part 1 combines strong performances, beautiful cinematography, and a gripping storyline. While it does lean on some familiar tropes, the story’s authenticity and Siva’s nuanced direction make it a worthwhile watch. The movie’s pacing, engaging plot twists, and character-driven drama make it hard to turn away.
Rating: 4.3/5 Devara Part 1 is a compelling drama that balances action and emotion, making it a standout in Netflix’s lineup. It’s perfect for viewers looking for a powerful storyline mixed with well-executed action. Highly recommended for fans of Bollywood cinema and anyone who appreciates stories with moral complexity.
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