MORE AWARD SEASON NEWS

The Screen Actors Guild has announced their acting nominations of the year and the major surprise is the cast of "Parasite", Bong Joon Ho's eerie tale of a poor family trying for a better life by working for a wealthy family from South Korea, has been recognized for Outstanding Performance By a Cast which is the equivalent of a Best Picture nomination. This is only the second time in the history of the SAG Awards that a foreign-language cast has been nominated in this category. But it was "Bombshell", the upcoming drama based on the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News, Martin Scorsese's mobster biopic, "The Irishman" and Quentin Tarantino's 1969 set drama, "Once Upon A Time. . . in Hollywood" that received the most nominations with each film collecting a total of four. And Scarlett Johansson became one of the rare double nominees with the actress this year being recognized for her lead performance in the divorce drama, "Marriage Story" and her supporting work in the satire, "Jojo Rabbit".

The 26th annual SAG Awards will be presented on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles. Robert De Niro will receive the Life Achievement Award. Here is a partial list of this year's nominations:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:

"Bombshell"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Once Upon a Time . . . In Hollywood"
"Parasite"


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:

Cynthia Erivo, "Harriet"
Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"
Lupita Nyong'o, "Us"
Charlize Theron, "Bombshell"
Renee Zellweger, "Judy"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:

Christian Bale, "Ford v Ferrari"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time. . . in Hollywood"
Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Taron Egerton, "Rocketman"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:

Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Scarlett Johansson, "Jojo Rabbit"
Nicole Kidman, "Bombshell"
Jennifer Lopez, "Hustlers"
Margot Robbie, "Bombshell"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:

Jamie Foxx, "Just Mercy"
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
Al Pacino, "The Irishman"
Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time. . . In Hollywood"

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:

"Avengers: Endgame"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time. . . In Hollywood"

What was notable about the big winner at this year's European Film Awards is that "The Favourite"(which won four awards including Best European Film) had already won plenty of prizes in the U.S. the previous year with Olivia Colman (who took home a Best Actress Oscar) getting another award for her performance in the film. I know it's all about the release schedule yet another favorite that won several awards in 2018 was "Cold War" which received this year's People's Choice prize.

Here is the list of winners of the 2019 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "The Favourite"
Best European Director: Yorgos Lanthimos, "The Favourite"
Best European Screenwriter: Céline Sciamma, "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire"
Best European Actor: Antonio Banderas, "Pain And Glory"
Best European Actor: Olivia Colman, "The Favourite"
Best European Comedy: "The Favourite"
Best European Documentary: "For Sana"
Best European Animated Feature Film: "Bunuel In The Labyrinth Of The Turtles"
Best European Short Film: "The Christmas Gift"
People's Choice Award: "Cold War"
European Discovery: Ladj Ly, "Les Misérables"

And here is a round-up of selections made by a few film critic groups for the best of 2019. What's clear is that "Parasite" has shaped up to become one of the biggest critical and box-office (for a foreign-language film) successes of the year. At this point, plenty of Oscar nominations are guaranteed but will Bong Joon Ho and his highly praised film actually win the gold?

Here is the list of winners from The Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

Best Picture: "Parasite"
Best Director: Bong Joon Ho, "Parasite"
Best Screenplay: Noah Baumbach, "Marriage Story"
Best Actor: Antonio Banderas, "Pain and Glory"
Best Actress: Mary Kay Place, "Diane"
Best Supporting Actor: Song Kang Ho, "Parasite"
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lopez, "Hustlers"
Best Documentary/Nonfiction Film: "American Factory"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "Pain and Glory"
Best Animation: "I Lost My Body"
Best Cinematography: Claire Mathon, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" and "Atlantics"
Best Editing: Todd Douglas Miller, "Apollo 11"
Best Production Design: Barbara Ling, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Best Music/Score: Dan Levy, "I Lost My Body"
New Generation: Joe Talbot, Jimmie Falls and Jonathan Majors, "The Last Black Man In San Francisco"
Career Achievement Award: Elaine May

Here is the list of winners from the 2019 Chicago Film Critics Association:

Best Picture: "Parasite"
Best Director: Bong Joon Ho, "Parasite"
Best Original Screenplay: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, "Parasite"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Greta Gerwig, "Little Women"
Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, "Us"
Best Actor: Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Best Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, "Little Women"
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time. . .in Hollywood"
Best Documentary: "Apollo 11"
Best Animated Feature: "Toy Story 4"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "Parasite"
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, "1917"
Best Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker, "The Irishman"
Best Art Direction: Nancy Haigh and Barbara Ling, "Once Upon a Time. . .in Hollywood"
Best Costume Design: Jacqueline Durran, "Little Women"
Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, "Little Women"

Here is the list of winners from the 2019 Boston Society of Film Critics:

Best Picture: "Little Women"
Best Director: Bong Joon ho, "Parasite"
Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon a Time. . .in Hollywood"
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, "Little Women"
Best Actor: Adam Sandler, "Uncut Gems"
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time. . .in Hollywood"
Best Ensemble: "Little Women"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Parasite"
Best Animated Film: "I Lost My Body"
Best Documentary: "Honeyland"
Best Cinematography: Claire Mathon, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"
Best Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker, "The Irishman"
Best Score: Alexandre Desplat, "Little Women"
New Filmmaker: Joe Talbot, "Last Black Man in San Francisco"