The noms for Angelina Jolie (“Unbroken”) and Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) mean that two of the six director contenders are women. Among the films earning more attention than in this year’s previous kudos announcements: “Interstellar” (seven); “Guardians of the Galaxy” (five) and “Unbroken” (four).
The voting, by the Broadcast Film Critics Assn., is one of the more reliable Oscar predictors, in terms of winners. The group has matched the eventual Oscar-winning best pic in 12 of the last 15 years.
As for nominations, the CCMA are a good guide for what’s popular in awards conversations, but several factors limit the noms’ powers as an Oscar omen.
For one thing, this group cites six contenders in most categories, compared to five from the Academy. In addition, the CCMA has separate categories for comedy film, action film and sci-fi/horror, in addition to its top prize, which is labeled simply best picture. The overlap means some films have a shot at taking two “best” prizes — and that individuals like Ralph Fiennes and Michael Keaton are nominated three times for one film: actor, comedy actor and in the ensemble category.
“Gone Girl” and “The Imitation Game” each earned six nominations; aside from “Guardians,” three films earned five apiece: “Into The Woods,” “Selma,” and “The Theory of Everything.” Films with four bids, in addition to “Unbroken,” are “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Inherent Vice,” “St. Vincent” and “Whiplash.”
Among the surprise omissions were Steve Carell and “Foxcatcher” (which surprisingly only received two).
The awards are given out by the Broadcast Film Critics Assn., which the org says consists of nearly 300 reviewers from TV, radio and online.
In all, 61 films were cited at least once, in 28 categories. The lengthy roster included mentions for films as diverse as “The Babadook,” “Lucy,” “The Skeleton Twins,” “Top Five” and “22 Jump Street.”
The ceremony will be held Jan. 15 at the Hollywood Palladium, hosted by Michael Strahan and airing live on A&E. The date once again coincides with the Oscar nominations announcement, which means the first televised appearance by some newly anointed contenders. It also means a long day that annually inspires muttering and clenched teeth from awards strategists and journalists.
The complete list follows:
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rose Byrne – Neighbors
Rosario Dawson – Top Five
Melissa McCarthy – St. Vincent
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Kristen Wiig – The Skeleton Twins
