Per Matt
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer lit up the Music City Film Critics’ Association 2023 Film Awards with seven wins in total, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, which is an all-time record for the Association!
The MCFCA is comprised of more than 30 professional film critics working in or near Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to the previously noted awards, the biopic also won Best Score, Best Sound, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
“Christopher Nolan has long been a favorite director among critics and general audiences,” Sean Atkins, President of the MCFCA said. “And with Oppenheimer, our group recognized the famed director’s illustrious career with arguably his most vital film to date.”
The film with the second-most awards for this year’s MCFCA awards is The Holdovers, grabbing four awards, including Best Actor – Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Best Young Actor – Dominic Sessa and Best Screenplay.
“Among the many wonderful films this year, The Holdovers was a throwback to classic cinema storytelling. I’m delighted to see our group recognize such a wonderful film,” MCFCA Vice President Micheal Compton added.
Each year the MCFCA gives out The Jim Ridley Award, a special award named after one of Nashville’s most beloved film critics, who died at age 50 in 2016. It is given to the film or person that best represents Nashville and Tennessee. This year’s recipient is Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.
“Jim had a great affection for films with a reach that spanned tradition and invention, taking classical pathways, but finding a new route through them,” Jim Ridley Award Jury member Jason Shawhan said. “And Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things blazes its trails, while making sure its ornate shoulders hold the doors open for all. Raucous, randy and resplendent in glitter and gore, Poor Things is one of the many films we wish Jim had lived to see.”
**Personal Commentary**
With some feature films premiered in movie theaters, others debuted on streaming services, and some streaming movies briefly appeared in theaters in order to qualify for the awards season, I found this year’s nominated entrees a little confusing. Some releases which I truly enjoyed were not eligible for nominations, and that’s a crying shame. There’s a lot of quality programming available every year, and when multiple entertainment entities went on strike, many of these projects did not receive the due promotions they deserved, thus many people may not have heard about them before they were released and then quickly demoted to the streamers.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, many of the well-known Hollywood Big Names received wins here, which I vehemently disagreed with. They kinda felt like lifetime honors instead of individual achievements, when I felt there were more deserving candidates. I honestly thought there were some better releases, but it’s a democracy and the entries with the most votes wins, which is fair after all.
Barbenheimer was a major cultural event, and both films receive recognition here.
I am very glad The Holdovers received a lot of attention, as it’s an incredible film with some top-notch acting. Alexander Payne is absolutely one of my favorite filmmakers around, I only wish the movie could have received more attention at the box office. It’s destined for Oscar recognition…
Poor Things deserves to be seen in all its unedited glory and I cannot recommend The Boy and the Heron any more to animated-movie fans, international film fans and cinephiles everywhere! As much as I enjoyed Talk to Me, I truly enjoyed its storyline and its overall movie-theater experience — I’ll ALWAYS be a fan of A24 Films!!! — it probably was the best horror movie of the year (and one I voted for), but I really enjoyed M3GAN, as well, even though it was mostly a sci-fi movie with horror elements.
These films truly spoke to me. I hope many people get the opportunity to see them and judge for themselves the favorites of the year!
The 2024 Music City Film Critics’ Association Film Award Winners
Best Picture: Oppenheimer
Best Director: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Best Actress: Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best Actor: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Best Young Actress: Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Best Young Actor: Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Best Acting Ensemble: Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Music Film: Maestro
Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Best International Film: Godzilla Minus One
Best Screenplay: The Holdovers
Best Original Song: “I’m Just Ken” – Barbie and “What Was I Made For?” – Barbie
Best Score: Oppenheimer
Best Sound: Oppenheimer
Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer
Best Production Design: Barbie and Poor Things
Best Editing: Oppenheimer
Best Comedy Film: Barbie
Best Horror Film: Talk to Me
Best Action Film: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning: Part One
Best Stunt Work: John Wick: Chapter 4
The Jim Ridley Award: Poor Things