Do you ever agree with your friends about the movies they love?
Maybe some, but not others. That applies here at Screen Anarchy, too; some writers and editors champion films that confound me, and I'm sure the reverse is true, that they worry about my sanity when I suggest that The Hurricane Heist deserves more recognition as a great action extravaganza, as but one of many examples. .
Ah, well. I enjoy a civil discourse about films almost as much as I enjoy watching bloody brawls on a big screen. None of the latter are represented by the choices made below, representing the collective voice of the 33 members of the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, of which I have been a proud member for several years. I enjoy visiting with fellow members at preview screenings throughout the year -- or at least waving at them in acknowledgement of their presence -- and absolutely love seeing what they think about movies.
All that being said, I am baffled at the Best Picture love for A Star Is Born, an overblown puff piece whose only saving grace is Sam Elliott. (He is named among the runners-up for Best Supporting Actor.) I am more than fine with Roma being recognized as Best Foreign Language Film, even if my personal top pick was Shoplifters, listed among the runners-up.
And, although I favored Yen Tan's 1985 for the Russell Smith Award, honoring the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film, I am certainly not going to complain about Zhao Chloe's The Rider winning the award.
See the complete list below; more details are available at our official site.
SUMMARY OF AWARD WINNERS
2018 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
(Choices listed in order of votes received)
Best Picture
Winner: A STAR IS BORN
Runners-up: ROMA; THE FAVOURITE; VICE; BLACKkKLANSMAN; BLACK PANTHER; GREEN BOOK; IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, EIGHTH GRADE; CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Best Actor
Winner: Christian Bale, VICE
Runners-up: Rami Malek, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY; Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN; Ethan Hawke, FIRST REFORMED; Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK
Best Actress
Winner: Olivia Colman, THE FAVOURITE
Runners-up: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN; Melissa McCarthy, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?; Glenn Close, THE WIFE; Nicole Kidman, DESTROYER
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Mahershala Ali, GREEN BOOK
Runners-up: Richard E. Grant, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?; Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN; Timothee Chalamet, BEAUTIFUL BOY; Michael B. Jordan, BLACK PANTHER
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Runners-up: Emma Stone, THE FAVOURITE; Rachel Weisz, THE FAVOURITE; Amy Adams, VICE; Claire Foy, FIRST MAN and Tilda Swinton, SUSPIRIA (tie)
Best Director
Winner: Alfonso Cuaron, ROMA
Runners-up: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN; Yorgos Lanthimos, THE FAVOURITE; Spike Lee, BLACKkKLANSMAN; Adam McKay, VICE
Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: ROMA
Runners-up: COLD WAR; SHOPLIFTERS; BURNING; NEVER LOOK AWAY
Best Documentary
Winner: WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR
Runners-up: FREE SOLO; THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS; RBG; MINDING THE GAP
Best Animated Film
Winner: ISLE OF DOGS
Runner-up: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Screenplay
Winner: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, THE FAVOURITE
Runner-up: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED
Best Cinematography
Winner: Alfonso Cuaron, ROMA
Runner-up: Robbie Ryan, THE FAVOURITE
Best Musical Score
Winner: Alexandre Desplat, ISLE OF DOGS
Runner-up: Justin Hurwitz, FIRST MAN
Russell Smith Award (best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film)
Winner: THE RIDER