The Moving Picture Blog
- ️Tue Jan 07 2025
The double-barrel cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer — Greta Gerwin’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer — loomed large in the list of nominees announced Tuesday for the 17th annual awards from the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS).
Greta Gerwig’s comic fantasy leads all films with 10 nominations, followed closely with nine nominations for Nolan’s epic biography of the physicist who changed the world. Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s exploration of the Osage County murders, and Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos’ outrageous look at a woman’s search for identity – each received eight nominations. All four are nominated for Best Picture of 2023.
Other films competing for the top prize include American Fiction, a seriocomic examination of Black literature and identity; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, a girl’s journey adjusting to a new community; The Color Purple, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical from Alice Walker’s novel; Godzilla Minus One, an homage to traditions of sci-fi thrillers; The Holdovers, a touching visit to personal and academic challenges in the 1970s; and Past Lives, a heartbreaking celebration of a distant friendship.
“In a year where audiences rediscovered the magic of returning to theaters, filmmakers were more than happy to deliver some incredible cinema that will be hard to top next year,” says HFCS president Travis Leamons. “For 2023, the films and talent we recognize as a collective organization remind us why while the business of movies have changed, the magic of cinema still charms.”
(In the interest of full disclosure: Yours truly is a founding and voting member of the Houston Film Critics Society.)
Contenders for the Texas Independent Film Award, honoring the best of film made in the Lone Star State, are Bolivar, a young woman’s journey to recover from her mother’s death; Breaking the Code, the work and life of artist Vernon Fisher of Fort Worth; Chocolate Lizards, a failed actor’s next steps in Buffalo Gap; I’ll Be There, people searching for connection in the midst of chaos; and A Town Called Victoria, citizens confronting how they learn to hate.
Winners of the 2023 Houston Film Critics Society awards will be announced Jan. 22. Here is a complete list of nominees.
Best Picture
American Fiction
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Barbie
The Color Purple
Godzilla Minus One
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
Best Director
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Actor – Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Actress – Leading Role
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Actor – Supporting Role
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Best Actress – Supporting Role
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Rosamund Pike, Saltburn
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Screenplay
American Fiction, Cord Jefferson
Barbie, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
The Holdovers, David Hemingson
Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan
Past Lives, Celine Song
Poor Things, Tony McNamara
Best Animated Film
The Boy and the Heron
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Best Cinematography
Barbie, Rodrigo Prieto
Killers of the Flower Moon, Rodrigo Prieto
Oppenheimer, Hoyte Van Hoytema
Poor Things, Robbie Ryan
Saltburn, Linus Sandgren
Best Documentary Feature
American Symphony
Beyond Utopia
The Eternal Memory
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
20 Days in Mariupol
Best Foreign Language Feature
Anatomy of a Fall
Godzilla Minus One
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest
Best Original Score
The Boy and the Heron, Joe Hisaishi
Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson
Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix
Spider-Man, Across the Spider-Verse: Daniel Pemberton
Best Original Song
“Dance the Night” from Barbie
“I'm Just Ken” from Barbie
“Keep It Movin'” from The Color Purple
“Meet in the Middle” from Flora and Son
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie
Best Visual Effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Poor Things
Best Stunt Coordination Team
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The Iron Claw
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Polite Society
Best Ensemble Cast
Barbie
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Texas Independent Film
Bolivar
Breaking the Code
Chocolate Lizards
I’ll Be There
A Town Called Victoria