• ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ wins best picture

We are well into awards season, and after the Golden Globes last week, the best in cinema was on Sunday (15) recognised by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) at the 28th Critics Choice Awards.

Nominees were announced in December 2022, and the winners chosen by subsequent voting. The Critics Choice Awards are believed to be an indicator of success at the Academy Awards, which will take place for the 95th time on 12 March. While we have a few more weeks until the Academy Awards (or the Oscars), Everything Everywhere All at Once won big at the Critics Choice Awards. The movie had a total of 14 nominations, while The Fabelmans had 11. In terms of TV, Abbott Elementary had six nominations in total, with Better Call Saul securing five nominations.

The award for best actress went to Cate Blanchett for her role in ‘Tár’

The event was hosted by comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer Chelsea Handler, with actress Michelle Pfeiffer taking the stage to honour Jeff Bridges with the Lifetime Achievement Award and actress Kate Hudson presenting the SeeHer Award to her Glass Onion costar Janelle Monáe.

Accepting her award for best supporting actress in a comedy series for her performance in Abbott Elementary, Sheryl Lee Ralph said: “People don’t have to like you. People don’t have to love you. They don’t even have to respect you. But when you look in the mirror, you better love what you see.”

Another highlight of the event was when Jennifer Coolidge, who won best supporting actress in a drama series for her role in The White Lotus, said: “I just want to say to all the people out there, for anyone who has sort of given up hope, I hope this gives you inspiration. It’s not over till it’s over. It’s not over till you are dead.”

Ke Huy Quan’s role in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ won him best supporting actor

Telugu movie RRR continued to shine, winning best foreign language film as well as best song for Naatu Naatu by Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani, and Rahul Sipligunj, which also won best original song at the Golden Globes last week.

At the Critics Choice Awards, Keeravani was asked why he thought his music has resonated worldwide, to which he responded: “Because of the uniqueness and freshness, which caught attention globally.” Keeravani added that he was overwhelmed by the award, and later, speaking to Deadline, he said he was a great fan of composer John Williams.

“He taught me the simplicity in scoring music and how to be simple and humble, how to make it big by reducing yourself into the very basic necessity of scoring. That’s what I learnt from him, without his knowledge.”

Winners

Best picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best actress: Cate Blanchett – Tár

Best actor: Brendan Fraser – The Whale

Best supporting actress: Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best actress in a drama series: Zendaya – Euphoria

Best actor in a drama series: Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul

Best actress in a comedy series: Jean Smart – Hacks

Best actor in a comedy series: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear

Best young actor/actress: Gabriel LaBelle – The Fabelmans

Best limited series: The Dropout

Best drama series: Better Call Saul

Best comedy: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best acting ensemble: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best talk show: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Best comedy special: Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special

Best foreign language series: Pachinko

Best animated series: Harley Quinn

Best movie made for television: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Best visual effects: Avatar: The Way of Water

Best comedy series: Abbott Elementary

Best animated feature: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best song: Naatu Naatu – RRR

Best foreign language film: RRR