THE CRITICS HAVE SPOKEN!! This weekend, the two Boston film critics groups to which I belong announced their 2015 year end awards! So whose picks are closest to yours? Read all the way to the bottom and see if it’s MAD MAX or SPOTLIGHT– and all the rest. Peruse the results and let me know what you think!

The BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS (BSFC) announced its 34th annual awards on Sunday December 6, 2015. Awards were selected in person by secret ballot after lively debate and announced on their website www.bostonfilmcritics.org. SPOTLIGHT took the top slot as BEST PICTURE and also BEST ENSEMBLE. Here’s the complete list of BSFC winners. Click on the link for special awards and commendations:


Best Picture  –  Spotlight

Best Actor – (TIE) Paul Dano for Love & Mercy and Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant

Best Actress –  Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years

Best Supporting Actor – Mark Rykance for Bridge of Spies

Best Supporting Actress – Kristen Stewart for Clouds of Sils Maria

Best Director – Todd Haynes for Carol

Best Screenplay – Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer for Spotlight

Best Cinematography – Edward Lachman for Carol

Best Documentary – Amy

Best Foreign-Language Film  (awarded in memory of Jay Carr) –  The Look of Silence

Best Animated Film –  (TIE) Anomalisa and Inside Out

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) –  Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) –  Marielle Heller for The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Best Ensemble Cast –  Spotlight

Best Use of Music in a Film –  Love & Mercy

The BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (BOFCA) announced its 4th annual awards on Saturday December 5, 2015. Awards were selected via a system of online voting and announced on their website at www.bofca.com. After spirited and competitive voting, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD decimated the competition in 5 categories including Best Picture, and Best Director. Here’s the complete list of BOFCA winners which also includes a list of our ten best films of the year:

BEST PICTURE:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST DIRECTOR:

George Miller, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST ACTOR:

Michael B. Jordan, CREED

 BEST ACTRESS:

Saoirse Ronan, BROOKLYN

 BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Sylvester Stallone, CREED

 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Kristen Stewart, CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

 BEST ENSEMBLE:

SPOTLIGHT

 BEST SCREENPLAY:

Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, SPOTLIGHT

 BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

SON OF SAUL

 BEST DOCUMENTARY:

AMY

 BEST ANIMATED FILM:

INSIDE OUT

 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

John Seale, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

 BEST EDITING:

Margaret Sixel, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

 BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Junkie XL, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

 THE TEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR:

 1. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

2. CREED

3. BROOKLYN

4. CAROL

5. SPOTLIGHT

6. CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

7. BRIDGE OF SPIES

8. THE MARTIAN

9. ANOMALISA

10. TANGERINE