"Licorice Pizza" won the National Critics Association Film of the Year

The Paper's reporter Cheng Xiaojun

On December 2, local time, the National Board of Review, which has a history of more than 100 years, announced the 2021 annual award. This also marks the beginning of this awards season, which ends with the 94th Academy Awards ceremony.

Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, was the big winner this year, winning two awards for best picture and best director, while co-stars Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim, who appeared on the big screen for the first time, also won best newcomer actors. "In today's uncertain transition period, there is no better movie than 'Pizza Licorice' that injects us with joy, hope and excitement." Annie Schulhof, president of the National Review Association, commented.

Stills from "Licorice Pizza"

The National Review Association was born in New York in 1909 and has a long history. Since 1930, they have been selecting the best film of the year and the top ten recommended works every year; since 1945, they have added awards such as best director and actor and actress, which coincide with the Oscar awards. The members of the association in charge of voting are about a hundred local film scholars, film critics and veteran film fans from New York, and although they almost do not overlap with the Oscar jury, as one of the earliest awards in the annual awards season, they have some "weather vane" significance.

In the past decade, the best film of the year they have selected, from "The Hunt for Bin Laden", "Hugo", "Her", "Manchester by the Sea" to "Mad Max", etc., can at least get Oscar nominations for best picture, with the exception of 2014's "Year of violence" and last year's "Blood Five". In the past decade, the last to win the best picture little golden man is 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire" and 2018's "Green Book".

In addition, Riz Ahmed ("Voice of Metal"), who won the National Critics Guild Actor Award last year, Kerry Mulligan ("Young Woman with a Bright Future"), Paul Lassi ("Voice of Metal") and Yin Ruzhen ("Minari"), also finalized for the Oscars, and Yin Ruzhen also won the little golden man.

A Hero poster

Looking closely at this year's National Critics Association award list, "Licorice Pizza" has a strong impact on the Oscars, and there is obviously no doubt. As a big acquaintance of the American film industry, Iranian director Asha Farhati's "A Hero" won two awards for best foreign language film and best original screenplay this time, which seems to have taken the lead in the Oscar for best international film.

【Full List of Winners】

Best Picture: "Licorice Pizza"

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "Licorice Pizza"

Best Actor: Will Smith, "King Richard"

Best Actress: Rachel Zegler, "West End Story"

Best Supporting Actor: Seren Sid, "Belfast"

Best Supporting Actress: Angeliel Iris, "King Richard"

Best Original Screenplay: Asha Farhati, "A Hero"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Cohen, "The Tragedy of Macbeth"

Best Cinematography: Bruno del Bonnell, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Animated Feature: Full House

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Hero"

Best Documentary Feature: Souls of Summer

Best Newcomer Actor: Cooper Hoffman / Alana Heim for "Licorice Pizza"

Best Newcomer Director: Michael Sanowski, "Pig"

Best Group Scene: "The Abyss of Vengeance"

Free Expression Award: "Escape"

Film of the Year (in alphabetical order by English title, the same below):

Belfast

"Don't Look Up"

Dune

King Richard

The Final Duel

"Jade Face Love Demon"

Red Rocket

The Tragedy of Macbeth

West End Story

Top 5 Foreign Language Films of the Year:

Our Lady of God

"The Sheep Cub"

"Bond"

Titanium

The Worst Man in the World