AAPI stars light up the Critics Choice Awards

by Jana Monji

Wearing a second-hand silk orange kimono as a wrap over a Japanese designer sweater dress, I got a sideways seat to the live broadcast of the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night in what used to be part of Santa Monica Airport but is now an event venue known as the Barker Hangar.

Being a member of the Critics Choice Association doesn’t automatically get you into the Critics Choice Awards. Founded 28 years ago with less than 50 members, the CCA is now the largest critics organization in the US and Canada with over 600 members that include broadcast, radio and online critics as well as entertainment journalists who review films and documentaries as well as scripted and unscripted television.

This year, although originally scheduled to seat a hundred members at the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel, in Century City, Los Angeles with an additional viewing party, due to a strike affecting hotel workers, the 29th annual Critics Choice Awards show was moved to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.  

With that move, those originally slated to be in the viewing room away from the nominees after losing the lottery were now part of one big party. The arrivals started at 1 p.m. and the traffic was polite enough that people grit their teeth and spew four-lettered words to fuel road rage even though road rage inspired one of the night’s winners.

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As a new member, I was seated at the very far reaches of the ballroom, the side where everyone enters. That meant once seated, there was a constant parade of celebrities passing by like Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie (Barbie), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Charles Melton (May December), Ke Huy Quan (Loki), Godzilla Minus One writer/director Takashi Yamazaki. It was possible to move about while waiting for the ceremony to begin and take time for some photos.

The Career Achievement Awardee, Harrison Ford, was only announced to the membership at large on 9 January 2024, and that set up another reunion for Ford and Ke Huy Quan who was one of the nominees for the TV series Loki.  Loki, which had four nominations didn’t have luck this time, but last year Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once which went on to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. I saw Ke Huy Quan pass our table and caught up with him later for a photo and met Henry Winkler (nominated for Barry) along the way. Barry had three nominations.

I also brushed past Celine Song and was left wondering if she loved dogs or just dachshunds from her black-on-black suit which featured a raised repetitive representation of the lovable canine. Song was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Past Lives. The film was also nominated for Best Actress (Greta Lee) and Best Picture.

I saw the whole Beef crew, but didn’t meet them but was part of the cheering audience when Ali Wong, Steven Yuen and Lee Sung Jin went on to the stage to pick up their awards (Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Limited Series awards). Yuen said, “We had a fun time making this show” and it’s easy to believe when you see them at the table laughing together.

On her way to the stage, Wong gave Bill Hader a kiss. Hader was nominated for Barry but lost to Jeremy Allen White of The Bear for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. 

Not all of the winners get to walk on stage. Winners for some categories are just announced like Best Animated Feature (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Best Foreign Language Film (Anatomy of a Fall from France). But some announcement-only winners got on stage as presenters such as Awkwafina and Sandra Oh whose movie (directed by Jessica Yu)  Quiz Lady won Best Movie Made for Television. They opened their comments by greeting each other with “Hi, winner.” Oh won Critics Choice Awards in 2005 (Best Acting Ensemble for Sideways)  and in 2019  (Best Actress in a Drama Series for Killing Eve). Awkwafina had been nominated previously for Best Actress in 2020 for The Farewell.

Oppenheimer, the film that erased Asian Americans in its depiction of California in the 1940s and the Japanese and Pacific Islanders in the depiction of the atomic bombings, and also managed to enrage some Hindus over the juxtaposition of a sacred text during a sex scene won top honors: Best Picture and Best Director. In total, Oppenheimer had eight wins while Barbie had six. 

During the commercial breaks, people mingled or went out to the lobby for more food (Baja Fresh and Cold Stone Creamery) and drinks or even outside for a bathroom  or cigarette break. You never know who you’ll bump into at the trailer-style mobile bathrooms. If you’re not back by countdown, you’ll have to wait, but rest assured your seat won’t be empty because there’s a small troop of well-dressed fillers. If you finished your boxed nibbles of cheese, meat and crackers, small wrapped pizzas made the rounds toward the end. 

While the dress code was black tie, it was still a relaxed adult fun, a tone set from the beginning of Chelsea Handler’s sometimes raunchy opening monologue. I’d enjoy attending again, even if Godzilla doesn’t receive a nomination. We left before the commotion of cars might inspire Beef-ish road rage. 

Tonight at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, Beef is likely to collect more awards at the strike-delayed 75th Primetime Emmy Awards “Beef” is nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Joseph Lee and Young Mazino), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Maria Bello), Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Figures of Light, Lee Sung Jin and The Great Fabricator, Jake Schreier), and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech in Pain, Lee Sung Jin)

FILM

Best Picture

• WINNER: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
• “American Fiction” (MGM)
• “Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
• “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.)
• “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
• “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
• “Maestro” (Netflix)
• “Past Lives” (A24)
• “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
• “Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Actor

• WINNER: Paul Giamatti — The Holdovers
• Bradley Cooper — Maestro
• Leonardo DiCaprio — Killers of the Flower Moon
• Colman Domingo — Rustin
• Cillian Murphy — Oppenheimer
• Jeffrey Wright — American Fiction

Best Actress

• WINNER: Emma Stone — Poor Things
• Lily Gladstone — Killers of the Flower Moon
• Sandra Hüller — Anatomy of a Fall
• Greta Lee — Past Lives
• Carey Mulligan — Maestro
• Margot Robbie — Barbie

Best Supporting Actor

• WINNER: Robert Downey Jr. — Oppenheimer
• Sterling K. Brown — American Fiction
• Robert DeNiro — Killers of the Flower Moon
• Ryan Gosling — Barbie
• Charles Melton — May December
• Mark Ruffalo — Poor Things

Best Supporting Actress

• WINNER: Da’Vine Joy Randolph — The Holdovers
• Emily Blunt — Oppenheimer
• Danielle Brooks — The Color Purple
• America Ferrera — Barbie
• Jodie Foster — Nyad
• Julianne Moore — May December

Best Young Actor/Actress

• WINNER: Dominic Sessa — The Holdovers
• Abby Ryder Forston — Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
• Ariana Greenblatt — Barbie
• Calah Lane — Wonka
• Milo Machado Graner — Anatomy of a Fall
• Madeleine Yuna Voyles — The Creator

Best Acting Ensemble

• WINNER: Oppenheimer
• Air
• Barbie
• The Color Purple
• The Holdovers
• Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Director

• WINNER: Christopher Nolan — Oppenheimer
• Bradley Cooper — Maestro
• Greta Gerwig — Barbie
• Yorgos Lanthimos — Poor Things
• Alexander Payne — The Holdovers
• Martin Scorsese — Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Original Screenplay

• WINNER: Barbie — Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
• Air — Alex Convery
• The Holdovers – David Hemingson
• Maestro — Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer
• May December — Samy Burch
• Past Lives — Celine Song

Best Adapted Screenplay

• WINNER: American Fiction — Cord Jefferson
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret — Kelly Fremon Craig
• All of Us Strangers — Andrew Haigh
• Killers of the Flower Moon — Martin Scorsese, Eric Roth
• Poor Things — Tony McNamara
• Oppenheimer — Christopher Nolan

Best Cinematography

• WINNER: Hoyte van Hoytema – Oppenheimer
• Matthew Libatique – Maestro
• Rodrigo Prieto – Barbie
• Rodrigo Prieto – Killers of the Flower Moon
• Robbie Ryan – Poor Things
• Linus Sandgren – Saltburn

Best Production Design

• WINNER: Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer – Barbie
• Suzie Davies, Charlotte Dirickx – Saltburn
• Ruth De Jong, Claire Kaufman – Oppenheimer
• Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Killers of the Flower Moon
• James Price, Shona Heath, Szusza Mihalek – Poor Things
• Adam Stockhausen, Kris Moran – Asteroid City

Best Editing

• WINNER: Jennifer Lame – Oppenheimer
• William Goldenberg – Air
• Nick Houy – Barbie
• Yorgos Mavropsaridis – Poor Things
• Thelma Schoonmaker – Killers of the Flower Moon
• Michelle Tesoro – Maestro

Best Costume Design

• WINNER: Jacqueline Durran – Barbie
• Lindy Hemming – Wonka
• Francine Jamison-Tanchuck – The Color Purple
• Holly Waddington – Poor Things
• Jacqueline West – Killers of the Flower Moon
• Janty Yates, David Crossman – Napoleon

Best Hair and Makeup

• WINNER: Barbie
• The Color Purple
• Maestro
• Oppenheimer
• Poor Things
• Priscilla

Best Visual Effects

• WINNER: Oppenheimer
• The Creator
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
• Poor Things
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Comedy

• WINNER: Barbie
• American Fiction
• Bottoms
• The Holdovers
• No Hard Feelings
• Poor Things

Best Animated Feature

• WINNER: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• The Boy and the Heron
• Elemental
• Nimona
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
• Wish

Best Foreign Language Film

• WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall
• Godzilla Minus One
• Perfect Days
• Society of the Snow
• The Taste of Things
• The Zone of Interest

Best Original Song

• WINNER: “I’m Just Ken” – Barbie
• “Dance the Night” – Barbie
• “Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• “Road to Freedom” – Rustin
• “This Wish” – Wish
• “What Was I Made For” – Barbie

Best Score

• WINNER: Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer
• Jerskin Fendrix – Poor Things
• Michael Giacchino – Society of the Snow
• Daniel Pemberton – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• Robbie Robertson – Killers of the Flower Moon
• Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt – Barbie

TELEVISION

Best Drama Series

• WINNER: Succession (HBO | Max)
• The Crown (Netflix)
• The Diplomat (Netflix)
• The Last of Us (HBO | Max)
• Loki (Disney+)
• The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
• Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO | Max)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

• WINNER: Kieran Culkin – Succession (HBO | Max)
• Tom Hiddleston – Loki (Disney+)
• Timothy Olyphant – Justified: City Primeval (FX)
• Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us (HBO | Max)
• Ramón Rodríguez – Will Trent (ABC)
• Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO | Max)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

• WINNER: Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO | Max)
• Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
• Aunjanue Ellis – Justified: City Primeval (FX)
• Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO | Max)
• Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
• Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• WINNER: Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
• Khalid Abdalla – The Crown (Netflix)
• Ron Cephas Jones – Truth Be Told (Apple TV+)
• Matthew MacFadyen – Succession (HBO | Max)
• Ke Huy Quan – Loki (Disney+)
• Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• WINNER: Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown (Netflix)
• Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
• Sophia Di Martino – Loki (Disney+)
• Celia Rose Gooding – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
• Karen Pittman – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
• Christina Ricci – Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Best Comedy Series

• WINNER: The Bear (FX)
• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Barry (HBO | Max)
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)
• Poker Face (Peacock)
• Reservation Dogs (FX)
• Shrinking (Apple TV+)
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

• WINNER: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear (FX)
• Bill Hader – Barry (HBO | Max)
• Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
• Drew Tarver – The Other Two (HBO | Max)
• D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – Reservation Dogs (FX)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

• WINNER: Ayo Edebiri – The Bear (FX)
• Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)
• Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)
• Devery Jacobs – Reservation Dogs (FX)
• Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• WINNER: Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear (FX)
• Phil Dunster – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
• Harrison Ford – Shrinking (Apple TV+)
• Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
• James Marsden – Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)
• Henry Winkler – Barry (HBO | Max)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• WINNER: Meryl Streep – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Paulina Alexis – Reservation Dogs (FX)
• Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)
• Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Jessica Williams – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Best Limited Series

• WINNER: Beef (Netflix)
• Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)
• Fargo (FX)
• Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
• Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
• Love & Death (HBO | Max)
• A Murder at the End of the World (FX)
• A Small Light (National Geographic)

Best Movie Made for Television

• WINNER: Quiz Lady (Hulu)
• The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Showtime)
• Finestkind (Paramount+)
• Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (Peacock)
• No One Will Save You (Hulu)
• Reality (HBO | Max)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

• WINNER: Steven Yeun – Beef (Netflix)
• Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
• Tom Holland – The Crowded Room (Apple TV+)
• David Oyelowo – Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount+)
• Tony Shalhoub – Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (Peacock)
• Kiefer Sutherland – The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Showtime)

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

• WINNER: Ali Wong – Beef (Netflix)
• Kaitlyn Dever – No One Will Save You (Hulu)
• Carla Gugino – The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
• Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
• Bel Powley – A Small Light (National Geographic)
• Sydney Sweeney – Reality (HBO | Max)
• Juno Temple – Fargo (FX)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

• WINNER: Jonathan Bailey – Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
• Taylor Kitsch – Painkiller (Netflix)
• Jesse Plemons – Love & Death (HBO | Max)
• Lewis Pullman – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
• Liev Schreiber – A Small Light (National Geographic)
• Justin Theroux – White House Plumbers (HBO | Max)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

• WINNER: Maria Bello – Beef (Netflix)
• Billie Boullet – A Small Light (National Geographic)
• Willa Fitzgerald – The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
• Aja Naomi King – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
• Mary McDonnell – The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
• Camila Morrone – Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)

Best Foreign Language Series

• WINNER: Lupin (Netflix)
• Bargain (Paramount+)
• The Glory (Netflix)
• The Good Mothers (Hulu)
• The Interpreter of Silence (Hulu)
• Mask Girl (Netflix)
• Moving (Hulu)

Best Animated Series

• WINNER: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)
• Bluey (Disney+)
• Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
• Harley Quinn (HBO | Max)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
• Young Love (HBO | Max)

Best Talk Show

• WINNER: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO | Max)
• The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
• The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)
• Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Best Comedy Special

• WINNER: John Mulaney: Baby J (Netflix)
• Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool (Netflix)
• Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits (Prime Video)
• John Early: Now More Than Ever (HBO | Max)
• Trevor Noah: Where Was I (Netflix)
• Wanda Sykes – I’m an Entertainer (Netflix)

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