Stills from Barbie (left) and Oppenheimer

Stills from Barbie (left) and Oppenheimer

The Music City Film Critics’ Association announced the nominees for its sixth annual awards on Monday, honoring the best in film for the 2023 calendar year. 

After dominating the box office and the cultural conversation for much of 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer unsurprisingly led the way with 12 nominations each, tying the record set by Everything Everywhere All at Once last year. The critical and commercial smashes were nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and a host of technical awards.

Martin Scorsese’s bold, masterful Killers of the Flower Moon followed with nine nominations, while Alexander Payne’s instant holiday classic The Holdovers and Yorgos Lanthimos’ intoxicating Poor Things each claimed eight. A pair of A24 dramas — the achingly romantic Past Lives and the devastating The Iron Claw — both earned five nominations. 

The organization also announced six nominees for this year’s Jim Ridley Award. The nominees, named after late Scene editor-in-chief and film critic Jim Ridley, were chosen by a panel of five MCFCA members who knew and worked with Ridley. 

The association includes more than 30 professional film critics working in or near Nashville, including myself and several other Scene critics. The winners will be announced Jan. 15. See the full slate of nominations below. 

Best Picture

American Fiction

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Color Purple

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Alexander Payne – The Holdovers

Celine Song – Past Lives

Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer

Greta Gerwig – Barbie

Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper – Maestro

Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers

Zac Efron – The Iron Claw

filmPast-Lives.jpg

Past Lives

Best Actress

Emma Stone – Poor Things

Greta Lee – Past Lives

Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon

Margot Robbie – Barbie

Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Supporting Actor

Charles Melton – May December

Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry

Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling – Barbie

Best Supporting Actress

Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer

Penelope Cruz – Ferrari

Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Best Young Actor

Christian Convery – Cocaine Bear

Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers

Joe Bird – Talk to Me

Jude Hill – A Haunting in Venice

Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Young Actress

Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Ariana Greenblatt – Barbie

Calah Lane – Wonka

Madeleine Yuna Voyles – The Creator

Mile Davis-Kent – Creed III

filmIron-Claw.jpg

The Iron Claw

Best Acting Ensemble

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

The Color Purple

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

Best Music Film

American Symphony

Barbie

Maestro

The Color Purple

Wonka

The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron

Best Animated Film

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Elemental

Robot Dreams

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The Boy and the Heron

Best Documentary

20 Days in Mariupol

American Symphony

Beyond Utopia

Four Daughters

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomy of a Fall

Best International Film

Anatomy of a Fall

Godzilla Minus One

Society of the Snow

The Zone of Interest

When Evil Lurks

Best Screenplay

American Fiction

Barbie

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

The Holdovers

Best Original Song

“I’m Just Ken,” Ryan Gosling – Barbie

“Live That Way Forever,” Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream, The Barr Brothers – The Iron Claw

“Peaches” Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros. Movie

“Road to Freedom,” Lenny Kravitz – Rustin

“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish – Barbie

Poor Things

Poor Things

Best Score

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The Boy and the Heron

Best Sound

Ferrari

Maestro

Oppenheimer

The Killer

The Zone of Interest

Best Cinematography

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Production Design

Asteroid City

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Best Editing

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Best Comedy Film

American Fiction

Barbie

Bottoms

The Holdovers

Poor Things

Best Horror Film

M3GAN

Scream VI

Talk to Me

Thanksgiving

When Evil Lurks

‘Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One’

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One

Best Action Film

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Godzilla Minus One

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3

John Wick: Chapter 4

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One

Best Stunt Work

Bottoms

Ferrari

John Wick: Chapter 4

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One

The Iron Claw

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

The Jim Ridley Award

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

Beau Is Afraid

Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros

Poor Things

Slotherhouse

The Boy and the Heron

Like what you read?


Click here to become a member of the Scene !