Critical Week: Reach out and touch me

There have been a flurry of screenings this week, as studios try to make sure critics see their films before the Cannes Film Festival gets underway next week. Two films opening this week were screened a bit late to the press. Billie Eilish's July 2025 Manchester concert has been filmed in 3D in Hit Me Hard and Soft, directed by Eilish herself, working with 3D aficionado James Cameron. The concert footage is stunning, remarkably immersive and intimate; the backstage doc material is rather thin. And then there's the videogame action sequel Mortal Kombat II, this time starring Karl Urban as fan-favourite Johnny Cage. He's hilarious, and helps non-fans get through two hours of dense mythology and astonishing grisliness. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Kokuho • Romeria
PERHAPS AVOID:
Mortal Kombat II
ALL REVIEWS >

Wider audiences will enjoy the straight-to-streaming animated adventure Swapped, a colourful and very nutty body-swap romp with a terrific voice cast led by Michael B Jordan and Juno Temple. Leo Woodall puts his likeable charisma to fine use in Tuner, a mashup of drama, romantic comedy and crime thriller. Costars Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu help make it thoroughly entertaining. Sam Nivola ably leads the cast of the enjoyable teen road-trip comedy Driver's Ed, with ace support from Kumail Nanjiani and Molly Shannon. And Pedro Almodovar's new drama Bitter Christmas is another gorgeously layered tale about creativity. I also saw three live performances: the fabulous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at Sadler's Wells, the immersive dinner theatre Chat Noir at the Lost Estate, and Bullyache's challenging A Good Man Is Hard to Find at Sadler's Wells East.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Allison Janney in Miss You Love You, Sally Field in Remarkably Bright Creatures, Emilia Jones in Fairyland, Curry Barker's horror thriller Obsession and a live performance of Remachine at Sadler's Wells East.

Critical Week: Executive action

This has been a quiet week for press screenings, so I've enjoyed having some time to catch up on other things that have been pressing. It also helps that the weather has been sunny and nice, our first proper London spring in three years. The biggest film I watched this week was a bit of wishful thinking. In the action thriller G20, Viola Davis plays a no-nonsense US president fighting some nasty baddies. Essentially a revamped Die Hard, the movie is familiar and very silly, but also a solid guilty pleasure.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Holy Cow • Warfare
ALL REVIEWS >

Other films this week included two offbeat music documentaries: Kevin Macdonald's One to One: John & Yoko follows a couple of pivotal years for the artists in protest-filled New York, adding a skilfully kaleidoscopic context to the music. And The Extraordinary Miss Flower is a beautifully swirling concoction exploring how Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini was inspired by a letters that revealed another woman's passion-filled past.

There were also a few things outside the regular release schedule. I attended a terrific screening and Q&A for the new Black Mirror episode Hotel Reverie, with Charlie Brooker, Emma Corrin and others. It's a gorgeously surreal love letter to classic movie romance. I finally caught up with Pedro Almodovar's involving, beautifully made Western short Strange Way of Life, starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke as cowboys who can't admit they love each other. And I attended two stage shows: lockdown drama Jab at the Park and the raucous Jane Austen adaptation Plied & Prejudice at the Vaults.

This coming week, the films I'll be watching include Michael B Jordan in Sinners, the tennis drama Julie Keeps Quiet, Norwegian horror movie The Ugly Stepsister and the sailing documentary Wind, Tide & Oar.

BFI Flare: Stand up and sing

More busy days at the 36th BFI Flare, as it takes over the Southbank centre with a flurry of movies, events and parties. I've particularly enjoyed the chance to chat with filmmakers, actors and other industry professionals during the social events, talking about films and also catching up on life after two years of virtual film festivals. Here are some more particularly strong highlights...

Moneyboys
dir-scr CB Yi; with Kai Ko, Yufan Bai 21/Tai ****
Chinese-born filmmaker CB Yi studied in Austria under Michael Haneke, and it shows in this drama's tightly controlled camerawork and willingness to travel to properly devastating places. Stunningly visual, the film was shot in Taiwan because its Chinese-set story would never fly with censors there. It's a gorgeously assembled film packed with vividly textured characters, settings and insights into human nature. And at its heart, it's an epic love story.

I Want to Talk About Duras
dir-scr Claire Simon; with Swann Arlaud, Emmanuelle Devos 21/Fr ****
With a script taken verbatim from a 1982 interview, this French drama offers a complex exploration of celebrity. It's also a riveting, disturbing firsthand account of a relationship with an artistic icon. Writer-director Claire Simon clearly relishes the contradictions in the story, which grapples with uneven connections between people who find themselves in a non-traditional romance. So while the film is talky and prickly, it's also thoughtful and provocative.

Bruno Reidal: Confession of a Murderer
dir-scr Vincent Le Port; with Dimitri Dore, Jean-Luc Vincent 21/Fr ****
Deeply unsettling, this French drama emerges directly from court documents and journals. Its clinical tone sets it apart from the usual true stories about murder, because this allows the film to dig under surfaces, finding authenticity that eerily contradicts the facts of the case. Filmmaker Vincent Le Port also has a remarkable visual sensibility, creating a period piece that is achingly beautiful even with its harsh and horrific angles.

Manscaping
dir Broderick Fox; with Devan Shimoyama, Jessie Anderson 22/US ****
Open and observational, this documentary explores traditional barbershops from perspectives that are both pointed and revelatory. Filmmaker Broderick Fox speaks to three inventive men who are challenging notions of toxic masculinity while lifting up anyone who has been told they were less than normal. By making clients feel welcome, these men are changing the world. And Fox skilfully shows how important it is to tell their stories with honesty.

BEST OF YEAR
Parallel Mothers
dir-scr Pedro Almodovar; with Penelope Cruz, Milena Smit 21/Sp ****
A layered melodrama about mothers and daughters, this film features another of Pedro Almodovar's astute collections of complex female characters. Without many of the filmmaker's usual flourishes, this is instead a soapy study of connections with some added Hitchcock-style tensions that are jaggedly emotional in nature. There's rather a lot going on here, sometimes perhaps too much to take in properly. But it carries a powerfully moving kick... REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked to Shadows' BFI Flare ANCHOR PAGE (this may take awhile as I'm a bit busy watching movies!)

For tickets and information, visit BFI FLARE 

Critical Week: We need a hug

After a film festival, I enjoy things quieting down a bit. But we're now in awards season, which means that the for your consideration screenings have started up. At least this means that movies are generally of a much higher quality than usual. So it's the weekly releases that bring us back to earth and remind us what the public is more used to watching than fabulous foreign masterpieces. Speaking of which, I watched Pedro Almodovar's latest festival darling Parallel Mothers, a glorious melodrama about mothers and daughters that has witty and darkly emotional elements, plus a hint of Hitchcockian intensity. And at the centre, Penelope Cruz is fantastic.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Mothering Sunday • Belfast
Keyboard Fantasies
PERHAPS AVOID:
Cry Macho • Red Notice
ALL REVIEWS >

I also enjoyed the retro joys of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a nearly 40-years-later sequel that includes cameos from the original cast alongside a likeable new ensemble led by Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon and the irresistible Paul Rudd. Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson are also fairly irresistible, but their new action comedy Red Notice is so derivative and lazy that it's hard to like. Tom Hanks is as great as always in Finch, a watchable post-apocalyptic drama that feels somewhat underpowered. And Clint Eastwood's waning steely charisma helps make Cry Macho bearable because its script is frankly awful.

A bit off the beaten track, Joaquin Phoenix is relaxed, warm and wonderful opposite staggeringly gifted young newcomer Woody Norman in the gently comedy-drama C'mon C'mon. Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer and Steven Yeun shine among the excellent six-person cast of The Humans, a stagey drama that roots around in the concept of being a family in America. And the engagingly bristling German drama Blurred Lines sends its two energetic teen protagonists on a momentous trip to Istanbul.

This coming week, I'll be watching Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Andrew Garfield in Tick Tick Boom, Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Hide and Seek, Spanish romance Isaac, Celine Sciamma's Petit Maman and the doc Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time.

LFF: Get a grip

So we're in the final days of the very odd 64th London Film Festival, which has had in-person events right through its run, not that I've witnessed anything firsthand. There have been quite a few great films - I'll list my favourites tomorrow, along with the award winners and comments on the closing film, Francis Lee's Ammonite. The only big-name movie I've missed at the festival is Pixar's Soul, which the press was blocked from watching (except for major outlets Disney likes). Here are four more highlights for Saturday...

The Human Voice

dir-scr Pedro Almodovar; with Tilda Swinton, Agustin Almodovar 20/Sp ****.

Based on the Jean Cocteau play, this is Pedro Almodovar's first English-language film, and it's a remarkable bit of surrealism with a sustained emotional intensity. It's also as sumptuously designed as you'd expect, with lashings of primary red and a fiercely dedicated performance from Tilda Swinton. Boldly conceived and directed, this is a remarkable exploration of the messiness of romantic emotion and how reality fades away when there's passion involved... FULL REVIEW >

Possessor

dir-scr Brandon Cronenberg; with Christopher Abbott, Andrea Riseborough 20/Can ****

Echoing the work of his father David, writer-director Brandon Cronenberg weaves intriguing themes into a compelling horror movie that's both sexy and hyper-grisly. Ideas of identity and free will swirl through each scene, punctuated with wildly inventive visual touches that disorient the audience, keeping us on our toes. The film's unsettling tone and pulsing pace are darkly riveting, and the inventiveness of the premise makes it impossible to predict... FULL REVIEW >

New Order [Nuevo Orden]

dir-scr Michel Franco; with Naian Gonzalez Norvind, Diego Boneta 20/Mex ***

A dryly vicious satire, this Mexican drama opens with a wealthy crowd holding a lavish party while the city around them burns. And where it goes is deeply unnerving. Filmmaker Michel Franco deliberately shocks the audience by placing a horrific uprising in a major Western capital. What happens is familiar from news stories about places like Syria or Bosnia, so seeing it in a more familiar location is indeed chilling.

African Apocalypse

dir Rob Lemkin; with Femi Nylander, Amina Weira 20/UK ****

Activist Femi Nylander delves into his Nigerian heritage, exploring the real-life inspiration for a literary icon while learning history they don't teach in school. The focus is on the route taken by the English and French as they conquered Africa's interior village by village. It's a fascinating travelog tracing a line from the present into the past. And it adds firsthand accounts to events mainly known only through fiction.

NB. My anchor page for the LFF is HERE and full reviews will appear in between these daily blog entries. They're coming.

BFI Flare: Making connections

The 34th edition of the British Film Institute's Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival was supposed to kick off last Wednesday (the photo above is from the opening film Cicada), but of course it was cancelled, like everything else at the moment. I've covered this festival for 22 years, and it's my favourite - not just for the terrific mix of movies but also because it's one of the best chances all year to hang out with filmmakers and encourage new voices. The BFI is hosting a virtual festival over the next week, a selection of the films on its BFIPlayer, including live filmmaker Q&As. It won't be the same, but it's something!

I will cover as much as I can remotely from isolation at home, including the now-iconic annual collection Five Films for Freedom. To get started, here are some films that have been seen already in London - either at London Film Festival last October or on general release in the UK. Most are already streaming somewhere...

And Then We Danced 
dir-scr Levan Akin; with Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili 19/Geo ****
There's a lovely mix of personal emotion and societal outrage in this sensitive Georgian coming-of-age drama. Swedish writer-director Levan Akin keeps the camera close to the protagonist, seeing events tightly through his eyes as the world comes into brighter focus for him. What it says about empty, fearful machismo is very harsh, and this is also an engaging celebration of artistic freedom. And a bold statement of support for Georgia's LGBTQ community... FULL REVIEW >

Matthias & Maxime 
dir-scr Xavier Dolan, with Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas, Xavier Dolan 19/Can ***.
There's a bold, bracingly fresh idea at the centre of this film, and actor-filmmaker Xavier Dolan spends much of the running time avoiding it, just as his characters do. The film is sharply written to catch the rhythms of 30-somethings still working out where to go with their lives. And the central story of two lifelong friends has a strong kick, even if it comes a bit late... FULL REVIEW >

You Don't Nomi 
dir Jeffrey McHale; with Adam Nayman, David Schmader 19/US ****
A fascinating exploration of the notorious 1996 drama Showgirls, this documentary asks whether it's a masterpiece or a turkey. Or maybe it's both at the same time. Certainly, Paul Verhoeven's film has become a cult classic in the two decades since it was declared the worst film of the year (it swept the Razzies). With comments by journalists, academics and commentators, plus archival interviews with the actors and filmmakers, this is a deep dive into why such an obviously trashy movie has had such an indelible impact... FULL REVIEW >

Pain and Glory [Dolor y Gloria]
dir-scr Pedro Almodovar; with Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia 19/Sp *****
At age 69, Pedro Almodovar delivers on of his most intimate, powerfully inventive films, a striking rumination on the nature of artistic creation in the story of a filmmaker looking back on his life and work, neither of which are quite finished yet. The movie is of course visually sumptuous, but there's also a confident maturity in the storytelling that makes several moments drop-dead gorgeous. It's, quite simply, a stunner... FULL REVIEW >

Booksmart 
dir Olivia Wilde; with Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever 19/US ****
Like a blast of fresh air, this raucous teen comedy approaches high school from an unapologetically female perspective. The film doesn't merely flip the gender, it inventively finds a new path through the usual tropes to create fantastically vivid and complex characters while indulging in the kind of silly outrageousness that has always been reserved for boys. It deserves to be a massive hit... FULL REVIEW >

The Best of 2019: 39th Shadows Awards

As always, hacking down the list of some 500 movies I've seen this year to just 10 is tricky business. But it feels like a discipline that specifically goes with this job. I keep a running set of lists each year, and it gets seriously out of control - usually there are around 100 on each list! Note that each film listed here played in a UK or US cinema to a public audience in 2019, although some are yet to go on general release, if ever.

There are longer lists (top 50 films, for example) and a lot more on the website at 39TH SHADOWS AWARDS. My number one movie this year is one of the most bracingly original films I've seen in years - gripping, genre-defying and pointedly timely. Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho has made some great movies in his career, and this one is masterful, breathtaking cinema. It definitely deserves the attention it's getting in mainstream awards categories this year....

BEST FILM:

1. Parasite (Bong Joon Ho)
2. Pain and Glory (Pedro Almodovar)
3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)
4. Wild Rose (Tom Harper)
5. Honeyland (Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov)
6. The Irishman (Martin Scorsese)
7. 1917 (Sam Mendes)
8. Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas)
9. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)
10. I Lost My Body (Jeremy Clapin)

BEST FILM OF THE 2010s:

1. Leviathan (Zvyagintsev, 2014)
2. A Separation (Farhadi, 2011)
3. Boyhood (Linklater, 2014)
4. The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer, 2012)
5. Parasite (Bong, 2019)
6. We Need to Talk About Kevin (Ramsay, 2011)
7. Inception (Nolan, 2010)
8. Fire at Sea (Rosi, 2016)
9. Moonlight (Jenkins, 2016)
10. A Fantastic Woman (Lelio, 2017)

DIRECTOR:

1. Pedro Almodovar (Pain and Glory)
2. Alma Har'el (Honey Boy)
3. Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)
4. Celine Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
5. Sam Mendes (1917)
6. Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim)
7. Jennifer Kent (The Nightingale)
8. Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood)
9. Ladj Ly (Les Miserables)
10. Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro)

SCREENWRITER:

1. Celine Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
2. Lena Waithe (Queen & Slim)
3. Pedro Almodovar (Pain and Glory)
4. Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won (Parasite)
5. Agnes Varda (Varda by Agnes)
6. Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman (Booksmart)
7. Anthony McCarten (The Two Popes)
8. Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski (Dolemite Is My Name)
9. Charles Randolph (Bombshell)
10. Joe Talbot, Rob Richert (The Last Black Man in San Francisco)

ACTRESS:

1. Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, Judy)
2. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women, Fighting With My Family)
3. Renee Zellweger (Judy)
4. Liv Hill (Jellyfish)
5. Sarah Bolger (A Good Woman Is Hard to Find)
6. Baran Kosari (Permission)
7. Lupita Nyong'o (Us, Little Monsters)
8. Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit, Avengers: Endgame)
9. Awkwafina (The Farewell, Jumanji: The Next Level)
10. Charlize Theron (Bombshell, Long Shot)

ACTOR:

1. Adam Driver (Marriage Story, The Report, The Rise of Skywalker, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote)
2. Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory, The Laundromat)
3. George MacKay (1917, Ophelia)
4. Tom Burke (The Souvenir)
5. Choi Woo Shik (Parasite)
6. Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote)
7. Daniel Kaluuya (Queen & Slim)
8. Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse, High Life, The King)
9. Lucas Hedges (Honey Boy, Waves, Ben Is Back, Mid90s)
10. Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1. Laura Dern (Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, Marriage Story, Little Women)
2. Julie Walters (Wild Rose)
3. Taylor Russell (Waves)
4. Karen Gillan (Avengers: Endgame, All Creatures Here Below, Jumanji: The Next Level, Stuber)
5. Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name)
6. Allison Janney (Bad Education, Bombshell, Ma)
7. Tilda Swinton (The Souvenir, Avengers: Endgame, The Dead Don't Die, The Personal History of David Copperfield)
8. Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit, The King)
9. Riley Keough (Earthquake Bird, The Lodge)
10. Idina Menzel (Uncut Gems)

SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1. Noah Jupe (Honey Boy, Ford v Ferrari)
2. Bruce Dern (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Mustang)
3. Swann Arlaud (By the Grace of God)
4. Jamie Bell (Rocketman, Skin)
5. Wesley Snipes (Dolemite Is My Name)
6. Al Pacino (The Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
7. Baykali Ganambarr (The Nightingale)
8. Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Out of Blue)
9. Richard Madden (1917, Rocketman)
10. Joe Pesci (The Irishman)

WORST FILM:

1. Rambo: Last Blood (Adrian Grunberg)
2. Black and Blue (Deon Taylor)
3. 6 Underground (Michael Bay)
4. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Joachim Ronning)
5. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Michael Dougherty)
6. Escape Plan: The Extractors (John Herzfeld)
7. Killers Anonymous (Martin Owen)
8. Ecco (Ben Medina)
9. Triple Frontier (JC Chandor)
10. Cats (Tom Hooper)

---

N O N - F I L M   D I V I S I O N

TV SERIES: 

1. Fleabag (BBC)
2. Schitt's Creek (CBN)
3. The Mandalorian (Disney)
4. Years and Years (BBC)
5. Special (Netflix)
6. Call My Agent (Netflix)
7. Chernobyl (HBO)
8. Killing Eve (BBC)
9. Jane the Virgin (ABC)
10. The Good Place (Netflix)

SINGLE: 

1. Juice (Lizzo)
2. Circles (Post Malone)
3. Slide Away (Miley Cyrus)
4. Play God (Sam Fender)
5. Bad Guy (Billie Eilish)
6. Giant (Calvin Harris, Rag'n'Bone Man)
7. Own It (Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, Burna Boy)
8. Watermelon Sugar (Harry Styles)
9. Orphans (Coldplay)
10. Harmony Hall (Vampire Weekend)

Critical Week: Me and my shadow

It's been a busy week at the movies, with three much-anticipated press screenings. The best of the lot was Pain and Glory, which reteams writer-director Pedro Almodovar with actor Antonio Banderas (above) for a remarkably intimate, lushly produced exploration of cinema and creativity. I also really enjoyed Quentin Tarantino's ode to the heyday of 1960s cinema with Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood. The cast is excellent (anchored ably by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt), and Tarantino feels effortlessly in control of the story through each astonishing sequence. And then there was Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, the franchise spinoff starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. It's just as noisy and packed with action as you'd expect, and a lot funnier too.

Being the summer, there were three animated movies as well. The biggest is The Angry Birds Movie 2, which carries on in the same goofy style as the original, mixing chaotic slapstick with deranged adult-aimed humour. Charming is a decently animated low-budget Canadian production with a great premise that starts out undermining the fairy tale genre before giving in lazily to every cliche. Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa is an Italian-Polish production that looks rather cheap, but has a certain charm as it sends the teen inventor on a ridiculous treasure hunt adventure.

Foreign films included The Operative, a quietly tense German-Israeli production starring Diane Kruger and Martin Freeman. From Spain, The Candidate is a fast-paced labyrinthine political thriller with a clear-eyed perspective on endemic corruption. The French-German drama Transit sets a WWII story in modern-day Marseilles. It's finely produced and acted, but strains to connect the eras. And from Argentina, End of the Century is a twisty personal drama set in Barcelona, where two men remember meeting before. What follows skilfully plays on both memory and expectations.

There will be more family-friendly summer movies this next week, with the adventure Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the Kevin Costner comedy The Art of Racing in the Rain, and more animation with both UglyDolls and Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion. Other films include Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson in The Peanut Butter Falcon, the spy thriller Ecco and the horror movie Wicked Witches.

39th London Critics' Circle Film Awards: words and pics...

Yes, it was time for the London film critics to hold their annual gala red carpet event. And for the seventh year, I was the chair of the organising committee, which meant that I was involved in every aspect of the day's events. The 39th London Critics' Circle Film Awards, presented by Dover Street Entertainment at The May Fair Hotel, had a distinct tone this year - awash in diversity almost any way you looked at it. We had fewer high-wattage Hollywood stars, but we made up for that with humour, energy and some properly talented guests in attendance. It was a great celebration of film - and a fantastic party. Here are some photos to help tell the story...

Pedro Almodóvar was awarded our top honour, the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film. Tamsin Greig (left), who starred in the West End production of his classic Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, presented the award to him. At right, Critics' Circle Film Section Chair Anna Smith and I stand on either side of the evening's host, the fabulous British comic Judi Love.

Left to right: Richard E Grant accepts Supporting Actor for Can You Ever Forgive Me; writer-director Michael Pearce wins Breakthrough Filmmaker for Beast; producer Nicolas Celis accepts Film of the Year for Roma.

Pawel Pawlikowski's gorgeous Cold War won both Foreign-Language Film and the Technical Achievement Award for Lukasz Zal's cinematography; Rupert Everett sent his friend and costar Emily Watson to pick up his award for British/Irish Actor for The Happy Prince; Yorgos Lanthimos collects the prize for British/Irish Film of the Year for The Favourite.

One of my jobs was to chase down video thank yous from winners unable to be present (I knew the winners before anyone else). Both of these were shot in dressing rooms: Olivia Colman was on set filming The Crown and gave a witty thank you for Actress of the Year in The Favourite, and Ethan Hawke is in a play on Broadway, and made some clever, thoughtful observations as he collected Actor of the Year for First Reformed.

Alfonso Cuaron sent a video greeting as he won Director of the Year for Roma, while Agnès Varda spoke for herself and co-director JR to accept Documentary of the Year for Faces Places.

Rachel Weisz spoke from her kitchen to accept Supporting Actress for The Favourite, while Jessie Buckley was also stuck on-set on Sunday, offering a heartfelt thank you for British/Irish Actress in Beast, and hoping she'd finish early enough to come join the party (sadly, she couldn't).

Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara were on-hand to collect their award for Screenwriters of the Year for The Favourite, as were director Lara Zeidan and producer John Giordano, who won Short Film of the Year for Three Centimetres.

Molly Wright was wonderfully surprised when she won Young Performer of the Year for Apostasy (she also helped read out our nominations when they were announced last month); her director Daniel Kokotajlo was a nominee for Breakthrough Filmmaker; while Liv Hill was up for Young Performer for The Little Stranger.

Fionn Whitehead was nominated for Young Performer for the second year running, this time for The Children Act; Anya Taylor-Joy was also up for that award for her work in Thoroughbreds; and writer-director Deborah Haywood was up for Breakthrough for Pin Cushion. (She was one of three women we nominated for directing, along with Debra Granik and Lynne Ramsay in the Director category.)

Other guests included Gonzalo Maza, screenwriter of Foreign-Language Film nominee A Fantastic Woman; actress Muna Utaru (The Keeping Room); and filmmakers and diversity activists Hannah and Jake Graf.

I have spent the last six months working on this event, and it has completely taken over my life over the last six weeks (with a bit of a breather when all the publicists' offices closed over the holidays!). After we have a debrief and work out what we can do even better next year, we'll be able to forget about all the chaos until it begins cranking up again next summer. The 2020 event will be our 40th anniversary, so I think we need to plan something unexpected.

Critical Week: Fashion victim

This past week, I caught up with Elle Fanning in Nicolas Winding Refn's new horror drama The Neon Demon, the latest slick, lurid, fascinating, infuriating film from the Danish filmmaker. Another stylish thriller, Nerve, stars Emma Roberts and Dave Franco (sorry, comments are embargoed). And then there was some comedy: Ghostbusters entertainingly reboots the franchise with a terrific quartet of comedic actresses, while Ice Age: Collision Course carries on the ridiculous antics of that growing herd of loveable but random prehistoric critters.

Further afield, Pedro Almodovar's Julieta is a fluid, beautifully emotive drama with a twisty story and a terrific cast. The acclaimed Greek comedy-drama Chevalier is a fiercely clever dissection of masculine bravado. K-Shop is a solidly made British horror thriller with blackly comical overtones. And the latest collection from Peccadillo, Boys on Film 15: Time & Tied, features nine strikingly well-made short films addressing issues of gender and sexuality from a variety of astute, personal angles.

This coming week we have the long-awaited Matt Damon-starring sequel Jason Bourne, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG, Disney's remake of Pete's Dragon, Chris Pine in Hell or High Water and the oddly titled journalist doc Jim: The James Foley Story.