“Spotlight” was selected today as the best movie of 2015 in voting by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy’s script about The Boston Globe’s investigation into sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests won for best screenplay.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” was the runner-up for best picture. It won for best director (George Miller), best cinematography (John Seale) and best production design (Colin Gibson).
Michael Fassbender was chosen as best actor for his title role in the biopic “Steve Jobs.” Geza Rohrig was the runner-up for his portrayal of an Auschwitz inmate in the Hungarian drama “Son of Saul,” which won for best foreign-language film.
Charlotte Rampling won for best actress for her role as a woman about to celebrate her 45th wedding anniversary in “45 Years.” Saoirse Ronan was the runner-up for her portrayal of an Irish immigrant in the 1950s in “Brooklyn.”
The best supporting actor award went to Michael Shannon for his portrayal of a callous real estate operator in “99 Homes.” Mark Rylance was the runner-up for his role as imprisoned Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in “Bridge of Spies.”
Alicia Vikander was selected as best supporting actress for her portrayal of a robot with artificial intelligence in the British science fiction thriller “Ex Machina.” Kristen Stewart was the runner-up for her role as the assistant to a famous international movie star (Juliette Binoche) in “Clouds of Sils Maria.”
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association best picture winner has gone on to win the best picture Academy Award eight times since the group began giving awards for films made in 1975.
The most recent double winner was the 2009 Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker.” Before that, the association’s best picture winner had failed to
repeat at the Academy Awards for 15 consecutive years.
Last year’s critics’ winner “Boyhood” received a best picture nomination, but lost to “Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” on Oscar night.
Here is the list of winners and runners-ups:
— Best picture, “Spotlight”; runner-up, “Mad Max: Fury Road”;
— Best director, George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road”); runner-up, Todd Haynes (“Carol”);
— Best actor, Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”); runner-up, Geza Rohrig (“Son of Saul”);
— Best actress, Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years”); Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”);
— Best supporting actor, Michael Shannon (“99 Homes”); runner-up, Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”);
— Best supporting actress, Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina”); runner-up, Kristen Stewart (“Clouds of Sils Maria”);
— Best screenplay, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”); runner- up, Charlie Kaufman (“Anomalisa”)
— Best cinematography, John Seale (“Mad Max: Fury Road”); runner-up, Edward Lachman (“Carol”);
— Best production design, Colin Gibson (“Mad Max: Fury Road”); runner- up, Judy Becker (“Carol”);
— Best editing, Hank Corwin (“The Big Short”); runner-up, Margaret Sixel, (“Mad Max: Fury Road”);
— Best music score, Carter Burwell (“Anomalisa” and “Carol”); runner-up, Ennio Morricone (“The Hateful Eight”);
— Best foreign language film, “Son of Saul”; runner-up, “The Tribe”;
— Best documentary/nonfiction film, “Amy”; runner-up, “The Look of Silence”;
— Best animation, “Anomalisa”; runner-up, “Inside Out”;
— Special citation, film preservationist David Shepard;
— New generation, Ryan Coogler, “Creed”;
— Career achievement, Anne V. Coates.