The Albany Gazette - 'Sinners' tops Critics Choice nominations

The acclaimed period horror drama, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, received a whopping 17 nods, including one for best picture, giving it early momentum as Hollywood gears up for the Oscars in March.

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" also solidified its place as a firm awards favorite with 14 nominations, including five for actors, after well-received performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn.

Both top films are from Warner Bros., which streamer Netflix said Friday it would buy for $83 billion in the industry deal of the decade.

Coming in a respectable third place in the tallies were "Frankenstein" and "Hamnet," with 11 nods each.

Musical juggernaut "Wicked: For Good" earned seven nominations, including best supporting actress for Ariana Grande, but Cynthia Erivo missed out in the best actress category, where Emma Stone secured a nod for her kidnap victim in Yorgos Lanthimos's quirky "Bugonia."

Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who said this week that he would return to his home country despite being sentenced to a year in jail, will compete for best foreign language film with his "It Was Just An Accident."

However, the Cannes Palme D'Or winner was left out of the best picture race.

Norwegian dramedy "Sentimental Value," meanwhile, made the best picture list.

Last season's Critics Choice best picture winner "Anora" rode the award to victory at the Oscars, despite snubs at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards.

The annual Critics Choice Awards have a relatively small voting body, but offer an insight into how the industry is thinking.

Winners will be announced on January 4.

(K.Jones--TAG)