On Monday, January 10, the Denver Film Critics Society—15 writers and broadcasters working in and around the Mile High City, of which I am one—announced their nominees for the best of 2021.

In total, 44 movies received nominations with The Power of the Dog leading the pack with seven, followed by Dune with six, and Belfast with four.

The winners will be announced next week.

Best Movie

The Power of the Dog
Belfast
Drive My Car
Dune
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Best Director

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Joel Coen, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Denis Villeneuve, Dune
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Best Lead Performance by an Actor, Female

Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza

Best Lead Performance by an Actor, Male

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Nicolas Cage, Pig
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Peter Dinklage, Cyrano
Will Smith, King Richard

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Female

Cate Blanchett, Nightmare Alley
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Ruth Negga, Passing
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Male

Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Ciaran Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Film

Dune
A Quiet Place Part II
The Green Knight
Last Night in Soho
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Best Animated Film

Flee
Encanto
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Luca
Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Comedy Film

Don’t Look Up
The French Dispatch
Free Guy
The Suicide Squad
Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Best Visual Effects

Dune
The Green Knight
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Godzilla vs. Kong

Best Original Screenplay

Michael Sarnoski, Pig
Mike Mills, C’mon, C’mon
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Zach Baylin, King Richard

Best Adapted Screenplay

Joel Coen, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Siân Heder, CODA
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth, Dune

Best Documentary

Summer of Soul
Procession
The First Wave
The Velvet Underground
Flee

Best Original Song

“Be Alive,” Beyonce, King Richard
“Guns Go Bang,” Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, The Harder They Fall
“No Time to Die,” Billie Eilish, No Time to Die
“Just Look Up,” Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Don’t Look Up
“Dos Oruguitas,” Sebastian Yatra, Encanto

Best Score

Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
Hans Zimmer, Dune
Germaine Franco, Encanto
Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall
Jonny Greenwood, Spencer

Best Foreign Language Film

Drive My Car
The Worst Person in the World
A Hero
Flee
Petite Maman