The Ballots Are Out...

The official nomination ballots have been mailed out to the 5777 Academy Awards. They must be returned by 5 p.m. on January 23. Till then, the build-up continues...

Awards -- Phoenix Film Critics

Inglourious Basterds takes it's first award in quite a while. I quite like their list of top 10 films. It's actually quite close to how mine looks too.

BEST PICTURE
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds (WINNER)
Precious
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney "Up in the Air"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Inglourious Basterds

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Up

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar

BEST FILM EDITING
Avatar

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Avatar

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Young Victoria

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Up

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Weary Kind" -- Crazy Heart

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Capitalism: A Love Story

BEST LIVE-ACTION FAMILY FILM
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
Moon

BEST STUNTS
Star Trek

BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

BEST BREAKOUT FILMMAKER
Neill Blomkamp "District 9"

BEST YOUTH MALE PERFORMANCE
Jae Head "The Blind Side"

BEST YOUTH FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"

Awards -- St. Louis Film Critics

Splitting the love in the big categories are once again the frontrunners, Locker & Air. Also some nice mentions for (500) Days and Avatar. Altogether, me likey...

BEST PICTURE: "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: "The Hurt Locker"

BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Runner-up: Jason Reitman "Up in the Air" & Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds" (tie)

BEST ACTOR: George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: Patton Oswalt "Big Fan"

BEST ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Runner-up: Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique "Precious"
Runner-up: Marion Cotillard "Nine"

BEST SCREENPLAY: "(500) Days of Summer"
Runner-up: "Up in the Air"

BEST ANIMATED FILM: "Up"
Runner-up: "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: "Nine"
Runner-up: "A Single Man"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: "Avatar"
Runner-up: "Where the Wild Things Are"

BEST MUSIC: "Nine"
Runner-up: "Crazy Heart"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Red Cliff"
Runner-up: "Treeless Mountain"

BEST DOCUMENTARY: "Capitalism: A Love Story"
Runner-up: "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"

BEST COMEDY FILM: "The Hangover"
Runner-up: "(500) Days of Summer"

MOST ORIGINAL, INNOVATIVE or CREATIVE FILM: "Avatar"
Runner-up: "Fantastic Mr. Fox" & "(500) Days of Summer" (tie)

FAVORITE SCENE: "Up" -- The four-minute marriage montage
Runner-up: "Inglourious Basterds" -- The opening farmhouse scene

Awards -- London Film Critics Nominees

You gotta laugh at the absolute snobbery that emits from the London Critics each year, and they always have to differentiate between their films and those made over here in the U.S. Also the fact that almost all the awards are for British candidates only. Apparently they are the only ones worth mentioning...

BEST FILM
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
A Prophet
Up in the Air
The White Ribbon

BEST BRITISH FILM
Bright Star
An Education
Fish Tank
In the Loop
Moon

BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard "A Prophet"
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron "Avatar"
Michael Haneke "The White Ribbon"
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"

BEST BRITISH DIRECTOR
Andrea Arnolde "Fish Tank"
Armando Iannucci "In the Loop"
Duncan Jones "Moon"
Kevin Macdonald "State of Play"
Sam Taylor-Wood "Nowhere Boy"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Tahar Rahim "A Prophet"
Michael Stuhlbarg "A Serious Man"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST BRITISH ACTOR
Peter Capaldi "In the Loop"
Colin Firth "A Single Man"
Tom Hardy "Bronson"
Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"
Andy Serkis "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"

BEST ACTRESS
Abbie Cornish "Bright Star"
Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique "Precious"
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST BRITISH ACTRESS
Emily Blunt "The Young Victoria"
Helen Mirren "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Katie Jarvis "Fish Tank"
Kristin Scott Thomas "Nowhere Boy"

BEST BRITISH SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Fassbender "Fish Tank"
John Hurt "44 Inch Chest"
Jason Isaacs "Good"
Alfred Molina "An Education"
Timothy Spall "The Damned United"

BEST BRITISH SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt "Sunshine Cleaning"
Anne-Marie Duff "Nowhere Boy"
Rosamund Pike "An Education"
Kierston Wareing "Fish Tank"
Olivia Williams "An Education"

BEST SCREENWRITER
"An Education" -- Nick Hornby
"In the Loop" -- Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
"A Prophet" -- Thomas Bidegain & Jacques Audiard
"A Serious Man" -- Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"The White Ribbon" -- Michael Haneke

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Class
Katyn
Let the Right One In
A Prophet
The White Ribbon

BEST YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER
Katie Jarvis "Fish Tank"
Aaron Johnson "Nowhere Boy" & "Dummy"
George MacKay "The Boys Are Back"
Bill Milner "Is Anybody There?" & "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"

BEST BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILMMAKER
Daniel Barber "Harry Brown"
Armando Ianucci "In the Loop"
Duncan Jones "Moon"
Peter Strickland "Katalin Varga"
Sam Taylor-Wood "Nowhere Boy"

DILYS POWELL AWARD -- EXCELLENCE IN CINEMA
Quentin Tarantino

Awards -- Florida Film Critics

Yet another group goes gaga for Up in the Air. Will never complain about (500) Days love tho...

BEST PICTURE
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney "Up in the Air"

BEST ACTRESS
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST SCREENPLAY
(500) Days of Summer

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Sin Nombre

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Cove

BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

GOLDEN SATELLITE WINNERS

The hodge podge of voters that make up the International Press Academy selected their winners, and I can surprisingly say that I am actually quite a fan of the winners for once (!!), and agree (from their nominees) with many of their wins, those wins being the select few for The Hurt Locker mostly, but nonetheless...

Best Picture (Drama): THE HURT LOCKER
Best Picture (Comedy/Musical): NINE
Best Director: KATHRYN BIGELOW "THE HURT LOCKER"
Best Actor (Drama): JEREMY RENNER "THE HURT LOCKER"
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): MICHAEL STUHLBARG "A SERIOUS MAN"
Best Actress (Drama): SHOHREH AGHDASHLOO "THE STONING OF SORAYA M."
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): MERYL STREEP "JULIE & JULIA"
Best Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPH WALTZ "INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS"
Best Supporting Actress: MO'NIQUE "PRECIOUS"
Best Original Screenplay: (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
Best Adapted Screenplay: PRECIOUS
Best Animated/Mixed Media: FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Best Cinematography: NINE
Best Film Editing: THE HURT LOCKER
Best Art Direction: A SINGLE MAN
Best Costume Design: THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
Best Sound (Mixing & Editing): 2012
Best Visual Effects: 2012
Best Original Score: UP IN THE AIR
Best Original Song "THE WEARY KIND" -- CRAZY HEART
Best Foreign Language Film: BROKEN EMBRACES & THE MAID (tie)
Best Documentary: EVERY LITTLE STEP

Awards -- Utah Film Critics

Up in the Air snags another award. And finally Viggo gets some well-deserved loved for his hard hitting performance as well.

BEST PICTURE: Up in the Air
Runner-up: The Hurt Locker; Inglorious Basterds

BEST DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: Jill Hillcoat "The Road"

BEST ACTOR: Viggo Mortensen "The Road"
Runner-up: Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Runner-up: Maya Rudolph "Away We Go"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"
Runner-up: Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique "Precious"
Runner-up: Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"

BEST SCREENPLAY: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Runner-up: (500) Days of Summer; Inglourious Basterds

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Runner-up: Up

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: Thirst
Runner-up: Sin Nombre

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: The Cove
Runner-up: Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Awards -- Las Vegas Film Critics

Another group I always like to watch, since I lived there for several years (and would LOVE to go back). But I always seem to be at least partially in tune with their thinking too. That said...

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST SCREENPLAY (Original or Adapted)
(500) Days of Summer

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Lovely Bones

BEST FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker

BEST ART DIRECTION
Avatar

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Inglourious Basterds

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Star Trek

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Lovely Bones

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" -- Crazy Heart

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Red Cliff (China)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil

BEST FAMILY FILM
Fantastic Mr. Fox

YOUTH IN FILM
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"

BEST DVD (Packaging, Design & Content)
The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition)

WILLIAM HOLDEN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Roger Deakins

Awards -- Screen Actors Guild Nominations

A few surprises here and there this morning. Obviously the love for An Education was strong enough to extend beyond the obvious Carey Mulligan nod, but the mentions for The Last Station were a surprise to me. Although considering Christopher Plummer still has 0 Oscar nominations, I wouldn't mind seeing his name called this year. Also, for anyone who called Diane Kruger for Basterds for Supporting, I tip my hat to you. What a time to get your 1st real mention of the year, at the SAGs!!! The only other BIG surprise to me was "Up in the Air" NOT NOMINATED FOR ENSEMBLE, even with it's 3 leads nominated.

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren "The Last Station" (!!!)
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer "The Last Station" (!!!)
Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz "Nine"
Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Diane Kruger "Inglourious Basterds" (!!!!!!!!!)
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
An Education (!!!)
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious

News -- Eligible Original Songs released

Here's is the long long list of original songs eligible to be nominated this year.

"All is Love" -- Where the Wild Things Are
"Almost Over You" -- My One and Only
"Almost There" -- The Princess and the Frog
"AyAyAyAy" -- The Maid
"Back to Tennessee" -- Hannah Montana The Movie
"Being Bad" -- Duplicity
"Blanco" -- Fast & Furious
"Brothers in Arms" -- Brothers at War
"Butterfly Fly Away" -- Hannah Montana The Movie
"Cinema Italiano" -- Nine
"Colorblind" -- Invictus
"Depression Era" -- That Evening Sun
"Don't Walk Away" -- Hannah Montana The Movie
"Dove of Peace" -- Bruno
"Down in New Orleans" -- The Princess and the Frog
"Fly Farm Blues" -- It Might Get Loud
"Forget Me" -- I Love You, Beth Cooper
"God Bless Up Everyone" -- Disney's A Christmas Carol
"Here" -- Shrink
"Hideaway" -- Where the Wild Things Are
"Hoedown Throwdown" -- Hannah Montana The Movie
"I Bring What I Love" -- Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love
"I See You" -- Avatar
"(I Want to) Come Home" -- Everybody's Fine
"If You're Wondering" -- The Lightkeeers
"Impossible Fantasy" -- Adventures of Power
"Innocent Child" -- Skin
"Invictus 9,000 Days" -- Invictus
"Legendary" -- Tyson
"Let Freedom Reign -- Skin
"Loin de Paname" -- Paris 36
"Ma Belle Evangeline" -- The Princess and the Frog
"My One and Only" -- My One and Only
"Na Na" -- Couples Retreat
"Never Knew I Needed" -- The Princess and the Frog
"New Divide" -- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
"New Jersey Nights" -- Adventures of Power
"New York is Where I Live" -- Did You Heart about the Morgans?
"No Time for Love" -- Simon & Malou
"One Day" -- Post Grad
"Only You" -- The Young Victoria
"Other Father Song" -- Coraline
"Petey's Song" -- Fantastic Mr. Fox
"Ponyo on th Cliff by the Sea" -- Ponyo
"Possibility" -- The Twilight Saga: New Moon
"Raising Sunshine" -- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
"Running Out of Empty (Make Ourselves at Home)" -- Lymelife
"Smoke without Fire" -- An Education
"Somebody Else" -- Crazy Heart
"Stu's Song" -- The Hangover
"Take It All" -- Nine
"Through the Trees" -- Jennifer's Body
"Trust Me" -- The Informant!
"Un Bouquet des Violettes" -- New York, I Love You
"We Are the Children of the World" -- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
"We Love Violence" -- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" -- Crazy Heart
"When You Find Me" -- Adams
"Winter" -- Brothers
"The Word Is Love" -- Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!
"You Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger" -- An Education
"You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" -- Hannah Montana The Movie
"You've Been a Friend to Me" -- Old Dogs

Awards -- Chicago Film Critics nominees

The last of the "big-city" groups to announce this year, and a few interesting choices in their nominees. Always love the see the variety! Up in the Air, and Where the Wild Things Are lead the nods with 6 apiece. I'm hoping that the Academy is taking note of all these mentions of Precious in just the acting categories. In my mind, those are the elements of the film that should be awarded, not the filim as a whole. But I digress. The nominees for the Chicago Critics are...

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen "A Serious Man"
Spike Jonze "Where the Wild Things Are"
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Matt Damon "The Informant!"
Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"
Michael Stuhlbarg "A Serious Man"

BEST ACTRESS
Abbie Cornish "Bright Star"
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Maya Rudolph "Away We Go"
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Capaldi "In the Loop"
Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"
Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"
Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique "Precious"
Julianne Moore "A Single Man"
Natalie Portman "Brothers"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Away We Go
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
An Education
In the Loop
The Informant!
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar
Bright Star
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Informant!
Up
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
Summer Hours
The White Ribbon

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Tyson

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Sharlto Copley "District 9"
Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Max Records "Where the Wild Things Are"
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Neill Blomkamp "District 9"
Scott Cooper "Crazy Heart"
Cary Fukunaga "Sin Nombre"
Duncan Jones "Moon"
Marc Webb "(500) Days of Summer"

Awards -- Dallas-Ft. Worth Critics

A group of critics that I always pay particular attention to, partly because I used to live there, and partly because their winner has also won the Best Picture Oscar 6 of the last 8 years, only differing in 05 and 06 (they chose Brokeback Mountain & United 93, respectively). But for now, the winners are...

BEST PICTURE
Up in the Air
Runner-ups: 2. The Hurt Locker 3. Precious 4. Up 5. An Education

BEST DIRECTOR
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"
Runner-ups: 2. Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker" 3. Lee Daniels "Precious" 4. Joel & Ethan Coen "A Serious Man" 5. Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Runner-ups: 2. Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart" 3. Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker" 4. Colin Firth "A Single Man" 5. Morgan Freeman "Invictus"

BEST ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Runner-ups: 2. Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia" 3. Gabourey Sidibe "Precious" 4. Emily Blunt "The Young Victoria" 5. Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-ups: 2. Woody Harrelson "The Messenger" 3. Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones" 4. Alfred Molina "An Education" 5. Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"
Runner-ups: 2. Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air" 3. Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air" 4. Marion Cotillard "Nine" 5. Maggie Gyllenhaal "Crazy Heart"

BEST SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air
Runner-up: A Serious Man

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Up
Runner-up: Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Lovely Bones
Runner-up: The Hurt Locker

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Sin Nombre
Runner-ups: 2. Broken Embraces 3. Summer Hours 4. The Baader Meinhof Complex 5. Red Cliff

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Cove
Runner-ups: 2. Anvil! The Story of Anvil 3. Capitalism: A Love Story 4. This Is It 5. Burma VJ & The September Issue (tie)

TOP 10 FILMS
1. Up in the Air
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Precious
4. Up
5. An Education
6. A Serious Man
7. Inglourious Basterds
8. District 9
9. Avatar
10. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Awards -- Toronto Film Critics

A few new choices hear and there. The first prize of the year for Nicolas Cage. And they also split their awards in both the Best Picture and Best Screenplay categories. Also another win for Mr. Fox over Up. That particular race is getting quite interesting.

BEST PICTURE -- Hunger & Inglourious Basterds (tie)
Runner-up: The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR -- Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Runner-up: Steve McQueen "Hunger" & Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR -- Nicolas Cage "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
Runner-up: George Clooney "Up in the Air", Michael Fassbender "Hunger",
Colin Firth "A Serious Man" & Viggo Mortensen "The Road"

BEST ACTRESS -- Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Runner-up: Arta Dobroshi "Le Silence de Lorna" & Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles" & Timothy Olyphant "A Perfect Getaway"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air" & Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST SCREENPLAY -- Inglourious Basterds & Up in the Air (tie)
Runner-up: A Serious Man

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE -- Fantastic Mr. Fox
Runner-up: Coraline & Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -- The White Ribbon
Runner-up: Police, Adjective & Summer Hours

BEST DOCUMENTARY -- The Cove
Runner-up: Anvil! The Story of Anvil & The Beaches of Anges

BEST FIRST FEATURE -- Steve McQueen "Hunger"
Runner-up: Neill Blomkamp "District 9" & Marc Webb "(500) Days of Summer"

Awards -- Austin Film Critics

Mostly the same winners as we've been having, except for a nice surprise in Best Actress! Also an interesting list for Top 10 of the year, and they've thrown in their Top 10 of the Decade as well.

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth "A Single Man"

BEST ACTRESS
Melanie Laurent "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inglourious Basterds

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hurt Locker

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Sin Nombre

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil

BEST FIRST FILM
Neill Blomkamp "District 9"

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Christian McKay "Me & Orson Welles"

AUSTIN FILM AWARD
Me & Orson Welles

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2009
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Star Trek
3. Up
4. A Serious Man
5. Up in the Air
6. Avatar
7. Inglourious Basterds
8. District 9
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Moon & The Messenger (tie)

TOP 10 FILMS OF THE DECADE
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (04)
2. There Will Be Blood (07)
3. The Lord of the Rings (01-03)
4. The Dark Knight (08)
5. Requiem for a Dream (00)
6. Kill Bill (03-04)
7. No Country For Old Men (07)
8. The Incredibles (04)
9. Children of Men (06)
10. Memento (01) & The Departed (06) (TIE)

Awards -- San Diego Film Critics

San Diego is mostly known from throwing their love behind one of the smaller contenders in a given year. This year, a little more mainstream with a small Basterds sweep. But I especially the love the mentions for Fox, The Road for Cinematography, and (500) Days for editing. All good stuff.

BEST PICTURE -- Inglourious Basterds
Runner-up: A Single Man

BEST DIRECTOR -- Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: James Cameron "Avatar"

BEST ACTOR -- Colin Firth "A Single Man"
Runner-up: Viggo Mortensen "The Road"

BEST ACTRESS -- Michelle Monaghan "Trucker"
Runner-up: Abbie Cornish "Bright Star" & Carey Mulligan "An Education"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Samantha Morton "The Messenger"
Runner-up: Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST -- Inglourious Basterds
Runner-up: A Serious Man

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY -- Inglourious Basterds
Runner-up: A Serious Man

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY -- Fantastic Mr. Fox
Runner-up: Up in the Air

BEST ANIMATED FILM -- Up
Runner-up: Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY -- The Road
Runner-up: Inglourious Basterds

BEST FILM EDITING -- (500) Days of Summer
Runner-up: Inglourious Basterds

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN -- Inglourious Basterds
Runner-up: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE -- A Single Man
Runner-up: Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -- Il Divo
Runner-up: Sin Nombre

BEST DOCUMENTARY -- The Cove
Runner-up: Anvil! The Story of Anvil

BODY OF WORK AWARD
Woody Harrelson -- "The Messenger", "Zombieland" & "2012"

Awards -- San Francisco Film Critics Winners

Mostly the same contenders as we've seen so far, but a few new winners, particularly good ink for Christian McKay and for Coraline.

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth "A Single Man"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Inglourious Basterds" -- Quentin Tarantino

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" -- Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"You, the Living" (Sweden)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"A Serious Man" -- Roger Deakins

SPECIAL CITATION
"Sita Sings the Blues"

Awards -- Indiana Film Critics Winners

Thank God we actually have at least a little variety here! Their winners are...

BEST PICTURE -- "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

BEST DIRECTOR -- Spike Jonze "Where the Wild Things Are"
Runner-up: Wes Anderson "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

BEST ACTOR -- George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS -- Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Runner-up: Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones" & "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Mo'Nique "Precious"
Runner-up: Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"

BEST SCREENPLAY -- "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: "Where the Wild Things Are"

BEST ANIMATED FILM -- "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Runner-up: "Up"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -- "Sin Nombre"
Runner-up: "Welcome"

BEST DOCUMENTARY -- "The Cove"
Runner-up: "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"

ORIGINAL VISION AWARD -- "Where the Wild Things Are"
Runner-up: "District 9"

Awards -- Golden Globe Nominees

Here are the 2009 Golden Globes Nominations. Led by Up in the Air with 6, they also seemed to love The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, It's Complicated, Julie & Julia, and Nine.

BEST PICTURE (Drama)
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Up in the Air

BEST PICTURE (Comedy/Musical)
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron "Avatar"
Clint Eastwood "Invictus"
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR (Drama)
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth "A Single Man'
Morgan Freeman "Invictus"
Tobey Maguire "Brothers"

BEST ACTOR (Comedy/Musical)
Matt Damon "The Informant!"
Daniel Day-Lewis "Nine"
Robert Downey, Jr. "Sherlock Holmes"
Joseph Gordon Levitt "(500) Days of Summer"
Michael Stuhlbarg "A Serious Man"

BEST ACTRESS (Drama)
Emily Blunt "The Young Victoria"
Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

BEST ACTRESS (Comedy/Musical)
Sandra Bullock "The Proposal"
Marion Cotillard "Nine"
Julia Roberts "Duplicity"
Meryl Streep "It's Complicated"
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz "Nine"
Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique "Precious"
Julianne Moore "A Single Man"

BEST SCREENPLAY
"District 9" -- Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
"The Hurt Locker" -- Mark Boal
"Inglourious Basterds" -- Quentin Tarantino
"It's Complicated" -- Nancy Meyers
"Up in the Air" -- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Avatar" -- James Horner
"The Informant!" -- Marvin Hamlisch
"A Single Man" -- Abel Krozeniowski
"Up" -- Michael Giacchino
"Where the Wild Things Are" -- Karen O. & Carter Burwell

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Cinema Italiano" -- Nine
"I Want To Come Home" -- Everybody's Fine
"I Will See You" -- Avatar
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" -- Crazy Heart
"Winter" -- Brothers

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Baria (Italy)
Broken Embraces (Spain)
The Maid (Chile)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Awards -- SEFCA (Southeastern Film Critics) Winners

Here are the SEFCA winners:

BEST PICTURE
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney "Up in the Air"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
(500) Days of Summer

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Summer Hours

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Food, Inc.

TOP TEN FILMS
1. Up in the Air
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Up
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. A Serious Man
6. (500) Days of Summer
7. Precious
8. The Messenger
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
10. District 9

Awards -- St. Louis Film Critics Nominations

They will be voting for winners on the 20th, but here are the St. Louis Critics nominees:

BEST PICTURE
(500) Days of Summer
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Invictus
Precious
Up
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Oren Moverman "The Messenger"
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Ben Foster "The Messenger"
Morgan Freeman "Invictus"
Patton Oswald "Big Fan"
Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"
Maya Rudolph "Away We Go"
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall "The Road"
Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"
Alfred Molina "An Education"
Stanley Tucci "The Loves Bones"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard "Nine"
Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Melanie Laurent "Inglourious Basterds"
Mo'Nique "Precious"
Samantha Morton "The Messenger"

BEST SCREENPLAY (Original or Adapted)
(500) Days of Summer
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Up in the Air

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST CINEMATORAPHY
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Red Cliff
A Single Man
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar
District 9
The Lovely Bones
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST MUSIC
Crazy Heart
Nine
Pirate Radio
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Coco Before Chanel
The Maid
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil!: The Story of Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
Food, Inc.
Good Hair
Tyson

BEST COMEDY FILM
(500) Days of Summer
Away We Go
The Hangover
Pirate Radio
Zombieland

MOST ARTISTIC FILM (Original, Innovatinve or Creative)
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
District 9
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Lovely Bones

FAVORITE SCENE -- SPECIAL MERIT
(500) Days of Summer -- Expectations vs. reality splitscreen sequence
(500) Days of Summer -- Morning after dance number
Inglourious Basterds -- The open farm house scene
Precious -- Mo'Nique's at social worker office scene
Up -- Opening marriage montage

Awards -- New York Film Critics Circle

The big guys on the other side of the country, and NYFCC, announced their winners today, and with it's 4th award in 2 days, The Hurt Locker is picking up some serious steam to frontrunner status! Although I must say, the Meryl/Christoph/Mo'Nique lineup is starting to get a little boring for me. Great performances, but possibly some variety please?

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney "Up in the Air" & "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST SCREENPLAY
In the Loop

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The White Ribbon

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Summer Hours

BEST NON-FICTION FILM
Of Time and the City

BEST FIRST FEATURE
"Hunger" -- Steve McQueen

SPECIAL AWARD
To Andrew Sarris for his contribution to film criticism

Awards -- Broadcast Film Critics (Critics Choice) Nominees

This morning, the Broadcast Film Critics announced the nominees for this year's Critics' Choice Awards. Always one of the bigger awards of the year, and this year they also added in many more technical categories, thus possibly making these nominees more important when talking about the Oscar nominees as well.

Also, let me say this now. It can only be possibly explained that it's because the film came out way back in March, but the fact that "I Love You, Man" is NOT nominated for Best Comedy Film is an EPIC, EPIC FAIL! But very pleased about the Avatar outpouring of love, glad they actually saw it before voting!!!, along with the good mentions for The Road, Star Trek, District 9, Fantasic Mr. Fox, and (500) Days of Summer.

All in all, they chose to serious spread around the love. Leading the pack with 10 nominations each are Inglourious Basterds (yay) and Nine (really?), followed by Avatar with 9 nods (yay), The Hurt Locker & Up in the Air with 8 nods, Precious & The Lovely Bones with 6 (although Bones did not get into picture). Nomination tallies are after the nominees, and here they are...

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron "Avatar"
Lee Daniels "Precious"
Clint Eastwood "Invictus"
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman "Invictus"
Viggo Mortensen "The Road"
Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt "The Young Victoria"
Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side" (tie)
Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"
Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia" (tie)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"
Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"
Alfred Molina "An Education"
Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard "Nine"
Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique "Precious"
Julianne Moore "A Single Man"
Samantha Morton "The Messenger"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
Up in the Air

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"(500) Days of Summer" -- Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
"The Hurt Locker" -- Mark Boal
"Inglourious Basterds" -- Quentin Tarantino
"A Serious Man" -- Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Up" -- Bob Peterson & Pete Docter

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"District 9" -- Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
"An Education" -- Nick Hornby
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" -- Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
"Precious" - Geoffrey Fletcher
"A Single Man" -- Tom Ford & David Scearce
"Up in the Air" -- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Avatar" -- Mauro Fiore
"The Hurt Locker" -- Barry Ackroyd
"Inglourious Basterds" -- Robert Richardson
"The Lovely Bones" -- Andrew Lesnie
"Nine" -- Dion Beebe

BEST FILM EDITING
"Avatar" -- Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua & James Cameron
"The Hurt Locker" -- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds" -- Sally Menke
"Nine" -- Claire Simpson & Wyatt Smith
"Up in the Air" -- Dana E. Glauberman

BEST ART DIRECTION
"Avatar" -- Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg
"Inglourious Basterds" -- David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds Wasco
"The Lovely Bones" -- Naomi Shohan & George De Titta, Jr.
"Nine" -- John Myhre & Gordon Sim
"A Single Man" -- Dan Bishop

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Bright Star" -- Janet Patterson
"Inglourious Basterds" -- Anna Sheppard
"Nine" -- Colleen Atwood
"Where the Wild Things Are" -- Casey Storm
"The Young Victoria" -- Sandy Powell

BEST SOUND
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Nine
Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
2012
Avatar
District 9
The Lovely Bones
Star Trek

BEST MAKEUP
Avatar
District 9
Nine
The Road
Star Trek

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"The Informant!" -- Marvin Hamlisch
"The Princess and the Frog" -- Randy Newman
"Sherlock Holmes" -- Hans Zimmer
"Up" -- Michael Giacchino
"Where the Wild Things Are" -- Karen O & Carter Burwell

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"All is Love" -- Karen O & Nick Zinner -- "Where the Wild Things Are"
"Almost There" -- Randy Newman -- "The Princess and the Frog"
"Cinema Italiano" -- Maury Yeston -- "Nine"
"(I Want To) Come Home" -- Paul McCartney -- "Everybody's Fine"
"The Weary Kind" -- T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham -- "Crazy Heart"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
The White Ribbon

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Michael Jackson's This Is It

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Jae Head "The Blind Side"
Bailee Madison "Brothers"
Max Records "Where the Wild Things Are"
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"
Kodi Smit-McPhee "The Road"

BEST ACTION FILM
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek

BEST COMEDY FILM
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
The Proposal
Zombieland

BEST FILM MADE FOR TELEVISION
Gifted Hands
Grey Gardens
Into the Storm
Taking Chance


NOMINATION TALLIES
10
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
9
Avatar
8
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
6
The Lovely Bones
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
5
District 9
Star Trek
4
An Education
Invictus
A Single Man
Up
Where the Wild Things Are
3
The Princess and the Frog
The Road
2
(500) Days of Summer
The Blind Side
Crazy Heart
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Messenger
A Serious Man
The Young Victoria
1
24 other films

Awards -- Los Angeles Film Critics Winners

Arguably the most well known and important precursor critics group (although New York and Broadcast might have an argument here as well) announced their winners tonight. Always interesting to see how the local "Hollywood Critics" vote. And here are their winners for 2009:

BEST PICTURE -- "The Hurt Locker"
Runner-up: "Up in the Air"

BEST DIRECTOR -- Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Runner-up: Michael Hanake "The White Ribbon"

BEST ACTOR -- Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
Runner-up: Colin Firth "A Single Man"

BEST ACTRESS -- Yolande Moreau "Seraphine"
Runner-up: Carey Mulligan "An Education"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: Peter Capaldi "In the Loop"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Mo'Nique "Precious"
Runner-up: Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"

BEST SCREENPLAY -- "Up in the Air" -- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Runner-up: "In the Loop" -- Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche

BEST ANIMATION -- "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Runner-up: "Up"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY -- "The White Ribbon" -- Christian Berger
Runner-up: "The Hurt Locker" -- Barry Ackroyd

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN -- "District 9" -- Philip Ivey
Runner-up: "Avatar" -- Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg

BEST MUSIC/SCORE -- "Crazy Heart" -- T-Bone Burnett & Stephen Bruton
Runner-up: "Fantastic Mr. Fox" -- Alexandre Desplat

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -- "Summer Hours"
Runner-up: "The White Ribbon"

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM -- "The Beaches of Agnes" & "The Cove" (TIE)

DOUGLAS E. EDWARDS INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL FILM
"The Anchorage" -- C.W. Winters & Anders Edstrom

Awards -- AFI (American Film Institute) Top 10

The AFI doesn't give out "Awards" per-se. They just give us a top 10 list of films each year. There are always a few (WTF) choices, but mostly on the solid side. Here's this year's list:

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE TOP 10 OF 2009
Coraline
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
The Messenger
Precious
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Sugar
Up
Up in the Air

Awards -- New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) Winners

Here's the winners from this year's NYFCO. The New York Film Critics Circle (Print critics, and arguably much more important of the two groups) announce tomorrow.

BEST PICTURE
Avatar

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
In the Loop

BEST SCREENPLAY
Inglourious Basterds -- Quentin Tarantino

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Inglourious Basterds -- Robert Richardson

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The White Ribbon

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Cove

BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Marc Webb "(500) Days of Summer)"

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST FILM MUSIC OR SCORE
Crazy Heart

TOP FILMS OF 2009
Adventureland
Avatar (BEST PICTURE)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
Precious
A Serious Man
Two Lovers
Up
Up in the Air

Awards -- Boston Film Critics Winners

The Boston Critics winner has matched the Best Picture Oscar winner for the last 3 years in a row, and their winner has at least been Best Picture nominee every year since 2002. Although their choices in 2000 and 2001 were Almost Famous and Mulholland Dr, respectively, so not hard to argue the validity of those films either. Here's how they've worked out in this decade:

2000: Almost Famous
2001: Mulholland Dr.
2002: The Pianist
2003: Mystic River
2004: Sideways
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: The Departed
2007: No Country For Old Men
2008: Slumdog Millionaire & Wall-E (tie)

That said, here are the winners for this year's awards.

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTOR
Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique "Precious"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Precious & Star Trek (tie)

BEST SCREENPLAY
A Serious Man -- Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Up

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hurt Locker -- Barry Ackroyd

BEST FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker -- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Summer Hours

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Cove

BEST NEW FILMMAKER
Neill Blomkamp "District 9"

BEST USE OF MUSIC IN A FILM
Crazy Heart