Awards - Broadcast Film Critics (Critics Choice)

And now we have one of the biggest awards of the year, and traditionally, one of the best precursors for the Oscar race. One of my personal favorites awards of the year. Usually bestowed on very deserving films. It also looks like they may have expanding their categories, bringing in almost all of the technical races. Hugo and The Artist continue their steamroll through the awards season, both receiving 11 nominations. Drive and The Help pulled in 8, while The Descendents and War Horse followed up with 7. Full nominees below...

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

BEST DIRECTOR

Stephen Daldry - "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"

Alexander Payne - "The Descendants"

Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"

Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"

Steven Spielberg - "War Horse"

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney - "The Descendants"

Leonardo DiCaprio - "J. Edgar"

Jean Dujardin - "The Artist"

Michael Fassbender - "Shame"

Ryan Gosling - "Drive"

Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis - "The Help"

Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"

Tilda Swinton - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Charlize Theron - "Young Adult"

Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh - "My Week with Marilyn"

Albert Brooks - "Drive"

Nick Nolte - "Warrior"

Patton Oswalt - "Young Adult"

Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"

Andrew Serkis - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo - "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain - "The Help"

Melissa McCarthy - "Bridesmaids"

Carey Mulligan - "Shame"

Octavia Spencer - "The Help"

Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

The Artist

Bridesmaids

The Descendants

The Help

The Ides of March

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50

The Artist

Midnight in Paris

Win Win

Young Adult

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Moneyball

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Artist

Drive

Hugo

The Tree of Life (tie)

War Horse (tie)

BEST FILM EDITING

The Artist

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

War Horse

BEST ART DIRECTION

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

The Tree of Life

War Horse

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The Artist

The Help

Hugo

Jane Eyre

My Week with Marilyn

BEST SOUND

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Super 8

The Tree of Life

War Horse

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Super 8

The Tree of Life

BEST MAKEUP

Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

The Iron Lady

J. Edgar

My Week with Marilyn

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Artist

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Hello Hello" - Gnomeo & Juliet

"Life's a Happy Song" - The Muppets

"The Living Proof" - The Help

"Man or Muppet" - The Muppets

"Pictures in My Head" - The Muppets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

In Darkness

Le Havre

A Separation

The Skin I Live In

Where Do We Go Now

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Buck

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Page One: Inside the New York Times

Project Nim

Undefeated

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Asa Butterfield - "Hugo"

Elle Fanning - "Super 8"

Thomas Horn - "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Ezra Miller - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Saoirse Ronan - "Hanna"

Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

BEST ACTION MOVIE

Drive

Fast Five

Hanna

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Super 8

BEST COMEDY MOVIE

Bridesmaids

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Horrible Bosses

Midnight in Paris

The Muppets

Awards - San Diego Film Critics

San Diego has strayed from the main consensus on many an occasion. They like to give their awards to films off the beaten path. I'm not sure when they started doing nominees, cause I always just remember them announcing their winners. But regardless, here are the nominees, and now the announced winners!

BEST FILM

The Artist

Drive

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

The Tree of Life

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"

Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"

Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"

Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"

Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney - "The Descendants"

Jean Dejardin - "The Artist"

Brendan Gleeson - "The Guard"

Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"

Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis - "The Help"

Brit Marling - "Another Earth"

Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

Tilda Swinton - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks - "Drive"

Nick Nolte - "Warrior"

Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"

Andy Serkis - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Max Von Sydow - "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo - "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain - "The Help"

Melanie Laurent - "Beginners"

Carey Mulligan - "Shame"

Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

Carnage

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

The Help

Margin Call

Midnight in Paris

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50

The Artist

Beginners

Midnight in Paris

Win Win

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants

Drive

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Moneyball

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Arthur Christmas

Happy Feet Two

Kung Fu Panda 2

Rango

Winnie the Pooh

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Artist

Drive

Hugo

Take Shelter

The Tree of Life

BEST FILM EDITING

The Artist

Beginners

Drive

Hugo

The Tree of Life

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

The Tree of Life

BEST SCORE

The Artist

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

The Tree of Life

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The Double Hour

Happy Happy

Le Quattro Volte

Of Gods and Men

A Somewhat Gentle Man

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Buck

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Into the Abyss

Page One: Inside the New York Times

Project Nim

Awards - St. Louis Film Critics

Continuing with the central America swing, the St. Louis critics have announced their nominees. A few new categories here, almost in a way similar to what I do with my yearly awards. Strong showings from a lot of the usual suspects here, but finally we see some love for a few forgotten films. Hanna pops up in a number of categories, as do The Muppets, Drive & The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Full nominees below...

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

The Descendants
Drive
My Week with Marilyn
The Tree of Life

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"

Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne - "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney - "The Descendants"

Jean Dujardin - "The Artist"
Michael Fassbender - "Shame"
Ryan Gosling - "Drive"
Gary Oldman - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis - "The Help"

Rooney Mara - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Saoirse Ronan - "Hanna"
Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks - "Drive"

John Goodman - "The Artist"
John Hawkes - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Jonah Hill - "Moneyball"
Alan Rickman - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo - "The Artist"

Cate Blanchett - "Hanna"
Jessica Chastain - "The Tree of Life"
Octavia Spencer - "The Help"
Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50

The Artist

Hanna
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life
Win Win

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants

Drive
The Help
Moneyball
The Muppets

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The Adventures of Tintin

Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Rio

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Artist
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Tree of Life

War Horse

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Captain America: The First Avenger

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
The Tree of Life

BEST MUSIC

The Artist

Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Muppets
The Tree of Life

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

13 Assassins

I Saw the Devil
Point Blank
Trollhunter
Winter in Wartime

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Being Elmo

Buck
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
The Interrupters
Tabloid

BEST COMEDY FILM

Bridesmaids

Crazy, Stupid, Love
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets
Paul
Rango

BEST ART-HOUSE OR FESTIVAL FILM

Beginners
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Win Win

BEST SCENE

The Artist -- Dance scene finale
Drive -- The elevator beating scene
Drive -- Opening get-away scene

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Opening credits

Hanna -- Hanna's escape from captivity sequence
Melancholia -- The final scene

Awards - Indiana Film Critics

This was news to me, but apparently Indiana has their own group as well, the Indiana Film Journalists Association. The announced their winners and runner-ups, and taking the top prize is the critic darling of the year to date, The Artist. A few new winners, particularly a good amount of love for Win Win, which I very much enjoyed. Nice to see a runner-up for Winnie the Pooh in animated too. Full winners below...

Best Film

WINNER:  THE ARTIST

Runner-up:  The Descendants

Other Finalists:  Coriolanus, Drive, Hugo, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Muppets, The Skin I Live In, Super 8, The Tree of Life

Best Director

WINNER:  MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS - "THE ARTIST"

Runner-up:  Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"

Best Actor

WINNER:  PAUL GIAMATTI - "WIN WIN"

Runner-up:  Ralph Fiennes - "Coriolanus"

Best Actress

WINNER:  ELIZABETH OLSEN - "MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE"

Runner-up:  Tilda Swinton - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Best Supporting Actor

WINNER:  CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - "BEGINNERS"

Runner-up:  Albert Brooks - "Drive"

Best Supporting Actress

WINNER:  VIOLA DAVIS - "THE HELP"

Runner-up:  Amy Ryan - "Win Win"

Best Original Screenplay

WINNER:  WIN WIN

Runner-up:  Margin Call

Best Adapted Screenplay

WINNER:  THE DESCENDANTS

Runner-up:  Moneyball

Best Animated Film

WINNER:  RANGO

Runner-up:  Winnie the Pooh

Best Musical Score

WINNER:  THE ARTIST

Runner-up:  Hugo

Best Foreign Language Film

WINNER:  THE SKIN I LIVE IN

Runner-up:  13 Assassins

Best Documentary

WINNER:  PROJECT NIM

Runner-up:  Into the Abyss

Original Vision Award

WINNER:  THE TREE OF LIFE

Runner-up:  The Artist

The Hoosier Award
WINNER:  LINDSAY GOFFMAN, producer of DUMBSTRUCK

Awards - San Francisco Film Critics

And now we have the critics from San Francisco chiming in with their winners. A few new winners this go around, which always makes it a little more exciting. The top prizes of the year go to The Tree of Life. Here are the full winners.

BEST PICTURE:  The Tree of Life
BEST DIRECTOR:  Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"
BEST ACTOR:  Gary Oldman - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
BEST ACTRESS:  Tilda Swinton - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:  Albert Brooks - "Drive"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:  Vanessa Redgrave - "Coriolanus"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:  Margin Call
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:  Rango
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:  The Tree of Life
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:  Certified Copy
BEST DOCUMENTARY:  Tabloid
SPECIAL CITATION FOR INDEPENDENT FILM:  The Mill and The Cross

Awards - Detroit Film Critics

And now we have the critics from Detroit throwing in their two cents. Nice to see a few new names popping up, and few new films mentioned, such as the "Shame" nods. Also a lot of love for Take Shelter, which I still need to see. And their nominees and winners are...


BEST PICTURE

The Artist

The Descendants
Hugo
Take Shelter
The Tree of Life

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"

Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"
Jeff Nichols - "Take Shelter"
Nicholas Winding Refn - "Drive"
Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney - "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin - "The Artist"

Michael Fassbender - "Shame"

Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis - "The Help"
Felicity Jones - "Like Crazy"
Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
Charlize Theron - "Young Adult"

Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh - "My Week with Marilyn"
Albert Brooks - "Drive"
Ryan Gosling - "Crazy Stupid Love"
Patton Oswalt - "Young Adult"

Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo - "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain - "Take Shelter"

Carey Mulligan - "Shame"

Vanessa Redgrave - "Coriolanus"
Octavia Spencer - "The Help"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

Carnage

Cedar Rapids
Crazy Stupid Love
The Help
Margin Call
Win Win

BEST SCREENPLAY
50/50 - Will Reiser
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Beginners - Mike Mills

Moneyball - Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillian

Take Shelter - Jeff Nichols

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Into Eternity
Into the Abyss
Marwencol

Tabloid

We Were Here

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Jessica Chastain - "The Help" / "Take Shelter" / "The Tree of Life"

Felicity Jones - "Like Crazy"
Melissa McCarthy - "Bridesmaids"
Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

Awards - Los Angeles Film Critics

One of the most sought-after and important critics groups has announced...the Los Angeles Film Critics. Top prize this year? THE DESCENDANTS, with The Tree of Life making a strong showing as well.


Best Picture
WINNER: The Descendants
Runner-Up: The Tree of Life

Best Director
WINNER: Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"
Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"

Best Actor
WINNER: Michael Fassbender - "A Dangerous Method", "Jane Eyre", "Shame", X-Men: First Class"
Runner-Up: Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"

Best Actress
WINNER: Yun Jung-hee - "Poetry"
Runner-Up: Kirsten Dunst - "Melancholia"

Best Supporting Actor
WINNER: Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"
Runner-Up: Patton Oswalt - "Young Adult"

Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Jessica Chastain - "Coriolanus", "The Debt", "The Help", "Take Shelter", "Texas Killing Fields" & "The Tree of Life"
Runner-Up: Janet McTreer - "Albert Nobbs"

Best Screenplay
WINNER: A Separation

Best Animation
WINNER: Rango

Best Cinematography
WINNER: The Tree of Life

Best Production Design
WINNER: Hugo
Runner-Up: Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy

Best Music/Score
WINNER: Hanna
Runner-Up: Drive

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction
WINNER: Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Awards - American Film Institute (AFI)

The AFI has announced their top tens for both film and television. Back at the beginning of the 2000s, they used to do an awards also, but since has returned back to their top ten ways. Here are their winners this year...

TOP TEN FILMS

• Bridesmaids
• Bridesmaids marches down the aisle of American comedy with a vow to make you laugh long and loud. Kristen Wiig's comic star shines bright as her and Annie Mumolo's ingenious script upends the wedding dream myth by capturing the horror of being named Maid of Honor. raunchy and uproarious, the fiercely funny ensemble is guided with a sure hand by director Paul Feig, and Melissa McCarthy's explosive turn marks her arrival as a true original.
• The Descendants
• The Descendants paints a richly convincing family portrait at once painfully funny and profoundly poignant. Alexander Payne's strikingly original film balances the intimacy of family tragedy with the expansive politics of dynastic inheritance in the year's most human comedy. With the weight of paradise on his shoulders, George Clooney delivers an eccentrically elegant turn as the reluctant patriarch who must come to terms with how to let go and when to hold on.
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo invites audiences into a cold, forbidding world of family secrets and implores them to help solve the mystery. Director David Fincher brings Steig Larsson's novel to dazzling, dark and disturbing life that pulses with cinematic pleasure. From the astounding opening credits until the harrowing journey ends, Fincher leads a stellar cast including Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Rooney Mara, who carves the name "Lisbeth Salander" atop the list of 2011's most transcendent performances.
• The Help
• The Help is an intimate epic that measures the cultural divide in the American south at a critical moment in the nation's march toward racial harmony. Tate Taylor's film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestseller soars above and beyond stereotypes to illustrate how tolerance is taught, not inherited. Measured and moving performances by Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain help make The Help remind us that movies can be smart, movies can be kind and movies can be important.
• Hugo
• Hugo unlocks the hearts of all who love the movies with a key forged by grand illusionist Martin Scorsese,. The film beckons audiences into a world of wonder through the eyes of a young hero, a world alive in new ways through Robert Richardson's resplendent use of 3D. This dazzling adventure is also a meditation on life and  loss, deeply rooted in the powerful role movies play in our reality. With a proper tip of the beret to early pioneers Harold Lloyd and George Melies, we are reminded that each film is a gift, and that when the masters intone, "Come dream with me," through the magic of the movies, we do.
• J. Edgar
• J. Edgar illuminates the dark corners of America's past with an ambition only attainable by an American master like Clint Eastwood. Armed with an impassioned script by Dustin Lance Black, Eastwood presents an intimate portrait of FBI Chief Hoover while moving effortlessly back and forth through time and in and out of shadows. Leonardo DiCaprio gives meaning to a monster in a towering performance that digs beneath Hoover's G-man public image to the private man who kept a nation's secrets while zealously guarding his own.
• Midnight in Paris
• Midnight in Paris offers a champagne toast to those who live in the present, but dream of an ideal past. Owen Wilson charms in this enchanting, post-dated postcard from the City of Lights, a stroke-of-midnight fantasy that brings to life Fitzgerald, Picasso, Hemingway and Belle Epoch figures like Degas and Lautrec. Sparkling and literate, this Francophile fantasia reminds us how lucky we are to be living in the Golden Age of Woody Allen.
• Moneyball
• Moneyball scores with a winning combination of sports and smarts. There's nothing by-the-numbers in this ultimate inside-baseball movie, a story driven home by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin's classic underdog script with a a fresh, statistical twist. MVP performances by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill and controlled direction by Bennett Miller celebrate the spirit of a maverick manager who believes that how we play the game of our lives is as important as winning.
• The Tree of Life
• The Tree of Life is an awe-inspiring, cinematic miracle. Terrence Malick's meditation on mortality is testament to the motion picture's deep roots in poetry -- that images and words together can embody life. Emmanuel Lubezki's stunning visuals and compelling performances by Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and young Hunter McCracken embrace humanity in this tale of the cosmic and the microscopic. Ultimately, Malick forges a path between nature and grace, and generations will be held spellbound under the watch of his creation.
• War Horse
• War Horse advances Steven Spielberg's gallant charge into the history of American film. A masterpiece from foal to finish, the film is an epic odyssey of friendship against all odds. Marked by a driving intensity in each scene -- from the plowing of a field to the battlefields of World War I -- this is grand scale filmmaking in the tradition of John Ford and David Lean, but presented with a brave and bold emotion only imaginable from Spielberg and his talented team. War Horse is proof that miracles can happen.

Special Awards are also being given to The Artist and the entire Harry Potter series.

TOP TEN TV SERIES

• Breaking Bad
• Boardwalk Empire
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Game of Thrones
• The Good Wife
• Homeland
• Justified
• Louie, C.K.
• Modern Family
• Parks and Recreation

Awards - New York Film Critics Online

Another group announces...and another win for The Artist. Starting to get a bit of a steamroll going. Here are the full winners for the New York Film Critics Online for 2011.


BEST PICTURE: The Artist
BEST DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
BEST ACTOR: Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"
BEST ACTRESS: Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks - "Drive"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy - "Bridesmaids"
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: Bridesmaids
BEST SCREENPLAY: The Descendants
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: The Adventures of Tintin
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Tree of Life
BEST USE OF MUSIC: The Artist
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: A Separation
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER: Jessica Chastain - "The Tree of Life", "The Help", "The Debt", "Take Shelter", "Texas Killing Fields" & "Coriolanus"
BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish - "Attack the Block"

Awards - Boston Film Critics

The next critic group to announce is Boston, who have thrown several popular names back into the ring, giving The Artist their top prize, with Hugo and Margaret in close behind.


Best Picture
THE ARTIST

Best Director
MARTIN SCORSESE - "HUGO"

Best Actor
BRAD PITT - "MONEYBALL"

Best Actress
MICHELLE WILLIAMS - "MY WEEK WITH MARILYN"

Best Supporting Actor
ALBERT BROOKS - "DRIVE"

Best Supporting Actress
MELISSA MCCARTHY - "BRIDESMAIDS"

Best Ensemble Cast
CARNAGE

Best Screenplay
MONEYBALL

Best Cinematography
THE TREE OF LIFE

Best Film Editing
THE CLOCK!

Best Use of Music
LUDOVIC BOURCE - "THE ARTIST" & CLIFF MARTINEZ - "DRIVE"

Best Foreign Language Film
INCENDIES

Best Documentary
PROJECT NIM

Best New Filmmaker (David Brudnoy Award)
SEAN DURKIN - "MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE"

Awards -- Houston Film Critics

The Houston Film Critics Society have announced their nominees for this year, and now, a few days later, they have announced their winner, going for The Descendants as the best film for the year. Full nominees and winners below...


BEST PICTURE
The Artist

The Descendants

Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Midnight in Paris
Take Shelter
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Win Win

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen - "Midnight In Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
Terrence Malick - "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne - "The Descendants"

Nicholas Winding Refn - "Drive"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney - "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin - "The Artist"

Michael Fassbender - "Shame"

Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis - "The Help"
Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"

Tilda Swinton - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks - "Drive"

Armie Hammer - "J. Edgar"
Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"
Andy Serkis - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Alex Shaffer - "Win Win"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain - "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy - "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer - "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer - "The Help"

Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

BEST SCREENPLAY
50/50 - Will Reiser
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Foxon & Jim Rash

Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
Win Win - Tom McCarthy

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Adventures of Tintin
Happy Feet Two
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots

Rango

Winnie the Pooh

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist - Guillaume Schiffman
Drive - Thomas Newton Segel
Hugo - Robert Richardson

The Tree of Life - Emmanuel Lubezki

War Horse - Janusz Kaminski

BEST SCORE
The Adventures of Tintin - John Williams

The Artist - Ludovic Bource

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 - Alexandre Desplat
Shame - Harry Escott
War Horse - John Williams

BEST SONG
"Lay Your Head Down" - Albert Nobbs

"Life's a Happy Song" - The Muppets

"The Living Proof" - The Help
"Star-Spangled Man" - Captain America: The First Avenger
"Think You Can Wait" - Win Win

BEST FOREIGN FILM
13 Assassins
The Artist
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

I Saw the Devil

The Skin I Live In

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Buck
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Elephant in the Living Room

Project Nim

Undefeated


WORSE FILM OF THE YEAR
Jack and Jill
Red Riding Rood
The Sitter
The Smurfs
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1

Your Highness

HUMANITARIAN HONOR
Joanne Herring

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Jeff Bridges

The 15 Finalists for Visual Effects

The Academy has released the list of the 15 finalists for a Best Visual Effects nomination. In early January, from this list, members of the Visual Effects Branch will narrow the list to 10. And finally, come nomination morning, 5 films will make the cut.

• CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
• COWBOYS & ALIENS
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2
• HUGO
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL
• PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
• REAL STEEL
• RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
• SUCKER PUNCH
• SUPER 8
• THOR
• TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
• THE TREE OF LIFE
• X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

I doubt these will be the exact final five, but if the choice were up to me, it would be Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Planet of the Apes, Transformers, and X-Men. But I feel some definite love for Hugo and/or Super 8 too. We shall see when the list is narrowed down in a few weeks!

Awards -- Annie Awards

The Award Awards cover the best in animation for the year, in films, tv, games, all genres. For purposes of this site, I'm just covering the film awards. Also, this year, it seems like they've expanded their nominee lists to include much more. Pixar finds itself nominated again for Cars 2 in many categories, only a year after saying that Disney/Pixar would not contribute to the Annie's anymore. Yeah, the didn't last long.

That said, KUNG FU PANDA 2 leads the pack with 12 nominations, followed by both PUSS IN BOOTS and RANGO with 9. Strong showing for RIO with 8, and WINNIE THE POOH also garnered 8, even though it was strangly shut up of the Best Feature race. A few other noticeables include CARS 2 with 7, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS with 6, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN with 5, and GNOMEO AND JULIET with 4.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arrugas (Wrinkles)
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Rio


BEST ANIMATED EFFECTS IN A FEATURE
Joel Aron - "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"
Chase Cooper - "Rango"
Eric Froemling - "Cars 2"
Willi Geiger - "Rango"
Dan Lund - "Winnie the Pooh"
Jason Mayer - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
Jon Reisch - "Cars 2"
Kevin Romond - "The Adventures of Tintin"
Dave Tidgewell - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
Can Yuksel - "Puss in Boots"

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION IN A FEATURE
Andreas Deja - "Winnie the Pooh"
Jeff Gabor - "Rio"
Mark Henn - "Winnie the Pooh"
Pierre Perifel - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
Patrik Puhala - "Rio"
Olivier Staphylas - "Puss in Boots"
Dan Wagner - "Kung Fu Panda 2"


BEST CHARACTER DESIGN IN A FEATURE
Peter de Seve - "Arthur Christmas"
Patrick Mate - "Puss in Boots"
Mark "Crash" McCreery - "Rango"
Sergio Pablos - "Rio"
Jay Shuster - "Cars 2"

BEST DIRECTING OF A FEATURE
Kelly Asbury - "Gnomeo & Juliet"
Don Hall & Stephen Anderson - "Winnie the Pooh"
Chris Miller - "Puss in Boots"
Jennifer Yuh Nelson - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
Carlos Saldahna - "Rio"
Gore Verbinski - "Rango"


BEST EDITING IN A FEATURE
Eric Dapkewicz - "Puss in Boots"
Michael Kahn - "The Adventures of Tintin"
Clare Knight - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
Stephen Schaffer - "Cars 2"
Craig Wood - "Rango"

BEST MUSIC IN A FEATURE
"The Adventures of Tintin" - John Williams
"Puss in Boots" - Henry Jackman
"Rio" - Mikael Mutti, Siedah Garrett, Carlinhos Brown, Sergio Mendes & John Powell
"Winnie the Pooh" - Zooey Deschannel, Kristin Anderson-Lopez, Henry Jackman & Robert Lopez


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN OF A FEATURE
Tom Cardone, Kyle ManNaughton & Peter Chan - "Rio"
Paul Felix - "Winnie the Pooh"
Harley Jessup - "Cars 2"
Raymond Zilback - "Kung Fu Panda 2"


BEST STORYBOARDING OF A FEATURE
Philip Craven - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
David Gosman - "Rango"
Gary Graham - "Kung Fu Panda 2"
Josh Hayes - "Rango"
Bob Logan - "Puss in Boots"
Scott Morse - "Cars 2"
Kris Pearn - "Arthur Christmas"
Jeremy Spears - "Winnie the Pooh"
Nelson Yokota - "Gnomeo and Juliet"


BEST VOICE ACTING IN A FEATURE
Jermaine Clement - "Rio" - Nigel
Jim Cummings - "Gnomeo and Juliet" - Featherstone
Zach Galifianakis - "Puss in Boots" - Humpty Alexander Dumpty
James Hong - Kung Fu Panda 2" - Mr. Ping
Ashley Jenson - "Arthur Christmas" - Bryony
Bill Nighy - "Arthur Christmas" - Grandsanta
Gary Oldman - "Kung Fu Panda 2" - Shen


BEST WRITING OF A FEATURE
"The Adventures of Tintin" - Steve Moffat, Edgar Wright & Joe Cronish
"Arthur Christmas" - Sarah Smith & Peter Baynham
"Gnomeo & Juliet" - Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil, Mark Burton, Kathy Greenburg, Emily Cook, Rob Sprackling, John R. Smith, Kelly Asbury & Steve Hamilton
"Rango" - John Logan, Gore Verbinski & James Byrkit
"Winnie the Pooh" - Brian Kesinger, Kendelle Hoyer, Don Dougherty, Clio Chang, Don Hall & Stephen Anderson

Awards - Washington D.C. Film Critics - Another win for The Artist

The Washington D.C. critics have announced their nominees and winners for this year. Strong showings from several of the considered frontrunners, including The Artist, Hugo & The Descendants. With a semi-surprise of Drive and a shock of an Indi choice with the critical darling Win Win from earlier this year. Nice choices overall, with The Artist & Hugo coming away with the two big awards. In a way, they are sort-of, kind-of companion pieces. Both are films, about films, and the history and future of the medium. Here is the full slate of films chosen.

BEST FILM
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Hugo
Win Win

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
Alexander Payne - "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"
Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney - "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin - "The Artist"
Michael Fassbender - "Shame"
Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis - "The Help"
Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh - "My Week with Marilyn"
Albert Brooks - "Drive"
John Hawkes - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"
Andy Serkis - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo - "The Artist"
Melissa McCarthy - "Bridesmaids"
Carey Mulligan - "Shame"
Octavia Spencer - "The Help"
Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Bridesmaids
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Help
Hugo
Margin Call

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
Win Win

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Puss in Boots
Rango
Winnie the Pooh

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist
Hugo
Melancholia
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ART DIRECTION
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Artist
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
13 Assassins
Certified Copy
I Saw the Devil
Pina
The Skin I Live In

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Buck
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life
Project Nim

Awards - International Press Academy (Golden Satellites)

Always one of the most fun groups to watch, since their choices usually include more than a share of bizarre ones. They do a lot of categories, and a lot of total nominees, giving out a lot of widespread love. Here are this year's nominees.

BEST PICTURE
The Artist

The Descendants

Drive
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
Shame
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

BEST DIRECTOR
Tomas Alfredson - "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
John Michael McDonagh - "The Guard"
Steve McQueen - "Shame"
Alexander Payne - "The Descendants"

Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"

Martin Scorsese - "Hugo"
Steven Spielberg - "War Horse"
Tate Taylor - "The Help"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney - "The Descendants"
Leonardo DiCaprio - "J. Edgar"
Michael Fassbender - "Shame"
Brendan Gleeson - "The Guard"

Ryan Gosling - "Drive"

Tom Hardy - "Warrior"
Woody Harrelson - "Rampart"
Gary Oldman - "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
Michael Shannon - "Take Shelter"

BEST ACTRESS
Olivia Colman - "Tyrannosaur"
Glenn Close - "Albert Nobbs"

Viola Davis - "The Help"

Vera Farmiga - "Higher Ground"
Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
Charlize Theron - "Young Adult"
Emily Watson - "Oranges and Sunshine"
Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"
Michelle Yeoh - "The Lady"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh - "My Week with Marilyn"

Albert Brooks - "Drive"

Colin Farrell - "Horrible Bosses"
Jonah Hill - "Moneyball"
Viggo Mortensen - "A Dangerous Method"
Nick Nolte - "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer - "Beginners"
Andy Serkis - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Christoph Waltz - "Carnage"
Hugo Weaving - "Oranges and Sunshine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain - "The Tree of Life"

Elle Fanning - "Super 8"
Lisa Feret - "Mozart's Sister"
Judy Greer - "The Descendants"
Rachel McAdams - "Midnight in Paris"
Janet McTeer - "Albert Nobbs"
Carey Mulligan - "Shame"
Octavia Spencer - "The Help"
Vanessa Redgrave - "Coriolanus"
Kate Winslet - "Carnage"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist
The Guard
Mozart's Sister
Shame

The Tree of Life

Tyrannosaur

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Adventures of Tintin
Albert Nobbs

The Descendants

The Help
Moneyball
War Horse

BEST ANIMATED OR MIXED MEDIA FILM

The Adventures of Tintin

Kung Fu Panda 2
The Muppets
Puss in Boots
Rango
Rio

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist
Drive
Faust
Hugo
The Tree of Life

War Horse

BEST FILM EDITING
The Descendants
Drive

The Guard

Shame
War Horse
Warrior

BEST ART DIRECTION
Anonymous

The Artist

Faust
Hugo
Mysteries of Lisbon
Water for Elephants

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Anonymous
The Artist
Faust
Jane Eyre
Mysteries of Lisbon

Water for Elephants

BEST SOUND (Edition & Mixing)

Drive

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Drive
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Soul Surfer

Super 8
War Horse
Water for Elephants

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Bridge of Light" - Happy Feet 2
"Gathering Stories" - We Bought a Zoo
"Hello Hello" - Gnomeo & Juliet

"Lay Your Head Down" - Albert Nobbs

"Life is a Happy Song" - The Muppets
"Man or Muppet" - The Muppets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
13 Assassins
Faust
Kid with a Bike
Las Acacias
Le Havre
Miss Bala
Mozart's Sister

Mysteries of Lisbon

A Separation
The Turin Horse

BEST DOCUMENTARY
American: The Bill Hicks Story
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Interrupters
My Perestroika
One Lucky Elephant
Pina
Project Nim

Senna

Tabloid
Under Fire: Journalists in Combat

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

The Help

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Paddy Considine - "Tyrannosaur"

Awards - National Board of Review - Hugo throws it's hat into the main ring

"HUGO is such a personal film by Martin Scorsese. It is a tribute to the early years of cinema that uses today's cutting edge technology to bring the audience into a completely unique and magical world. It is visually stunning and emotionally engaging." -- Annie Schulhof, NBR President

The National Board of Review has announced their winners for the year. For those who may not know, the Board consists of a group of film professionals, students, enthusiasts, and academics. They are always one of the first groups to announce their awards in the calendar year, and later hold a gala to present the winners with their awards. Here are their winners for 2011...

Top Ten Films
THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
DRIVE
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2
HUGO (#1 Film of the Year)
THE IDES OF MARCH
J. EDGAR
TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

Best Director: MARTIN SCORSESE "HUGO"
Best Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY "THE DESCENDANTS"
Best Actress: TILDA SWINTON "WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN"
Best Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER "BEGINNERS"
Best Supporting Actress: SHAILENE WOODLEY "THE DESCENDANTS"
Best Original Screenplay: 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: THE DESCENDANTS
Best Ensemble Cast: THE HELP
Best Animated Feature: RANGO
Best Foreign Language Film: A SEPARATION
Best Documentary: PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY
Best Breakthrough Performance: FELICITY JONES "LIKE CRAZY" & ROONEY MARA "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO"
Best Debut Director: J.C. CHANDOR "MARGIN CALL"
NBR Freedom of Expression: CRIME AFTER CRIME & PARIAH
Spotlight Award: MICHAEL FASSBENDER "A DANGEROUS METHOD", "JANE EYRE", "SHAME" & "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS"
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: THE HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE - A DISTINGUISHED TRANSLATION FROM BOOK TO FILM

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
13 ASSASSINS
ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN
FOOTNOTE
LE HAVRE
POINT BLANK

Top 5 Documentaries
BORN TO BE WILD
BUCK
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
PROJECT NIM
SENNA

Top 10 Independent Films
50/50
ANOTHER EARTH
BEGINNERS
A BETTER LIFE
CEDAR RAPIDS
MARGIN CALL
SHAME
TAKE SHELTER
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
WIN WIN

Let the year-long buzz begin.

Let the buzz begin. The first picture of Daniel Day-Lewis as our 16th President appeared online recently. "Lincoln" will be directed by Steven Spielberg, and is slated to be released in the holiday season next year. From the details of this pic, including the great beard (Day-Lewis is certainly no stranger to facial hair helping to dive into a character), I was also impressed by the expression...and the eyebrows. Perfect Honest Abe? Only time will tell. But I like the first impression.

Awards - 2011 Independent Spirit Awards

After taking home the big prize with the NY critics, the Artist has made another good appearance with the FISA this year. Among other top films in the running are Beginners, Take Shelter & The Descendants, with a few nice surprises and a few big snubs throw into the mix to (love the love for 50/50).


BEST FEATURE
50/50
The Artist
Beginners
The Descendants
Drive
Take Shelter

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius "The Artist"
Mike Mills "Beginners"
Jeff Nichols "Take Shelter"
Alexander Payne "The Descendants"
Nicholas W. Refn "Drive"

BEST ACTOR
Demian Bichir "A Better Life"
Jean Dujardin "The Artist"
Ryan Gosling "Drive"
Woody Harrelson "Rampart"
Michael Shannon "Take Shelter"

BEST ACTRESS
Lauren Ambrose "Think of Me"
Rachel Harris "Natural Selection"
Adeparo Oduye "Pariah"
Elizabeth Olsen "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Michelle Williams "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks "Drive"
John Hawkes "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Christopher Plummer "Beginners"
John C. Reilly "Cedar Rapids"
Corey Stoll "Midnight in Paris"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain "Take Shelter"
Angelica Huston "50/50"
Janet McTeer "Albert Nobbs"
Harmony Santana "Gun Hill Road"
Shaileen Woodley "The Descendants"

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Beginners - Mike Mills
The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
FootNote - Joseph Cedar
Win Win - Tom McCarthy

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist - Gui-omme Shiffman
Bellflower - Joel Hodge
The Dynamiter - Jeffrey Waldron
Midnight in Paris - Darius Kond-Jee
The Off Hours - Benjamin Kuh-Sulk

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
The Kid With a Bike
Melancholia
A Separation
Shame
Tyrannosaur

BEST DOCUMENTARY
An African Selection
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Another Earth
In the Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
50/50 - Will Reiser
Another Earth - Mike Cahill & Brit Marling
Cedar Rapids - Phil Johnston
Margin Call - J.C. Chandor
Terri - Patrick DeWitt

JOHN CASSAVATES AWARD (film made for under 500K)
Bellflower
Circumstance
The Dynamiter
Hello Lonesome
Pariah

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (given to 1 film's director, casting director & ensemble)
Margin Call

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Chad Burris "Mosquita y Mari"
Sophia Lin "Take Shelter"
Josh Mond "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Simon Arthur "Silver Tongues"
Mark Jackson "Without"
Nicholas Ozeki "Mamitas"

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Heather Courtney "Where Soldiers Come From"
Danfung Dennis "Hell and Back Again"
Alma Har'el "Bombay Beach"

Awards -- New York Film Critics Circle

The NY critics bumped up their awards this year, becoming the first ones out of the gate, cutting off the traditionally-first National Board of Review. Not sure why, as I've always known them to announce in mid-December or so, but maybe they just wanna be first? I see no other reason for the change. Regardless tho, there were strong showings by several films, with the top prize going to the silent darling of the year, The Artist. Here are the full winners...

Best Film
THE ARTIST

Best Director
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS -- "THE ARTIST"

Best Actor
BRAD PITT -- "MONEYBALL" & "THE TREE OF LIFE"

Best Actress
MERYL STREEP -- "THE IRON LADY"

Best Supporting Actor
ALBERT BROOKS -- "DRIVE"

Best Supporting Actress
JESSICA CHASTAIN -- "THE TREE OF LIFE", "THE HELP" & "TAKE SHELTER"

Best Screenplay
STEVEN ZAILLIAN & AARON SORKIN -- "MONEYBALL"

Best Cinematography
EMMANUEL LUBEZKI -- "THE TREE OF LIFE"

Best Foreign Film
A SEPARATION

Best Non-Fiction Film
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

Best First Film
J.C. CHANDOR -- "MARGIN CALL"

Special Award
RAOUL RUIZ