Awards

[caption id="attachment_2006" align="alignnone" width="550"]Tucker and Dale vs Evil[/caption]

The St. Louis Film Critics association announced its nominees for 2011 film awards. The Artist received the most nominations including Best Film, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius, Best Actor for Jean Dujardinand Best Supporting Actor for John Goodman. We Need To Talk About Kevin, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Win Win, Beginners, and Tucker and Dale vs Evil were nominated for Best Art-House or Festival Film, one of the few lists that honor independent films. Being Elmo, The Interrupters, Tabloid, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop and Buck were nominated for Best Documentary.

Best Film
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
My Week With Marilyn
The Tree of Life

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne for The Descendants
David Fincher for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive

Best Actor
Ryan Gosling for Drive
George Clooney for The Descendants
Jean Dujardin for The Artist
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soildier Spy
Michael Fassbender for Shame
Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Best Actress
Saoirse Ronan for Hanna
Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn
Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Viola Davis for The Help

Best Supporting Actor
John Hawkes for Martha Marcy May Marlene
Albert Brooks for Drive
John Goodman for The Artist
Alan Rickman for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Jonah Hill for Moneyball

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett for Hanna
Octavia Spencer for The Help
Shailene Woodley for The Descendants
Bérénice Bejo for The Artist
Jessica Chastain for The Tree Of Life

Best Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Terrence Malick for The Tree Of Life
Woody Allen for Midnight In Paris
Seth Lochhead and David Farr for Hanna
Will Reiser for 50/50
Thomas McCarthy and Joe Tiboni for Win Win

Best Adapted Screenplay
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin and Michael Lewis (book) for Moneyball
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash and Kaui Hart Hemmings (novel) for The Descendants
Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett (novel) for The Help
Hossein Amini and James Sallis (book) for Drive
Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller and Jim Henson (characters) for The Muppets

Best Cinematography
Newton Thomas Sigel for Drive
Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree Of Life
Guillaume Schiffman for The Artist
Janusz Kaminski for War Horse
Jeff Cronenweth for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Best Visual Effects
The Tree Of Life
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Super 8
Captain America

Best Music
The Artist
Drive
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Muppets
Tree of Life

Best Foreign-Language Film
13 Assassins
Point Blank
I Saw The Devil
Trollhunter
Winter in Wartime

Best Documentary
Being Elmo
The Interrupters
Tabloid
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Buck

Best Comedy
The Muppets
Midnight In Paris
Bridesmaids
Rango
Paul
Crazy, Stupid, Love

Best Animated Film
Rango
Kung Fu Panda 2
The Adventures of Tin Tin
Puss In Boots
Rio

Best Art-House or Festival Film
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Win Win
Beginners
Tucker and Dale vs Evil

Best Scene
Drive: the elevator beating scene
Drive: opening get-away scene
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: opening credits
The Artist: dance scene finale
Melancholia: the last scene
Hanna: Hanna’s escape from captivity sequence

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[caption id="attachment_2004" align="alignnone"]Best Foreign Language Film: The Skin I Live In[/caption]

The Indiana Film Journalists Association also loved The Artist, naming the the film the Best Picture of 2011, and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius.  Project Nim was named Best Documentary and The Skin I Live In, Best Foreign Language Film.

Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards of 2011

Best Picture: The Artist [Runner-up: The Descendants]
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) [Runner-up: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)]
Best Actor: Paul Giamatti (Win Win) [Runner-up: Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus)]
Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) [Runner-up: Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)]
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners) [Runner-up: Albert Brooks (Drive)]
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis (The Help) [Runner-up: Amy Ryan (Win Win)]
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants [Runner-up: Moneyball]
Best Original Screenplay: Win Win [Runner-up: Margin Call]
Best Musical Score: The Artist [Runner-up: Hugo]
Best Animated Film: Rango [Runner-up: Winnie the Pooh]
Best Foreign Language Film: The Skin I Live In [Runner-up: 13 Assassins]
Best Documentary: Project Nim [Runner-up: Into the Abyss]
Original Vision Award: The Tree of Life [Runner-up: The Artist]
Hoosier Award: Lindsay Goffman (Producer — Dumbstruck)

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[caption id="attachment_693" align="alignnone"]Project Nim[/caption]

The Boston Society of Film Critics also picked The Artist as the best film of 2011, but named the Project Nim as best documentary and Incendies as best foreign language film. Sean Durkin of Marcy May Marlene was awarded best new filmmaker.

2011 Boston Society of Film Critic Winners

Best Picture  –  The Artist
Best Actor –  Brad Pitt for Moneyball
Best Actress – Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn
Best Supporting Actor –  Albert Brooks for Drive
Best Supporting Actress –  Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids
Best Director –  Martin Scorsese for Hugo
Best Screenplay –  Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball
Best Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life
Best Documentary –  Project Nim
Best Foreign-Language Film –  Incendies
Best Animated Film –  Rango
Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) – Christian Marclay for The Clock
Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) –  Sean Durkin for Martha Marcy May Marlene
Best Ensemble Cast –  Carnage
Best Use of Music in a Film  –  Tie: Drive and The Artist

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[caption id="attachment_2001" align="alignnone"]Attack the Block[/caption]

The New York Film Critics Online named The Artist as the best film of 2011, and also awarded is director Michel Hazanavicius as best director and the film for its use of music. Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams snagged the best documentary award and The Iranian film A Separation which is emerging as the foreign film to beat, received the nod for best foreign language film of 2011. Joe Cornish, received the award for debut director for Attack the Block. a south London science fiction action film that pitches a gang of youths against an alien invasion.

The New York Film Critics Online 2011 winners:

Film – The Artist
Actor – Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)
Actress – Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Director – Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Supporting Actor – Albert Brooks (Drive)
Supporting Actress – Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Breakthrough Performer – Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life, The Debt, The Help, Take Shelter, Coriolanus, Texas Killing Fields)
Debut Director – Joe Cornish (Attack the Block)
Ensemble Cast – Bridesmaids
Screenplay – The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash)
Documentary – Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Foreign Language – A Separation
Animated – The Adventures of Tintin
Cinematography – The Tree of Life (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Use of Music – The Artist (Ludovic Bource)

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2011 (in alphabetical order)

1 The Artist (The Weinstein Company)
2 The Descendants (Fox Searchlight)
3 Drive (FilmDistrict)
4 The Help (DreamWorks Pictures)
5 Hugo (Paramount)
6 Melancholia (Magnolia Pictures)
7 Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)
8 Take Shelter (Sony Pictures Classics)
9 The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight)
10 War Horse (DreamWorks Pictures)

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[caption id="attachment_1987" align="alignnone"]The Tree Of Life[/caption]

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2011 – its top 10 films and TV programs of 2011 – that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film, television and other forms of the moving image arts. Surprisingly no indie films or documentaries made the list, but although foreign films were not eligible, the AFI did specially honor The Artist and The Harry Potter Series with AFI Special Awards.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
J. Edgar
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
The Tree Of Life
War Horse

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Game Of Thrones
The Good Wife
Homeland
Justified
Louie
Modern Family
Parks And Recreation

AFI SPECIAL AWARDS
The Artist
The Harry Potter Series

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[caption id="attachment_1998" align="alignnone"]The Mill and the Cross[/caption]

The San Francisco Film Critics Circle really went for the “The Tree of Life” naming it the Best Picture of 2011, its director Terrence Malick as Best Director and its lenser Emmanuel Lubezki as Best Cinematographer.

“Certified Copy,” Abbas Kiarostami’s thought-provoking, emotionally wrenching examination of relationships, art, and existence received the award for Best Foreign Language Film ; with Best Documentary nod given to “Tabloid,” Errol Morris’ unique take on a stranger-than-fiction tale that must be seen to be disbelieved.

A Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema singled out “The Mill and the Cross”—Lech Majewski’s distinctly original exploration of the inspiration for and creation of a Breugel painting—as an under-the-radar title deserving of attention.

The full list of winners for the 2011 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:

Best Picture
“The Tree of Life”

Best Director
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

Best Original Screenplay
J.C. Chandor, “Margin Call”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

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 Animated Feature
“Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Certified Copy”

Best Documentary
“Tabloid”

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life”

Special Citation for underappreciated independent cinema
The Mill and The Cross

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
National Film Preservation Foundation—Since 1997, the San Francisco-based nonprofit’s fundraising and grant-giving programs have supported the restoration and preservation of hundreds of rare U.S. films. Led by director Annette Melville and assistant director Jeff Lambert, the NFPF makes this cinematic legacy available to the public through its “Treasures” DVD box sets, including the 2011 release “The West, 1898-1938.”

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[caption id="attachment_1996" align="alignnone"]BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM – Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Directed by Werner Herzog[/caption]

“The Descendants” starring George Clooney as a father in Hawaii trying to take care of his daughters after his wife falls into an accident-induced coma, was named this year’s best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.  The family drama, The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt was named runner-up best film, and its director Terrence Malick received the award for best director of the year.

Bill Morrison received the Doublas Edwards Independent/Experimental Award for his experimental film Spark of Being. Spark of Being is a an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s story using distressed and decaying images from old nitrate films, with the score from jazz musician Dave Douglas.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the 3-D documentary film by Werner Herzog, about the Chauvet Cave in southern France, received the prize for best documentary and Clio Barnard’s The Arbor was named runner-up.

Lu Chaun’s City of Life and Death was picked as best foreign film, and Asghar Farhadi, A Separation was named runner-up best foreign film. A Separation, Iran’s submission for the best foreign-language Oscar, did win for best screenplay.

2011 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Winners

BEST PICTURE

“The Descendants”

Runner-up: “The Tree of Life”

BEST DIRECTOR

Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

RUNNER-UP Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

BEST ACTOR

Michael Fassbender, “A Dangerous Method”, “Jane Eyre”, “Shame”, “X-Men: First Class.”

Runner-up: Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter”)

BEST ACTRESS

YUn Jung-hee “Poetry”

Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer,  “Beginners”

Runner-up: Patton Oswalt (“Young Adult”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus”, “The Debt”, “The Help”, “Take Shelter”, “Texas Killing Fields”, “Tree of Life”

Runner-up: Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”

Runner-up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (“The Descendants”)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life”

Runner-up: Cao Yu (“City of Life and Death”)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN


Dante Ferretti, “Hugo”

Runner-up: Maria Djurkovic (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”)

BEST MUSIC SCORE

“HANNA” The Chemical Brothers

Runner-up: “Drive”, Cliff Martinez


BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

“City of Life and Death” Directed by Chuan Lu

Runner-up: “A Separation” Directed by Asghar Farhadi

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM

“Cave of Forgotten Dreams” Directed by Werner Herzog

Runner-up: “The Arbor” directed by Clio Barnard


BEST ANIMATION

“Rango” Directed BY Gore Verbinski

Runner-up: “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” directed by steven Spielberg

NEW GENERATION

Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Josh Mond and Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT

Doris Day


THE DOUGLAS EDWARDS EXPERIMENTAL/INDEPENDENT FILM/VIDEO AWARD

Bill Morrison, “Spark of Being”

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[caption id="attachment_1987" align="alignnone" width="550"]The Tree of Life[/caption]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films have been selected for consideration for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“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”

In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the 15 films, will narrow the list to 10.

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Thursday, January 19.  Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, and the Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

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Actress, musician Rainey Qualley, and daughter of actress Andie McDowell, has been chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as Miss Golden Globe 2012.

“She is a talented and beautiful young woman,” said HFPA president Dr. Aida Takla-O’Reilly at the HFPA/InStyle Young Hollywood Party in West Hollywood. “We’re excited to have her as part of this year’s show.”

Rainey, 21, recently appeared in the movie Mighty Fine and is writing songs and working on her first album.

Miss Golden Globe is traditionally the child of a celebrity and assists during the Golden Globes awards ceremony, which will be held on January 15, 2012.

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[caption id="attachment_1968" align="alignnone" width="550"]Titicut Follies[/caption]

The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking will present the 2012 Legacy Award to the landmark 1967 documentary, Titicut Follies, a stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions that existed at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman will accept the award on behalf of the film at this year’s Cinema Eye ceremony.

“It’s hard for me to believe that Titicut Follies was shot forty-six years ago,” said Wiseman.  “I’m thrilled to receive the Cinema Eye Legacy Award but it is tough for me to deal with the implications.”

The award will be presented on January 11, 2012 at the 5th Annual Cinema Eye Honors ceremony to be held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York.  A Stranger Than Fiction screening of Titicut Follies will be held the following week, on January 17, at the IFC Center, on the eve of the opening of Wiseman’s latest film, Crazy Horse, which debuts at New York’s Film Forum on January 18, before rolling out to theaters nationwide.

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[caption id="attachment_1882" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) this morning announced their 2011 winners, and the winner of Best Film went to the black-and-white, silent film homage “The Artist.” Splitting Best Film and Best Director, Martin Scorsese won top directing honors for “Hugo.”

Best Actor and Best Actress went to two former television stars, George Clooney (for his role as a grieving husband in “The Descendants”) and Michelle Williams (for channeling film icon Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn”), respectively. Albert Brooks won Best Supporting Actor for his role as a cutthroat mobster in “Drive,” and Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for her role as an outspoken maid in “The Help.” The Best Acting Ensemble award went to the cast of the ribald comedy, “Bridesmaids.”

“The Descendants,” about a man who discovers his comatose wife had been cheating on him, also won Best Adapted Screenplay, while “50/50,” about a young man’s challenge to overcome cancer, secured Best Original Screenplay.

Best Animated Feature went to special effects juggernaut Industrial Light and Magic’s first animated film, “Rango;” Best Documentary went to Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” about the discovery of 30,000-year-old cave paintings in France; and Pedro Almod—var’s “The Skin I Live In” took home Best Foreign Language Film.

Best Art Direction went to Production Designer icon Dante Ferretti and Set Decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo for “Hugo.” Emmanuel Lubezki won Best Cinematography for his work on Terrence Malick’s contemplative “The Tree of Life.” Ludovic Bource won Best Score for his omnipresent work in “The Artist.”

The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 43 DC-VA-MD-based film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 2-4, 2011.

THE 2011 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS: 

Best Film:
The Artist

Best Director:
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Best Actor:
George Clooney (The Descendants)

Best Actress:
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks (Drive)

Best Supporting Actress:
Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Best Acting Ensemble:
Bridesmaids

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants)

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Reiser (50/50)

Best Animated Feature:
Rango

Best Documentary:
Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Best Foreign Language Film:
The Skin I Live In

Best Art Direction:
Dante Ferretti, Production Designer, and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Set Decorator (Hugo)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)

Best Score:
Ludovic Bource (The Artist)


The 2011 WAFCA AWARD NOMINEES Were:

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:
Bérénice 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 Adapted Screenplay:
Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants)
Tate Taylor (The Help)
John Logan (Hugo)
Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball)
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

Best Original Screenplay:
Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Tom McCarthy (Win Win)
Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
Will Reiser (50/50)

Best Animated Feature:
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Puss in Boots
Rango
Winnie the Pooh

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

Best Foreign Language Film:
13 Assassins
Certified Copy
I Saw the Devil
Pina
The Skin I Live In

Best Art Direction:
Lawrence Bennett, Production Designer, and Gregory S. Hooper, Art Director (The Artist)
Stuart Craig, Production Designer, and Stephenie McMillan, Set Decorator (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)
Dante Ferretti, Production Designer, and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Set Decorator (Hugo)
Jack Fisk, Production Designer, and Jeanette Scott, Set Decorator (The Tree of Life)
Rick Carter, Production Designer, and Lee Sandales, Set Decorator (War Horse)

Best Cinematography:
Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
Robert Richardson (Hugo)
Manuel Alberto Claro (Melancholia)
Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
Janusz Kaminski (War Horse)

Best Score:
Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
Cliff Martinez (Drive)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Howard Shore (Hugo)
John Williams (War Horse)

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