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African-American Film Critics Winners
Yes, it’s true that even more critics groups have laid out their winners today. Not a lot of patience in among my peers, as of late. Once again, the St. Louis and San Diego Film Critics groups have decided to first issue lists of nominations prior to their OFFICIAL announcements. Therefore, I will not be posting their decisions yet. Their nominees will be posted here along with the winners, but I’m not dedicating two posts for each of their deliberations.
This is getting kind of ridiculous. As much as film critics like myself would love to vote in the Oscars, we don’t get that chance. Some critics groups don’t seem to understand that and so they try to make their own little Oscar ceremony. There is no need for the St. Louis Film Critics (to name one of many) to have nominees, followed by a special announcement of their winners. Forgive me, and I don’t mean to burn bridges here, but you’re really not that special. Groups like LA and NY have it correct. A simple winner and runner-up is fine. It’s classy, it’s efficient and it’s professional; the way it should be.
Anyway, here are the winners of the African American Film Critics Association. Some real originality here, if I do say so. Woody Harrelson for Best Actor is a truly inspired choice. I can’t wait to get a glimpse of his performance, myself.
Official winners:
BEST PICTURE: “The Tree of Life”
TOP TEN:
1. “The Tree of Life”
2. “Drive”
3. “Pariah”
4. “Rampart”
5. “Shame”
6. “Moneyball”
7. “The Descendants”
8. “A Better Life”
9. “My Week With Marilyn”
10. “The Help”
BEST DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen – “Shame”
BEST ACTOR: Woody Harrelson – “Rampart”
BEST ACTRESS: Viola Davis – “The Help”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks – “Drive”
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Adepero Oduye – “Pariah”
BEST DOCUMENTARY: “The Black Power Mixtape”
BEST SCREENPLAY: “I Will Follow”
BEST FOREIGN FILM: “Kinyarwanda”
BEST SONG: “The Show” from “Moneyball.”
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM: “Pariah”
LEGACY AWARD: Richard Roundtree
HORIZON AWARD: Hattie Winston
CINEMA VANGUARD AWARD: George Lucas
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sony Pictures Entertainment
2011 Independent Spirit Award Nominations
Wow. Busy morning. Lots of multitasking. I will try to add my two cents about these later. But in the mean time, I ask one question.
WHERE IS “SHAME”?
Eligibility? Who knows. I’ll try to come up with some hard information on why one of best-reviewed films of the year was shut out of the awards that it should have owned.
Here’s the full list of nominees:
Best Feature
50/50
Beginners
Drive
Take Shelter
The Artist
The Descendants
Best Director
Mike Mills, Beginners
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Best First Feature
Another Earth
In The Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection
Best Male Lead
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
Best Female Lead
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachel Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
John Cassavetes Award for films made under $500,000
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter
Best Documentary
An African Selection
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here
Best Cinematography
Joel Hodge, Bellflower
Benjamin Kasulke, The Off Hours
Darius Khondji, Midnight in Paris
Guillaume Shiffman, The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron, The Dynamiter
Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill & Brit Marling, Another Earth
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Patrick DeWitt, Terri
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50
Best Screenplay
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Tom McCarthy, Win Win
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
