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My FINAL 2012 Oscar Predictions
It’s time, folks. The time is come. No more second-guessing. No more procrastinating. This is it. I think I’ve provided enough commentary over the last few months (and I’ve got to start helping my girlfriend get our place ready for our Oscar party), so I’ll just let my predictions speak for themselves.
Here goes nothing:
BEST PICTURE
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST DIRECTOR
WINNER: Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist
(runner-up: “Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”)
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
WINNER: George Clooney – “The Descendants”
(runner-up: Jean Dujardin – “The Artist”)
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
WINNER: Viola Davis – “The Help”
(runner-up: Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”)
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WINNER: Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
(runner-up: Max von Sydow – “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”)
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WINNER: Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
(runner-up: Berenice Bejo – “The Artist”)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “The Descendants”
(runner-up: “Moneyball”)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “Midnight in Paris”
(runner-up: “The Artist”)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WINNER: “Rango”
(runner-up: “Puss in Boots”)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER: “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
(runner-up: “Undefeated”)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WINNER: “A Separation”
(runner-up: “In Darkness”)
BEST ART DIRECTION
WINNER: “Hugo”
(runner-up: “The Artist”)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: “The Tree of Life”
(runner-up: “The Artist”)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST EDITING
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST SOUND MIXING
WINNER: “Hugo”
(runner-up: “War Horse”)
BEST SOUND EDITING
WINNER: “War Horse”
runner-up: “Hugo”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST MAKEUP
WINNER: “The Iron Lady”
(runner-up: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2”)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WINNER: “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
(runner-up: “Real in Rio” from “Rio”)
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
WINNER: “Tuba Atlantic”
(runner-up: “The Shore”)
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WINNER: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
(runner-up: “A Morning Stroll”)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
WINNER: “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”
(runner-up: “Saving Face”)
Well there you have it. I’m gonna go make some dip. I’ll try not to get my hair in it, since pulling it out will be all I do for the next two hours.
Have fun everyone, and remember that there will be live updates on The Edge of the Frame for each win. Also, follow me on Twitter (@edgeoftheframe) for some good old snarkyness.
The 2nd Annual Edgy Award Nominations
One of the primary focuses of this site is to analyze and report on each year’s film awards race, and many of you know this to be my true passion in life. However, if there’s one thing I enjoy more than following the Oscars, it’s making my own. Therefore, it has become a tradition of mine to gather up all my favorite aspects of the year’s filmmaking, break them down into nominations and then award what I believe to be the best of the year. And while I’ve been doing this for a long time, The Edge of the Frame gave me a chance to name them. Therefore, I present to you fine readers the 2nd Annual Edgy Award Nominations.
This year has certainly delivered a mixed bag of finalists. A total of 39 films received nominations, although 19 of those only garnered a single nomination apiece. While some categories may have some resemblance to the Academy’s choices (sometimes, they do actually make wise decisions), there are some striking differences. Thank goodness for that, for as a film critic, if my picks matched up with the Oscars, I wouldn’t be able to respect myself in the morning. Many of you have already seen my choices for Best Picture, what with my Top Ten List being released earlier in the week, and you’ll have noticed that only three films also find themselves in Oscar’s top nine ballot. Also, for the first time in my long history of doing this, not a single one of my Best Director nominees overlaps with the Academy’s.
A few notes to cover before we get started. I’ve used a similar format as last year’s nominations, listing out each nominee by name, instead of just the films themselves. Now, some of you will be bound to wonder how, if these are only the 2ND Annual Edgy Nominations, some individuals will have more than 2 mentions under their belts. The answer is because I have a slate of personal awards for each year going back over seven decades. I’ve got endless spreadsheets cataloging my choices for film winners from long before I was even born, I just don’t have the means (yet) to make those available to the public. The annotations refer to the amount of past nominations each individual has had in their respective category, except for performers who’s mentions overlap with all the other acting categories.
Now, for any readers who need more info, don’t understand or just think I’m full of it, I’ve provided a link to a separate document which holds a complete list of every single one of this year’s nominees, coupled with a complete record of their Edgy nominations and wins. Have I gone overboard with these things? Absolutely, but I have an anal retentive need to be comprehensive, not to mention that I have a devotion to all things statistical. Hope at least one person gives it a look.
One other thing to point out is that, this year, I have refrained from creating categories for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Animated Film. To be honest, I just haven’t seen enough foreign fare to make up an accurate barometer of the year’s best. As far as animation goes, I honestly just avoided this year, practically, all together. Just a weak field that I didn’t bother focusing my income towards. I did, however, add a full category for Best Ensemble Cast. I do believe that when a film pulls off an effective ensemble performance, it’s worth taking note of because it help’s define the film and its quality. If only the Oscars shared this opinion.
So, without further ado, here are the 2011 nominations:
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“The Living Proof”
featured in “The Help”
Music and Lyrics by Mary J. Blige (2nd Nom)
“Marcy’s Song”
featured in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Music and Lyrics by Jackson C. Frank (1st nom)
“Never Be Daunted”
featured in “Happythankyoumoreplease”
Music and Lyrics by Jaymay (1st nom)
“Shelter”
featured in “Take Shelter”
Music and Lyrics by Ben Nichols (1 nom)
“Think You Can Wait”
featured in “Win Win”
Music and Lyrics by The National (1st nom)
My 2011 Top Ten List
My favorite time of the year has finally come. It’s the time when I can finally take a break from reporting on other individuals and groups choices for best of the year and actually focus on my own. If any of you missed last year’s, here’s a link to last year’s big list. Over the next week, leading up to the Oscars, I’ll be writing a series of posts that will encompass my feelings on the 2011 year in films. I’ll start things out with my Top Ten List, featured here, followed by two posts chronicling the nominations and winners of the 2nd Annual Edgy Awards. Hopefully, I can maintain concentration and get all of this done before the entire awards season comes to a head.
To be quite honest, this is probably my least favored year of films in terms of quality in at least a decade. I’m not sure what exactly went wrong or rubbed me the wrong way, but there was something lacking in the overall caliber of releases. Disappointing to say the least. Perhaps, it’s not even the overall batch of films, but rather some favorites of the film critic and connoisseur community just did not register in my book. Yet, even with the diminished standard, I still feel compelled to give a shout out of recognition to the films that were more than respectable. The following seven films, listed alphabetically, are some examples of damn fine filmmaking, but had just a few too many flaws that kept them out the final ten.
Here we go. The runners-up are as follows:
“The Artist”
Written and Directed by
Michel Hazanavicius
A delightful and sometimes intriguing romp into the throwback world of silent filmmaking, highlighted by some great design qualities and a stellar lead performance by Jean Dujardin. Yet, the film really suffers from having…well…nothing really important to say or leave us with.
2012 Academy Award Nominations!
And away we go…
BEST PICTURE
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Michael Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Terrence Malick – “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne – “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Demien Bechir – “A Better Life”
George Clooney – “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin – “The Artist”
Gary Oldman – “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Brad Pitt – “Moneyball”
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Glenn Close – “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis – “The Help”
Rooney Mara – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams – “My Week with Marilyn”
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Kenneth Branagh – “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill – “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte – “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
Max von Sydow – “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Bérénice Bejo – “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy – “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer – “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Artist” by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen
“A Separation” by Asghar Farhadi
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Descendants” by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” by John Logan
“The Ides of March” by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“A Cat in Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Artist” – Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” – Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” – Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” – Janusz Kaminski
BEST EDITING
“The Artist” – Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” – Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” – Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” – Christopher Tellefsen
BEST ART DIRECTION
“The Artist” – Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” – Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” – Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” – Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” – Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Anonymous” – Lisy Christl
“The Artist” – Mark Bridges
“Hugo” – Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” – Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” – Arianne Phillips
BEST SOUND MIXING
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo” – Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball” – Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” – Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse” – Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
BEST SOUND EDITING
“Drive” – Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – Ren Klyce
“Hugo” – Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” – Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” – Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” – Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo” – Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel” – Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” – Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier
BEST MAKEUP
“Albert Nobbs” – Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” – Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Iron Lady” – Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“The Adventures of Tintin” – John Williams
“The Artist” – Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” – Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” – Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” – John Williams
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” – Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” – Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
BEST SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION
“Pentecost” – Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” – Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” – Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” – Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” – Hallvar Witzø
BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATION
“Dimanche/Sunday” – Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” – William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” – Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” – Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” – Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECT
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” – Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis” – Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad” – James Spione
“Saving Face” – Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” – Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
There you have it, folks. My fiery reactions to come shortly, after I blow off some steam.
It Hath Come: My Final 2012 Oscar Nomination Predictions
The time is here. Unbelievable. I woke up this morning with such a sense of elation, pride and sheer terror. As I believe I had stated at this point, last January, I find this point in the race to be more nerve-racking and exciting than that fateful day in February. This is when, in my mind, the true winners are announced. I know it’s a savage cliche in this industry, but to be real, I truly believe that it is an honor just to be nominated. Especially when people like Harvey Weinstein exist in the world. If you are able to squeeze out a nomination without that “The Weinstein Company” in your opening credits, then I say “Bravo” to you, sir or madam. Besides, when you look at history, ninety percent of the time, it’s the films that don’t win that get remembered so much more. I’d say that those films are far better company to keep.
Well, I’ll take this time, beforehand, to address any sudden change or surge that has occurred since my last batch of nominations. The big one, indeed came after the announcement of the BAFTA nominations and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” suddenly became a legitimate contender. Granted, I do not believe (though some seem to) that it will receive the same level of recognition (11 nominations. Whew.), but I am fully expecting it to pop up in a few categories. In fact, perhaps my biggest “out-on-a-limb” prediction is Gary Oldman snagging his first career mention. I mean in reality, who cares what the Globes say and the SAG nominations are from a random sampling, so who knows how many of them have even heard of Oldman or understand his plight. I believe that, at this point, members of the Academy’s acting branch know that it’s about damn time to give this legendary actor his due. Plus, the British contingent of the Academy may help push him over the edge.
If you had asked any prognosticator two months ago if they believed that, on the day before nominations, “War Horse” would be on the bubble, they’d have said the chances were slim. Yet, here we are. If it hadn’t been for that Producers Guild nomination, which at this point, almost seems strange, this film would be considered completely out of contention. Lacking any kind of mention from the DGA, the SAG, the WGA or the ASC, the film’s chances have dropped through the floor. Many believe that “Bridesmaids” has a better chance, at this point.
Speaking of “Bridesmaids,” I’ll address its status along with a few other “on-the-bubble” films. Many are hoping and believing that this will be the first Judd Apatow production to make the shortlist. Yet, despite all of its guild nominations, I think it will fail to make the cut. The Academy’s balloting procedures, which require a large number of #1 votes, will prevent it. Now it seems that “The Tree of Life” should be able to excel by those standards, due to the fervent passion of its followers, However, I believe that this film has seen its day with the critics, but will not register as well with the industry. The fate of “Drive” will follow along a similar path, despite a push from the BAFTAs. In a world where there was still an assured number of ten nominees, one or all of these might sneak in, but not this year.
Well, on to those nomination predictions. Won’t be able to say that again until, well, the day after this year’s Oscars. Once again, these are ranked by chance of getting nominated. If I put a film or individual at the number one spot, that does not necessarily mean I think it will win. That’s a whole different ballpark.
Here comes the part that’s hardest: double crossing my fingers. For someone in my position who has two loves, predicting the Oscars and loving films, this day is a double-edged sword. As much as I want my own favorites to somehow work their way into the categories, in many cases, I’m predicting against them. Therefore, no matter what happens, I’ll be feeling a twinge of sadness. But as Sasha Stone, one of the best analysts of the Oscar race and my personal idol says, “The trick is not minding.”
Here goes nothing:
BEST PICTURE
1. “The Artist”
2. “Hugo”
3. “The Descendants”
4. “The Help”
5. “Midnight in Paris”
6. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
7. “Moneyball
8. “War Horse” (if there are eight)
9. “Bridesmaids” (if there are nine)
10. “The Tree of Life” (if there are ten)
Alt 1: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Alt 2: “Drive”
“The Artist” Takes the Producers Guild
Well, folks, I’m sorry to say that this Oscar race just keeps getting more and more boring by the minute. After taking a lion’s share of the critics awards (including the televised Critics Choice) and three Golden Globes, “The Artist” has began its domination of this industry’s guilds, as well. While one wants to discredit the circulating logic that this year’s frontrunner has had the big award sealed up since Cannes, it becomes more and more difficult to deny it, everyday.
Much like “The Hurt Locker” did, two years prior, “The Artist” defied a certain common logic by taking this prize, being the lowest money-earner of the group. The most profitable of said nominees would be “The Help,” which grossed around $160 million dollars, domestically. Second is “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” which is steadily creeping up on the $100 million mark. yet, following a similar (though not as rushed) release schedule as last year’s Best Picture winner, “The King’s Speech,” which at this point in its theatrical run had already earned around $46 million, “The Artist” has scored a measly $9.2. Much of this can be due to relatively low word of mouth, a lack of stars, a foreign origin, it’s black and white print and…oh yeah…IT’S SILENT. Not exactly a recipe for monetary success.
However, while Harvey Weinstein isn’t always the best at making money, there’s one thing he is the boss at. That skill can be referred to as quietly rigging the Oscars. Granted that he never performs any illegal activities to do so (at least none that have been proven), the man always finds the right buttons to press to make everything go his way. One would like to believe that if a movie is smart, entertaining and an extremely well-maid endeavor, it would have a fighting chance for Oscar gold. Yet, in reality, we all know that this race was over before it began.
This was widely considered the last stand for many films, trying to peck out a piece of the precursor pie. A win here for “The Descendants,” “The Help” or “Hugo” would show that this is more than just a one-horse race. However, it looks as though they will all have to find comfort and satisfaction in a nomination. That’s pretty much all one can ask for in a race against “The Punisher” (Weinstein’s new nickname, endowed by Michelle Williams). True, “The Help” is still the frontrunner for the SAG Ensemble Award and we can all hope that Martin Scorsese takes the DGA if for no other reason than to shake things up, but soon might be time to accept the inevitable. This Oscar season…sadly…is over.
Here’s the full list of film winners from the Producers Guild Awards, announced late last night:
Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures: “The Artist”
Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures : “The Adventures of Tintin”
Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures: “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest”
My Golden Globe Predictions 2012
Same deal as Thursday. I’ll give my winner predictions as well as an alternate. Some of these are going to be pretty predictable. Others Just seem like they’re predictable. There’s bound to be one or two surprises, here. I would expect a very close dogfight in Best Director, with Hazanavicius, Scorsese and Allen all with decent shot at the gold. I also believe that the award for Best Actress (Drama) will largely determine the trajectory of that category for the rest of the year. If Viola Davis is able to overtake Meryl Streep on the veteran’s home turf, expect things to go in her favor from here on out.
It will be interesting to see how much the HFPA’s star-fucking tendencies will be in check, tonight. I think everyone, this year, is expecting them to keep a grip on themselves, for the most part. However, one big question looms: will they snub “A Separation” (a film that has pretty much unanimously been labeled the year’s finest film, foreign or otherwise) for the sole chance of giving a statue to Angelina Jolie. How can they possibly resist?
It shouldn’t be a big secret that I despise the Globes. True that they did do all right by me last year by giving four awards to “The Social Network.” Yet, in that same year, all ninety members of the Hollywood Foreign Press accepted bribes to be flown to Vegas for a live performance by Cher, in exchange for voting “Burlesque” in for a Best Picture nomination. Therefore, I expect plenty of whoring to happen this year, as well.
Or, who knows? Maybe awarding such an outstanding film, last year, caused them to turn over a new leaf. On the whole, their slate of nominees has shown a bit more class and taste than in years’ previous.
The best thing about tonight’s awards is not the HFPA’s winners, but NBC’s coverage of it. One must give credit to NBC for going against the celebrity-loving critics’ wishes and bringing back Ricky Gervais to host the ceremony. I mean come on. If we’re going to watch a three hour event of how cool they are, the least celebrities can do for us is take a little kick in the ass for our amusement. Hopefully, Gervais will be wearing a steel-toed boot. Should be a hoot.
And now, The Edge of the Frame’s picks. My winner predictions are highlighted in bold, while my runners-up are underlined.
BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“The Ides of March”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
BEST PICTURE: MUSICAL/COMEDY
“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“50/50″
“Midnight in Paris”
“My Week With Marilyn”
BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Alexander Payne – “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
George Clooney – “The Ides of March”
BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
George Clooney – “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “J. Edgar”
Michael Fassbender – “Shame”
Ryan Gosling – “The Ides of March”
Brad Pitt – “Moneyball”
BEST ACTOR: MUSICAL/COMEDY
Jean Dujardin – “The Artist”
Brendan Gleeson – “The Guard”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “50/50″
Ryan Gosling – “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”
Owen Wilson – “Midnight in Paris”
BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Glenn Close – “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis – “The Help”
Rooney Mara – “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton – “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
BEST ACTRESS: MUSICAL/COMEDY
Jodie Foster – “Carnage”
Kristen Wiig – “Bridesmaids”
Charlize Theron – “Young Adult”
Michelle Williams – “My Week With Marilyn”
Kate Winslet – “Carnage”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh – “My Week With Marilyn”
Albert Brooks – “Drive”
Jonah Hill – “Moneyball”
Viggo Mortensen – “A Dangerous Method”
Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo – “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help”
Janet McTeer – “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”
BEST SCREENPLAY
Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash – “The Descendants”
George Clooney – Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian – “Moneyball”
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“The Flowers of War”
“In the Land of Blood and Honey”
“The Kid With a Bike”
“A Separation”
“The Skin I Live In”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Cars 2″
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource – “The Artist”
Trent Reznor and Attivus Ross – “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Howard Shore – “Hugo”
John Williams – “War Horse”
Abel Korzeniowski – “W.E.”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Lay Your Head Down” – “Albert Nobbs”
“Hello Hello” – “Gnomeo and Juliet”
“The Living Proof” – “The Help”
“The Keeper” – “Machine Gun Preacher”
“Masterpiece” – “W.E.”
17th Annual Critics Choice Winners
I’ll be posting the awards as they’re announced live. The technical awards and, you know, others that don’t include stars, will be announced prior to the show starting, so they will be showing up first.
Here are the winners:
BEST PICTURE
“The Artist”
BEST DIRECTOR
Michael Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney – “The Descendants”
BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis – “The Help”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christopher Plummer – “The Beginners”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
“The Help”
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Thomas Horn – “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“MONEYBALL”!!!!!!!!!!
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Midnight in Paris”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
(TIE) “War Horse” – Janusz Kaminski and “The Tree of Life” – Emmanuel Lubezki
BEST EDITING
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
BEST ART DIRECTION
“Hugo”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Artist”
BEST SOUND
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
BEST MAKEUP
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“The Artist”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Life is a Happy Song” – “The Muppets”
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“George Harrison: Living in a Material World”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“A Separation”
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“Rango”
BEST COMEDY
“Bridesmaids”
BEST ACTION MOVIE
“Drive”
My BFCA Critics Choice Awards Predictions
I’m not going to spend any time discussing these but just let my predictions speak for themselves. But, if I could make one wish to the Awards Gods, please let “Moneyball” win for Best Adapted Screenplay. We all know it deserves it.
For the record, as much as I’d like to, I’m really not trying very hard on these. Feel free to use these as a useful guide, but honestly, who the hell knows what these crazy-ass critics are going to do here? Are they going to follow their hearts? Are they going to vote for what people want them to vote for? Or are they going to do what they love most: predict the Oscars?
Who cares? Don’t put any money on these.
Moving on:
BEST PICTURE
“The Artist”
r/u: “Hugo”
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney – “The Descendants”
r/u: Brad Pitt – “Moneyball”
BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”
r/u: Michelle Williams – “My Week With Marilyn”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks – “Drive”
r/u: Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
r/u: Melissa McCarthy – “Bridesmaids”
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”
r/u: Asa Butterfield – “Hugo”
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“The Help”
r/u: “The Artist”
BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
r/u: Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius
r/u: “Midnight in Paris” – Woody Allen
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
r/u: “Moneyball” – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Tree of Life” – Emmanuel Lubezki
r/u: “Hugo” – Robert Richardson
BEST ART DIRECTION
“Hugo” – Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo
r/u: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” – Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan
BEST EDITING
“Hugo” – Thelma Schoonmaker
r/u: “The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Artist” – Mark Bridges
r/u: “Hugo” – Sandy Powell
BEST MAKEUP
“The Iron Lady”
r/u: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
r/u: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II”
BEST SOUND
“Hugo”
r/u: “War Horse”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“A Separation”
r/u: “The Skin I Live In”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Project Nim”
r/u: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”
BEST SONG
“Pictures in My Head” – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman – “The Muppets”
r/u: “The Living Proof” – performed by Mary J. Blige/written by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman and Harvey Mason, Jr. – “The Help”
BEST SCORE
“War Horse” – John Williams
r/u: “The Artist”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Rango”
r/u: “The Adventures of Tintin”
BEST ACTION MOVIE
“Drive”
r/u: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
BEST COMEDY
“Bridesmaids”
r/u: “Midnight in Paris”
Updated Oscar Predictions – 1/6
These might be my final set of predictions before last call on January 23rd. There’s still a mess-load of guilds on their way and a box office that could still declare certain films winners (or losers), but I still feel pretty confident about these choices. Feel free to comment whether you agree or think I’m crazy.
One note: I have spent the entire year not predicting “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” while everyone else was jumping on the bandwagon. Now that the film has all but completely fallen off the radar (thanks to the utter panning of critics), I can’t help but feel a sense of unadulterated joy. Maybe I’ll be eating my words, later on, but for now…huzzah.
One more note: The Academy’s new method of having and indiscriminate amount of Best Picture nominees has made predicting that category nearly impossible. Therefore, I will still guess on the full ten and you can go ahead and judge by the numbers I provide as to what will make it if there are nine or eight, etc…
BEST PICTURE
1. “The Artist”
2. “Hugo”
3. “The Descendants”
4. “The Help”
5. “War Horse”
6. “Midnight in Paris”
7. “Moneyball”
8. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
9. “Bridesmaids”
10. “The Tree of Life”
Alt 1: “Drive”
Alt 2: “My Week with Marilyn”
The Edge of the Frame 
