by Allan Fish
Best Picture The Tree of Life, US (6 votes)
Best Director Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life (7 votes)
Best Actor Jean Dujardin, The Artist (4 votes)
Best Actress Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia (6 votes)
Best Supp Actor Hunter McCracken, The Tree of Life (5 votes)
Best Supp Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia (8 votes)
Best Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life (14 votes)
Best Score Ludovic Bource, The Artist (7 votes)
Best Short It’s Such a Beautiful Day, US, Don Hertzfeld (2 votes)
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onto the final year. Next week will just be 2012 results and recap.
Special message to all voters: I would like to thank everyone for their incredible resilience in staying with this project through it’s conclusion. It was no small order to check in over an 18 month period, and there were many who were here each and every week. I could never remember nor accurately research the full fraternity, but these names probably didn’t miss a week: Jaimie Grijalba, Joel Bocko, Dean Treadway, Sachin Gandhi, Jon Warner, Shubhajit Lahiri, Frank Gallo, Samuel Wilson, Stephen Mullen (Weeping Sam), Mark Smith, Camolas, Duane Porter, Peter M., Bobby McCartney, Dennis Polifroni, sirrefas, Martin Bradley, Maurizio Roca, Movie Fan. And then there were several others who voted many times: R.D. Finch, Drew McIntosh, Stephen, Peter Lenihan, Anu, Frederick, Angelo D’Arminio, Kevin Deaney, David Noack, Jacob Z. It was a long run, and to be honest I will miss seeing these people every week on this thread. The reference will be there though for all to re-visit. Backing up Allan Fish, Dean Treadway and Joel Bocko were unbelievable. Dean helped expand the nominations while Joel did the work with the shorts every week! Thank you all for your friendship!!! Saturday night will never be the same again.
-Sam Juliano
2012
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Best Picture/Director
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The Act of Killing (Denmark/Norway…Joshua Oppenheimer)
After Lucia (Mexico/France…Michel Franco)
Amour (France…Michael Haneke)
And They Call it Summer (Italy…Paolo Franchi)
The Angel’s Share (UK…Ken Loach)
Anna Karenina (UK…Joe Wright)
Araf/Somewhere in Between (Turkey…Yesim Ustaoglu)
Arbitrage (US…Nicholas Jarecki)
Argo (US…Ben Affleck)
The Artist and the Model (Spain/France…Fernando Trueba)
The Avengers (US…Joss Whedon)
Barbara (Germany…Christian Petzold)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (US…Benh Zeitlin)
Berberien Sound Studio (UK…Peter Strickland)
Bernie (US…Richard Linklater)
Birdsong (UK…Philip Martin)
Broken (UK…Rufus Norris)
Byzantium (US…Neil Jordan)
Caesar Must Die (Italy…Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani)
Call Girl (Sweden…Mikael Marcimain)
A Chorus of Angels (Japan…Junji Sakamoto)
Clip (Serbia…Maja Milos)
Cloud Atlas (US/Germany/Hong Kong…Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lara Wachowski)
Compliance (US…Craig Zobel)
Cosmopolis (US…David Cronenberg)
The Dark Knight Rises (US…Christopher Nolan)
Django Unchained (US…Quentin Tarantino)
Evangelion 3.33: Quickening (Japan…Kazuya Tsurumaki, Masayuki, Hideaki Anno)
Everyday (UK…Michael Winterbottom)
Flight (US…Robert Zemeckis)
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE (Philippines…Lav Diaz)
Frances Ha (US…Noah Baumbach)
Frankenweenie (US…Tim Burton)
The Gatekeepers (Israel…Dror Moreh)
Going My Home (Japan…Hirokazu Kore-Eda)
Haywire (US…Steven Soderburgh)
Hemel (Netherlands…Sacha Polak)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (US/New Zealand…Peter Jackson)
The Hollow Crown (UK…Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock)
Holy Motors (France…Leos Carax)
Hope Springs (US…David Frankel)
How to Survive a Plague (US…David France)
The Hunger Games (US…Gary Ross)
The Hunt (Denmark…Thomas Vinterberg)
The Impossible (Spain/UK…Juan Antonio Bayona)
The Imposter (UK…Bart Layton)
In Another Country (South Korea…Hong Sang-soo)
In the Fog (Russia…Sergei Loznitsa)
It’s Such a Beautiful Day (feature) (US…Don Hertzfeldt)
Killing Them Softly (US…Andrew Dominik)
The Land of Hope (Japan…Shion Sono)
Life of Pi (US…Ang Lee)
Like Someone in Love (Japan…Abbas Kiarostami)
Lincoln (US…Steven Spielberg)
The Lines of Wellington (Portugal…Valeria Sarmiento)
Looper (US…Rian Johnson)
Magic Mike (US…Steven Soderburgh)
Marfa Girl (US…Larry Clark)
The Master (US…Paul Thomas Anderson)
Me and You (Italy…Bernardo Bertolucci)
Les Misérables (UK/US…Tom Hooper)
Moonrise Kingdom (US…Wes Anderson)
Mud (US…Jeff Nichols)
Murder (TV…Birger Larsen)
My Brother the Devil (UK…Sally El Hosaini)
Night Across the Street (Chile/France…Raoul Ruiz)
No (Spain…Pablo Larrain)
Una Noche (US…Lucy Mulloy)
Not a Carwash (Albania…Gentian Koçi)
On the Road (US/UK…Walter Salles)
Once I Entered a Garden (Israel…Avi Mograbi)
One to One (Iran…Mania Akbari)
Our Children (Belgium…Joachim Lafosse)
Parade’s End (UK…Susanna White)
Paradise: Faith (Austria…Ulrich Seidl)
Paradise: Love (Austria…Ulrich Seidl)
Passion (US…Brian De Palma)
Penance (Japan…Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (US…Stephen Chbosky)
Pieta (South Korea…Kim Ki-duk)
The Place Beyond the Pines (US…Derek Cianfrance)
Post Tenebras Lux (Mexico…Carlos Reygadas)
Prometheus (US…Ridley Scott)
A Royal Affair (Denmark…Nikolaj Arcel)
The Sapphires (Australia…Wayne Clair)
Searching for Sugar Man (Sweden/UK…Malik Bendjelloul)
The Sessions (US…Ben Lewin)
Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (France…Pascal Arnold, Jean-Marc Barr)
Side by Side (US…Christopher Kenneally)
Sightseers (UK…Ben Wheatley)
Silver Linings Playbook (US…David O.Russell)
Sister (Switzerland…Ursula Meier)
Skyfall (US/UK…Sam Mendes)
Something in the Air (France…Olivier Assayas)
Spring Breakers (US…Harmony Korine)
Stories We Tell (Canada…Sarah Polley)
The Surrogate (US…Ben Lewin)
Tabu (Portugal…Miguel Gomes)
To the Wonder (US…Terrence Malick)
Ushijima the Loan Shark (Japan…Masatoshi Yamaguchi)
War Witch (Canada…Kim Nguyen)
Wreck-It Ralph (US…Rich Moore)
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet (France…Alain Resnais)
Young and Wild (Chile…Marialy Rivas)
Zero Dark Thirty (US…Kathryn Bigelow)
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Best Actor
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Gael Garcia Bernal No
Jack Black Bernie
Bradley Cooper Silver Linings Playbook
Benedict Cumberbatch Parade’s End TV
Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Woody Harrelson Game Change TV
John Hawkes The Sessions
Tom Hiddleston The Hollow Crown TV
Hugh Jackman Les Misérables
Toby Jones Berberien Sound Studio
Tommy Lee Jones Hope Springs
Denis Lavant Holy Motors
Mads Mikkelsen The Hunt
Isao Natsuyagi The Land of Hope
Joaquin Phoenix The Master
Brad Pitt Killing Them Softly
Eddie Redmayne Birdsong TV
Tye Sheridan Mud
Channing Tatum Magic Mike
Jean-Louis Trintignant Amour
Denzel Washington Flight
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Best Actress
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Neslihan Atagul Araf/Somewhere in Between
Linda Cardinelli Return
Jessica Chastain Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard Rust and Bone
Émilie Dequenne Our Children
Ann Dowd Compliance
Christina Flutor Beyond the Hills
Greta Gerwig Frances Ha
Rebecca Hall Parade’s End TV
Shirley Henderson Everyday TV
Jennifer Lawrence Silver Linings Playbook
Clemence Poésy Birdsong TV
Helen Mirren Hitchcock
Julianne Moore Game Change TV
Emmanuelle Riva Amour
Maggie Smith Quartet
Meryl Streep Hope Springs
Cosmina Straton Beyond the Hills
Qu’venzhane Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts The Impossible
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Best Supporting Actor
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Alan Arkin Argo
Javier Bardem Skyfall
Jim Broadbent Cloud Atlas
Steve Carrell Hope Springs
Tom Courtenay Quartet
Bryan Cranston Argo
Robert De Niro Silver Linings Playbook
Leonardo DiCaprio Django Unchained
Garret Dillahunt Looper
Michael Fassbender Prometheus
Matthew Goode Birdsong TV
John Goodman Argo
Ed Harris Game Change TV
Pat Healy Compliance
Garret Hedlund On the Road
Dwight Henry Beasts of the Southern Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman The Master
Jeremy Irons The Hollow Crown TV
Samuel L. Jackson Django Unchained
Tommy Lee Jones Lincoln
Matthew McConaughey Magic Mike
Matthew McConaughey Mud
William H. Macy The Sessions
Joseph Mawle Birdsong TV
Eddie Redmayne Les Misérables
Christoph Waltz Django Unchained
Ben Whishaw The Hollow Crown TV
Bruce Willis Looper
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Best Supporting Actress
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Amy Adams The Master
Amy Adams On the Road
Doona Bae Cloud Atlas
Samantha Barks Les Misérables
Annette Bening Imogene
Adelaide Clemens Parade’s End TV
Marie-Josée Croze Birdsong TV
Judi Dench Skyfall
Sally Field Lincoln
Anne Hathaway The Dark Knight Rises
Anne Hathaway Les Misérables
Cody Horn Magic Mike
Helen Hunt The Sessions
Isabelle Huppert Amour
Shirley MacLaine Bernie
Mickey Sumner Frances Ha
Dreama Walker Compliance
Jacki Weaver Silver Linings Playbook
Rebel Wilson Pitch Perfect
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Best Cinematography
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Caroline Champettier Holy Motors
Danny Cohen Les Misérables
Julian Court Parade’s End TV
Roger Deakins Skyfall
Grieg Fraser Zero Dark Thirty
Eric Gautier On the Road
Frank Gribe and John Toll Cloud Atlas
Janusz Kaminski Lincoln
Darius Khondji Amour
Sam Levy Frances Ha
Emmanuel Lubezki To the Wonder
Mihai Malaimare Jr. The Master
Seamus McGarvey Anna Karinina
Claudio Miranda Life of Pi
Wally Pfister The Dark Knight Rises
Rui Poças Tabu
Robert Richardson Django Unchained
Rasmus Videbaek A Royal Affair
Alexis Zabe Post Tenebras Lux
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Best Score
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Michael Dynna Life of Pi
Jonny Greenwood The Master
Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer Cloud Atlas
Dario Marinelli Anna Karinina
Heather McIntosh Compliance
Thomas Newman Skyfall
Dan Roman and Behn Zeitlin Beasts of the Southern Wild
Gustavo Santaolalla On the Road
Alan Silvestri The Avengers
John WIlliams Lincoln
Hans Zimmer The Dark Knight Rises
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Best Short
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The Captured Bird (Canada…Jovanka Vuckovic)
The Come Up (US…Kirk Sullivan)
Crazy Clown Time (US…David Lynch)
Curfew (US…Shawn Christensen)
Dilbert 3 (US…CBoyardee)
Friend Request Pending (UK…Chris Foggin)
Ik Ben Echt Niet Bang! (I’m Never Afraid!) (Netherlands, Willem Baptist)
The Longest Daycare (US…David Silverman)
Paperman (US…John Kahrs)
Patti (US…Haley Webb)
Prom Night (US…Celia Rowlson-Hall)
Swimmer (UK…Lynne Ramsay)
Tabula Rasa (US…John Levy)
Tangled Ever After (US…Nathan Greno, Byron Howard)
Time to Dance (US…Daniel Wolfe)
Would You (US…Rod Blackhurst, Brian McGinn)
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Best Film: Django Unchained
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Best Actor: Denis Lavant – Holy Motors
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Best Actor Supporting: Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Best Actress Supporting: Anne Hathaway – The Dark Knight Rises
Best Cinematography: Skyfall
Best Score: Moonrise Kingdom
Best Short: Walker – Tsai Ming Liang
Top 5 of 2012:
1. Django Unchained
2. Amour
3. The Master
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
5. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Best Art Direction: Prometheus
Best Cinematical Moment: ‘Monsieur Merde’ – Holy Motors
Best Costume Design: Django Unchained
Best Animated Film: It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Best Chilean Film: Where the Condors Fly
Best Documentary Film: Indie Game: The Movie
Best Editing: Cloud Atlas
Best Makeup: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Song: ‘Who Were We?’ – Holy Motors
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Original Screenplay: Django Unchained
Best Special Effects: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The overlaps from the previous year and the inclusion of films like MUD and FRANCES HA (which for all intents and purposes will count for 2013 on all critics’ lists as they opened in US theaters for this year) make it very difficult to decide on the final choice. MY BROTHER THE DEVIL will figure very prominently on my 2013 list in December as well. The superlative WAR WITCH is another in release year debate I know. THE TURIN HORSE is actually my #1, but it was included on last year’s line-up. THE HUNT will also figure for 2013 for me.
Best Picture: Life of Pi and Les Miserables
Best Director: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Best Actor: Daniel-Day Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress: Emmannuelle Riva (Amour)
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Holland (The Impossible)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Best Cinematography: Caroline Champettier (Holy Motors)
Best Score: Michael Dyanna (Life of Pi)
The 2012 Hall of Fame: (includes the “overlap” choices) Life of Pi, Les Miserables, War Witch, Mud, My Brother the Devil, To the Wonder, Frances Ha, The Hunt, Holy Motors, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, The Impossible, Django Unchained, The Hollow Crown, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Argo, The Sapphires, Amour, Moonrise Kingdom, The Act of Killing, A Royal Affair, The Sessions, Skyfall
I’ve added a short film to the lineup whose release status is wobbly – well ok, to be honest, I just got it wrong. Initially I thought Celia Rowlson-Hall’s Prom Night premiered online in 2012 but apparently it first showed at SXSW in 2011. Since I missed it for last year’s ballot, I’ve included it on this one anyway and it will get my vote.
Check it out with the link above; it’s a brilliantly executed piece by a very talented young filmmaker.
Well, it’s hard not to feel a little sentimentimental tonight as I check in for my last weekly vote. Over the course of the past 2 years, all of us – personally, professionally, and in our relation to this blog – have undergone numerous changes. I’m no exception – since beginning to mark time with my “alternate Oscars” ballot, I’ve moved to California, taken, lost (and re-taken) several jobs, and written & directed a short film…and attempted (& failed) to write a feature. Among other adventures, good and bad (I’ll leave the latter to your imaginations). During this often turbulent time, this exercise was both fun and frustrating (I didn’t have a computer for many months of it, for one thing, and when I did get one it was – er, IS, like right now for example – often really slow to type on, my thoughts & fingers are racing way faster than the words onscreen and boy, can it be frustrating!). But most of all it was a regular, familiar comfort every weekend. Sometimes late Saturday night, more often Sunday morning, but almost always within a few days I’d check in, assemble my ballot (oten suprirsing myself along the way), read up on others’ choices, and already begin to anticipate next week’s picks.
Allan’s willingness to hand the short film selection to me was a particular spur to see many films I’d never seen before, and I’m very grateful for that. Above all, the poll provided instigation not just to reflect on what I’d seen but also to spur me on to see what I hadn’t.
I’ll miss it, in all it’s exciting, exasperating glory. Seems kind of appropriate that when I signed on tonight, the banner picture featured Falconetti shedding a single tear.
Feature: It’s Such a Beautiful Day
runner-up: The Master
Short: Prom Night
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Supp. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Supp. Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Cinematography: Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master
Score: Jonny Greenwood, The Master
Screenplay: Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
Editing: Rodney Ascher, Room 237
Thanks for the forum, Allan. It has been a pleasure.
Best Picture: “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” – Dir. Don Hertzfeldt
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Best Actress: Qu’venzhane Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Best Supp Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Best Supp Actress: Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”
Best Cinematography: Mihai Malaimare Jr. – “The Master”
Best Score: Jonny Greenwood – “The Master”
Best Short: “Crazy Clown Time” – Dir. David Lynch
Best Documentary: “The Act of Killing” – Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
You’ve got good taste, Film Jive. 😉 7/10 overlap – and I could easily have gone for Hoffman or the crazy clown antics of Lynch.
Thanks! The Lynch selection is more of a biased since he is my favorite filmmaker. With Hoffman, I almost look at that as a dual leading role with Joaquin, I just think he’s much more reserved and restrained. I liked DiCaprio in “Django Unchained”, but I found the film to be disposable which I know is an unpopular opinion since I feel that way about most of Tarantino’s work.
I should also say “thank you”, I’ve only been participating for the last few years, about I’ve really enjoyed doing this. I only wish I would have joined in much sooner. Cheers!
I still haven’t seen a lot of films from last year, but I really enjoyed this moody montage. Lyrical & haunting tribute to 2012 cinema by Jorge Gonzalez Diaz – distilling poetry wherever it may be found: https://vimeo.com/68813212
Long, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to be reminded that even in dire times (and a few of these titles may even be dire themselves, overall) there’s magic to be found in the movies.
As for my opinions of the best films this past year, and who I’d have nominated and tossed prizes to, here is my PERSONAL considerarion of 2012
BEST PICTURE: THE MASTER (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Top 10:
1. The Master (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (d. Steven Chbosky)
3. Zero Dark Thirty (d. Kathryn Bigelow)
4. Les Miserables (d. Tom Hooper)
5. Amour (d. Micheal Haneke)
6. Life of Pi (d. Ang Lee)
7. Django Unchained (d. Quentin Tarantino)
8. Skyfall (d. Sam Mendes)
9. Lincoln (d. Steven Spielberg)
10. Brave (d. Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman)
DIRECTION: Paul Thomas ANDERSON (The Master)
Just missed: Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Sam Mendes (Skyfall)
Mendes and Bigelow get high marks for creating unfathomable tension. Hooper scores with his daring close-ups to bring out emotional despair. Lee is a perfect example of grace and wonder.
Paul Thomas Anderson takes the top slot, though, as he magically recalls the gritty reality of Kazan in the Rand inspired visuals for THE MASTER. The long shots of a steam-liner chugging under the Golden-Gate bridge or a motorcycle kicking up sand and dust in a lonely desert at twilight, there is a poetic grace and a sense of deep emotional loss of all things worldly in the directorial hands of one of the most exciting and formidable film-makers post-Kubrick. Andersons intense dialogue moments are balanced with the vast landscapes of both coasts in a visual and vocal commentary on the loss of innocence and the hysterical quests many went on to rediscover it. That the director chooses to leave the film on an ambiguous note not only renders THE MASTER one of the most debatable thematic films in recent film history, but recalls the work of Bergman, Altman and, the aforementioned, Stanley. Call the film what you want. It’s confusing, mind-altering, dramatic, funny and maddening and it’s all the better because it makes you really think.
How many directors have the ability to do that these days?
LEAD ACTOR: Daniel DAY-LEWIS (Lincoln)
Just missed: Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Jean-Louis Trintignant (Amour), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), John Hawkes (The Sessions)
I have juggled the two top contenders for days now. In Phoenix we have a completely original character brought to life in a physically spiritual turn as if the actor was bearing his own soul on screen. Frankly it’s the kind of turn that begs for legendary status. Freddie Quell might be a man we never want to run into but are fascinated in watching nonetheless, as he comes completely unraveled.
However, as hard as I try to bring Phoenix to the top, he’s contained with violent force by the quietly sensitive, yet often physically intimidating, turn of Day-Lewis as the beloved 16th President of the United States. As Abraham Lincoln, Day-Lewis hovers over the proceedings as the smartest man in a room of men hell bent in their convictions. Physically, it’s an inspiring turn, looming over the men of his cabinet and force feeding them logic and integrity. In words, Day-Lewis exudes a kind of lived-in decency that elludes even the most logical tacticians and the soft, mid-western infections of his voice unmask a man of such giant caring for a world he knows he can make better with the force of his goodness.
Phoenix gives a breathtaking turn in THE MASTER but Daniel Day-Lewis became Abraham Lincoln. In doing so, Day-Lewis creates, in performance, a perfect opposition for his diabolical Daniel Plainview, his Oscar-winning turn in THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
LEAD ACTRESS: Emmanuelle RIVA (Amour)
Just missed: Jennifer Lawrence (The Silver-Linings Playbook), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Rachel Weise (Deep Blue Sea), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)
While Jennifer Lawrence was tough to beat at the Oscars, and her turn as the foul mouthed obsessive of SILVER-LININGS PLAYBOOK is a superstar-in-the-making turn, it’s Riva, quietly brilliant, in AMOUR that gets my vote.
Her heartrending and often emotionally hardening turn as a woman facing the end of her life and the harsh realities of a life not completely realized in all the longings and regret that occur, is the stuff of true reality in performance. Riva crushes the viewer with the silences as well as the outbursts and, completely, makes you believe that a loved one is slowly leaving us in a whisp of eventual finality. Heartbreaking in its scope and detail, this is a performance that could vie as the absolute best of the year in any category.
SUPP. ACTOR: Phillip Seymour HOFFMAN (The Master)
Just missed: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Javier Bardem (Skyfall), Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
I loved the absolutely hysterical turn of Christoph Waltz, breathlessly managing Tarantino’s tricky dialogue as if it were rolling of his tongue like eloquent machine-gun fire. His turn is off-the-wall, comically inspired and the glue of the bizarre DJANGO UNCHAINED (my PERSONAL favorite in this category).
However, best is best and when I am totally honest with myself I have to name Hoffman for his intricately detailed and perversely contradicting turn as the cult guru of THE MASTER. With shades of Jim Jones infused with the likes of Freud, his turn is a bravura performance of saddening self discovery. As Lancaster Dodd, Hoffman has found a perfect companion performance for his Oscar-winning turn as Truman Capote. Frankly, Hoffman is often seen from the peripheral, a great character actor that never gets enough praise. Here he quells the notion that he’ll remain in the sidelines for ever more.
Powerful and unforgettable, he’s a great actor giving a superlative performance.
SUPP. ACTRESS: Anne HATHAWAY (Les Miserables)
Just missed: Isabelle Hubert (Amour), Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln), Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
All good with one so exceptional the others should be thankful for the nomination by me or any other contemplation. I had first thought, earlier in the year, that Field would be impossible to beat with her nerve-wreaking and emotionally twitchy performance as the deeply scarred Mary Todd Lincoln. Amy Adams was subtly brilliant as a woman of quiet force and intelligence and sees where others have turned there heads. Hubert was a late discovery for me and the intensity of her reactions in a heartrending personal situation regarding the realities of the end of life reminded me that AMOUR wasn’t just about the two leads.
But, I wasn’t prepared for the delicate power of Hathaway’s doomed Fantine in Hooper’s LES MISERABLES. Using every skill, both vocally and physically, it’s a turn of great emotional urgency as the character succumbs to a death that threatens her plight as savior for her lost daughter. Her rendition of I DREAMED A DREAM is the showstopper of the entire film and I defy anyone sitting through LES MISERABLES to hold back their tears as a character we truly feel for falls from grace into the waiting, comforting arms of God.
A powerhouse turn that deserved every accolade and award given.
PHOTO: Roger DEAKINS (Skyfall)
Just missed: Mihai Mălaimare, Jr. (The Master), Janusz Kaminsky (Lincoln), Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi), Robert Richardson (Django Unchained)
Hard one to call.
THE MASTER recalls the epic visuals of Kazan’s EAST OF EDEN, while Miranda’s work on LIFE OF PI draws us into an epic fairy tale that balances mysticism with the harsh realities of the vast open sea.
However, it’s veteran Roger Deakins (FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) making everything from the roof-tops of Turkey’s grand bizarre and the water lanterns of Shanghai at midnight gleam with a pristine classicism recalling the best James Bond films of the classic Connery period. With every different locale, Deakins rises to the occasion in capturing the beauty of the most exotic, and often unlikely, places for visual audacity. The film could be a travelogue for travelers with a sense for the adventurous.
MUSIC: Michael DANNA (Life of Pi)
Just missed: Thomas Newman (Skyfall), Jonny Greenwood (The Master), Patrick Doyle (Brave), John Williams (Lincoln)
Jonny Greenwood and Thomas Newman do work here that could have easily taken the top slot any other year. With Greenwood, his designs for the soundscapes of THE MASTER border on tonal chimes and clicking often making the score for the film sound like the primordial decadence of a Stravinsky ballet. Newman has real fun finding tense chords in the grand orchestra and delivers a gangbuster action score while incorporating a lot of the themes from the classic James Bond films that bring back the memories of why we fell in love with the daring secret agent all those years ago.
However, it’s Danna, with LIFE OF PI, that rises to the top with his boy choir melodies all fused with India-inspired mysticism. Truly, the most epic and touching score of the top 5. Listen to it without the visuals and the selection of Danna becomes even more crystal clear. Hauntingly beautiful.
Many thanks to Allan for all his hard work on this over the last year and a half. I’ve really enjoyed reading the nominations each week and everyone’s very different views, even though I haven’t been voting – only because I’ve never felt I’ve seen enough of each year’s nominations and on top of that I find it impossible to decide between great films – but it’s been a great exploration of world cinema and I’ll really miss this on Sunday mornings in future. Thanks to all involved.
Since it’s reaching a close now, if only to head off the truly execrable Django Unchained getting a look in (!) here’s one vote at least for 2012:
Best Film: Amour (Haneke)
18 months you say? Incredible! Didn’t realize that time flew so fast. It was indeed great participating in this running thread every week for so many weeks now. I think I started participating sometime when the films belonging to the early 1940s were being voted for, and I don’t think I missed any year since then. And its fitting that this massive project, that had become a regular in my weekly activities, is concluding with the year 2012, as it a very good year for cinema in my opinion. Anyway, without further ado, let my cast my final ballot for this series.
Best Picture: Amour
Best Director: Michael Haneke (Amour)
Best Actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant (Amour)
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress:
Best Cinematography: Caroline Champettier (Holy Motors)
Best Score: Holy Motors
Top 10:
1. Amour
2. No
3. Killing Them Softly
4. Like Someone in Love
5. Holy Motors
6. The Master
7. Zero Dark Thirty
8. Django Unchained
9. Beyond the Hills
10. Something in the Air
Runners-Ups: Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2, Shameless, etc.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams (The Master)
I definitely had a hard time doing this round-up, mostly because this long process (2 years) is going to be a hard habit to break! I’ve had oodles of educational fun helping out with this ongoing project, and I have to tip my hat to Allan Fish, Sam Juliano and Joel Bocko, as well as to all the weekly participants, for making this a highlight of my week for the past 78 weeks or so (I started participating around 1935 or so). I’m gonna be continuing with this project, in some ways, on my blog FILMICABILITY, where I’ll be going back to the beginning, composing my picks from 1915 to 1935, and then reposting and expanding my picks for the subsequent years, and illustrating each one with photos and comments here and there. So I’m not really done with this–not by a long shot! At any rate…my choices for this final year were easy to determine:
PICTURE: THE MASTER, Searching for Sugar Man, Amour, Zero Dark Thirty, No, Compliance, Neighboring Sounds, Holy Motors, Araf/Somewhere in Between, Frances Ha, Cloud Atlas, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Player Hating: A Love Story, 5 Broken Cameras, Bernie, Silver Linings Playbook, Magic Mike, Lincoln, Wreck-It Ralph, Hope Springs, The Cabin in the Woods, Your Sister’s Sister, Haywire, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Skyfall, Django Unchained, After Lucia, Frankenweenie, Anna Karinina, This is 40, The Sessions, The Guilt Trip, Passion, Pitch Perfect, Detropia, The Avengers, Argo, Game Change, Jeff Who Lives at Home, West of Memphis, Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Col. Bruce Hampton, Return, Hatfields and McCoys, Flight, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, Hitchcock, Paul Williams Still Alive, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Life of Pi, The Imposter, The Dogs of South Central, The Queen of Versailles, Musical Chairs, 21 Jump Street, A Late Quartet, Trash Dance, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Giant Mechanical Man, Whore’s Glory, Stand Up Guys, The Pirates: Band of Misfits, Rock of Ages
DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson, THE MASTER (2nd: Malik Bendjelloul, Searching for Sugar Man, followed by: Michael Haneke, Amour; Pablo Larrain, No; Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty; Craig Zobel, Compliance; Leos Carax, Holy Motors; Yasim Ustaoglu, Araf/Somewhere in Between)
ACTOR: Joachim Phoenix, THE MASTER (2nd: Denis Levant, Holy Motors, followed by: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln; Jack Black, Bernie; Denzel Washington, Flight; Jean-Louis Tritignant, Amour; Tommy Lee Jones, Hope Springs; John Hawkes, The Sessions)
ACTRESS: Ann Dowd, COMPLIANCE (2nd: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour, followed by: Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha; Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty; Qu’venzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild; Meryl Streep, Hope Springs; Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook; Neslihan Atagul, Araf/Somewhere in Between)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, THE MASTER (2nd: Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike, followed by: Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild; Samuel L. Jackson, Django Unchained; Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained; Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln; Steve Carrell, Hope Springs; Javier Bardem, Skyfall)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, THE MASTER (2nd: Helen Hunt, The Sessions, followed by: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables; Doona Bae, Cloud Atlas; Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises; Mickey Sumner, Frances Ha; Dreama Walker, Compliance; Shirley MacLaine, Bernie)
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mihai Malaimaire Jr., THE MASTER (2nd: Roger Deakins, Skyfall, followed by: Frank Gribe and John Toll, Cloud Atlas; Grieg Fraser, Zero Dark Thirty; Caroline Champettier, Holy Motors; Robert Richardson, Django Unchained; Seamus McGarvey, Anna Karinina
ORIGINAL SCORE: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer CLOUD ATLAS (2nd: Dan Roman and Behn Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild, followed by: Jonny Greenwood, The Master; Dario Marinelli, Anna Karinina; Heather McIntosh, Compliance; Michael Dynna, Life of Pi)
SHORT FILM: IK BEN ECHT NIET BANG! (I’M NEVER AFRAID) (Netherlands, Willem Baptist), (2nd: Last Words of the Holy Ghost (Ben Sharony))
FURTHER:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Craig Zobel, COMPLIANCE (2nd: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master, followed by: Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty; Michael Haneke, Amour; Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha; Yasim Ustaoglu, Araf/Somewhere in Between; Kleber Mendonca Filho, Neighboring Sounds)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Pedro Peirano, NO (2nd: Andy Wachowski, Lara Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer, Cloud Atlas, followed by Lucy Alibar and Behn Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild; Richard Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth, Bernie; Tony Kushner, Lincoln; David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (Malik Bendjelloul) (2nd: Player Hating: A Love Story (Maggie Hadleigh West), followed by: 5 Broken Cameras (Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi); Detropia (Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady); The Central Park Five (Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon); West of Memphis (Amy Berg); Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Col. Bruce Hampton (Tom Lawson and Michael Koepenick); The Queen of Versailles (Lauren Greenfield)
NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: AMOUR (France/Belgium, Michael Haneke) (2nd: No (Chile, Pablo Larrain), followed by: Neighboring Sounds (Brazil, Kleber Mendonca Filho); Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax); Araf/Somewhere in Between (Turkey, Yasim Ustaoglu); You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (France, Alain Renais); After Lucia (Mexico/France, Michel Franco))
ART DIRECTION: ANNA KARININA, Cloud Atlas, Lincoln, Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall, The Master
COSTUME DESIGN: ANNA KARININA, Moonrise Kingdom, The Master, Cloud Atlas, Lincoln, Les Miserables
FILM EDITING: ZERO DARK THIRTY, The Master, Searching for Sugar Man, Cloud Atlas, Haywire, Skyfall
SOUND: ZERO DARK THIRTY, Skyfall, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, The Avengers, Cloud Atlas
ORIGINAL SONG: “Looking for a Sign” from JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME (music and lyrics by Beck Hansen) (2nd: “Metaphorical Blanket” from Any Day Now (music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright), followed by: “Who Were We?” from Holy Motors (music by Neil Hannon, lyrics by Leos Carax and Neil Hannon); “Who Did That To You? from Django Unchained (music and lyrics by John Legend); “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice (music and lyrics by J. Ralph); “Skyfall” from Skyfall (music and lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth)
SPECIAL EFFECTS: LIFE OF PI, Cloud Atlas, The Avengers
MAKEUP: CLOUD ATLAS, Holy Motors, Lincoln
ANIMATED FEATURE: WRECK-IT RALPH (Rich Moore) (2nd: Frankenweenie (Tim Burton))
This ends up being another very strong year, with the Andersons, a good set of foreign films, documentaries, etc. So far, 2013 has been very underwhelming, though that looks likely to change int he next few months… Anyway – this series has been fun; I will have withdrawal symptoms, and may be forced to write lists just to talk myself down…
PICTURE: Moonrise Kingdom
DIRECTOR: PT Anderson, The Master
LEAD ACTOR: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
LEAD ACTRESS: Isabelle Huppert, In Another Country
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Dreama Walker, Compliance
SHORT: Crazy Clown Time, I suppose; I can’t resist Lynch…
SCORE: Alexander Desplat, Moonrise Kingdom
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master
Plus bonus picks::
Script: Moonrise Kingdom
Music/Sound: Apres Mai
Documentary: The Act of Killing, over another very strong slate of films…
I am really going to miss this thread. I have been dreading its conclusion and now its here. Thanks a lot Allan, Dean, Joel for all your work.
Sam, thanks for the mention. I didn’t vote for more than half of the decades as I didn’t seen enough films to make a reasonable decision. That being said, I have got many many films to catch-up from these posts.
And here’s my final vote…sigh.
Best Film: Holy Motors
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
Best Actor: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The Master
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Skyfall
Best Score: Thomas Newman, Skyfall
Pic – Moonrise Kingdom (US…Wes Anderson)
Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Actress – Emmanuelle Riva Amour
Supp Actor – Robert De Niro Silver Linings Playbook
Supp Actress – Anne Hathaway Les Misérables
Cinematography – Danny Cohen Les Misérables
Score – Michael Dynna Life of Pi
I’m so glad to be a little part of this terrific project. I will miss my “weekly vote routine”
Roll the credits…
Best Picture: The Master
(runners-up: Holy Motors, Moonrise Kingdom, Amour, No)
Best Director: PT Anderson
Best Actor: Phoenix
Best Actress: Chastain, ZDT
Supporting Actor: PS Hoffman
Supporting Actress: Hathaway for The Dark Knight Rises
Cinematography: Champettier, Holy Motors
Score: Zimmer, alas! His music almost too perfectly expressed the dark energy that swirled around the Nolan film, if not the larger zeitgeist that still looms over us.
Picture: Amour (Runners-up: Anna Karenina, Zero Dark Thirty, Compliance)
Director: Michael Haneke – Amour (Close runner up: Joe Wright – Anna Karenina)
Actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant – Amour
Actress: Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Supp Actor: Samuel L. Jackson – Django Unchained
Supp Actress: Ann Dowd – Compliance
Cinematography: Anna Karenina
Score: Anna Karenina
Well…I will not vote this week as I did not for 2010.
Missed many important films so it would be unfair to adulterate the results.
Great work by WiD, It was a pleasure to be part of the team.
Film: The Master
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Actor: Michel Piccoli (We Have a Pope) — still strong 50 years after ‘Contempt’
Actress: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
S. Actor: Bruce Willis (Moonrise Kingdom)
S. Actress: Amy Adams (The Master)
Photography: Roger Deakins (Skyfall)
Why is ‘To the Wonder’ on this year’s ballot? So far It’s my favorite film of 2013.
Years are always counted as to when the film was first seen publicly. It aired at two film festivals, Venice and Toronto, in late 2012. Hence IMDb date of 2012. The same with Mud which Sam mentioned, which showed at Cannes in May 2012. Date is always first showing. When it turns up to the US, even if it’s a US film, doesn’t matter.
Pic – Zero Dark Thirty
Dir – Bigelow
Actor – Phoenix – The Master
Actress – Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Supp. Actor – McConaughey – Mud
Supp. Actress – Field – Lincoln
Cinematography – Kaminski – Lincoln
Score – Dynna – Life of Pi
Picture: Amour
Director: Micheal Haneke- Amour
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix- The Master
Actress: Emanuel Riva- Amour
Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Master
Supporting Actress: Amy Adams- The Master
Best Picture: Life of Pi
Best Director: Ang Lee
Best Actor: Daniel-Day Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress: Emmanuele Riva (Amour)
Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Mud)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)
Best Score: Michael Dynna (Life of Pi)
Best Short: Crazy Clown Time
It is not listed here but I want to change my vote for best film even though it won’t make a difference in the end tally. All my other votes including director stay the same.
Best Film: Neighboring Sounds (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
Yeah, everyone should see Neighboring Sounds. It’s incredible.
Thanks to everyone involved. It’s been a great run.
My top ten for 2012:
1. Like Someone in Love – Abbas Kiarostami
2. A Burning Hot Summer – Philippe Garrel
3. Frances Ha – Noah Baumbach
4. Holy Motors – Leos Carax
5. Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson
6. The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson
7. Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow
8. Something in the Air – Olivier Assayas
9. On the Road – Walter Salles
10. Cosmopolis – David Cronenberg
Best Picture: Like Someone in Love
Best Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Best Actress: Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha)
Best supporting actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Best supporting actress: Amy Adams (The Master)
Best Cinematography: Mihai Malaimare Jr. (The Master)
Best Score: Jonny Greenwood (The Master)
Best Short: Prom Night – Celia Rowlson-Hall (This is the first time I’ve been motivated to vote for a short since La jetee, but, I must say, I love this little gem of a film.)