by Allan Fish
Best Picture The Social Network, US (4 votes)
Best Director David Fincher, The Social Network (3 votes)
Best Actor Edgar Ramirez, Carlos (5 votes)
Best Actress Natalie Portman, Black Swan (5 votes)
Best Supp Actor John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone (4 votes)
Best Supp Actress Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit (6 votes)
Best Cinematography Roger Deakins, True Grit (3 votes)
Best Score Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network (10 votes)
Best Short Wisdom Teeth, US (4 votes)
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2011
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Best Picture/Director
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Las Acacias (Argentina…Pablo Giorgelli)
All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace (UK…Adam Curtis)
The Angels’ Share (UK…Ken Loach)
Appropriate Adult (UK…Julian Jarrold)
The Artist (France…Michel Hazanavicius)
Attack the Block (UK…Joe Cornish)
Beloved (France…Christophe Honoré)
The Black Power Mixtape (US…Göran Olsson)
Bridesmaids (US…Paul Feig)
Café de Flore (Canada/France…Jean-Marc Vallée)
Carnage (US/France…Roman Polanski)
Century of Birthing (Philippines…Lav Diaz)
Combat Girls (Germany…David Wnendt)
Contagion (US…Steven Soderburgh)
Coriolanus (UK/US…Ralph Fiennes)
The Crimson Petal and the White (UK…Marc Munden)
Damsels in Distress (US…Whit Stillman)
A Dangerous Method (Canada…David Cronenberg)
The Day He Arrives (South Korea…Hong Sang-soo)
The Deep Blue Sea (UK…Terence Davies)
The Descendants (US…Alexander Payne)
Dreams of a Life (UK…Carol Morley)
Dreileben: Parts I, II & III (Germany…Christian Petzold, Dominik Graf, Christoph Hochhausler)
Drive (US…Nicolas Anders Refn)
Efectos Especiales (Chile…Bernardo Quesney)
Elena (Russia…Andrei Zvyagintsev)
Elles (France…Malgorzata Szumowska)
Exile (UK…John Alexander)
Faust (Russia/Germany…Aleksandr Sokurov)
50/50 (US…Jonathan Levine)
Footnote (Israel…Joseph Cedar)
The Future (US…Miranda July)
General Orders No. 9 (US…Robert Persons)
George Harrison: Living in the Material World (US…Martin Scorsese)
The Giants (Belgium…Bouli Lanners)
Goodbye, First Love (France…Mia Hansen-Love)
The Guard (Ireland…John Michael McDonagh)
Guilty of Romance (Japan…Shion Sono)
Habemus Papam (Italy…Nanni Moretti)
Hanna (US/UK…Joe Wright)
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Japan…Takashi Miike)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two (US/UK…Steve Yates)
Here, Then (China…Mao Mao)
Himizu (Japan…Shion Sono)
Hors Satan (France…Bruno Dumont)
House of Tolerance (France…Bertrand Bonello)
Hugo (US/UK…Martin Scorsese)
I Wish (Japan…Hirokazu Kore-Eda)
The Ides of March (US…George Clooney)
In Darkness (Germany/Poland…Agnieszka Holland)
In the Family (US…Patrick Wang)
In the Land of Blood and Honey (US…Angelina Jolie)
Jai Bhim Comrade (India…Anand Patwardhan)
Jane Eyre (UK…Cary Fukunaga)
The Kid with a Bike (France…Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne)
Killer Joe (US…William Friedkin)
Léa (France…Bruno Rolland)
Like Crazy (US…Drake Doremus)
Maleficarum (Bolivia…Jac Avila)
Margaret: Extended Version (US (2012)…Kenneth Lonergan)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (US…Sean Durkin)
Melancholia (Denmark…Lars Von Trier)
Michael (Germany…Markus Schleinzer)
Midnight in Paris (US…Woody Allen)
Mildred Pierce (US…Todd Haynes)
The Mill and the Cross (Sweden/Poland/UK…Lech Majewski)
Miss Bala (Mexico…Gerardo Neranjo)
Moneyball (US…Bennett Miller)
The Monk (France…Dominik Moll)
The Night Watch (UK…Richard Laxton)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey…Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Oslo, 31st August (Norway…Joachim Trier)
Page Eight (UK…David Hare)
Pina (Germany…Wim Wenders)
Play (Sweden…Rüben Ostlund)
Q (France…Laurent Bouhnik)
The Raid (Indonesia…Gareth Evans)
Restless (US…Gus Van Sant)
Samsara (US…Ron Fricke)
Seeking the Monkey King (US…Ken Jacobs)
A Separation (Iran…Asghar Farhadi)
The Shadow Line (UK…Hugo Blick)
Shame (UK…Steve McQueen)
She Monkeys (Sweden…Lisa Aschan)
A Simple Life (Hong Kong…Ann Hui)
Sing Your Song (US…Susanne Destock)
The Skin I Live In (Spain…Pedro Almodóvar)
Sleeping Beauty (Australia…Julia Leigh)
Sleeping Sickness (Germany…Ulrich Köhler)
The Story of Film: An Odyssey (UK…Mark Cousins)
Sucker Punch: Extended Version (US…Zack Snyder)
Super 8 (US…J.J.Abrams)
Take Shelter (US…Jeff Nichols)
Take This Waltz (Canada…Sarah Polley)
This is England ’88 (UK… Shane Meadows)
This is Not a Film (Iran…Jafar Panahi)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (UK…Tomas Alfredson)
Tomboy (France…Céline Sciamma)
The Tree of Life (US…Terrence Malick)
The Turin Horse (Hungary…Béla Tarr, Agnes Hranitsky)
Turn Me On, Dammit! (Norway…Jannicke Systad Jacobsen)
Tyrannosaur (UK…Paddy Considine)
Undefeated (US…Daniel Lindsay, T.J.Martin)
The Unfinished History of Life (China…Cong Feng)
Untouchable (France…Oliver Nakache, Eric Toledano)
Upside Down (Canada/France…Juan Diego Solanas)
War Horse (US…Steven Spielberg)
Warrior (US…Gavin O’Connor)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (UK/US…Lynne Ramsay)
We Were Here (US…David Weissman, Bill Weber)
Weekend (UK…Andrew Haigh)
Win Win (US…Thomas McCarthy)
Without (US…Mark Jackson)
The Woman (US…Lucky McKee)
Wuthering Heights (UK…Andrea Arnold)
Young Adult (US…Jason Reitman)
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Best Actor
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Shlomo Bar-Aba Footnote
Jim Broadbent Exile TV
George Clooney The Descendants
Dominic Cooper The Devil’s Double
Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin The Artist
Michael Fassbender A Dangerous Method
Michael Fassbender Shame
Paul Giamatti Win Win
Mel Gibson The Beaver
Brendan Gleeson The Guard
Ryan Gosling Drive
Anders Danielsen Lie Oslo, 31st August
Matthew McConaughey Killer Joe
Peyman Moaadi A Separation
Peter Mullan Tyrannosaur
Bill Nighy Page Eight TV
Chris O’Dowd The Crimson Petal and the White TV
Gary Oldman Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Michel Piccoli Habemus Papam
Brad Pitt Moneyball
Shota Sometani Himizu
Michael Shannon Take Shelter
Omar Sy Untouchable
Dominic West Appropriate Adult TV
Koji Yakusho Hara-kiri – Death of a Samurai
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Best Actress
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Elena Anaya The Skin I Live In
Anne Azoulay Léa
Emily Browning Sleeping Beauty
Glenn Close Albert Nobbs
Olivia Colman Tyrannosaur
Lola Creton Goodbye First Love
Viola Davis The Help
Cecile de France The Kid with a Bike
Kirsten Dunst Melancholia
Jodie Foster Carnage
Romola Garai The Crimson Petal and the White TV
Melissa George The Slap TV
Leila Hatami A Separation
Deannie Ip A Simple Life
Megumi Kagurazaka Guilty of Romance
Rooney Mara The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Anna Maxwell-Martin The Night Watch TV
Fumi Nikaido Himizu
Elizabeth Olsen Martha Marcy May Marlene
Anna Paquin Margaret
Vanessa Paradis Café de Flore
Saoirse Ronan Hanna
Stephanie Sigman Miss Bala
Meryl Streep The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton We Need to Talk About Kevin
Charlize Theron Young Adult
Mia Wasikowska Jane Eyre
Emily Watson Appropriate Adult TV
Rachel Weisz The Deep Blue Sea
Kristen Wiig Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams My Week With Marilyn
Michelle Williams Take This Waltz
Kate Winslet Mildred Pierce TV
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Best Supporting Actor
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Lior Ashkenazi Footnote
Simon Russell Beale The Deep Blue Sea
Taner Birsel Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Kenneth Branagh My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks Drive
Thomas Hayden Church Killer Joe
Benedict Cumberbatch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Liam Cunningham The Guard
John Hawkes Martha Marcy Mae Marlene
Jonah Hill Moneyball
Shahab Hosseini A Separation
Ben Kingsley Hugo
Stefan Kurt Dreileben – Part Three
Hunter McCracken The Tree of Life
Ezra Miller We Need to Talk About Kevin
Viggo Mortensen A Dangerous Method
Nick Nolte Warrior
Patton Oswalt Young Adult
Michael Parks Red State
Guy Pearce Mildred Pierce TV
Brad Pitt The Tree of Life
Stephen Rea The Shadow Line TV
Antony Sher The Shadow Line TV
Rafe Spall The Shadow Line TV
Jerzy Stuhr Habemus Papam
Kiefer Sutherland Melancholia
Stanley Tucci Margin Call
Max Von Sydow Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Christoph Waltz Carnage
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Best Supporting Actress
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Sareh Bayat A Separation
Shannon Beer Wuthering Heights
Berenice Béjo The Artist
Jeannie Berlin Margaret
Jessica Chastain The Help
Jessica Chastain Take Shelter
Jessica Chastain The Tree of Life
Olivia Colman Exile TV
Monica Dolan Appropriate Adult TV
Charlotte Gainsbourg Melancholia
Gina Gershon Killer Joe
Amanda Hale The Crimson Petal and the White TV
Keira Knightly A Dangerous Method
Melissa McCarthy Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer Albert Nobbs
Carey Mulligan Shame
Sophie Okonedo The Slap TV
Sarah Paulson Martha Marcy Mae Marlene
Vanessa Redgrave Coriolanus
Sarah Silverman Take This Waltz
J. Smith-Cameron Margaret
Octavia Spencer The Help
Makoto Togashi Guilty of Romance
Kristen Wiig Paul
Evan Rachel Wood Mildred Pierce TV
Shailene Woodley The Descendants
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Best Cinematography
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Manuel Alberto Claro Melancholia
Sean Bobbitt Shame
Lol Crawley The Crimson Petal and the White TV
Jeff Cronenweth The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Adriano Goldman Jane Eyre
Florian Hoffmeister The Deep Blue Sea
Jakob Ihre Oslo, 31st August
Janusz Kaminski War Horse
Fred Kelemen The Turin Horse
Edward Lachman Mildred Pierce TV
Jody Lee Lipes Martha Marcy Mae Marlene
Helene Louvart and Jorg Widmer Pina
Emmanuel Lubezki The Tree of Life
Seamus McGarvey We Need to Talk About Kevin
Robert Persons General Orders No. 9
Robert Richardson Hugo
Robbie Ryan Wuthering Heights
Guillaume Schiffmann The Artist
Geoffrey Simpson Sleeping Beauty
Eduardo Serra Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Yaron Scharf Footnote
Peter Suschitzky A Dangerous Method
Gohkan Tiraki Once Upon A Time in Anatolia
Hoyte Van Hoytema Tinker Tailor Solider Spy
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Best Score
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Ludovic Bource The Artist
Carter Burwell Mildred Pierce TV
The Chemical Brothers Hanna
Alexandre Desplat Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Mychael Danna Moneyball
Jonny Greenwood We Need to Talk About Kevin
Alberto Iglesias The Skin I Live In
Alberto Iglesias Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Dario Marianelli Jane Eyre
Cliff Martinez Drive
Amit Poznansky Footnote
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore A Dangerous Method
Howard Shore Hugo
Cristobel Tapia de Veer The Crimson Petal and the White TV
John Williams The Adventures of Tintin
John Williams War Horse
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Best Short
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Bear (US…Nash Edgerton)
Boy in the Box (US…Dewane & Lawayne Bontrager)
Empty Sky (US…J. Michael Vargas)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (US…William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburgh)
Field of Games (US…Amanda Dyar)
Ghost of Love (US…John Levy)
It’s Such a Beautiful Day (short version) (US…Don Hertzfeldt)
La Luna (US…Enrico Casarosa)
Perspective (US…Matthew Hill)
Philly Furnished (US…Peter Dmitriyev)
Prom Night (US…Celia Rowlson-Hall)
Sati Shaves Her Head (US…Tejal Shah)
Scenes from the Suburb (US…Spike Jonze) *available for rental
These Hammers Don’t Hurt Us (US…Michael Robinson)
The Thomas Beale Cipher (US…Andrew S. Allen)
The 3 Rs (US…David Lynch)
036 (Spain…Juan Fernando Andrés, Esteban Roel)
Time Freak (US…Andrew Bowler)
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Click on names for archives
Writers/Founders
A great year!
Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanvicius (The Artist)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardins (The Artist) and Anders Danielsen Lie (Oslo)TIE
Best Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)
Best Supporting Actor: Hunter McCracken (The Tree of Life)
Best Supporting Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia)
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
Best Score: Ludovic Bource (The Artist) and Dario Marianelli (Jane Eyre)TIE
The 2011 Hall of Fame: The Artist, The Tree of Life, The Turin Horse, The Story of Film TV, Oslo 31st August, Melancholia, A Separation, Hugo, Jane Eyre, The Mill and the Cross, The Deep Blue Sea, War Horse, The Kid With the Bike, Win Win, Margaret, One Upon A Time in Anatolia, Himizi, Habemus Papam, The Skin I Live In, Drive, Mildred Pierce TV, Take Shelter, Shame, Weekend, Coriolanus, Goodbye First Love, The Descendents
Oh, Sam, how you put something as trifling and gimmicky as The Artist (yes, I know most loved it, and I get the appeal and the entertainment value, but c’mon) over something as transcendent as Malick’s Tree of Life (or any other of a dozen great entries from this great year) brings much sadness to your friend down in the South Jerz.
David, I know Jon Warner and Maurizio Roca would completely agree with you, but as you know I have and will go to the mat for this film over and over. I found it genuinely inspired and a real celebration of the cinema (to take it down would be the same as dicing CINEMA PARADISO in my opinion) It’s one of the most uplifting and beautifully crafted films of the new millennium and as you noted yourself it was showered with endless critics’ awards on both sides of the pond. Truth be said I ADORE Malick’s film -as I adore all of his films- and have it within a hair of THE ARTIST. But yeah, two different kind of films, and THE ARTIST is one I can watch anytime and always smile with a rare soulfulness. I’d argue with gusto that THE ARTIST is transcendent.
Still I understand your indignation here and respect it.
I did write a review of THE TREE OF LIFE shortly after it released and I praised it to high heaven.
https://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/terrence-malicks-masterpiece-the-tree-of-life-a-rapturous-philosophical-inquiry/
It is absolutely one of the greatest films of the new millennium as is THE ARTIST.
Haha Sam…. Yes one of our few disagreements. I haven’t changed my tune but that’s old news.
Best Film: “Efectos Especiales” of course!!
Best Director: Asghar Farhadi – A Separation
Best Actor: Thomas Doret – The Kid with a Bike
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
Best Supporting Actor: Ezra Miller – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actress: Sareh Bayat – A Separation
Best Cinematography: The Tree of Life
Best Score: Hanna
Best Short: It’s Such a Beautiful Day – Don Hertzfeldt
Top 5 of 2011:
1. It’s Such a Beautiful Day (short)
2. Efectos Especiales
3. A Separation
4. Paranmanjang (Night Fishing, short)
5. Melancholia
Frank Awards 2011
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Cinematic Moment: Static Shot Ending – Efectos Especiales
Best Costume Design: Hugo
Best Animated Film: Rango
Best Documentary: Life in a Day
Best Editing: Life in a Day
Best Makeup: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Ensemble: A Separation
Best Production Design: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Original Screenplay: A Separation
Best Adapted Screenplay: Scream 4
Best Set Decoration: Contagion
Best Special Effects: Melancholia
Pic – Untouchable (France…Oliver Nakache, Eric Toledano
Director – Hugo (US/UK…Martin Scorsese)
Actor – Omar Sy Untouchable
Actress – Leila Hatami A Separation
Supp Actor – Jonah Hill Moneyball
Supp Actress – Berenice Béjo The Artist
Great, rich, profound year this is. In any given normal year films like Melancholia, The Tree of Life, Drive, A Separation, Take Shelter or Uncle Boonmee would’ve blown the competition away…but they were all bestowed upon us in the same year!
Best Film: The Tree of Life
Best Director: Terence Malick – The Tree of Life
Best Actor: Michael Shannon – Take Shelter
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
Best Supporting Actor: Patton Oswalt – Young Adult
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life & Take Shelter
Best Cinematography: Lubezki – The Tree of Life
Best Score: John Williams – War Horse
Best Screenplay – Jeff Nichols – Take Shelter
Most Overrated Movie – The Artist
Worst Movie – We Need to Talk about Kevin
Best Film: A Separation
Best Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Shame
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce TV
Best supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Carnage
Best supporting Actress: Gina Gershon, Killer Joe
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Best Score: Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Another absolutely astounding year, when you see all the titles together like this. A surplus of true masterpieces. However, our old friend rises to the top once again:
PICTURE: THE TREE OF LIFE, followed by Once Upon A Time in Anatolia, Margaret, A Separation, Melancholia, Oslo 31st August, The Artist, General Orders No. 9, Moneyball, Footnote, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Take This Waltz, The Kid With a Bike, Mildred Pierce, Goodbye First Love, Bridesmaids, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Pina, The Deep Blue Sea, The Future, Contagion, Buck, Martha Marcy Mae Marlene, Win Win, Killer Joe, The Devil’s Double, A Dangerous Method, Tyrannosaur, Play, Hanna, The Inturrupters, Into The Abyss, Winnie The Pooh, Pariah, 50/50, The Descendants, War Horse, Source Code, Project Nim, Habemus Papum, The Guard, Young Adult, Sleeping Sickness, 4:44: Last Day on Earth, Red State, The Help, The Beaver, The Skin I Live In, Warrior, Disabled but Able to Rock, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Jane Eyre, The Raid, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Reagan, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, My Week With Marilyn, Crazy Stupid Love, Take Shelter, Hugo, The Muppets, Paul, Rango
DIRECTOR: Terrence Malick, THE TREE OF LIFE (2nd: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, followed by Kenneth Lonergan, Margaret; Lars Von Trier, Melancholia; Asghar Farhedi, A Separation; Joachim Trier, Oslo 31st August; Robert Persons, General Orders No. 9; Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist)
ACTOR: Brad Pitt, MONEYBALL (2nd: Jean Dujardin, The Artist, followed by: Anders Danielsen Lie, Oslo August 31st; Peyman Moaadi, A Separation; Peter Mullan, Tyrannosaur; Dominic Cooper, The Devil’s Double; Michel Piccoli, Habemus Papum; Mel Gibson, The Beaver; Shlomo Bar-Aba, Footnote)
ACTRESS: Anna Paquin, MARGARET and Kirsten Dunst, MELANCHOLIA (TIE) (2nd: Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin, followed by: Rachel Weitz, The Deep Blue Sea; Michelle Williams, Take This Waltz; Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy Mae Marlene; Leila Hatami, A Separation; Olivia Colman, Tyrannosaur; Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jonah Hill, MONEYBALL (2nd: Lior Ashkenazi, Footnote, followed by: Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method; Albert Brooks, Drive; Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Christoph Waltz, Carnage; Taner Birsel, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia; Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life; Nick Nolte, Warrior)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: J. Smith Cameron, MARGARET (2nd: Sareh Bayat, A Separation, followed by: Jeannie Berlin, Margaret; Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia; Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids; Carey Mulligan, Shame; Octavia Spencer, The Help; Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life; Shailene Woodley, The Descendants)
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki, THE TREE OF LIFE (2nd: Gohkan Tiraki, Once Upon A Time in Anatolia, followed by: Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia; Robert Persons, General Orders No. 9; Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist; Helene Louvart and Jorg Widmer, Pina; Jakob Ihre, Oslo 31st August; Jody Lee Lipes, Martha Marcy Mae Marlene; Robert Richardson, Hugo)
ORIGINAL SCORE: Ludovic Bource, THE ARTIST (2nd: Amit Poznansky, Footnote, followed by: Alberto Iglesias, The Skin I Live In; Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; The Chemical Brothers, Hanna; Howard Shore, Hugo; Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; John Williams, War Horse)
SHORT FILM: (choice to be determined)
FURTHER:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Asghar Farhedi, A SEPARATION (2nd: Kenneth Lonergan, Margaret, followed by: Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Ercan Kesal, Once Upon A Time in Anatolia; Joseph Cedar, Footnote; Sarah Polley, Take This Waltz; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life; Lars Von Trier, Melancholia; Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids; Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, MONEYBALL (2nd: Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt, Olso 31st August, followed by: Christopher Hampton, A Dangerous Method; Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear, We Need to Talk About Kevin; Todd Haynes and Jonathan Raymond, Mildred Pierce; Terrence Davies, The Deep Blue Sea; Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants; Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughn, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: GENERAL ORDERS NO. 9 (Robert Persons) (2nd: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky), followed by: George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Martin Scorsese); Pina (Wim Wenders); Buck (Cindy Meehl); The Inturrupters (Steve James); Into The Abyss (Werner Herzog); Project Nim (James Marsh))
NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan) (2nd: A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhedi), followed by: Oslo 31st August (Norway, Joachim Trier); Footnote (Israel, Joseph Cedar); The Kid With a Bike (Belgium, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne); Goodbye First Love (France, Mia Hansen Love); Play (Sweden, Ruben Ostlund); Habemus Papum (Italy, Nanni Moretti))
ART DIRECTION: HUGO, The Tree of Life, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Mildred Pierce, The Artist, The Skin I Live In
COSTUME DESIGN: THE ARTIST, The Skin I Live In, The Mill and The Cross, Anonymous, Hugo, A Dangerous Method
FILM EDITING: MONEYBALL, The Artist, A Separation, The Tree of Life, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Hanna
SOUND: THE TREE OF LIFE, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Hugo, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
ORIGINAL SONG: “So Long” from WINNIE THE POOH (music and lyrics by Zooey Deschanel) (2nd: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets (music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie), followed by: “Shelter” from Take Shelter (music and lyrics by Ben Nichols); “Lay Your Head Down” from Albert Nobbs (music by Brian Byrne, lyrics by Glenn Close))
SPECIAL EFFECTS: THE TREE OF LIFE, Hugo, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
MAKEUP: THE IRON LADY, Hugo, My Week With Marilyn
ANIMATED FEATURE: WINNIE THE POOH (Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall) (2nd: Rango (Gore Verbinski))
My vote for BEST SHORT is THE THOMAS BEALE CIPHER (Andrew Allen), followed by LA LUNA.
Best Picture: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
(runners-up: Kid with a Bike, A Separation, Hara-Kiri)
Best Director: Ceylan
Best Actor: Koji Yakusho, Hara-Kiri
Best Actress: Leila Hatami, A Separation (runner-up: De France, Kid With a Bike)
Supporting Actor: Mortenson, Dangerous Method
Supporting Actress: Bejo, The Artist
Cinematography: Tiraki, Anatolia
Score: Bource (with assistance from B. Herrmann and apologies to K. Novak)
I added This is Not a Film to the features list. And removed the short version of It’s Such a Beautiful Day, as that’s already in the shorts category (the feature version came out the following year).
Hardly saw anything this year. Grain of salt, etc, but I carry on regardless, and like my top pick quite a bit, enough to state shakily that it would probably remain my #1 or close to it no matter how many more selections I saw.
Feature: The Story of Film
(runner-up: This is Not a Film)
Short: These Hammers Don’t Hurt Us
Director: Terence Malick, The Tree of Life
Actor: Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method
Actress: Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
Supp. Actor: Albert Brooks, Drive
Supp. Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg
Cinematography: Guillame Schiffman, The Artist
Score: Cliff Martinez, Drive
Screenplay: Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin, Moneyball
Editing: Timo Langer, The Story of Film
Tremendous year with greatness wafting in from all over the map. While I was slow to appreciate films like A SEPARATION and THE ARTIST, I found many of the films grow on me and seduce me with their artistry and charm.
HOWEVER…
Every once in a while a film comes along that is so staggering in its reach and desire to go beyond the screen that one cannot do a thing but quiver under its scope and greatness and acknowledge a masterpiece that moves beyond mere cinematics and becomes an out and out experience. My BEST FILM of this particular year evokes the same type of awe that Kubrick’s 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY evoked many decades prior.
ON ANOTHER NOTE:
My choice for BEST LEAD ACTRESS of the year is, in my mind, the finest performance in this category so far this decade. When you think of the dedication and complete emersion this young lady went through to not only transform into the character, but to BECOME the character, it leaves the audience speechless… It’s a flawless performance made even more so when you see her in interviews and realize she doesn’t resemble the character she’s playing one iota.
So….
PICTURE: THE TREE OF LIFE (d. Terrence Malick)
Top 5: 1. The Tree of Life 2. Melancholia (d. Lars Von Trier) 3. Hugo (d. Martin Scorsese) 4. We Need To Talk About Kevin (d. Lynn Ramsey) 5. Weekend (d. Andrew Haigh)
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DIRECTION: Terrence MALICK (The Tree of Life)
Just missed: Lars Von Trier (Melancholia), Martin Scorsese (Hugo), David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Lynn Ramsey (We Need To Talk About Kevin)
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LEAD ACTOR: Micheal FASSBENDER (Shame)
Just missed: Ryan Gosling (Drive), Micheal Shannon (Take Shelter), Tom Cullen (Weekend), Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
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LEAD ACTRESS: Rooney MARA (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Just missed: Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin), Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
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SUPP. ACTOR: Ezra MILLER (We Need To Talk About Kevin)
Just missed: Hunter McCracken (The Tree of Life), Ben Kingsley (Hugo), Chris New (Weekend), Albert Brooks (Drive)
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SUPP. ACTRESS: Charlotte GAINSBOURG (Melancholia)
Just missed: Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter), Janet McTeer (Albert Knobbs), Carey Mulligan (Shame), Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce)
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PHOTO: Emmanuel LUBEZKI (The Tree of Life)
Just missed: Jeff Cronenweth (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Robert Richardson (Hugo), Manuel Alberto Claro (Melancholia), Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive)
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MUSIC: Trent REZNOR and Atticus ROSS (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Just missed: Cliff Martinez (Drive), Howard Shore (Hugo), Jonny Greenwood (We Need To Talk About Kevin), Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
Dennis as we all know, there is more to acting than immersion. Rooney Mara’s performance shows little range in a film that requires little range from her. If Fincher had any talent he would have stayed away from this film. As it is, the film is one of the worst of the decade… A vile piece of trash.
You say toe-may-toe. I say toe-mah-toe.
The film is, to me, one of the best made and expertly designed thrillers and guilty pleasures out there. The tension can be cut with a knife and the atmosphere created recreates the prose of the book perfectly. I know I’m in the minority on this one, however, I felt it was a perfectly fine entertainment and a wonderful adaptation of the sorce novel.
Mara’s performance has been praised to high heaven (look at the reviews for the film and I’d say 80 % or better called her turn on of the best of the year). She not only, flawlessly, immersed herself in the character (her mastering of the dialects accent is unwavering) from a physical point of view, but she added a emotional confliction in the characters view of allowing herself free to love that even the original Noomi Rapace did not dare attempt. Mara’s Lisbeth is complicated from an emotional and pshycological end, something the original film fails to uncover at all.
My opinion, but I’d never vehemently trash a film a friend expresses great admiration for…
Yeah we don’t want to go toe to toe on this one. I find the film incredibly offensive and wrote my thoughts on it at my blog. I have a serious issue with Fincher, who I think spends a bit too much time wallowing in filth than he should all in the name of art.
Pic- The Tree of Life
Dir- Malick
Actor- Moaadi – A Separation
Actress- Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea
Supp Actor- McCracken – The Tree of Life
Supp Actress- Chastain- The Tree of Life
Score- Martinez- Drive
Cinematography- Lubezki- The Tree of Life
I’ll follow your lead, Sam!
Best Film: The Artist
Best Director: Hazanavicius
Best Actor: Dujardin
Best Actress: Weisz
Best Supporting Actor: McCracken
Best Supporting Actress: Chastain
Cinematography: Lubezki
Score: Bource
Short: Boy in the Box
Best Picture: Melancholia
2. The Artist
3. The Tree of Life
4. La piel que habito
5. Midnight in Paris
Best Director: Lars Von Trier (Melancholia)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardins (The Artist)
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)
Best Supporting Actor: Hunter McCracken (The Tree of Life)
Best Supporting Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia)
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
Best Score: Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
This is a very weak year. There are some nice films, in the second tier – but the top is just not that great. I’m still confused by all the praise The Artist and Tree of Life get… on the other hand, there’s a Whit Stillman film!
PICTURE: Melancholia
DIRECTOR: Jafar Panahi, This is Not A Film
LEAD ACTOR: Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
LEAD ACTRESS: Greta Gerwig, Damsels in Distress
SUPPORTING ACTOR: John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia
SHORT:
SCORE: Howard Shore, A Dangerous Method
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Plus bonus picks:
Script: Damsels in Distress
Sound: This is Not a Film
Music: Melancholia
Best Picture: “The Tree of Life”
Best Director: Terrence Malick “The Tree of Life”
Best Actor: Brad Pitt “Moneyball”
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Best Supporting Actor: Simon Russell Beale “The Deep Blue Sea”
Best Supporting Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg “Melancholia”
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki “The Tree of Life”
Best Score: The Chemical Brothers “Hanna”
Best Short: “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” Dir. Don Hertzfeldt
Picture: The Tree of Life
Director: Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
Actor: Hunter McCracken – The Tree of Life (an incredible performance and what I feel to be the lead of the film)
Actress: Olivia Colman – Tyrannosaur
Supp Actor: Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life
Supp Actress: Shailene Woodley – The Descendents
Cinematography: The Tree of Life
Score: Drive
A rich, difficult year.
Film: ‘The Turin Horse’ RU: The Tree of Life; A Separation; Oslo August 31st; Once Upon a Time in Anatolia; The Deep Blue Sea
Director: Bela Tarr RU: Terrence Malick; Farhadi; Joachim Trier; Ceylan; Davies
Actor: Brad Pitt (‘The Tree of Life’ & ‘Moneyball’) RU: Anders Danielsen Lie (‘Oslo August 31st’)
Actress: Rachel Weisz (‘The Deep Blue Sea’) RU: Jodie Foster (‘Carnage’)
S. Actor: Hunter McCracken (‘The Tree of Life’) RU: Albert Brooks (‘Drive’)
S. Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg (‘Melancholia’) RU: Shailene Woodley (‘The Descendants’)
Photography: Emmanuel Lubezki (‘The Tree of Life’)
Best Picture: A SEPARATION
Best Director: Asghar Farhadi for A SEPARATION
Best Actor: Gary Oldman for TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Best Actress: Rachel Weisz for THE DEEP BLUE SEA
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for CARNAGE
Best Supporting Actress: Carey Mulligan for SHAME
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for THE TREE OF LIFE
Best Score: Ludivic Bource for THE ARTIST.
I hope I’m not too late in posting my ballot for 2011.
Best Picture: The Turin Horse
Best Director: Bela Tarr (The Turin Horse)
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (Shame)
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)
Best Supporting Actor: Shaheb Hosseini (A Separation)
Best Supporting Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia)
Best Cinematography: Fred Kelemen (The Turin Horse)
Best Score: Melancholia
Top 10:
1. The Turin Horse
2. Melancholia
3. A Separation
4. The Snowtown Murders
5. Le Havre
6. Shame
7. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
8. The Descendants
9. Once Upon A Time in Anatolia
10. Dhobi Ghat (dir. Kiran Rao)
11. The Ides of March
12. Sea Shadow (dir. Nawaf Al-Janahi)
13. Midnight in Paris
14. Moneyball
15. Bobby Fischer Against the World/The Artist
Incredible year, indeed!
My top ten for 2011:
1. Melancholia – Lars Von Trier
2. The Deep Blue Sea – Terence Davies
3. Margaret – Kenneth Lonergan
4. The Turin Horse – Bela Tarr
5. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia – Nuri Bilge Ceylan
6. The Tree of Life – Terrence Malick
7. A Dangerous Method – David Cronenberg
8. Damsels in Distress – Whit Stillman
9. Carnage – Roman Polanski
10, House of Tolerance – Bertrand Bonello
Best Picture: Melancholia
Best Director: Lars Von Trier
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method)
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)
Best supporting actor: Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)
Best supporting actress: Gina Gershon (Killer Joe)
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
Best Score: Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
Best Picture: The Artist (not even close!)
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardins (The Artist)
Best Actress: Anna Pacquin (Margaret)
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks (Drive)
Best Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
Best Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
Best Score: Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
Best Short: no vote this year.
So weird that no one can get Jean Dujardin’s name correct!