BEST PICTURE
*1. Melancholia – 29 (Lars von Trier)
2. The Tree of Life – 28 (Terrence Malick)
3. A Separation – 20 (Asghar Farhadi)
BEST DIRECTOR
*1. Terrence Malick – 31 (The Tree of Life)
2. Martin Scorsese – 29 (Hugo)
3. Lars von Trier – 23 (Melancholia)
BEST ACTOR
*1. Brad Pitt – 35 (Moneyball, The Tree of Life)
2. Gary Oldman – 22 (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
3. Jean Dujardin – 19 (The Artist)
BEST ACTRESS
*1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 (Melancholia)
2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 (Poetry)
3. Meryl Streep – 20 (The Iron Lady)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
*1. Albert Brooks – 38 (Drive)
2. Christopher Plummer – 24 (Beginners)
3. Patton Oswalt – 19 (Young Adult)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
*1. Jessica Chastain – 30 (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help)
2. Jeannie Berlin – 19 (Margaret)
3. Shailene Woodley – 17 (The Descendants)
BEST NONFICTION
*1. Cave of Forgotten Dreams – 35 (Werner Herzog)
2. The Interrupters – 26 (Steve James)
3. Into the Abyss – 18 (Werner Herzog)
BEST SCREENPLAY
*1. A Separation – 39 (Asghar Farhadi)
2. Moneyball – 22 (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin)
3. Midnight in Paris – 16 (Woody Allen)
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
*1. A Separation – 67 (Asghar Farhadi)
2. Mysteries of Lisbon – 28 (Raoul Ruiz)
3. Le Havre – 22 (Aki Kaurismäki)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*1. The Tree of Life – 76 (Emanuel Lubezki)
2. Melancholia – 41 (Manuel Alberto Claro)
3. Hugo – 33 (Robert Richardson)
EXPERIMENTAL
Ken Jacobs, for “Seeking the Monkey King.”
FILM HERITAGE
1. BAM Cinématek for its complete Vincente Minnelli retrospective with all titles shown on 16 mm. or 35 mm. film.
2. Lobster Films, Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema and the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema for the restoration of the color version of George Méliès’s “A Trip to the Moon.”
3. New York’s Museum of Modern Art for its extensive retrospective of Weimar Cinema.
4. Flicker Alley for their box set “Landmarks of Early Soviet Film.”
5. Criterion Collecton for its 2-disc DVD package “The Complete Jean Vigo.”
=====
(Previously)
The NSFC announce within hours. While we wait, refresh your bittersweet memories of last year, after the cut. (Gotta love the NSFC awards motto: “The Truth, Once Every 12 Months.”
2010:
BEST ACTOR
*1. Jesse Eisenberg 30 – The Social Network
2. Colin Firth 29 – The King’s Speech
2. Edgar Ramirez 29 – Carlos
BEST ACTRESS
*1. Giovanna Mezzogiorno 33 – Vincere
2. Annette Bening 28 – The Kids Are All Right
3. Lesley Manville 27 – Another Year
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
*1. Geoffrey Rush 33 – The King’s Speech
2. Christian Bale 32 – The Fighter
3. Jeremy Renner 30 – The Town
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
*1. Olivia Williams 37 – The Ghost Writer
2. Amy Adams 28 – The Fighter
3. Melissa Leo 23 – The Fighter
3. Jacki Weaver 23 – Animal Kingdom
BEST PICTURE
*1. The Social Network 61
2. Carlos 28
3. Winter’s Bone 18
BEST DIRECTOR
*1. David Fincher 66 – The Social Network
2. Olivier Assayas 36 – Carlos
3. Roman Polanski 29 – The Ghost Writer
BEST NONFICTION
*1. Inside Job 25 (Charles Ferguson)
2. Exit Through the Gift Shop 21 (Banksy)
3. Last Train Home 15 (Lixin Fan)
BEST SCREENPLAY
*1. Aaron Sorkin 73 – The Social Network
2. David Seidler 25 – The King’s Speech
3. Roman Polanski and Robert Harris 19 –The Ghost Writer
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
*1. Carlos 31
2. A Prophet 22
3. White Material 16
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*1. True Grit 31 (Roger Deakins)
2. Black Swan 27 (Matthew Libatique)
3. Somewhere 18 (Harris Savides)
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I don’t understand why MELANCHOLIA, easily one of the best films of the year, receives so much acclaim, yet one of its most important elements is always criminally ignored: the music.
Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde prelude is used practically every five minutes, yet with the exception of the Wikipedia entry, this is rarely touched upon by critics and viewers.
The piece, though used slightly incorrectly (as T+I is all about eroticism and human sublime transcendence, rather than depression or melancholia), virtually makes the film.
One more thing. I was a great supporter of a great overlooked performance from Olivia Williams in “The Ghost Writer” last year. The National Society of Film Critics voted its Best Supporting Actress to her most deservedly that year, and I’ve been a big fan of that organization ever since. Their motto is right . . . they get it right. I like the list they’ve chosen this year as well.
The screenplay award for “A Separation” is particularly astute.
Also nice to see the love for Gary Oldman and Patton Oswalt on making the top 3.
Brad Pitt winning the New York Film Critics and now NSFC for “Moneyball” makes me want to see this film now.
Bill the Bear,
I’ve been fearing that may happen to Jessica Chastain for some time now. With five solid supporting performances in one year . . . what DO you choose her for? Personally, I think her performance in Take Shelter was the best of the lot (and I thought she was actually more of a lead actress in that movie anyway). Splitting the vote for a performer who gives great performances in great films has happened before. Sidney Poitier failed to get a Best Actor nomination in 1967 (“In the Heat of the Night”, “To Sir With Love”, and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”). The votes split three ways and he ended up empty handed.
Chastain has a similar, unique problem this year. Votes could be split FIVE ways and she could end up empty handed. And it’s not as if she doesn’t have any competition out there. Shailene Woodley, Octavia Spencer, Charlotte Gainsborough, Marion Cotillard, Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Rachel McAdams, Melissa McCarthy, hell even Viola Davis could end up in supporting (she’s won two critics awards in that category – and only one in lead), thereby eliminating the split votes in five films. It could happen.
While everyone says Chastain has a lock for a nomination . . . I think the big surprise could be she doesn’t obtain one . . . and only because of the multiplicity of good performances in five different films and because she has such strong competition from other actresses.
I also joined a few film clubs that showed 2-3 pictures a week on a big screen. These were all titles from 20’s-60’s, so I saw stuff like Grand Illusion and Seven Samurai in theaters.
I also had to go through all the trouble to find them – before the internet. But I had VHS and Laser Disc to help me.
There’s a treasure box waiting to be opened. I think Scott already has the key to it.
I remember when I started to watch all the classics. It took a decade (of heavy-using) or so, but it was great. It’s still great to revisit these titles (especially on blu-ray which I own by the hundreds; I only collect great films or absolute masterpieces). Most films are viewable only once – if that.
There are still hundreds of classics – or at least semi-classics – that I never got around to. Those I can only see on TV really, cause no-one cares to distribute them on DVD/BD.
We have to cut Scott some slack. I have no doubt that his viewing history will expand and catch up to his enthusiasm, which I hope he never loses. I envy his position of discovery right now – my late 20s/early 30s were the best years of my life for finding and watching movies. And that was before home video and the internet.
I’m not bashing Scott for not having seen as many films as me. In fact, he may well have seen more than me. There’s no use in suggesting that people don’t have the time to see foreign films, though. If you’ve got the time to watch shit American films, you’ve got the time to watch quality foreign films.
I don’t know if Scott is one of them but I don’t think it is cool to bash someone for not seeing as many films as you have. There are more important things.
Paddy, to be honest. Most people just don’t have the time to see a bunch of foriegn or obscure or old films.
Ryan, I love Drive too! One of only three film this year I really loved. The other two being Hugo and Midnight in Paris. If I gave ratings they would probably be my only 10/10’s.
I used to for HP 7.2. When I saw it in theaters I was smitten but I bought it on Blu Ray when it came out. Watched it once and lost interest. Not as good as I thought it was initionally. I think the emotional high wore off (I watched all the other HP movies that week and was really in the mood). It still deserves more recognition than it has gotten though.
Anyways, Go Hugo, Drive and Midnight in Paris
(It should be noted that I haven’t seen The Artist, A Seperation or The Descendants yet, which I am really looking foreward to, to name some big ones. Haven’t seen Melencholia either but I don’t plan to. Cant stand Von Trier but to each his own)
You avoid foreign language films because watching English-language films is easier? It’s almost as if you crave the abuse you get on this site, Scott – each one of your comments is more infuriating than the last. Tero said that one of your statements represented why a lot of people consider Americans to be ignorant. I can’t disagree. Your horizons are limited by your own ignorance towards the majority of international cinema.
They’re both vampire films. One is really good and one is ok.
You are into blonds 🙂
I’m thinking Sweden might be nice…
Let the Right One In is hardly a vampire film. You’ll see. Let Me In IS a vampire film.
My American friend took Finnish citizenship (=dual). Every time he goes on holiday to America, he gets this weird feeling that he is no longer welcome. Even at the airport he must show his American passport (as opposed to EU) to avoid trouble.
“Love it or leave it – for good.” (That’s how it should say, for real).
Sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to imply he’s been dropping…but I would think any self respecting actor would turn down such a film role.
Tero, I’m about as much of a fan of vampire movies as I am zombies…and looking at this year’s film prospects, has Brad Pitt really dropped so low as to be in a zombie movie?
The perhaps hilariously ironic thing is…I kinda want to move to a different country, lol (since America has been going to shit)
I think that at least Breathless, 3 Colors (all three?) and 8 and 1/2 will bore you to death.
Where’s Let the Right One In on your list? That’s as accessible as anything from Hollywood.
In addition to the aforementioned Persona and Cinema Paradiso these are the others on my radar…
Seven Samurai
The 400 Blows
The Lives of Others
La Dolce Vita
Breathless
M
The Wages of Fear
The Rules of the Game
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Amores Perros
City of God
3 Colors
8 and 1/2
Ignorance is bliss…
“Haven’t you heard that to Americans the rest of the world doesn’t really exist?”
I kind of refuse to believe this. Or… you always seem to find a non-existing country to bomb.
When “talkies” came around, some feared that movies were no longer international. People like Chaplin were right about USA.
*of films in his native language
Well yes sorta…haven’t you heard that to Americans the rest of the world doesn’t really exist? :p But seriously, why spend my time watching a bunch of films in a language I don’t understand when are plenty of great films in English working out just fine? If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it…
Now I’m not saying I’m completely closed off to the idea of non-English films…obviously I’m not, because I’ve already listed a number I’ve seen, but to indulge in them would be silly, unless I happen to find they are so superior, which I haven’t yet. So I’ll watch one occasionally, but it should by common sense that an American would watch largely American and/or English language films, if no other reason then he doesn’t need to look outside his borders because of the vast availability.
Get ready for a shitstorm if you meant something like: “I don’t need to watch foreign films, cause I live in a country with great film business. Plus I hate to read movies”. On IMDb you would see a lot of this, and it’s the very definition why a lot of people consider Americans to be ignorant.
BUT you have already watched quite a bit of foreign films. So I don’t think this is the case.
I would imagine that something like Cinema Paradiso would be quite easy to find in USA.
Someone already stated that USA is one of the luckiest countries to get world cinema. If not THE luckiest. Sure, we have it good here in Finland, but we sure don’t have cities (NYC and LA) where ALL high quality films get at least a one week’s theatrical run. In many cases we have to wait until it’s on DVD, but we do get everything eventually. Something like Cinema Paradiso would be a top-seller on blu-ray when it gets released.
Do you live in a big city where you have theaters for foreign films/US independent? Would you still rather go to the nearest multiplex to see this weekend’s biggest thing?
Makes me think of the “Belly Epoh-queue”-scene in The Fighter.
@scott – what exactly did you mean by the American comment? That you were born in North America and prefer to watch movies made in North America?? Just throwing it out there because you forgot to clarify what you meant, and chose to waste your time, and everyone else’s by saying ‘that’s not exactly what you meant’ without clarification. Is it a secret? Are you 7? Did you burn your toast?
Paddy M and cc, that wasn’t the exactly what I meant by the America comment..
Scott
Les Diaboliques – Simone Signoret, one of the 5 best screen actresses, ever. Try Army of Shadows, which was made in the late 60s but was never released in N America until a couple of year ago. If you like Clouzot, Wages of Fear has some good suspense (truck full of explosives on a rickety bridge, anyone?)
If you find Cinema Paradiso, go for the theatrical version, not the extended cut. There is a reason they have film editors and the long version takes the punch out of the ending.
“I haven’t seen many foreign films, but I live in America for fuck sakes!”
There’s Netflix. There’s Amazon. There’s Turner Classic Movies. There’s your local public library, for god’s sake, if it’s decent enough.
How do you think the rest of us Americans get to watch foreign language films? By purchasing airplane tickets?
I can only say one thing:
After living with A Separation for a week now and continually thinking about it, the best award that I’ve
seen this year is giving it Best Screenplay. That and a snausage for Uggie. I didn’t ‘love’ 2011 so much, I guess.
The best foreign film I’ve seen so far has been Les Diaboliques. One that really intrigues me is Cinema Paradiso but I haven’t been able to find it…
Give Day for Night a try, Scott – we’ll get you converted to foreign films, if it kills us.
Yeah, You Can’t Take It With You is another hard exclusion. City Lights is a bit meh, watched it recently, as well as Modern Times. Really don’t think silent films are my cup of tea, lol…but I’m trying to prepare for when The Artist hits theatres.
So happy for Melancholia and Kirsten!! Now if only Oscar would wake up to the excellence of this film
How about You Can’t Take It With You (’38) – can’t miss with Jean Arthur – or City Lights (’41). If you want a light comedy about filmmaking – Day for Night(’73, I think). Definitely funny stuff.
Yes well I’ve got a number of favorite comedies from recent years Steve, but few are a patch on the classics. It was really hard to leave off Bringing Up Baby, The Lady Eve, Some Like It Hot, and a number of others.
Unfortunately not able to think of anything in about the last 10 years (in any genre) to merit inclusion either, although The Departed, Children of Men, The Hurt Locker, and Inception are in the recesses of my mind and perhaps a few years down the road one of them would creep on.
I live in Northern Ireland, Scott. We get far, far fewer non-English language and independent films than you do, I guarantee you. There’s one arthouse cinema here, with two screens. And I like more than highbrow quality films too. I could name dozens of pretty lowbrow films which I happen to like very much.
You live in the best country in the world for international cinema.
Solid list, Scott. Never was a Casablanca fan (gasp), but understand the inclusion. It would be tough to narrow down to ten, I would think. Funny how comedies fade from the list after the 60s. Maybe not so funny because we’ve lost our narrative sense of humor and rely on sketch/gag giggles now.
Top 10 American Films
It Happened One Night (1934, Frank Capra)
Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz)
Rear Window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock)
The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)
The Graduate (1967, Mike Nichols)
Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont)
Saving Private Ryan (1998, Steven Spielberg)
Memento (2000, Christopher Nolan)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-03, Peter Jackson)
AHHH! “American Eclectic.” Kind of like preferring filet ‘o fish over a big mac.
It’s a big world out here, Scott – you should give it a go.
Sure, I haven’t seen many foreign films, but I live in America for fuck sakes!
What, just because I also listed films like American Pie and Major League? Well you see, I’m not afraid to admit I like more then highbrow quality :p
Scott, that may be so. However, the majority of regular commenters on this site are much more knowledgeable than you seem to be. The arrogance in your last comment perplexes me; I don’t know how anyone could call your above lists eclectic. Certainly not anyone who is at least ‘as obsessed with film’ as you are.
I would say you’re obsessed with the film you expose yourself to. I wouldn’t say you’re obsessed with film.
“I talk about movies with everyone and I know very few who are as obsessed with film as I am, with such an eclectic mix of variety to what they watch, spanning almost all decades and genres.”
Wow, Scott. You are in a self-congratulatory mood today! (…slightly shaking my head in disbelief…)
“Nobody comes at you and Scott telling you your taste is all a big circus act, that it’s an intentional clown show to celebrate the commonplace, “Trying To Act Like” you’re regular Joes.”
Except I’m not a regular Joe, lol. I talk about movies with everyone and I know very few who are as obsessed with film as I am, with such an eclectic mix of variety to what they watch, spanning almost all decades and genres.
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I guess so Ryan. His schtick worked really well though in Mother (1996), terrific film where Debbie Reynolds was pitch perfect.
Not disagreeing with you at all, James. It’s his signature attitude. Petulant, frustrated, peevish, — not the kind of personality who should be carrying a loaded gun around.
🙂
I rather liked Albert Brooks in Drive, although I don’t think it was as well-acted a film as many give it credit for. There were no weak links for me, but I didn’t like Bryan Cranston’s character. That, for me, brought the film down significantly. It was 10/10 aside from that character. He did a good job, but it didn’t work for me at all.
Booooooo!!
🙂
but yay! Drive!
My #1 favorite film of the year.
I wish Refn would be nominated. I wish Drive could be nominated for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Production Design. Best Actor for Gosling.
The problem, as meticulously crafted as is it, only Brooks and Refn are “showy”.
** here’s something we don’t see often — rare IMDb Top 250 cluster:
198. Deathly Hallows, Pt 2
199. Hugo
200. Ratatouille
201. Drive
202. Dragon Tattoo
only other films from 2011 are
98. A Separation
139. Warrior
Brooks excelled at getting angry, even when he was not supposed to be angry.
James, Brooks anger is nothing we haven’t seen before, right? Hell, he’s always cross, touchy, prickly. That’s his schtick. Only thing different this time is He’s Got A Fork And He’s Not Afraid to Use It.
I agree with you Ryan too. Brooks did absolutely nothing for me in Drive. I thought he was totally miscast. Cranston was way better.
Gotta disagree with you on Brooks, Ryan. Loved him!
Cranston was great in the same movie too.
I know, I know. I feel crummy for being such a grouch about it.
For me, Cranston, Perlman, Oscar Isaac*, Kaden Leos** were all more convincing and had greater impact in Drive
* Standard (the husband)
** Benicio (the kid)
I agree with Ryan on Brooks. I’ve stated this earlier and will be happy to repeat it: Brooks is the weak link of an otherwise flawless movie.
After what happened last year I’m gonna wait til after the guilds before I say how secure the Artist is for best picture.