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Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:29 pm**

Alan Smithee wrote:Melancholia is loathsomely anti-life affirming? And what if it was? How do you champion something so loathsomely anti-life affirming? You champion it. Who said everything has to be life affirming? Oh the man with two Spielberg films in his top 10.

I'm just kind of baffled that someone who professes to feel that way would leave The Muppets off their top ten. While being the best musical Hollywood has produced since the 1970s says just as much about the paltry competition than the film itself, its sense of joy exceeds that of any other film I've seen this year and the way it swaps Chris Cooper's stock oil baron out of the villain role in exchange for the 'coldness and cynicism' of the world itself deserves every accolade I can hurl at it.

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:34 pm**

I guess you've never seen South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:18 pm**

Or Reefer Madness, The Wayward Cloud, ect.

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:19 pm**

tarpilot wrote:Hollywood

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:21 pm**

knives wrote:Or Reefer Madness

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:31 pm**

I haven't seen it so I'll gladly concede that point, but I don't think I'm being overly judicious to my own argument by maintaining that's not exactly the same thing

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:37 pm**

You're forgetting my number one lock for best musical of all time, Mamma Mia!

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:40 pm**

knives wrote:
knives wrote:Or Reefer Madness

Reefer Madness was produced by Showtime, never had a theatrical run, and was only seen by domino and people who follow domino on the internet. The Muppets is an international Walt Disney release that has made more money in a month than I will ever see in my lifetime. Apples and oranges.

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:48 pm**

Are we not counting animated movies as musicals, because I liked the Muppets but I'd take any of Henry Selick's movies any day (I am pretending Monkeybone doesn't exist, thank you)

Posted: **Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:49 pm**

So I guess my suggestion about the Grey Gardens musical won't fly either.

Edit: Henry Selick's movies are pretty piss poor if you ask me.

Posted: **Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:33 am**

I'm going to fly my Dr. Horrible flag and quietly exit stage left.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:32 am**

Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

BEST PICTURE, Winner: “The Descendants.” Runner-Up: “The Tree of Life.”

BEST DIRECTOR, Winner: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life.” Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

BEST ACTOR, Winner: Michael Fassbender, “A Dangerous Method,” “Jane Eyre,” “Shame,” “X-Men: First Class.” Runner-Up: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter.”

BEST ACTRESS, Winner: Yun Jung-hee, “Poetry.” Runner-Up: Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Winner: Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter,” “Texas Killing Fields,” “Tree of Life” Runner-Up: Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Winner: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”Runner-Up: Patton Oswalt, “Young Adult.”

BEST SCREENPLAY, Winner: Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation.”

BEST MUSIC/SCORE: Winner: The Chemical Brothers, “Hanna.” Runner-Up: Cliff Martinez, “Drive.”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Winner: Dante Ferretti, “Hugo.” Runner-Up: Maria Djurkovic, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life.”

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION, Winner: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.”

BEST ANIMATION, Winner: “Rango.”

AFI Top Ten:

Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
J. Edgar
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

New York Film Critics Online:

BEST PICTURE: THE ARTIST

BEST DIRECTOR – MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS for The Artist

BEST ACTOR: BEST ACTOR – MICHAEL SHANNON for Take Shelter (runners-up: MICHAEL FASSBENDER for Shame and GARY OLDMAN for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

BEST ACTRESS – MERYL STREEP for “The Iron Lady”

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – BRIDESMAIDS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – ALBERT BROOKS for Drive

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER: JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, Coriolanu

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – EMMANUEL LUBEZKI for The Tree of Life

BEST SCREENPLAY – ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON, JIM RASH for The Descendants. Runner-Up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants.”

BEST USE OF MUSIC – LUDOVIC BOURCE for The Artist

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR – JOE CORNISH for Attack the Block

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – A SEPARATION

BEST DOCUMENTARY – CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

Boston Film Critics:

Best Picture: THE ARTIST (close seconds: HUGO and MARGARET)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese for HUGO. Close runner-up: THE ARTIST.
Best Actor: Brad Pitt for MONEYBALL Runners up: George Clooney for THE DESCENDANTS, Michael Fassbender for SHAME
Best Actress (another competitive one!): Michelle Williams for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN.
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for DRIVE
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy for BRIDESMAIDS. Jeannie Berlin: close second for MARGARET

Best Ensemble: CARNAGE (“MARGARET was a fairly close runner-up”)
Best Screenplay: MONEYBALL!
Best Use of Music: Cliff Martinez, DRIVE and Ludovic Bource, THE ARTIST! (a tie) Runner up: THE DESCENDANTS
Best Editing: Christian Marclay for THE CLOCK! Runner-up: HUGO.
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, THE TREE OF LIFE. Runner-up: HUGO.
Best New Filmmaker (David Brudnoy Award): Sean Durkin for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. Runner-up: J. C. Chandor for MARIN CALL.
Best Documentary : PROJECT NIM (James Marsh, who made MAN ON WIRE). Close second: BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK.
Best Foreign Film: INCENDIES Runners up: A SEPARATION and POETRY)

San Francisco Critics:

Best Picture
“The Tree of Life”

Best Director
Terrence Malick for “The Tree of Life”

Best Original Screenplay
J.C. Chandor for “Margin Call”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Best Actor
Gary Oldman for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Best Actress
Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks for “Drive”

Best Supporting Actress
Vanessa Redgrave for “Coriolanus”

Best Animated Feature
“Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Certified Copy”

Best Documentary
“Tabloid”

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki for “The Tree of Life”

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
National Film Preservation Foundation, in recognition of for its work in the preservation and dissemination of endangered, culturally significant films

Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema
“The Mill and the Cross”

Detroit Film Critics Nominations:

1. BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
HUGO
TAKE SHELTER
THE TREE OF LIFE

2. BEST DIRECTOR

MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS – THE ARTIST
TERRENCE MALICK – THE TREE OF LIFE
JEFF NICHOLS – TAKE SHELTER
MARTIN SCORSESE– HUGO
NICHOLAS WINDING REFN – DRIVE

3. BEST ACTOR

GEORGE CLOONEY– THE DESCENDANTS
JEAN DUJARDIN – THE ARTIST
MICHAEL FASSBENDER – SHAME
BRAD PITT – MONEYBALL
MICHAEL SHANNON – TAKE SHELTER

4. BEST ACTRESS

VIOLA DAVIS – THE HELP
FELICITY JONES – LIKE CRAZY
MERYL STREEP – THE IRON LADY
CHARLIZE THERON – YOUNG ADULT
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

5. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

KENNETH BRANAGH – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
ALBERT BROOKS – DRIVE
RYAN GOSLING – CRAZY STUPID LOVE
PATTON OSWALT – YOUNG ADULT
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – BEGINNERS

6. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BERENICE BEJO – THE ARTIST
JESSICA CHASTAIN – TAKE SHELTER
CAREY MULLIGAN – SHAME
VANESSA REDGRAVE – CORIOLANUS
OCTAVIA SPENCER – THE HELP

7. BEST ENSEMBLE

CARNAGE
CEDAR RAPIDS
CRAZY STUPID LOVE
THE HELP
MARGIN CALL
WIN WIN

8. BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

JESSICA CHASTAIN – THE HELP/TAKE SHELTER/THE TREE OF LIFE
FELICITY JONES – LIKE CRAZY
MELISSA MCCARTHY – BRIDESMAIDS
ELIZABETH OLSEN –MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
SHAILENE WOODLEY– THE DESCENDANTS

9. BEST SCREENPLAY

50/50 – WILL REISER
THE ARTIST – MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS
BEGINNERS – MIKE MILLS
MONEYBALL – AARON SORKIN & STEVEN ZAILLIAN
TAKE SHELTER– JEFF NICHOLS

10. BEST DOCUMENTARY

INTO ETERNITY
INTO THE ABYSS
MARWENCOL
TABLOID
WE WERE HERE

Houston Film Critics Nominations:

Best Picture

Drive, Film District
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Warner Bros.
Midnight in Paris, Sony Pictures Classics
Take Shelter, Sony Pictures Classics
The Artist, The Weinstein Company
The Descendants, Fox Searchlight
The Help, Dreamworks & Touchstone
The Tree of Life, Fox Searchlight
War Horse, Dreamworks & Disney
Win Win, Fox Searchlight

Best Director

Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nicholas Winding Refn, Drive
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Best Actor

Brad Pitt, Moneyball
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Best Actress

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Viola Davis, The Help

Supporting Actor

Albert Brooks, Drive
Alex Shaffer, Win Win
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Supporting Actress

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Foxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Tom McCarthy, Win Win
Will Reiser, 50/50
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Thomas Newton Segel, Drive

Best Song

“Lay Your Head Down,” from Albert Nobbs, music & lyrics by B. Bryne & G. Close
“Life’s a Happy Song,” from The Muppets, music & lyrics by Bret McKenzie
“Star-Spangled Man,” from Captain America, music & lyrics by Alan Menken
“The Living Proof,” from The Help, music & lyrics by Mary J. Blige
“Think You Can Wait,” from Win Win, music & lyrics by The National

Best Score

Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Harry Escott, Shame
John Williams, The Adventures of Tin-Tin
John Williams, War Horse
Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Best Foreign Film

13 Assassins, Magnet Releasing
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, New Video
I Saw the Devil, Magnet Releasing
The Artist, The Weinstein Company
The Skin I Live In, Sony Pictures Classics

Best Documentary

Buck, Sundance Selects
Cave of Forgotten Dreams, IFC Films
Project Nim, Lionsgate
The Elephant in the Living Room, NightFly Entertainment
Undefeated, The Weinstein Company

Best Animated

Adventures of Tin-Tin, Dreamworks
Happy Feet Two, Warner Bros.
Kung Fu Panda 2, Dreamworks
Puss in Boots, Dreamworks
Rango, Paramount
Winnie the Pooh, Disney

Worst Film of the Year

Jack and Jill, Columbia
Red Riding Hood, Warner Bros.
The Sitter, 20th Century Fox
The Smurfs, Columbia
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, Summit Entertainment
Your Highness, Universal

2011 Humanitarian Honor – Joanne Herring
2011 – Lifetime Achievement – Jeff Bridges

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 4:34 am**

Jeff wrote:Los Angeles Film Critics Association:
BEST MUSIC/SCORE: Winner: The Chemical Brothers, “Hanna.” Runner-Up: Cliff Martinez, “Drive.”

Awesome

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 4:41 am**

Jeff wrote:Los Angeles Film Critics Association:
BEST ACTOR, Winner: Michael Fassbender, “A Dangerous Method,” “Jane Eyre,” “Shame,” “X-Men: First Class”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Winner: Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter,” “Texas Killing Fields,” “Tree of Life”

Sometimes these awards for multiple roles are warranted but in these two cases, come on.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 4:44 am**

Maybe that's just how they do it and always consider every role an actor takes in the year.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:02 pm**

I can't speak about Fassbender's work in A Dangerous Method or Shame as I haven't seen them yet, but he was very good in Jane Eyre and absolutely the best thing about X-Men: First Class. He was so good that I would much rather have preferred that movie be Erik Lensherr: Nazi Hunter than what it was. The man never gives less than 100% to a role, which is an admirable quality in an actor.

Are you working under the assumption that actors can only be good in "serious" films or do you find it ridiculous that someone could be considered the best performer of the year for a body of work as opposed to one performance?

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:25 pm**

Matt wrote:[Fassbender] was... absolutely the best thing about X-Men: First Class. He was so good that I would much rather have preferred that movie be Erik Lensherr: Nazi Hunter than what it was.

Damn straight! I've seen most of his work this year, but I honestly thought his work was in First Class was on par with the more celebrated stuff in Shame.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 10:41 pm**

Ballots for the Sight & Sound 2011 Critics Poll

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:26 pm**

AVClub's top 15 and ballots

I have to say, their taste is almost worryingly close to mine. I'm kicking myself for missing the chance to see Martha Marcy May Marlene now (Tabloid, too)

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:10 pm**

That's awfully predictable of them, typically conservative.

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:24 pm**

As usual, the individual ballots are more interesting than the master list. I don't know how conservative it is, though- I don't recall seeing Margaret or The Future on anyone else's list.

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:29 pm**

Even the individual lists seem to katow the 'what would the independent minded American like' line. There just seems to be nothing surprising, even something oddball like the Tribe Called Quest doc blandly fits with it's chooser too well.

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:43 pm**

I'm not sure I really understand your objection. I mean, they are all American reviewers, and as such they can only watch things that get a release of some kind within the US- which definitely cuts out a lot of great stuff, but I'm not sure of how one would get around that kind of problem.

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:49 pm**

I like how someone's individual list can somehow be criticised on here for containing too much groupthink

Posted: **Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:59 pm**

And how someone can be criticized for having a consistent taste.

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