"The Artist" is still number one in the eyes of the critics. But watch out for "The Tree of Life" – because when it comes to hard-core cinephiles, Terrence Malick's dreamy, meditative piece has begun to get more love than Michel Hazanavicius' silent charmer.
When we checked in with critics awards around the country about a week-and-a-half ago, "The Artist" (left) held a comfortable but not insurmountable lead: It had won six best-film awards from regional and national critics' groups, to three for "The Descendants," two for "Tree of Life" and one for "Hugo."
Since then, a number of other groups have chimed in – and in regional critics' groups, "The Artist" has extended its lead by picking up kudos from Phoenix, St. Louis, Detroit, Oklahoma and San Diego critics.
"The Descendants," meanwhile, was named the year's best by the Dallas-Fort Worth critics and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, while "Drive" was the top choice in Utah and Dublin and "Hugo" was best in the eyes of the Austin critics.
But "The Tree of Life" has come on strong in polls of critics who specialize in indies and art movies. It was named 2011's best film a poll run jointly by alternative weeklies on both coasts, the Village Voice in New York and the L.A. Weekly in Los Angeles. It also topped indieWIRE's annual poll, and landed on top of Film Comment's list.
The breakdown of critics' awards announced in the past week and a half:
AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
The Texan critics became the second group to put Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" atop its list — though if you look at the total number of awards won, "Drive" came out on top with four. "Take Shelter," meanwhile, won three awards, while "Attack the Block" won two.
Best Film: "Hugo"
Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive"
Best Actor: Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Take Shelter"
Best Adapted Screenplay: "Drive"
Best Original Screenplay: "Midnight in Paris"
Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life"
Best Original Score: "Attack the Block"
Best Documentary: "Senna"
Best Foreign Language Film: "I Saw the Devil"
Breakthrough Artist Award: Jessica Chastain
Best First Film: Joe Cornish, "Attack the Block"
Austin Film Award: "Take Shelter"
Top 10 Films (in order): "Hugo," "Drive," "Take Shelter," "Midnight in Paris," "Attack the Block," "The Artist," "Martha Marcy May Marlene," "I Saw the Devil," "13 Assassins," "Melancholia"
CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
The city's critics took a more indie slant than most regional groups, with Terrence Malick's film taking the top award, and acting honors going to Michael Shannon for "Take Shelter' and Michelle Williams for "My Week With Marilyn." Otherwise, it's a lot of the usual suspects: "Rango," "A Separation," Albert Brooks for "Drive," cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for "The Tree of Life."
Best Picture: "The Tree of Life"
Best Director: Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Best Actor: Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"
Best Actress: Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, "The Tree of Life"
Best Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, "Moneyball"
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree of Life"
Best Original Score: Cliff Martinez, "Drive"
Best Foreign-language Film: "A Separation"
Best Animated Film: "Rango"
Best Documentary: "The Interrupters"
Most Promising Performer: Elizabeth Olsen, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Most Promising Filmmaker: Sean Durkin, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
They sure love "The Descendants" in Texas. The D-FW critics gave it four awards in addition to Best Film, honoring director Alexander Payne, actor George Clooney, supporting actress Shailene Woodley and its screenplay.
Best Film of 2011: "The Descendants"
Top 10 Films of the Year:
"The Descendants"
"The Artist"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Tree of Life"
"Hugo"
"50/50"
"Drive"
"Shame"
"Moneyball"
Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Best Actress: Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"
Best Director: Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "A Separation"
Best Documentary: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
Best Animated Film: "Rango"
Best Screenplay: "The Descendants"
Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life"
Russell Smith Award: "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
DETROIT FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
The Detroit critics liked a few tough movies – "Shame" won two acting awards, "Carnage" was honored for its ensemble – but for the big awards, they went for the crowd-pleaser, "The Artist." And like many other groups, they declined to single out one Jessica Chastain performance, instead saluting her for four.
Best Picture:
"The Artist"
Best Director:
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best Actor:
Michael Fassbender, "Shame"
Best Actress:
Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn"
Best Supporting Actor:
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Best Supporting Actress:
Carey Mulligan, "Shame"
Best Breakthrough Performance
: Jessica Chastain, "The Tree of Life," "The Help," "The Debt," "Take Shelter"
Best Ensemble:
"Carnage"
Best Screenplay:
"Moneyball"
Best Documentary:
"Tabloid"
DUBLIN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
A rare regional international group to chime in during awards season, the five-year-old Dublin Film Critics Circle found a clear favorite in Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive," which won three of the top awards. The group also broke with tradition by putting Chastain in the lead actress category.
Best Picture: "Drive"
Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive"
Best Actor: Ryan Gosling, "Drive"
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, "The Tree of Life"
Best Documentary: "Senna"
Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"
Best Irish Film: "The Guard"
Best Irish Documentary: "Knuckle"
International Breakthrough: Jessica Chastain, "The Help," "Take Shelter" and "The Tree of Life"
Domestic Breakthrough: John Michael McDonagh, "The Guard"
FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Only a single win for "The Artist" in Florida, in the Original Screenplay category. Otherwise, "The Descendants" won three, "Hugo" won two and Albert Brooks continued his surprising dominance in the Supporting Actor category.
Best Picture: "The Descendants"
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, "Shame"
Best Actress: Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"
Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Descendants"
Best Original Screenplay: "The Artist"
Best Art Direction/Production Design: "Hugo"
Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life"
Best Visual Effects: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Best Animated Feature: "The Adventures of Tintin"
Best Documentary: "Project Nim"
Best Foreign Language Film: "The Skin I Live In"
Breakout: Elizabeth Olsen, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
OKLAHOMA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Until you get to categories like documentary and foreign-language film, the Oklahoma critics serve as a pretty accurate summary of the most-honored films and performances in most categories: "The Artist," George Clooney, Albert Brooks, Octavia Spencer … They are the first critics' group to name a favorite guilty pleasure, which is "Fright Night."
Top 10:
1. "The Artist"
2. "Drive"
3. "The Descendants"
4. "Hugo"
5. "Shame"
6. "Moneyball"
7. "Midnight in Paris"
8. "Melancholia"
9. "The Tree of Life"
10. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Best Film: "The Artist"
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best First Feature: Sean Durkin, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Best Actress: Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Best Screenplay, Adaptation: "Moneyball," Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
Best Screenplay, Original: "The Artist," Michel Hazanavicius
Best Documentary Film: "Page One: Inside the New York Times"
Best Foreign Language Film: "The Skin I Live In"
Best Animated Film: "The Adventures of Tintin"
Obviously Worst Film: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Not-So-Obviously Worst Film: "The Hangover Part 2"
Best Guilty Pleasure: "Fright Night"
PHOENIX FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
They went against the consensus last year and chose "The King's Speech" over "The Social Network," but this year the Phoenix critics fell right in line behind the frontrunner. Not only did they name "The Artist" the year's best film, but they gave it eight more awards, a dominating showing that far outstripped any other film.
Best Picture: "The Artist"
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Best Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Help"
Best Original Screenplay: "The Artist"
Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life"
Best Costume Design: "The Artist"
Best Film Editing: "The Artist"
Best Original Score: "The Artist"
Best Production Design: "Hugo"
Best Visual Effects: "Hugo"
Best Animated Film: "Rango"
Best Documentary: "Page One: Inside the New York Times"
Best Foreign Language Film: "The Skin I Live In"
Best Ensemble Acting: "Super 8"
Breakthrough Performance on Camera: Thomas Horn, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Breakthrough Performance Behind the Camera: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role: Saoirse Ronan, "Hanna"
Best Stunts: "Drive"
Best Live Action Family Film: "The Muppets"
The Overlooked Film of the Year: "A Better Life"
SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
Apparently a schizophrenic bunch, the San Diego critics went mainstream with their top choice, "The Artist," but then saluted "Drive" director Refn, and pulled out a real wild card with Best Actress winner Brit Marling from "Another Earth." Their animation and foreign language choices, "Arthur Christmas" and "Le Quattro Volte," respectively, were other unlikely choices.
Best Film: "The Artist"
Runners-up: "Drive," "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris," "The Tree of Life"
Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive"
Best Actress: Brit Marling, "Another Earth"
Best Actor: Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"
Best Supporting Actor: Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, "Moneyball"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Le Quattro Volte"
Best Documentary: "Project Nim"
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree of Life'
Best Animated Film: "Arthur Christmas"
Best Editing: Oliver Bugge Coutté, "Beginners"
Best Production Design: Dante Ferretti, "Hugo"
Best Score: Alexandre Desplat, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Best Ensemble Performance: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Body of Work for 2011: Jessica Chastain
Kyle Counts Award:
Lee Ann Kim, San Diego Asian Film Foundation
ST LOUIS FILM CRITICS
"The Artist" won even more than usual from the St. Louis Film Critics, with honors not only for the picture and director, but for supporting actress Berenice Bejo and the film's screenplay. In the Best Actress race, "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" Rooney Mara got tough with more typical winners Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams.
Best Film:
"The Artist"
Runner-up: "The Descendants"
Best Director:
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Runner-up: Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Best Actor:
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Runner-up: Ryan Gosling, "Drive"
Best Actress:
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
Runners-up (tie): Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady," and Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Runner-up: Alan Rickman, "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Best Supporting Actress:
Bérénice Bejo, "The Artist"
Runners-up: (tie): Octavia Spencer, "The Help," and Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"
Best Original Screenplay:
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Runner-up: Will Reiser, "50/50"
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash and Kaui Hart Hemmings (novel) for "The Descendants"
Runner-up: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin and Michael Lewis (book) for "Moneyball"
Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree Of Life"
Runners-up (tie): Jeff Cronenweth, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," and Janusz Kaminski, "War Horse"
Best Visual Effects:
"Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Runner-up: "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes"
Best Music:
"The Artist"
Runner-up: "Drive"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "13 Assassins"
Runner-up: "Winter in Wartime"
Best Documentary: "Being Elmo"
Runner-up: "Tabloid"
Best Comedy:
"Bridesmaids"
Runner-up: Midnight In Paris
Best Animated Film:
"The Adventures of Tintin"
Runner-up: "Rango"
Best Art-House or Festival Film: "We Need To Talk About Kevin"
Runner-up: "Win Win"
Best Scene:
"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" opening credits
Runner-up: "The Artist" dance scene finale
SOUTHEASTERN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Made up of 40-plus film journalists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia, the SFCA opted for a top three of "The Descendants," "The Artist" and "Hugo." By naming runners-up, they were able to nod in the direction of Michael Fassbender in "Shame," Tilda Swinton in "We Need to Talk About Kevin."
Top 10 Films
"The Descendants"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"The Tree of Life"
"Drive"
"Midnight in Paris"
"Win Win"
"War Horse"
"The Help"
Best Actor:George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Runner-up – Michael Fassbender, "Shame"
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Runner-up – Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Best Supporting Actor:Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Runner-up: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Best Supporting Actress:
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Runner-up: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"
Best Ensemble:
"The Help"
Runner-up, "The Descendants"
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Runner-up – Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best Original Screenplay: "Midnight in Paris"
Runner-up: "The Artist"
Best Adapted Screenplay:"The Descendants"
Runner-up: "Moneyball"
Best Documentary:
"Project Nim"
Runner-up: "Tabloid"
Best Foreign-Language Film:"A Separation"
Runner-up: "The Skin I Live In"
Best Animated Film:
"Rango"
Runner-up: "The Adventures of Tintin"
Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life"
Runner-up: "Hugo"
The Gene Wyatt Award: "The Help"
Runner-up: "Undefeated"
UTAH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
The Utah critics made some of the most idiosyncratic choices of any critics' group: "Drive" as Best Picture, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Best Actor for "50/50," Any Ryan as Best Supporting Actress for "Win Win" … The group also gave the Best Cinematography award to Newton Thomas Sigel for "Drive," breaking the stranglehold on that category previously enjoyed by Emmanuel Lubezki for "The Tree of Life." (Lubezki was named runner-up.)
Best Picture:
"Drive"
Runner-up: "The Artist"
Best Achievement in Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Runner-up: Nicholas Winding Refn, "Drive"
Best Lead Performance by an Actor: Joseph Gordon-Levitt: "50/50"
Runner-up: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Best Lead Performance by an Actress:
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Runner-up: Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Best Supporting Performance by an Actor:
Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Runner-up: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Best Supporting Performance by an Actress: Amy Ryan, "Win Win"
Runner-up: Vanessa Redgrave, "Coriolanus"
Best Original Screenplay:
Will Reiser, "50/50"
Runner-up: Mike Mills, Beginners
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
Runner-up: Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller, "The Muppets"
Best Cinematography:
Newton Thomas Sigel, "Drive"
Runner-up: Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree of Life"
Best Documentary Feature:
"Senna"
Runner-up: "Project Nim"
Best Non-English Language Feature:
"A Separation"
Runner-up: "13 Assassins"
Best Animated Feature:
"Rango"
Runners-up: "The Adventures of Tintin" and "Kung Fu Panda 2"
BLACK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
"The Help" and "Pariah" were the big winners, with the former moving taking five awards, including Best Picture, and the latter winning three, including Best Director and Best Independent Film.
Best Picture: "The Help"
Best Director: Dee Rees for "Pariah"
Best Actor: Olivier Litondo for "The First Grader"
Best Actress: Viola Davis for "The Help"
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for "Drive"
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer for "The Help"
Best Independent Film: "Pariah"
Best Original Screenplay: Dee Rees for "Pariah"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tate Taylor for "The Help"
Best Documentary: "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey"
Best Foreign Film: "Life, Above All"
Best Animated Film: "Rango"
Best Ensemble: "The Help"
Top 10 Films of 2011
"The Help"
"The Artist"
"Pariah"
"Drive"
"The Descendants"
"Attack the Block"
"The Tree of Life"
"Hugo"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Warrior"
Pioneer: Harry Belafonte
Rising Star: Adepero Oduye
Special Mention: "Attack the Block"
WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Rather than hand out awards in the usual fields, the group of 57 female critics and scholars offers a wide variety of honors, from the usual ones (Best Actress, Best Actor) to offbeat categories like Best Female Images in a Movie, Best Equality of the Sexes and the Mommie Dearest Worst Screen Mom of the Year Award. (Judi Dench won that last one for "J. Edgar."
Best Movie by a Woman: (tie) "The Iron Lady" and "We Need To Talk About Kevin"
Best Movie About Women: "The Help"
Best Woman Storyteller (Screenwriting Award): "The Iron Lady," Abi Morgan
Best Actress: Viola Davis, "The Help"
Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Best Comedic Actress: Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Best Young Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"
Best Foreign Film by or About Women: "The Hedgehog"
Best Female Images in a Movie: "The Whistleblower"
Worst Female Images in a Movie: "Melancholia"
Best Male Images in a Movie: "The Descendants"
Worst Male Images in a Movie: "Hangover 2"
Best Documentary by or About Women: "Always Faithful"
Best Family Film: "Hugo"
Best Animated females: "Puss in Boots"
Best Equality of the Sexes: "The Debt"
Courage in Acting (Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen): Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
The Invisible Woman Award
(Performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored): "Miral," Hiram Abbass; "Meek's Cutoff," Michelle Williams
Women's Work: Best Ensemble: "The Help"
Best Screen Couple: "The Artist," Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin
Lifetime Achievement: Kathy Bates, Cicely Tyson
Acting and Activism: Elizabeth Taylor
Adrienne Shelly Award (For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women): "The Whistleblower"
Josephine Baker Award
(For best expressing the woman of color experience in America): "The Help"
Karen Morley Award
(For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity): "Albert Nobbs"
Mommie Dearest Worst Screen Mom of the Year Award: Judi Dench, "J. Edgar"
FILM COMMENT
You won't find many Oscar contenders in the Film Comment lineup – instead, the magazine's critics went for the more rarefied likes of "Uncle Boonmee" and "Mysteries of Lisbon" and "Certified Copy." But as it usually does in these kind of polls, "The Tree of Life" topped the list.
Best Released Films of 2011
1. "The Tree of Life"
2. "Uncle Boonmee, Who Can Recall His Past Lives"
3. "Melancholia"
4. "A Separation"
5. "A Dangerous Method"
6. "Mysteries of Lisbon"
7. "Certified Copy"
8. "Meek’s Cutoff"
9. "Hugo"
10. "Poetry"
INDIEWIRE CRITICS POLL
The voters are a large group of critics who cover indie film – and that means that once again it's Malick time. Many of the same films that show up on the Film Comment and Village Voice/LA Weekly lists make the cut here, as well.
Best Film
1. "The Tree of Life"
2. "Melancholia"
3. "A Separation"
4. "Drive"
5. "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives"
6. "Certified Copy"
7. "Mysteries of Lisbon"
8. "Hugo"
9. "Margaret"
10. "Meek’s Cutoff"
11. "Shame"
12. "The Descendants"
13. "The Artist"
14. "Take Shelter"
15. "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
VILLAGE VOICE/L.A. WEEKLY CRITICS POLL
On a list heavy with international art films, "The Tree of Life" is the only film from an American director in the top six, and one of only four in the top 10. Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," which finished 11th is the highest-ranked film from a major Hollywood studio. "The Artist" cracked the top 20 – though it also wound up in fourth place in the poll's worst-movie list, a showing no doubt prompted by its awards success so far. And Kenneth Lonergan's troubled and barely-seen "Margaret" won Best Screenplay and two acting awards.
Best Film
1. "The Tree of Life"
2. "A Separation"
3. "Melancholia"
4. "Certified Copy"
5. "Mysteries of Lisbon"
6. "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives"
7. "Margaret"
8. "Meek’s Cutoff"
9. "Drive"
10. "Take Shelter"
Actor: Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"
Actress: Anna Paquin, "Margaret"
Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"
Supporting Actress: Jeannie Berlin, "Margaret"
Documentary: "The Interrupters"
First Feature: "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Animated Feature: "Rango"
Screenplay: "Margaret"
Worst Film: "I Melt With You"