Could Fassbender be eyeing Oscar?Andreas here. Want to see end-of-year craziness in action? Look at today: first, the Boston Society of Film Critics announces their awards, then before they've finished, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Film Critics Online start tag-teaming it! It all starts to blend together sometimes -- Emmanuel Plummer won for something called Drivemaids? -- but no worries, we've got it straightened out:
First, the LAFCA winners...
PICTURE The Descendants (runner-up: The Tree of Life)
DIRECTOR Terence Malick for The Tree of Life
(Runner-up: Martin Scorsese for Hugo)
ACTRESS Yun Jung-hee for Poetry
(Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia)
ACTOR Michael Fassbender for A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, and X-Men: First Class
(Runner-up: Michael Shannon for Take Shelter)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jessica Chastain for everything
(Runner-up: Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs)
SUPPORTING ACTOR Christopher Plummer for Beginners
(Runner-up: Patton Oswalt for Young Adult)
CINEMATOGRAPHY Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life
(Runner-up: Cao Yu for City of Life and Death)
PRODUCTION DESIGN Dante Ferretti for Hugo
(Runner-up: Maria Djurkovic for Tinker Tailor)
DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION Cave of Forgotten Dreams
(Runner-up: The Arbor)
ANIMATION Rango
(Runner-up: The Adventures of Tintin)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM City of Life and Death
(Runner-up: A Separation)
NEW GENERATION The creative team behind Martha Marcy May Marlene
INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL Spark of Being
BEST MUSIC/SCORE The Chemical Brothers for Hanna
(Runner-up: Cliff Martinez for Drive)
Commentary and NYFCO awards after the jump.
As awards season gets rolling, the LAFCA gives us a breath of fresh air -- or, if you will, a dose of sanity. They're clearly not trying to predict the Oscars, as those bold Actor/Actress selections prove. And some other surprises: Patton Oswalt! Hanna! The British doc The Arbor! (Have you seen that? If not, it's on Netflix Instant and very worth your time.)
The Artist: Too charming for the NYFCO to resist
Now for the NYFCO's choices...
PICTURE The Artist
DIRECTOR Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
SCREENPLAY The Descendants
ACTRESS Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
(Runner-up: Viola Davis for The Help)
ACTOR Michael Shannon for Take Shelter
(Runner-ups: Michael Fassbender for Shame and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids
SUPPORTING ACTOR Albert Brooks for Drive
CINEMATOGRAPHY Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life
DOCUMENTARY Cave of Forgotten Dreams
ANIMATED FEATURE The Adventures of Tintin
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM A Separation
ANIMATED FEATURE The Adventures of Tintin
DEBUT DIRECTOR Joe Cornish for Attack the Block
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER Jessica Chastain (in everything)
ENSEMBLE CAST Bridesmaids
USE OF MUSIC Ludovic Bource for The Artist
Amongst a bunch of expected picks (The Artist, The Descendants, Streep), the shocker here is Best Actor. No Pitt, Clooney, or Dujardin in sight; instead, it's a trio of critically adored performances in small movies that'll need all the help they can get. So kudos to the NYFCO for giving those guys and the gals from Bridesmaids a boost!
Between these critics' awards and the BSFC earlier today, a few early favorites are emerging: The Descendants vs. The Artist, Brooks vs. Plummer, and A Separation representing the rest of the world. How many of these trends will keep going into Oscar season? This early, to quote William Goldman, "nobody knows anything." Which of these critics' picks are you most delighted by?