There is nothing quite like sitting on a Greyhound bus and reading the tweets of your fellow film bloggers as several critics groups announce their annual awards. I probably seemed like a crazy person, muttering to myself about The Social Network. This awards’ season critical darling cleaned up at the Boston Film Critics, LA Film Critics and NY Film Critics Online awards. It was also named one of the ten best films of the year by the American Film Institute.
There were also plenty of surprises, courtesy of Colin Firth, Melissa Leo, Niels Arestrup and Carlos, to keep things interesting. Here is a breakdown of the winners.
The most surprising and interesting critics awards yet. Sure The Social Network was named Best Picture but its star Jesse Eisenberg was left out of the mix. With Firth’s LAFCA win, the Best Actor race definitely came alive today. (He apparently lost the Best Actor prize from the Boston critics by just one vote.) Likewise, Natalie Portman for her performance in Black Swan was left off the winner’s list in favor of Kim Hye-Ja in Mother. Arguably the most surprising win of all is Niels Arestrup for his supporting role in A Prophet. (For an explanation of A Prophet‘s and Mother‘s Oscar eligibility, head here.)
Best Picture – The Social Network
(Runner-up: Carlos)
Best Actor – Colin Firth, The Kings Speech
(Runner-up: Edgar Ramirez, Carlos)
Best Actress – Kim Hye-Ja, Mother
(Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone)
Best Supporting Actor – Niels Arestrup, A Prophet
(Runner-up: Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech)
Best Supporting Actress – Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
(Runner-up: Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer)
Best Director – Olivier Assayas, Carlos and David Fincher, The Social Network (tie)
Best Screenplay – The Social Network
(Runner-up: The King’s Speech)
Best Cinematography – Black Swan
(Runner-up: True Grit)
What has made me beyond ecstatic here is Melissa Leo’s win. Leo is by far my favorite, and often one of the most unappreciated, actresses. Any attention a performance of her’s receives makes me happy. Other than that, the NY Film Critics named, at this point, fairly expected winners.
Best Picture – The Social Network
Best Actor – James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Actress – Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Director – David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Supporting Actor – Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress – Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Best Breakthrough Performer – Noomi Repace, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Best Debut Director – John Wells, The Company Men
Best Ensemble Cast – The Kids Are All Right
Best Screenplay – Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
American Film Institute Top 10
In a top 10 list that is fairly safe, although it is filled with excellent movies, Winter’s Bone stands out to me as an exciting selection. Special awards were given to The King’s Speech and Waiting for Superman.
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
@Cinefille 