New York Film Critics Circle Kicks Off Awards Season By Anointing Streep, Pitt, The Artist

The New York Film Critics Circle made waves by moving their awards announcement up to November 29 in an effort to claim "First!" but Oscar-watchers have to admit: Between the NYFCC Twitter roll-out and this morning's Spirit Awards nominations, there's a crackle in the air on an otherwise slo-o-o-w news day. So what if the New York critics didn't get a chance to see everything before voting today? They saw Tree of Life! (Clearly.) Hit the jump for the list of winners.

List of NYFCC winners, updated as announced:

Best First Feature: Margin Call

Best Nonfiction Film: Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain for Tree of Life, The Help, and Take Shelter

Best Actress: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for Drive

Best Actor: Brad Pitt for Moneyball and Tree of Life

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

Best Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for Tree of Life

2011 Special Award to be given posthumously to filmmaker Raoul Ruiz

Best Picture: The Artist

...

Thoughts so far (add your own below):

It's certainly been a banner year for Chastain, but Pitt for Best Actor? That oughta shake things up in the Oscarsphere. And what's with this idea of awarding a performer for multiple cumulative performances vs. one great turn?

Love for Cave of Forgotten Dreams? Huzzah for Herzog!

If anyone's keeping tabs, Roger Friedman's been scooping the NYFCC on their own awards announcements on Twitter.

With that, Moneyball's back in the minds of awards season watchers. Is it on deck for the Oscars? Will it hit for the cycle? (Does that make the NYFCC win the equivalent of notching an awards season single?)

Aaaaand Best Pic goes to The Artist. Thanks for that special screening of Dragon Tattoo, but no thanks.



Comments

  • orlando says:

    The Herzog doc is not elegible for Oscar, right? too bad. Wouldn't it be awesome if it scored a best pic nod?!

  • S.T. VanAirsdale says:

    That is true about the Herzog film. What's especially strange is that _Cave_ actually qualified for the Oscars _last_ year; this year's Herzog film in the running was _Into the Abyss_, at least until it didn't make the Academy shortlist. Alas!

  • Kcrykl says:

    Into the Abyss is probably my favorite Herzog since Grizzly Man, a film that I recall you thought was overrated, though I will give you props for pointing out that wonderful parody of it, Grizzly Bear Man.

  • AS says:

    Ok, F U C K The Artist. I'm not going to act like a pseudo intellectual, silent films were GREAT!, in 1915. It's 2011! I can appreciate the skill and talent of the people who made it but stop acting like it's the second coming of Christ.

  • Charles says:

    I'm guessing Pitt was phenomenal in "Tree of Life," because if he gave THE male performance of the year in "Moneyball," then this was an extremely weak year for male actors. Btw, I thought Pitt gave an excellent performance -- the best I've seen from him -- just not a prizeworthy one.

  • Debby says:

    I like Meryl Streep. She is gorgeous. Excellent actress.

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