Welcome to the first of many articles to come in a series called “Mr. Oscar” Meier. Most know me as a huge nut about movies, but those who really know who I am will tell you I’m even more so an enormous nut about the Academy Awards. As soon as I get any sort of whiff of an indication about how one year’s awards season will build up, I will make it my civic duty to inform you what I think the latest current outcome (nomination announcements, critics’ winners, etc.) means for the road ahead. After each article, I’ll post the stats for the ten films I believe to be the most appreciated. However this article is an exception since we honestly don’t have a best ten of contenders yet.
Today we start with nominations for the British Independent Film Awards and the Gotham Independent Film Awards. The BIFA nominations – announced on Halloween – confirm a lot of folks’ expectations for the upcoming Gary Oldman headliner Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, handing out spots for Best British Independent Film, Best Direction for Tomas Alfredson, Best Actor for Oldman, and three supporting nods for Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, and co-star of last year’s Inception Tom Hardy. What may be more interesting is the film’s failure to nab a spot in the category of Best Screenplay while two other Best Film nominees – We Need to Talk About Kevin (the Tilda Swinton picture about the parents of a murderer) and Shame (the buzzed about NC-17 film starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan) – grabbed chances for Screenplay, Direction, and various acting awards. Other notable contenders are Paddy Considine’s directorial debut Tyrannosaur which earned a total of six BIFA nominations (including Best Film) and Kill List and Submarine – both earning five. Rounding out the Best Film nominees is the critically acclaimed racing documentary Senna. The winners will be revealed on December 4th.
Eleven days earlier, the recently released Martha Marcy May Marlene and the latest from Oscar-winner Alexander Payne The Descendants were the most dominant in earning nominations from the Gotham Awards. Both films received three nods and compete against each other for Best Ensemble Performance and Best Breakthrough Performance (Shailene Woodley for Descendants and Elizabeth Olsen for Martha). The thus far well-received Descendants will attempt to win Best Picture over Beginners, Meek’s Cutoff, Take Shelter, and The Tree of Life on November 28th.
Now for my established method of listing all of the pre-Oscars awards for your reading pleasure. Look for the official alphabetical listing of this year’s eligible films (so far) after the key chart. Be sure to check back for more “Mr. Oscar” Meier articles within MEIER! in a Crowded Theater – here on GTTM.
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KEY:
AA = Academy Awards
AFI = American Film Institute’s 10 Best Films of the Year
B = Boston Society of Film Critics
BAFTA = BAFTA Awards
BIFA = British Independent Film Awards
CCA = Broadcast Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Awards
GA = Gotham Independent Film Awards
GG = Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Golden Globe Awards
ISA = Film Independent Spirit Awards
LA = Los Angeles Film Critics Association
NBR = National Board of Review
NS = National Society of Film Critics
NYC = New York Film Critics Circle
NYO = New York Film Critics Online
SF = San Francisco Critics
T = Toronto Film Critics
SAG = Screen Actors Guild Awards
DGA = Directors Guild of America Awards
WGA = Writers Guild of America Awards
PGA = Producers Guild of America Awards
* = within a tie
** = winner of the category
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FILMS OF 2011:
Albatross
– Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones): BIFA
– Breakthrough Performance (Jessica Brown Findlay): BIFA
Another Earth
– Breakthrough Direction (Mike Cahill): GA
Attack the Block
– Breakthrough Performance (John Boyega): BIFA
– Best Debut Direction (Joe Cornish): BIFA
The Awakening
– Best Actress (Rebecca Hall): BIFA
Beginners
– Best Picture: GA
– Best Ensemble Performance a-k-a Best Cast: GA
Bellflower
– Breakthrough Direction (Evan Glodell): GA
Better This World
– Best Documentary Feature: GA
Bill Cunningham New York
– Best Documentary Feature: GA
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
– Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: GA
Coriolanus
– Best Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave): BIFA
– Best Debut Direction (Ralph Fiennes): BIFA
The Descendants
– Best Picture: GA
– Best Ensemble Performance a-k-a Best Cast: GA
– Breakthrough Performance (Shailene Woodley): GA
Drive
– Best Foreign Film: BIFA
Green
– Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: GA
The Guard
– Best Actor (Brendan Gleeson): BIFA
– Best Debut Direction (John Michael McDonagh): BIFA
– Best Screenplay (John Michael McDonagh): BIFA
Gun Hill Road
– Breakthrough Performance (Harmony Santana): GA
Hell and Back Again
– Best Documentary Feature: BIFA, GA
Higher Ground
– Breakthrough Direction (Vera Farmiga): GA
The Interrupters
– Best Documentary Feature: GA
Jane Eyre
– Best Actress (Mia Wasikowska): BIFA
Kill List
– Best Actor (Neil Maskell): BIFA
– Best Actress (MyAnna Burring): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actor (Michael Smiley): BIFA
– Best Direction (Ben Wheatley): BIFA
– Best Screenplay (Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump): BIFA
Like Crazy
– Breakthrough Performance (Felicity Jones): GA
Life in a Day
– Best Documentary Feature: BIFA
Margin Call
– Best Ensemble Performance a-k-a Best Cast: GA
Martha Marcy May Marlene
– Best Ensemble Performance a-k-a Best Cast: GA
– Breakthrough Performance (Elizabeth Olsen): GA
– Breakthrough Direction (Sean Derkin): GA
Meek’s Cutoff
– Best Picture: GA
Pariah
– Breakthrough Direction (Dee Rees): GA
Pina
– Best Foreign Film: BIFA
Project Nim
– Best Documentary Feature: BIFA
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
– Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: GA
Scenes of a Crime
– Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: GA
Senna
– Best Picture: BIFA
– Best Documentary Feature: BIFA
A Separation
– Best Foreign Film: BIFA
Shame
– Best Picture: BIFA
– Best Actor (Michael Fassbender): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actress (Carey Mulligan): BIFA
– Best Direction (Steve McQueen): BIFA
– Best Screenplay (Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen): BIFA
The Skin I Live In
– Best Foreign Film: BIFA
Submarine
– Best Supporting Actress (Sally Hawkins): BIFA
– Breakthrough Performance (Craig Roberts): BIFA
– Breakthrough Performance (Yasmin Paige): BIFA
– Best Debut Direction (Richard Ayoade): BIFA
– Best Screenplay (Richard Ayoade): BIFA
Take Shelter
– Best Picture: GA
– Best Ensemble Performance a-k-a Best Cast: GA
Terri
– Breakthrough Performance (Jacob Wysocki): GA
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
– Best Picture: BIFA
– Best Actor (Gary Oldman): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actor (Tom Hardy): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actress (Kathy Burke): BIFA
– Best Direction (Tomas Alfredson): BIFA
The Tree of Life
– Best Picture: GA
TT3D: Closer to the Edge
– Best Documentary Feature: BIFA
Tyrannosaur
– Best Picture: BIFA
– Best Actor (Peter Mullan): BIFA
– Best Actress (Olivia Colman): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Marsan): BIFA
– Best Direction (Paddy Considine): BIFA
– Best Debut Direction (Paddy Considine): BIFA
We Need to Talk About Kevin
– Best Picture: BIFA
– Best Actress (Tilda Swinton): BIFA
– Best Supporting Actor (Ezra Miller): BIFA
– Best Direction (Lynne Ramsay): BIFA
– Best Screenplay (Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear): BIFA
Weekend
– Breakthrough Performance (Peter Cullen): BIFA
Without
– Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: GA
The Woodmans
– Best Documentary Feature: GA