American Film Institute (AFI) Name their Top Ten Films

The list is of the top ten films is pretty predictable, but two films are surprisingly missing Lee Daniel's The Butler and Dallas Buyers Club.  This list does not always perfectly match Oscar, but as years have moved forward they list has gotten closer and closer.  The Butler missing out here is a blow, and Thursday's SAG nominations will be a sign if the film is moving forward or "done."  This list of 2013 winners looks like a pretty close match on what to expect for Best Picture.

2013 Film Winners 

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Fruitvale Station
Gravity
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks 
The Wolf of Wall Street

Here is a look at the past winners, what was missing, and how close it matched the actual Best Picture line-up:

2012

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild 
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty 

8 out of 9, not including Amour.  Amour is a foreign language film and not eligible here.

2011

Bridesmaids
The Descendants  
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
J. Edgar
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

7 out of 9, missing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Artist, which was ineligible.

AFI Names Top Ten in Movies and Television for 2012

The American Film Institute (AFI) named their top ten in both film and television today, for the year 2012.  The AFI process have a "unique jury process in which scholars, film and television artists, critics and AFI Trustees determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a detailed rationale for each selection."  

The film list does not always indicate the Best Picture nominees, last year's list included Bridesmaids, and there have been many films included on this list, which did not make the cut, come oscar time.  the only major snub is The Master, but the inclusion of the Dark Knight Rises makes sense as it's the only blockbuster on the list.

Some may be wondering where films like Skyfall may be, but since Skyfall is seen as British film it is not in consideration, and my guess is the reason Les Mis made the list was because of Universal's production, otherwise the rest of these films are as American as apple pie.

Film
Argo
Beasts of the Souther Wild
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

On the television side, the only surprise for me is the exclusion of Veep and Parks and Recreation.  Veep should have made the cut!  Overall a solid list.

Television
American Horror Story
Breaking Bad
Game Change
Game of Thrones
Girls
Homeland
Louie
Mad Men
Modern Family
The Walking Dead

The Day of Awards! AFI, LA, Boston, and NY Online Film Critics Announce their Winners/Nominees

Boston Film Critics 

Best Picture: THE ARTIST (close seconds: HUGO and MARGARET)

Best Director: Martin Scorsese for HUGO. Close runner-up: THE ARTIST.

Best Actor: Brad Pitt for MONEYBALL Runners up: George Clooney for THE DESCENDANTS, Michael Fassbender for SHAME

Best Actress (another competitive one!): Michelle Williams for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN.

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for DRIVE

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy for BRIDESMAIDS. Jeannie Berlin: close second for MARGARET

Best Ensemble: CARNAGE (“MARGARET was a fairly close runner-up”)

Best Screenplay: MONEYBALL!

Best Use of Music: Cliff Martinez, DRIVE and Ludovic Bource, THE ARTIST! (a tie)  Runner up: THE DESCENDANTS

Best Editing: Christian Marclay for THE CLOCK! Runner-up: HUGO.

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, THE TREE OF LIFE. Runner-up: HUGO.

Best New Filmmaker (David Brudnoy Award): Sean Durkin for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. Runner-up: J. C. Chandor for MARIN CALL.

Best Documentary : PROJECT NIM (James Marsh, who made MAN ON WIRE). Close second: BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK

Best Foreign Film: INCENDIES  Runners up: A SEPARATION and POETRY)

NY Online Film Critics Awards

BEST PICTURE: THE ARTIST

BEST DIRECTOR – MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS for The Artist

BEST ACTOR: BEST ACTOR – MICHAEL SHANNON for Take Shelter (runners-up: MICHAEL FASSBENDER for Shame and GARY OLDMAN for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

BEST ACTRESS – MERYL STREEP for “The Iron Lady”

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – BRIDESMAIDS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – ALBERT BROOKS for Drive

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER: JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, Coriolanu

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – EMMANUEL LUBEZKI for The Tree of Life

BEST SCREENPLAY – ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON, JIM RASH for The Descendants. Runner-Up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants.”BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

BEST DOCUMENTARY – CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – A SEPARATION

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR – JOE CORNISH for Attack the Block

BEST USE OF MUSIC – LUDOVIC BOURCE for The Artist

LA Film Critics 

BEST PICTURE, Winner: “The Descendants.” Runner-Up: “The Tree of Life.”

BEST DIRECTOR, Winner: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life.” Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

BEST ACTOR, Winner: Michael Fassbender, “A Dangerous Method,” “Jane Eyre,” “Shame,” “X-Men: First Class.” Runner-Up: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter.”

BEST ACTRESS, Winner: Yun Jung-hee, “Poetry.” Runner-Up: Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Winner: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”Runner-Up: Patton Oswalt, “Young Adult.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Winner: Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter,” “Texas Killing Fields,” “Tree of Life” Runner-Up: Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs.”
BEST SCREENPLAY, Winner: Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation.”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Winner: Dante Ferretti, “Hugo.”  Runner-Up: Maria Djurkovic, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

BEST ANIMATION, Winner: “Rango.”BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life.”

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION, Winner: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.”BEST MUSIC/SCORE:  Winner: The Chemical Brothers, “Hanna.”  Runner-Up: Cliff Martinez, “Drive.”

AFI (films)

The Descendants

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Help

J. Edgar

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Bridesmaids