There had been so much advance word on Glenn Close in this film, that by the time I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival, I was expecting to see something astonishing that would rock my world, and mesmerize me on so many levels. It does not happen, and though Close is very good in the film, it is hardly the sort of performance that wins Academy Awards, though make no mistake, she is well liked enough, and has lost enough times, that she could indeed win an Oscar for this. The actress has been trying to get a film version made since playing the part on stage thirty years ago, just as her film career was taking off with her superb performance in The World According to Garp (1982). In her early film work she seemed to be cast as this saintly woman, not better than the rest of us, just capable of better actions than the rest of us. It began with The World According to Garp (1982) and an Oscar nomination, and was followed in rapid succession by The Big Chill (1983) and then The Natural (1984) in which she is portraying for all intent and purpose, an angel. When Maxie (1985) failed, and did so miserably, she took stock of her career and came roaring back with Fatal Attraction (1987) as the date from hell, a single woman, deeply troubled who gets involved with a married man and makes his life a living hell. Sexy, and I mean drop dead sexy, close was remarkable in the film, showing a side of herself as an actor on film audiences had never previously seen, and she terrified them. Nominated for an Oscar she should have won, the film was a smash hit and Close was atop Hollywood.
Read more on Albert Nobbs (**)…
 Picture: Tree of Life
2. Drive
3. Pariah
4. Rampart
5. Shame
6. Moneyball
7. The Descendants
8. A Better Life
9. My Week With Marylin
10. The Help
Read more on African-American Film Critics Awards ‘The Tree of Life’…
 Andy Serkis gets a mention for “The Rise of the Planet of the Apes” while Michael Shannon get another push for “Take Shelter.” Is he making a big play for Best Actor? Also, Brendan Gleeson gets his first mention for “The Guard.”
Read more on San Diego Film Nominations…
 Each year I very much look forward to this reveal of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. This year is no exception and I’m pleases to share the full list with you, including an introduction from The Black List:
The Black List was compiled from the suggestions of over 300 film executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of their favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2011 and will not have begun principal photography during this calendar year.
This year, scripts had to receive at least six mentions to be included on the The Black List.
All reasonable effort has been made to confirm the information contained herein. The Black List apologizes for all misspellings, misattributions, incorrect representation identification, and questionable 2011 affiliations.
It has been said many times, but it’s worth repeating:
The Black List is not a “best of “ list. It is, at best, a “most liked” list.
Enjoy.
Read more on The 2011 Black List is here!…
 Here are the nominees from the St. Louis critics, who may like Drive more than any other group so far during this precursor season. Behold their full nominations:
Best Film
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“My Week with Marilyn”
“The Tree of Life”
Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
David Fincher, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Ryan Gosling, “Drive”
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Read more on ‘The Artist’ and ‘Drive’ Lead the St. Louis Film Critics!…
 See all the winners side-by-side especially after this week’s heavy award citations from New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.
Look at who’s in the lead!
Click HERE or on the Precursors TAB on the header.
Read more on Make Sure to Check out the Precursors Page!…
 Best Film of the Year
Winner: The Artist
Runner-up: The Descendants
Other Finalists: Coriolanus, Drive, Hugo, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Muppets, The Skin I Live In, Super 8, The Tree of Life
Read more on Indiana Film Critics Winners!…
 So in case you weren’t aware, there were a few announcements of critics’ group awards yesterday. As in, a seeming tidal wave of them. Most of the announcements were relatively diverse compared to previous years, even if The Artist has clearly positioned itself as the film to beat come Oscar time. But as usual, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association marched to the beat of their own drum and had (if we ignore its rotting corpse of a Best Picture winner) arguably the most interesting and laudable picks of the bunch. The most egalitarian of their choices, by far, was their Best Actress citation of Yun Jeong-hie for her performance in Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry.
While some have hastily dismissed this verdict as deliberately going against the grain, those who have actually seen the film were far more complimentary. Yun, it should be noted, is not some outsider who stumbled into an extraordinary performance. Quite the contrary, she is arguably South Korea’s answer to Meryl Streep, with nearly three hundred films and several acclaimed performances to her name ever since her feature debut Sorrowful Youth in 1967. She retired in 1994, and though she received numerous offers to return to acting, she claimed she “was waiting for something special” to bring her out of retirement. In Korea, Lee Chang-dong is about as special as it gets, especially when it comes to great acting roles for women. Read more on Poetry (***)…
 Another critics group to add on to the pile…why not? We certainly can’t say it hasn’t been busy around here the past day or so. Here’s what the Bay Area had to say:
Best Picture: “The Tree of Life”
Best Director: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Best Actor: Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Read more on San Francisco Film Critics Circle Winners!…
 As if we haven’t had enough precursors in the last 24 hours, here’s one more to take a look at. These are nominations, not winners, but it’s still interesting to see. Behold…
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Hugo”
“Take Shelter”
“The Tree of Life”
Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Jeff Nichols, “Take Shelter”
Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Read more on Detroit Film Critics Society Nominations!…
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 12/11)…
Categories: Circuit Round-Up Tags: Certified Copy, Circuit Round-Up, Hugo, I Melt With You, Meryl Streep, My Week With Marilyn, New Year's Eve, Nostalgia for the Light, Puncture, The Debt, the girl with the dragon tattoo, The Iron Lady, The Muppets, The Turin Horse, Young Adult
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