The Houston Film Critics Society complete list of 2011 winners:
2011 Best Picture - The Descendants
2011 Best Director - Nicholas Winding Refn, Drive
2011 Best Actor - Michael Fassbender, Shame
2011 Best Actress - Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
2011 Best Supporting Actor - Albert Brooks, Drive
2011 Best Supporting Actress - Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
2011 Best Screenplay - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
2011 Best Animated Film - Rango
2011 Best Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
2011 Best Documentary - Project Nim
2011 Best Foreign Film - I Saw The Devil
2011 Best Original Score - Ludovic Bource, The Artist
2011 Best Original Song - ”Life’s A Happy Song” from
The Muppets, music & lyrics by Bret McKenzie
2011 Technical Achievement – Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2011 Worst Film of the Year – Your Highness
2011 Humanitarian of the Year Award – Joanne King Herring
2011 Lifetime Achievement Award – Jeff Bridges
2011 Outstanding Achievement – Hunter Todd
2011 Outstanding Achievement – Mary Lampe
The Houston Film Critics Society Top Ten Films for 2011:
- The Descendants
- The Artist
- Drive
- Midnight in Paris
- The Tree of Life
- Win Win
- Take Shelter
- The Help
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
- War Horse
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Someone’s going to need to explain why Drive is one of the year’s best. This seems like something Clint Eastwood would have been in in the 70s. It’s entertaining for sure, but a great example of filmmaking this year…I don’t think it’s quite top ten material.
Balls. It’s a BRILLIANT character study. Read my review and you’ll agree. If you still don’t, we’ll debate it out. x)
The review is interesting, but comparing it to Taxi Driver, I think, is a disservice. Travis and ‘Driver’ are two very different people. And the violence in Taxi Driver fits. You know form the beginning that you’re dealing with someone capable of some pretty awful things. And in Drive I never really felt like Gosling convinced me the way DeNiro did. Albert Brooks is good, but I can’t help but picture Marlin the clown fish when he talks. He’s still convincing and, for me, the best part of that movie. I laughed at Cranston more than anything. Carey Mulligan was underused for this. My biggest problem is with the lack of dialogue for ‘Driver’. Gosling didn’t really get to me with his facial expressions or presenting the character’s feminine side. I like the performance from Half Nelson, Ides, or even Crazy Stupid Love over this. The comment that this is a genre arthouse film is spot on. But I wouldn’t go further than that. It felt like an attempt to make a high brow 80s movie that (again) Clint Eastwood would have been in…or maybe Charles Bronson considering the violence. It’s nice entertainment…but if I want a character study that involves a car I’m going to go back to Taxi Driver time after time. Probably a 2&12 or 3 star movie for me. Not bad, but not utterly brilliant either.
If we’re going to state opinions, then we can only agree to disagree. I was hoping to discuss the character and, as you might believe, its inconsistencies. In any case, I suggest you give the movie another shot.
no way! Drive was so inventive, delicate yet pounding, and very hip.
Drive first of all is a genre arthouse film and a real first class top notch film too. Despite the intense violence of the film, it is extremely well written helmed by great direction by Refn and offers great performances by Gosling, Brooks, Mulligan, and Cranston
Honestly I don’t get how The Descendants is killing it… I LIKED the movie, but it’s not anything close to Payne’s Sideways. It was rushed and used profanity like American Pie might – not as smart as everyone makes it out to be.
DRIVE & THE TREE OF LIFE on the other hand, is where it’s at.
And I wish MELANCHOLIA would get more love. That film hit me hard.
I’m obviously a big fan of Drive (as my own review here at the site attests to), so there’s no complaints here from me…
I respectfully disagree on the above comment on The Descendants. I just saw it and loved every frame of it. I thought the Clooney was very good and Shalaine Woodley was a total revelation. She stole the movie for me. The movie is beautifully paced, constructed and acted and packs more emotional punch than many other movies without going over the top. Payne is a talent to reckon with.