Spirit Awards: "Take Shelter" & "The Artist" Lead the Nominees
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 12:39PM
NATHANIEL R in Albert Nobbs, Beginners, Drive, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Oscars (11), Spirit Awards, Take Shelter, The Artist, The Descendants, precursor awards

The New York Film Critics Circle isn't even finished with its announcements yet and now we've got The Spirit Award nominations. They have the longest lag time between nominations and ceremony since they aren't even held until the day before the Oscars. Like the NYFCC they've been swerving ever closer to Oscar over the years, often championing a runner-up type of candidate like, say, Sideways or Black Swan. That could be good news for The Artist or The Descendants this year depending on which takes the lead in the Oscar race. Though if you believe the nomination tallies here this could be a very big night for Take Shelter.

BEST FEATURE
50/50 (3 noms total) -review
Beginners (4 noms total) -review
Drive (3 noms total) -review
Take Shelter (5 noms total)
The Artist (5 noms total) -review
The Descendants (4 noms total)

I'm super fond of ½ of this lineup and whenever you're super fond of ½ a lineup you should smile. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the way awards season is aiming to go, The Descendants is my least favorite from their preferred lineup.  

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES AFTER THE JUMP

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius -The Artist
Mike Mills -Beginners
Jeff Nichols -Take Shelter
Alexander Payne -The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn -Drive

Payne has won this very prize (coupled with screenplay) twice in the past for Election & Sideways. Will he make it a trilogy of Spirit statues? Or will they move on?

FIRST FEATURE
Another Earth
In the Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection 

Margin Call is being honored for its cast and director in the Robert Altman prize so given that and the way that the NYFCC and Gotham prizes went down, this might not be a good night for Martha Marcy May Marlene (review) but we can hope that the tide will turn in favor of that haunting film. 

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joseph Cedar -Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius -The Artist
Tom McCarthy -Win Win
Mike Mills -Beginners
Alexander Payne -The Descendants

Take Shelter is their obvious snub here given their love for the movie and perhaps Midnight in Paris which was somehow eligible (despite a sizeable budget) since you see it in the cinematography category. I'd love to see Mike Mills take this one (more on that later). But I was also happy for Tom McCarthy as I was just thinking about that film.  

FIRST SCREENPLAY
Mike Cahill, Brit Marling -Another Earth
JC Chandor- Margin Call
Patrick deWitt -Terri
Phil Johnston -Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser - 50/50

If they don't love Margin Call as much as it seems one could imagine 50/50 taking this one on sheer backstory. Plus that it's you know, moving and funny pretty much.

JOHN CASSAVETTES AWARD (best feature made for under $500,000)
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

Time to watch my screeners.

FEMALE LEAD
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachael Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

The big news here is Glenn Close's snub for her dream role Albert Nobbs. I can't say after seeing it that I'm 100% surprised that Janet McTeer is in and she is out. McTeer has the far more relatable and more modern (important point) character. Their scenes together are the film's highlight.

MALE LEAD
Demián Bichir, A Better Life (see previous post)
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

I can see this going to virtually any of them making it a truly exciting race. George Clooney's absence is as eyebrow raising as Glenn Close's since both of their supporting actress co-stars were nominated.

SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston - 50/50
Janet McTeer -Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana -Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley - The Descendants

This is the best of Chastain's performances that was eligible for this particular prize but if there's an Oscar nomination coming, it's for The Help. Best news? Anjelica Huston's nomination for her teensy tinsy role which I just loved. When she needed to bring it, she brought.

SUPPORTING MALE
Albert Brooks -Drive
John Hawkes -Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer -Beginners
John C Reilly -Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll -Midnight in Paris 

A fine lineup, really. This is Plummer's to lose methinks.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joel Hodge Bellflower
Benjamin Kasulke The Off Hours
Darius Khondji Midnight in Paris
Guillaume Schiffman The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron, The Dynamiter

No offense to any of these films but this category feels quite odd to me without Beginners and Martha Marcy May Marlene both of which really benefitted from very sustained moods in their lighting.

DOCUMENTARY
An African Election
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Nacked
We Were Here

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
A Separation
Melancholia
Shame
The Kid With a Bike
Tyrannosaur

Curious to see NY set UK driven Shame considered an international film but LA set French driven The Artist considered a US film. But what a lineup this is, yes? Great films.

PRODUCERS AWARD
Chad Burris -Mosquita Y Mari
Sophia Lin -Take Shelter
Josh Mond -Martha Marcy May Marlene

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Simon Arthur -Silver Tongues
Mark Jackson -Without
Nicholas Ozeki -Mamitas

TRUER THAN FICTION
Heather Courtney Where Soldiers Come From
Danfung Dennis Hell and Back Again
Alma Har'el Bombay Beach

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Margin Call -- this prize goes to the director, casting director and the ensemble cast. 

Who are you rooting for?

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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