Awards Contenders 2011

by Tony Dayoub

Awards season is upon us, and that means you get gossip and rather inane controversies (like an overblown "rape" accusation by a respected Hollywood star and Academy voter) taking up a sizable amount of the cinematic bandwidth. But I'll try my best to ignore the silliness and focus on what those movies in the hunt for Oscar really have to offer.

At the Art House 2011

by Tony Dayoub

Here are some art films (at least aspirationally in the case of Anonymous) and indies I saw in 2011. These end of year lists are growing stale pretty quickly, so let's get down to it.

Any Ranch That You Can See on Foot Just Isn’t Worth Looking At

by Tony Dayoub

When discussing movies that must be seen on a big screen, old standbys that usually come to mind are Jacques Tati’s Playtime, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West, just released on Blu-ray. One that you rarely hear about is William Wyler’s 1958 epic, The Big Country. Shot in Technirama, Technicolor’s higher-resolution alternative to the CinemaScope process, The Big Country really pushes the limits of pioneer cinematographer Franz F. Planer’s expansive photography. Characters are often dwarfed by the California locations, which are as vast as the film’s title and storyline.

2011 Online Film Critics Society Awards Announced

by Tony Dayoub

From the Online Film Critics Society (of which I am a proud member):

The Tree of Life, which led the Online Film Critics Society nominations with seven, was the big winner at the 15th Annual Online Film Critics Society Awards. The film took home the prize for Best Picture as well as trophies for Best Director (Terrence Malick), Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Editing and Best Cinematography. No other film won more than one award.

The other three acting winners were Michael Fassbender winning Best Actor for his performance in Shame; Tilda Swinton's work in We Need to Talk About Kevin won the award for Best Actress; and Christopher Plummer received the Best Supporting Actor prize for his work in Beginners.

The full list of winners of the 15th Annual Online Film Critics Society Awards: