The Artist tops New York and Boston Critics List, The Descendants in LA

The awards season is all about lists, and three new lists have just emerged from the New Your Film Critics Online, including their 10 best films of the year, the Boston Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

The first two awarded season favourite The Artist the top prize, while it was The Descendants over on the west coast.

The other categories split their awards in all different directions. Best director went to heavyweights Martin Scorsese (Boston), Terrence Malick (LA) and, of course, Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (New York). Best Actor was similarly split between Michael Shannon  (NY), Brad Pitt (Boston) and the ubiquitous Michael Fassbender (LA), as was Actress for Meryl Streep (NY), Michelle Williams and South Korea’s Yun Jung-hee (LA).

Jessica Chastain got lots of “body of work” awards for appearing in the Collected Works of 2011, including The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields and Coriolanus.

The full list is below:

New York Film Critics Online

Best Picture: The Artist

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Actor: Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Runners-up: Michael Fassbender, Shame and Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Runner-up: Viola Davis, The Help

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, Drive

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Best Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants

Best Foreign-Language Film: A Separation

Best Documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Best Animated Feature: The Adventures of Tintin

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

Best Use of Music: Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Best Ensemble Cast: Bridesmaids

Best Debut Director: Joe Cornish, Attack the Block

Breakthrough Performer: Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, Coriolanus

NYFCO TOP 10 FILMS OF 2011 (in alphabetical order)

1. The Artist (The Weinstein Company)
2. The Descendants (Fox Searchlight)
3. Drive (FilmDistrict)
4. The Help (DreamWorks Pictures)
5. Hugo (Paramount)
6. Melancholia (Magnolia Pictures)
7. Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)
8. Take Shelter (Sony Pictures Classics)
9. The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight)
10. War Horse (DreamWorks Pictures)