Criddic's Winners 2012

BEST PICTURE

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR

Ben Affleck, Argo
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Affleck gets his 6th nomination (if you include best pic.), and first for directing. He had 3 screenplay nods, winning for Good Will Hunting in '98, and one for acting (Hollywoodland, supp. actor, in '07). Anderson is on his first for directing. Lee won twice here: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Brokeback Mountain (2005). Spielberg won twice: Schindler's List (1993) and A.I.: Artficial Intelligence (2001). Russell takes a rare win for a "dramedy" on his first nomination.

BEST ACTOR

Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Richard Gere, Arbitrage
Denzel Washington, Flight

Black was a wonderful surprise in Bernie. Cooper was a nice surprise in his movie. Gere continues to get better with age. Washington lands back in the nominee circle. Day-Lewis nabs his second win, after There Will Be Blood (2007).

BEST ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Nina Hoss, Barbara
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Rachel Mwanza, War Witch
Emmanuel Riva, Amour

I believe this is the most foreign-language acting nominees in one category ever for me. Chastain was nominated in support last year for her role in Take Shelter. Lawrence was nominated the previous year for her work in Winter's Bone. Everyone else is a first-timer. Lawrence wins.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

Couldn't decide on which Django Unchained actor to place here, so they canceled each other out, though all 3 had been cited before (DiCaprio would have reached number 7 this year). Hoffman was nominated for Capote (2005) and Doubt (2008). Jones was nominated here for The Fugitive (1993) and No Country for Old Men (2007). Willis was nominated in lead for The Sixth Sense (1999). Miller is debuting. De Niro, who last appeared on Criddic's list for Casino (1995), makes his third attempt, and triumphs.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Judi Dench, Skyfall
Ann Dowd, Compliance
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Dench is on her 5th nomination, and won in lead for Mrs. Brown. Hathaway was up for lead in Rachel Getting Married (2008). Dowd, Field and Watson are here for the first time. Field's impressive work as Mary Todd Lincoln beats the competition.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Cabin in the Woods
Django Unchained
Looper
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

Having lost for Inglorious Basterds a few years ago, Quentin Tarantino claims the writing category.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It-Ralph

Tim Burton wins after a narrow loss in this category 8 years ago to Hayao Miyazaki.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

The Imposter
Side by Side
Searching for Sugar Man

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Amour (Austria)
Barbara (Germany)
The Intouchables (France)
Sister (Switzerland)
War Witch (Canada)

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN

Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Skyfall

This is Deakins' fourth win.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Lincoln
Mirror, Mirror
Les Miserables

BEST FILM EDITING

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Skyfall

BEST MAKEUP

Cloud Atlas
Hitchcock
The Hobbit
Lincoln
Men in Black 3

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Anna Karenina
Argo
Frankenweenie
Life of Pi
Lincoln

This John Williams' 6th score victory, out of many nods. Danny Elfman is up for his 6th nom. Marianelli his 3rd. Danna his first. Desplat his 6th, as well.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"For You" from Act of Valor
"Ancora qui" from Django Unchained
"Pi's Lullaby" from Life of Pi
"Skyfall" from Skyfall
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from Ted

BEST SOUND EDITING

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
BEST SOUND MIXING

Argo
The Dark Knight Rises
Life of Pi
Les Miserables
Skyfall

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Life of Pi
Looper

___
TALLY:

Lincoln: 12n/5w
Life of Pi: 10n/3w
Argo: 7n/1w
Silver Linings Playbook: 7n/5w
Moonrise Kingdom: 5n/1w