AFT Awards: Best Documentary

This is the eighteenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in alphabetical order.

The winner:
Love Etc. was a whimsical, entertaining, and smartly-constructed portrait of love in New York City in its many different forms.

Other nominees:
Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Revenge of the Electric Car

AFT Awards: Best Animated Feature

This is the seventeenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in alphabetical order. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Note: At this point, I’ve seen but one (“Rango”) of the Oscar nominees in this category.

The winner:
The Adventures of Tintin was a masterful and magnificent adventure, an achievement both in motion-capture animation and enthralling storytelling.

Other nominees:
Cars 2
Winnie the Pooh

AFT Awards: Best Visual Effects

This is the sixteenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.

The winner:
Super 8 was subtle yet masterful in its presentation of the spectacular, particularly in that magnificent train wreck scene.

Other nominees:
Captain America: The First Avenger
Thor
X-Men: First Class
The Tree of Life

AFT Awards: Best Makeup

This is the fifteenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.

The winner:
Super 8 focused on faces and detail to make its extraterrestrial story all the more human.

Other nominees:
The Iron Lady
Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows
Albert Nobbs
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

AFT Awards: Best Sound Editing

This is the fourteenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
The Adjustment Bureau, The Adventures of Tintin, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cars 2, Hanna, Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows, Thor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, X-Men: First Class

The winner:
Fast Five emphasized its accelerations and explosions to make the most of its audio-driven experience.

Other nominees:
Drive
Attack the Block
Super 8
Melancholia

AFT Awards: Best Sound

This is the thirteenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
The Adjustment Bureau, Attack the Block, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cars 2, Hanna, Thor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, X-Men: First Class

The winner:
Fast Five was a well-oiled machine that supplemented all of its eye-popping visuals with spectacular sound.

Other nominees:
Drive
Super 8
The Adventures of Tintin
Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows

AFT Awards: Best Original Song

This is the twelfth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category. For the second year, I’ve decided to work off of the official list of 39 eligible original songs (as well as the Golden Globe winner, choosing to honor great songs from films I haven’t necessarily seen in the aim of recognizing the best original songs written for motion pictures this past year.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
The World I Knew (African Cats), Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu (DAM999), Never Be Daunted (happythankyoumoreplease), The Living Proof (The Help), Pictures in my Head (The Muppets), Hot Wings (Rio), Gathering Stories (We Bought a Zoo), Think You Can Wait (Win Win)

Runners-up:
Coeur Volant (Hugo)
Rainbird (Dirty Girl)
Hello, Hello (Gnomeo and Juliet)
Life’s a Happy Song (The Muppets)
Man or Muppet (The Muppets)

The winner:
Masterpiece (W.E.) was a wonderful love story anthem with meaningful lyrics and a powerful beat.

Other nominees:
Bridge of Light (Happy Feet Two)
Star Spangled Man (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Collision of Worlds (Cars 2)
Lay Your Head Down (Albert Nobbs)

AFT Awards: Best Original Score

This is the eleventh category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
The Adjustment Bureau, The Adventures of Tintin, Carnage, The Conspirator, The Debt, 5 Days of War, Hannah, Super 8, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse

The winner:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Alexandre Desplat) utilized music to signal and echo its protagonist’s moods, ebbing and flowing with his adventure’s progress.

Other nominees:
Shame (Harry Escott)
The Artist (Ludovic Bource)
Take Shelter (David Wingo)
The Skin I Live In (Alberto Iglesias)

AFT Awards: Best Film Editing

This is the tenth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Runners-up:
In a Better World
Take Shelter
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Skin I Live In
Warrior

The winner:
Fast Five (Kelly Matsumoto, Fred Raskin & Christian Wagner) never let up for a moment, layering action, suspense, and excitement for the whole of its 130 minutes.

Other nominees:
Beginners (Olivier Bugge Coutté)
Drive (Matthew Neman)
The Artist (Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius)
Submarine (Chris Dickens & Nick Fenton)

AFT Awards: Best Costume Design

This is the ninth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

The winner:
Hugo (Sandy Powell) dressed its characters up in eye-popping garments personality-defining uniforms.

Other nominees:
The Artist (Mark Bridges)
Midnight in Paris (Sonia Grande)
The Skin I Live In (Paco Delgado)
Submarine (Charlotte Walter)

Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in NYC as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

Perfect Sense (recommended): This romance takes place in the near future, when a chef and a scientist fall in love while humanity is losing their senses, starting with smell, one at a time. It’s a bleak but engaging film with strong performances and a great score, very well-conceived in terms of its execution. Now playing at the IFC Center. Read my review from yesterday.

New to DVD

Drive (highly recommended): This Cannes Best Director winner, which received a lone Oscar nomination for Best Sound Editing, is an absolutely thrilling, captivating film that’s dark and moody but never sinks too deep. Ryan Gosling is perfectly cast as a near-silent stunt man moonlighting as a getaway driver, and the rest of the ensemble is top-notch as well. Bloody and violent at times, but so worth it.

Janie Jones (recommended): This 2011 Tribeca entry makes its premiere, and it’s a perfectly acceptable but otherwise unextraordinary story of the unlikely reunion of a father and daughter, featuring strong performances from Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

The Big Kahuna (recommended): This 2000 release is an interesting little comedic drama that features only three main characters, played by Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Peter Facinelli. It’s immensely fascinating and compelling in its own stark way.

Chinatown (highly recommended): This 1974 Best Picture nominee is one of the classics, featuring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway and directed by Roman Polanski. It’s a great crime film with terrific performances and an intriguing premise.

Hollow Man (anti-recommended): This 2000 sci-fi/horror film is an enormous waste of time, starting out as potentially cool and devolving quickly into laughable stupidity, mainly due to the fact that its main character becomes psychotic for no reason.

House of the Devil (recommended): This 2009 horror film actually isn’t bad, with a spunky lead performance from Jocelin Donahue as a doomed babysitter and Greta Gerwig and Tom Noonan in great supporting roles. It’s stylized for the 80s, and just creepy and fun enough to be enjoyable, provided that you like horror films.

Iris (recommended): This 2001 Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor weaves an endearing narrative as told in two time periods, with Hugh Boneville and Kate Winslet playing the younger couple, and Jim Broadbent and Judi Dench their older selves. The film earned mentions only for its acting, but it’s a good movie as well.

Man on Wire (highly recommended): This 2008 documentary is excellent mainly because it’s constructed as a crime thriller of sorts, showcasing the maniacal Philippe Petit’s preparation for this high-wire walk between the Twin Towers. It’s among the most engaging and energizing non-political documentaries in recent years.

The Man with One Red Shoe (anti-recommended): Quite accidentally, I own a copy of this dismal excuse for a comedy, due to the film I wanted to get being out of stock from Kellogg’s after collecting five tokens from my cereal boxes. This is a low point for Tom Hanks, and a highly missable film.

The Others (recommended): This 2001 horror film from director Alejandro Amenabar is genuinely spooky and features strong performances from Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan. It’s a fun movie for horror fans and a terrifying one for those not in favor of ghosts and other such scary things.

Vertigo (highly recommended): This 1958 Hitchcock classic is among one of the most referenced films of all time. It’s a superb moody thriller with twists and turns and one hell of a plot. Definitely a must-see for those precious few that haven’t yet had the pleasure.

Movie with Abe: Perfect Sense

Perfect Sense
Directed by David Mackenzie
Released February 3, 2012

There are plenty of movies about virus outbreaks. Most often set in the not-too-distant future, an unknown pathogen spreads that somehow robs society of some precious aspect or element previously taken for granted. 2006’s “Children of Men” is one of the best examples, portraying a world ten years from now where women can no longer have children. “Perfect Sense” takes place in a time that could easily be tomorrow, where chef Michael (Ewan McGregor) and scientist Susan (Eva Green) are drawn to each other as humanity begins to lose each of its senses one at a time. It’s a mesmerizing doomed romance, elevated by the power of its portrayal of the fleeting senses.

Making Michael a chef and Susan a scientist positions the film to have a special insight into the rapidly spreading disease, as Susan researches its effects and Michael experiences them as he must adapt to cooking without the sense first of smell and then of taste. It adds considerable weight to the significance of the virus, especially as both Michael and Susan are helpless to stop it from overtaking their own faculties. Their relationship begins just as smell departs their universe, and they are drawn closer as they find themselves increasingly handicapped by disappearing senses.

Where “Perfect Sense” truly succeeds in its depiction of how senses are lost. The first to go, smell, is described as creating a moment of incredible sadness, followed by a complete absence of the sense. Random people throughout the world are shown experiencing this, and then it happens to first Susan and then Michael. It’s a moving, tragic scene replayed over and over, and it repeats when the next sense is gone, this time preceded by a vile, vicious hunger and resulting in the loss of taste. While the science might not be solid, it makes for immensely impactful showcases of uncontrollable human nature. It also provides the opportunity for immense creativity, as one street performer recalls the memories formerly associated with smell through music.

Ewan McGregor and Eva Green are essentially the only real stars of “Perfect Sense,” as the film narrows in and focuses on them despite the epidemic plaguing the entire world. McGregor’s Michael is typically kind-hearted and sweet, while Green’s Susan is effortlessly seductive and equally sardonic, unenthusiastic about their relationship ever getting off the ground. The film is supplemented by a beautiful score from composer Max Richter, weaving a melancholy tale of their love. The movie is at times affirming, ultimately bleak and depressing, and thoroughly engaging and worthwhile throughout.

B+

AFT Awards: Best Art Direction

This is the eighth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Runners-up:
Beginners
The Artist
Romantics Anonymous
Shame
Submarine
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The winner:
In a Better World (Lene Ejlersen & Mathias Holmgreen) animated its bleak settings with color schemes and mesmerizing visuals.

Other nominees:
Drive (Christopher Tandon & Lisa K. Sessions)
Hugo (Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo)
Melancholia (Simone Grau & Louise Drake)
In the Land of Blood and Honey (Zsuzsanna Borvendég, Arwel Evans & Jon Hutman)

AFT Awards: Best Cinematography

This is the seventh category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Runners-up:
Hugo
Beginners
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Tree of Life
Melancholia
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The winner:
In a Better World (Morten Soborg) was visually magnetic and derived much of its emotional impact from its stunning lensing.

Other nominees:
The Artist (Guillaume Schiffman)
Drive (Newton Thomas Sigel)
Take Shelter (Adam Stone)
Shame (Sean Bobbitt)

AFT Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay

This is the sixth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
The Adjustment Bureau, Captain America: The First Avenger, Everything Must Go, Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Runners-up:
Drive
Carnage
The Adventures of Tintin
The Help
The Descendants

The winner:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Eric Roth) was an affecting, energizing saga of a young boy’s search for answers.

Other nominees:
Moneyball (Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian)
The Skin I Live In (Pedro & Agustin Almodovar)
Turn Me On, Goddamit (Jannicke Systad Jacobsen)
Submarine (Richard Ayoade)

AFT Awards: Best Original Screenplay

This is the fifth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Bridesmaids, Cedar Rapids, Crazy Stupid Love, Horrible Bosses, Romantics Anonymous, Shame, Take Shelter, Terri, The Whistleblower, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Warrior, When We Leave, Win Win

Runners-up:
The Guard
Griff the Invisible
Peep World
Happy, Happy
Young Adult

The winner:
Beginners (Mike Mills) was a lovely, charming, and impossibly alluring love story with a superb perspective on the world.

Other nominees:
The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)
A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
In a Better World (Susanne Bier & Anders Thomas Jensen)
Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami)

AFT Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

This is the fourth category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs), Kate Winslet (Carnage), Anne Heche (Cedar Rapids), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Carey Mulligan (Drive), Jessica Barden (Hanna), Maibritt Saerens (Happy Happy), Octavia Spencer (The Help), Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Larry Crowne), Keira Knightley (London Boulevard), Sareh Bayat (A Separation), Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter), Katrina Bowden (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), Amy Ryan (Win Win

Runners-up:
Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help)
Carey Mulligan (Shame)
Anna Kendrick (50/50)
Emma Stone (Crazy Stupid Love)
Jodie Whittaker (Attack the Block)

The winner:
Mélanie Laurent (Beginners) was effortlessly magnetic as a fleeting love interest who captivated Oliver before she even spoke a word.

Other nominees:
Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) fit in with the times perfectly as a bubbly and excitable budding silent film star. Jessica Chastain (The Help) was wacky but just reserved enough to be believable as the kind-hearted if peculiar Celia Foote. Maeve Dermody (Griff the Invisible) was magnetic and irresistible with her unique worldview and fascination with the title character. Kate Mara (Peep World) stood out in a strong ensemble with her peppy yet grounded attitude and allure.

AFT Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

This is the third category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
John C. Reilly (Carnage), Christoph Waltz (Carnage), Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love), Don Cheadle (The Guard), Liam Cunningham (The Guard), Mark Strong (The Guard), Henrik Rafaelsen (Happy Happy), Joachim Rafaelsen (Happy Happy), Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses), William Johnk Nielsen (In a Better World), Markus Rygaard (In a Better World), Paul Giamatti (The Ides of March), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March), Kevin Spacey (Margin Call), Rainn Wilson (Peep World), Shahab Hosseini (A Separation), Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

Runners-up:
John C. Reilly (Cedar Rapids)
Jeremy Irons (Margin Call)
Kiefer Sutherland (Melancholia)
Stellan Skarsgard (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

The winner:
Christopher Plummer (Beginners) was delightfully spry and charming as a 75-year-old man who realized that he was gay and started trying to live his life in new and exciting ways.

Other nominees:
John Hurt (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) was prickly, paranoid, and entirely superb as head honcho Control. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn) imbued his Laurence Olivier with bravado, prestige, and a magnificent impatience for his blonde costar. Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) conveyed considerable emotion in his mute performance as a mysterious and kindly stranger. Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method) was calm, deliberate, and formidable as Sigmund Freud.

AFT Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role

This is the second category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Jodie Foster (Carnage), Juliette Binoche (Certified Copy), Jessica Chastain (The Debt), Helen Mirren (The Debt), Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road), Viola Davis (The Help), Zana Marjanovic (In the Land of Blood and Honey), Judy Marte (Maria My Love), Alana Kearns-Green (Mary Marie), Alexandra Roxo (Mary Marie), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia), Anne Hathaway (One Day), Elena Anaya (The Skin I Live In), Isabelle Huppert (Special Treatment), Yasmin Paige (Submarine), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Rachel Weisz (The Whistleblower), Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

Runners-up:
Isabelle Carré (Romantics Anonymous), Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin (Incendies), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Leila Hatami (A Separation), Sibel Kekilli (When We Leave

The winner:
Agnes Kittelsen (Happy, Happy) projected an image of energetic joy in her portrayal of an unhappily married but perky woman.

Other nominees:
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) was firm, fiery, and fully immersed in her interpretation of Margaret Thatcher. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) added an unexpected comic tone to her antisocial hacker protagonist. Helene Bergsholm (Turn Me On, Goddamit) was nuanced and subtle in her portrayal of a deeply rebellious teen. Charlize Theron (Young Adult) was hilarious as the world’s biggest bitch, never remotely ashamed in her delivery.

AFT Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role

This is the first category of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 138 Films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Matt Damon (The Adjustment Bureau), Ewan McGregor (Beginners), Chris Evans (Captain America: The First Avenger), Ed Helms (Cedar Rapids), William Shimell (Certfiied Copy), Steve Carell (Crazy Stupid Love), George Clooney (The Descendants), Will Ferrell (Everything Must Go), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50), Ryan Kwanten (Griff the Invisible), Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses), Charlie Day (Horrible Basses), Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses), Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March), Goran Kostic (In the Land of Blood and Honey), Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar), Colin Farell (London Boulevard), Jim Sturgess (One Day), Michael C. Hall (Peep World), Benoît Poelvoorde (Romantics Anonymous), Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In), Bouli Lanners (Special Treatment), Craig Roberts (Submarine), John C. Reilly (Terri), Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), Alan Tudyk (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), Joel Edgerton (Warrior), Tom Hardy (Warrior), Paul Giamatti (Win Win)

Runners-up:
Peyman Moadi (A Separation)
Ryan Gosling (Drive)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
Michael Fassbender (Shame)

The winner:
Jean Dujardin (The Artist) was the ultimate showman as the charming, self-possessed silent film star George Valentin. His facial expressions are worth a thousand words.

Other nominees:
Mikael Persbrandt (In a Better World) captured heartbreak and melancholy in his searing blue eyes in one of the year’s most affecting performances. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) embodied a frightening struggle with reality with an immensely focused and gripping turn. Brendan Gleeson (The Guard) was hilariously offensive and aloof as a sarcastic Irish cop. Thomas Horn (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) acted older than his age as a believably eccentric child trying to fill an immense void.