‘The Artist’ and ‘Hugo’ lead the BFCA’s Critics’ Choice nominees

The Broadcast Film Critics Association has announced its nominees for the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, and there aren’t really any surprises. Across the board, it’s the roll call of Oscar contenders the announcement has turned into, more and more.

I went to the mat for “Margaret” throughout my ballot. Naturally, though, it doesn’t show up. Leading the way was “The Artist” and “Hugo” with 11 nominations each. Not far behind were “Drive” and “The Help” with eight apiece. The biggest surprise, I suppose, is “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” being snubbed completely. Nothing. Not even a notice for Gary Oldman in a Best Actor category of six.

Other things worth noting: Glenn Close didn’t show up in the Best Actress category despite there being six nominees. Her film, “Albert Nobbs,” only received a makeup nomination. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Young Actor/Actress, but nothing for Max von Sydow or Sandra Bullock. And Nick Nolte rallied to a supporting actor notice for his work in “Warrior.”

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (which was embargoed until today and yet, I have no desire to write about it) received nods for Best Editing and Best Score, though Rooney Mara was not recognized. “The Ides of March” only managed one nod, for Best Acting Ensemble, and yes, Melissa McCarthy made it into the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in “Bridesmaids.”

Oh, and it’s also nice to see Andy Serkis get into the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance-capture turn in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

The BFCA’s nominees have come to serve as a snapshot of Oscar predictions in early-December more than anything else. Inevitably, the race shifts as we move past this date and some of these will fail to register with the Academy. But it’s such a catch-all, I imagine no one is unhappy in Hollywood today.

The full list of nominees:

Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Director
Stephen Daldry, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Steven Spielberg, “War Horse”

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Ryan Gosling, “Drive”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Patton Oswalt, “Young Adult”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Carey Mulligan, “Shame”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Artist”
“50/50”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Win Win”
“Young Adult”

Best Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Cinematography
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Costume Design
“The Artist”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”
“My Week with Marilyn”

Best Editing
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“War Horse”

Best Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“The Iron Lady”
“J. Edgar”
“My Week with Marilyn”

Best Score
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“War Horse”

Best Song
“Hello Hello” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
“Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
“The Living Proof” from “The Help”
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
“Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets”

Best Sound
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Super 8”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Super 8”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Animated Feature
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film
“In Darkness”
“Le Havre”
“A Separation”
“The Skin I Live In”
“Where Do We Go Now”

Best Documentary Feature
“Buck
“Cave of Forgotten Dreams”
“George Harrison: Living in the Material World”
“Page One: Inside the New York Times”
“Project Nim”
“Undefeated”

Best Action Movie
“Drive”
“Fast Five”
“Hanna”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Super 8”

Best Comedy
“Bridesmaids”
“Crazy, Stupid, Love”
“Horrible Bosses”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Muppets”

Best Young Actor/Actress
Asa Butterfield, “Hugo”
Elle Fanning, “Super 8”
Thomas Horn, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Saoirse Ronan, “Hanna”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Acting Ensemble
“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“The Ides of March”

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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