Houston Film Critics Declare "The Descendants" the Best

The Houston Film Critics Society was founded in 2007. It is a not-for-profit organization of 26 print, broadcast and Internet film critics based in the Greater Metropolitan Houston area.

The HFCS awards gala will be January 7, 2012 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Brown Auditorium.

Houston Film Critics Society 2011 nominees and winners (in bold):

Best Picture
"The Artist"
"The Descendants" WINNER
"Drive"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"The Help"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
"Win Win"

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive" WINNER
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Michael Fassbender, "Shame" WINNER
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"
Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"

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" WINNER
Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, "Drive" WINNER
Armie Hammer, "J. Edgar"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Andy Serkis, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Alex Shaffer, "Win Win"

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants" WINNER

Best Screenplay
"The Artist"
"The Descendants" WINNER
"50/50"
"Midnight in Paris"
"Win Win"

Best Cinematography
"The Artist"
"Drive"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life" WINNER
"War Horse"

Best Score
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"The Artist" WINNER
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"Shame"
"War Horse"

Best Song
"Lay Your Head Down" from "Albert Nobbs"
"Star Spangled Man" from "Captain America: The First Avenger"
"The Living Proof" from "The Help"
"Life's a Happy Song" from "The Muppets" WINNER
"Think You can Wait" from "Win Win"

Best Animated Film
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"Happy Feet Two"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango" WINNER
"Winnie the Pooh"

Best Foreign Film
"The Artist"
"Elite Squad: The Enemy Within"
"I Saw the Devil" WINNER
"The Skin I Live In"
"13 Assassins"

Best Documentary
"Buck"
"Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
"The Elephant in the Room"
"Project Nim" WINNER
"Undefeated"

Worst Film of the Year
"Jack and Jill"
"Red Riding Hood"
"The Sitter"
"The Smurfs"
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1"
"Your Highness" WINNER/LOSER

Technical Achievement: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Humanitarian Honor: Joanne Herring

Lifetime Achievement: Jeff Bridges

"The Descendants" Wins Satellite Awards "Best Picture"

The International Press Academy (IPA) is an entertainment media association with voting members worldwide who represent domestic and foreign markets via print, television, radio, blogs, and other content platforms for virtually every notable outlet.

Each year the IPA honors artistic excellence in the areas of Motion Pictures, Television, Radio, and New Media via the Satellite® Awards.  However, Negromancer is only concerned about the "Motion Picture" categories.

Motion Picture: The Descendants, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Nominees:
Moneyball, Columbia
Drive, Filmdistrict
The Artist, The Weinstein Company
Shame, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Focus Features
Hugo Paramount Pictures
War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
The Help DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Midnight in Paris, Sony Pictures Classics

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive, Filmdistrict

Nominees:
Tate Taylor The Help DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Alexander Payne The Descendants Fox Searchlight Pictures
Steven Spielberg War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Michel Hazanavicius The Artist The Weinstein Company
Martin Scorsese Hugo Paramount Pictures
John Michael McDonagh The Guard Sony Pictures Classics
Tomas Alfredson Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Focus Features
Woody Allen Midnight in Paris Sony Pictures Classics
Steve McQueen Shame Fox Searchlight Pictures

Actress in a Motion Picture: Viola Davis for The Help; DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

Nominees
Vera Farmiga Higher Ground Sony Pictures Classics
Michelle WIlliams My Week with Marilyn The Weinstein Company
Emily Watson Oranges and Sunshine Cohen Media Group
Charlize Theron Young Adult Paramount Pictures
Glenn Close Albert Nobbs Roadside Attractions
Viola Davis The Help DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Olivia Colman Tyrannosaur Strand Releasing
Michelle Yeoh The Lady Cohen Media Group
Elizabeth Olsen Martha Marcy May Marlene Fox Searchlight Pictures
Meryl Streep The Iron Lady The Weinstein Company

Actor in a Motion Picture: Ryan Gosling for Drive, Filmdistrict

Nominees:
Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar Warner Bros.
Ryan Gosling Drive Filmdistrict
Michael Fassbender Shame Fox Searchlight Pictures
George Clooney The Descendants Fox Searchlight Pictures
Brendan Gleeson The Guard Sony Pictures Classics
Michael Shannon Take Shelter Sony Pictures Classics
Tom Hardy Warrior Lionsgate
Woody Harrelson Rampart Millennium Entertainment
Gary Oldman Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Focus Features
Brad Pitt Moneyball Columbia

Actress in a Supporting Role: Jessica Chastain for The Tree of Life, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Nominees:
Janet McTeer Albert Nobbs Roadside Attractions
Octavia Spencer The Help DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Jessica Chastain The Tree of Life Fox Searchlight Pictures
Vanessa Redgrave Coriolanus The Weinstein Company
Rachel McAdams Midnight in Paris Sony Pictures Classics
Carey Mulligan Shame Fox Searchlight Pictures
Lisa Feret Mozart's Sister Music Box Films
Judy Greer The Descendants Fox Searchlight Pictures
Kate Winslet Carnage Sony Pictures Classics
Elle Fanning Super 8 Amblin, Paramount Pictures

Actor in a Supporting Role: Albert Brooks for Drive, Filmdistrict

Nominees:
Viggo Mortensen A Dangerous Method Sony Pictures Classics
Hugo Weaving Oranges and Sunshine Cohen Media Group
Kenneth Branagh My Week with Marilyn The Weinstein Company
Colin Farrell Horrible Bosses New Line Cinema, Warner Bros.
Andy Serkis Rise of the Planet of the Apes 20th Century Fox
Nick Nolte Warrior Lionsgate
Jonah Hill Moneyball Columbia
Christopher Plummer Beginners Sony Pictures Classics
Christoph Waltz Carnage Sony Pictures Classics

Foreign Film: Mysteries of Lisbon from Portugal, Music Box Films

Nominees:
Mexico - Miss Bala Fox International
Iran - A Separation Sony Pictures Classics
Belgium - The Kid with a Bike Sundance Selects
Hungary - The Turin Horse Cinema Guild
Argentina - Las Acacias
Japan - 13 Assassins Magnet Releasing
France - Mozart's Sister Music Box Films
Finland - Le Havre Janus Films
Russia - Faust

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media: The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn; Amblin, Columbia, Paramount Pictures

Nominees:
Kung Fu Panda 2 DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
The Muppets Jim Henson Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
Puss in Boots DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Rango ILM Animation, Paramount Pictures
Rio 20th Century Fox

Motion Picture, Documentary: Senna, Universal

Nominees:
Project Nim Roadside Attractions
The Interrupters Cinema Guild
American: The Bill Hicks Story Variance Films
My Perestroika International Film Circuit
Cave of Forgotten Dreams IFC Films
Under Fire: Journalists in Combat Mercury Media
One Lucky Elephant Own Documentaries
Pina Sundance Selects
Tabloid IFC Films

Screenplay: Original: Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Nominees:
John Michael McDonagh The Guard Sony Pictures Classics
Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen Shame Fox Searchlight Pictures
Rene Feret Mozart's Sister Music Box Films
Paddy Considine Tyrannosaur Strand Releasing
Michel Hazanavicius The Artist The Weinstein Company

Screenplay: Adapted: Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon for The Descendants; Based On The Novel By Kaui Hart Hemmings, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Nominees:
From The Novel By Kathryn Stockett, Tate Taylor The Help DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
From The Book By Michael Morpurgo, Lee Hall, Richard Curtis War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Based On The Story By George Moore, Glenn Close, John Banville, The Play By Gabriella Prekop Albert Nobbs Roadside Attractions
Adapted From The Work Of Herge, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Steven Moffat The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn Amblin, Columbia, Paramount Pictures
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, Story By Stan Chervin Moneyball Columbia

Original Score: Marco Beltrami for Soul Surfer, Tristar Pictures

Nominees:
Michael Giacchino Super 8 Amblin, Paramount Pictures
Cliff Martinez Drive Filmdistrict
Alexandre Desplat Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Warner Bros.
John Williams War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
James Newton Howard Water For Elephants 20th Century Fox

Original Song: Lay Your Head Down from Albert Nobbs

Nominees:
Man Or Muppet The Muppets
Gathering Stories We Bought A Zoo
Hello Hello Gnomeo & Juliet
Life Is A Happy Song The Muppets
Bridge Of Light Happy Feet 2

Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski for War Horse, DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

Nominees:
Bruno Delbonnel Faust
Emmanuel Lubezki The Tree of Life Fox Searchlight Pictures
Newton Thomas Sigel Drive Filmdistrict
Guillaume Schiffman The Artist The Weinstein Company
Robert Richardson Hugo Paramount Pictures

Visual Effects: Robert Legato for Hugo, Paramount Pictures

Nominees:
John Frazier, Matthew Butler, Scott Benza, Scott Farrar Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Dennis Muren, Kim Libreri, Paul Kavanagh, Russell Earl Super 8 Amblin, Paramount Pictures
David Vickery, Greg Butler, John Richardson, Tim Burke Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Warner Bros.
Ben Morris War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Jeff Capogreco, Joe Letteri, R. Christopher White Rise of the Planet of the Apes 20th Century Fox

Film Editing: Chris Gill for The Guard, Sony Pictures Classics

Nominees:
Michael Kahn War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Mat Newman Drive Filmdistrict
Joe Walker Shame Fox Searchlight Pictures
Kevin Tent The Descendants Fox Searchlight Pictures
Aaron Marshall, John Gilroy, Matt Chesse, Sean Albertson Warrior Lionsgate

Sound (Editing & Mixing): Dave Patterson, Lon Bender, Robert Fernandez, Victor Ray Ennis for Drive, Filmdistrict

Nominees:
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Ben Burtt, Mark Ulano, Matthew Wood, Tom Johnson Super 8 Amblin, Paramount Pictures
Christopher Scarabosio, Craig Berkey, Erik Aadahl, Jeremy Peirson, John Pritchett, Kirk Francis The Tree of Life Fox Searchlight Pictures
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns, Stuart Wilson, Tom Johnson War Horse DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Gary Summers, Greg P. Russell, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Peter J. Devlin Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Adam Scrivener, James Mather, Mike Dowson, Stuart Hilliker, Stuart Wilson Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Warner Bros.

Art Direction and Production Design Gregory S. Hooper, Laurence Bennett for The Artist, The Weinstein Company

Nominees:
Jack Fisk Water For Elephants 20th Century Fox
Sebastian T. Krawinkel, Stephan O. Gessler Anonymous Sony Pictures Classics
Isabel Branco Mysteries of Lisbon Music Box Films
Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo Hugo Paramount Pictures
Jiri Trier, Yelena Zhukova Faust

Costume Design: Jacqueline West for Water For Elephants, 20th Century Fox

Nominees:
Lisy Christl Anonymous Sony Pictures Classics
Isabel Branco Mysteries of Lisbon Music Box Films
Michael O’Connor Jane Eyre Focus Features
Mark Bridges The Artist The Weinstein Company
Lidiya Kryukova Faust

New Media:
Best Extra Features: Star Wars: The Complete Saga, 20th Century Fox

Youth Release:
The Lion King: Two-Disc Diamond Edition, Walt Disney Pictures

Classic Release
West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition, 20th Century Fox

Best Overall Blu-Ray Disc:
Three Colors: Blue, White, Red, Criterion

Special Achievement
Best First Feature: Paddy Considine Tyrannosaur Strand Releasing

Best Ensemble: The Help, DreamWorks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

Review: A Tad Bit Too Much Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible III"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 96 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of frenetic violence and menace, disturbing images, and brief sensuality
DIRECTOR: J.J. Abrams
WRITERS: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and J.J. Abrams (based upon the television series created by Bruce Geller)
PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dan Mindel
EDITORS: Mary Jo Markey A.C.E. and Maryann Brandon A.C.E.

ACTION/ADVENTURE/SPY/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, and Laurence Fishburne

Super spy/secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from active duty with the Impossible Mission Force and now trains new IMF agents. When one of them, Ethan’s star pupil Lindsey Ferris (Keri Russell), turns up missing, Ethan rejoins his crack IMF team: his old friend and super computer expert, Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames); transportation expert, Declan (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers); and background operative, Zhen (Maggie Q) to rescue her. However, Hunt and his team run into their toughest opponent yet, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons and information provider with no remorse and no conscience. Ethan later finds himself in the clutches of Davian’s employ when he kidnaps Julia (Michelle Monaghan), the love of Ethan’s life. Ethan must retrieve something called “the rabbit’s foot” for Davian if he is to save Julia from the ruthless villain.

The long-awaited Mission: Impossible III has the action movie chops to match the hype that lead up to its release. It’s full of high-octane action sequences that are more thrilling than they are over the top. MI3 is like the first film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – an espionage thriller with intense thrills – more than it is like the second film, Mission: Impossible II, which was part secret agent adventure and part Hong Kong shoot ‘em up highball. In terms of action thrills, MI3 stands up with such classic 1990’s action flicks as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the Die Hard sequels, the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies, The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off. Those movies were pure action pictures with heart stopping chases, riveting thrill rides, and die-hard heroes.

Mission: Impossible III is virtually a non-stop thrill ride, and much of the credit has to go to the imaginations of co-writer/director J.J. Abrams (co-creator of the TV series “Lost”) and the screenwriting team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci for coming up with the thrills. Kurtzman and Orci have collaborated with Abrams on his hit TV series, “Alias,” and MI3 resembles Alias’ smart thrills. Abrams, directing his first feature film, doesn’t stumble in his transition from the small screen to the big screen. MI3 is definitely a movie monster, the kind of wide-open adventure film that needs to be seen in theatres.

The flaw that does keep Mission: Impossible III from being a truly great film is that the movie focuses too much on Tom Cruise. Sure, he’s the star, but what is the point of having an actor with the chops of Philip Seymour Hoffman if all he’s going to do in the film is make threats, scowl, and generally look like a meanie. The press materials for MI3 say that Hoffman’s Owen Davian is supposed to be some remorseless bad ass, but we hardly get to see Hoffman really chew up the screen as a villain. Anyone who saw him in Capote, and wondered what he would be like if he played a major screen bad guy will leave MI3 wondering what could have been.

Even Ving Rhames’ Luther Strickell is just window dressing. The character got off to a great start in the first film, and although Rhames part is bigger here than it was in the second film, his potential hasn’t been scratched. The women especially are wasted. Michelle Monaghan and Maggie Q seem so underutilized, but so is everyone else. Only Laurence Fishburne in a small part gets to tear up some screen.

No, it’s all Cruise, just about all the time, and he’s pretty good. Mission: Impossible is his signature action franchise, and he can mine it for a long time. However, the films would be so much richer if Impossible Mission Force was really a team and not just Cruise and some other guys – pawns to be moved about in positions that simply maximize Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in his role of the secret agent as super hero. Still, Mission: Impossible III is more than worth the price of admission for those who remember when action movies were gritty, edge-of-your-seat thrill rides and not just a series of over the top stunts generated in a computer.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, May 8, 2006

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Chicago Film Critics Have Green Thumb for "The Tree of Life"

The Chicago Film Critics Association is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization that hands out the Chicago Film Critics Awards, hold critics roundtables, and takes on industry and artists’ rights issues. The association was founded in 1990 by film critic Sue Kiner after the successful launch of the Chicago Film Critics Awards in 1989.

The 2011 winners were announced on Monday (Dec 19th).  People who follow film critics' awards will notice that The Artist, The Descendants, and, as it does here, The Tree of Life are the favorite films.

23rd Annual/2011 Chicago Film Critics Award Winners:

PICTURE: The Tree of Life

DIRECTOR: Terrence Malick (-) The Tree of Life

ACTOR: Michael Shannon (-) Take Shelter

ACTRESS: Michelle Williams (-) My Week With Marilyn

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks (-) Drive

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jessica Chastain (-) The Tree of Life

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Artist (-) Michel Hazanavicius

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Moneyball (-) Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin

CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Tree of Life (-) Emmanuel Lubezki

ORIGINAL SCORE: Drive (-) Cliff Martinez

ANIMATED FEATURE: Rango

DOCUMENTARY: The Interrupters

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: A Separation

PROMISING PERFORMER: Elizabeth Olsen (-) Martha Marcy May Marlene

PROMISING FILMMAKER: Sean Durkin (-) Martha Marcy May Marlene

2011 Chicago Film Critics Awards Nominations Complete List

2011 Chicago Film Critics Awards Nominees:

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Hugo
The Tree of Life

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius (-) The Artist
Terrence Malick (-) The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne (-) The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn (-) Drive
Martin Scorsese (-) Hugo

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney (-) The Descendants
Jean Dujardin (-) The Artist
Michael Fassbender (-) Shame
Gary Oldman (-) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Michael Shannon (-) Take Shelter

BEST ACTRESS
Kirsten Dunst (-) Melancholia
Elizabeth Olsen (-) Martha Marcy May Marlene
Anna Paquin (-) Margaret
Meryl Streep (-) The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams (-) My Week With Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks (-) Drive
Nick Nolte (-) Warrior
Patton Oswalt (-) Young Adult
Brad Pitt (-) The Tree of Life
Christopher Plummer (-) Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain (-) The Tree of Life
Melissa McCarthy (-) Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan (-) Shame
Octavia Spencer (-) The Help
Shailene Woodley (-) The Descendants

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist (-) Michel Hazanavicius
Martha Marcy May Marlene (-) Sean Durkin
Midnight In Paris (-) Woody Allen
A Separation (-) Asghar Farhadi
The Tree of Life (-) Terrence Malick

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants (-) Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Drive (-) Hossein Amini
Hugo (-) John Logan
Moneyball (-) Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (-) Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Puss In Boots
Rango
Winnie the Pooh

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Interrupters
Into the Abyss
Pina
Project Nim
Tabloid

BEST FOREIGN FILM
In a Better World
Incendies
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Drive (-) Newton Thomas Sigel
Hugo (-) Robert Richardson
Melancholia (-) Manuel Alberto Claro
The Tree of Life (-) Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse (-) Janusz Kaminski

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Artist (-) Ludovic Bource
Drive (-) Cliff Martinez
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (-) Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Hanna (-) The Chemical Brothers
Hugo (-) Howard Shore

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Liana Liberato (-) Trust
Brit Marling (-) Another Earth
Hunter McCracken (-) The Tree of Life
Elizabeth Olsen (-) Martha Marcy May Marlene
Shailene Woodley (-) The Descendants

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
J.C. Chandor (-) Margin Call
Simon Curtis (-) My Week With Marilyn
Drake Doremus (-) Like Crazy
Sean Durkin (-) Martha Marcy May Marlene
Tate Taylor (-) The Help

http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/

Dallas and North Texas Film Critics Raise "The Descendants"

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is also known as the DFW Film Critics Association. The group describes itself as a not-for-profit, unincorporated voluntary organization of print, broadcast and internet film critics based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and greater North Texas who meet its membership criteria. The DFW Film Critics Association currently consists of 29 broadcast, print, and online journalists from throughout North Texas.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 18th Annual Critics’ Poll:

Best Film: THE DESCENDANTS

Runner-ups:
2. THE ARTIST
3. EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
4. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
5. THE TREE OF LIFE
6. HUGO
7. 50/50
8. DRIVE
9. SHAME
10. MONEYBALL

Best Director: Alexander Payne for THE DESCENDANTS

Runner-ups:
Michel Hazanavicius for THE ARTIST
Terrence Malick for THE TREE OF LIFE
Martin Scorsese for HUGO
Woody Allen for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Best Actor: George Clooney for THE DESCENDANTS

Runner-ups:
Jean Dujardin for THE ARTIST
Michael Fassbender for SHAME
Brad Pitt for MONEYBALL
Michael Shannon for TAKE SHELTER (5).

Best Actress: Michelle Williams for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN.

Runner-ups:
Tilda Swinton for WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Meryl Streep for THE IRON LADY
Charlize Theron for YOUNG ADULT
Kirsten Dunst for MELANCHOLIA

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer for BEGINNERS

Runner-ups:
Albert Brooks for DRIVE
Max von Sydow for EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
Armie Hammer for J. EDGAR
Kenneth Branagh for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley for THE DESCENDANTS

Runners-up:
Berenice Bejo for THE ARTIST
Octavia Spencer for THE HELP
Melissa McCarthy for BRIDESMAIDS
Carey Mulligan for SHAME

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year: A SEPARATION

Runners-up:
THE SKIN I LIVE IN
INCENDIES
13 ASSASSINS
Tie: OF GODS AND MEN and CERTIFIED COPY

Best Documentary: CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

Runners-up:
PROJECT NIM
THE INTERRUPTERS
PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES
BUCK

Best Animated Film: RANGO

Runner-up:
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

Best Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for THE DESCENDANTS

Runner-up:
Woody Allen for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for THE TREE OF LIFE

Runner-up:
Janusz Kaminski for WAR HORSE.

The association voted WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN as the winner of the Russell Smith Award. Named for the late Dallas Morning News film critic, this honor is given annually to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film.

Review: First Tom Cruise "Mission: Impossible" is Still a Thrill

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 (of 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mission: Impossible (1996)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Brian De Palma
WRITERS: David Koepp and Robert Towne; story by David Koepp and Steven Zallian (based on the television series created by Bruce Geller)
PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen H. Burum (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Paul Hirsch
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman

ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Dale Dye, and (uncredited) Emilio Estevez

The Impossible Missions Force (I.M.F.) must recover a computer disc that contains the code name of C.I.A. agents in deep cover in Eastern Europe and capture the spy who not only has the disc but also seeks the other half of the information, which gives the real identities of those same agents.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is the point man for the mission, under the guidance of Jim Phelps (a character holdover from the “Mission: Impossible” television series 1966-73 and a revival 1988-90) and leads his team (which includes parts played by Kristin Scott-Thomas and an uncredited Emilio Estevez). The mission goes awry and places Hunt, the sole survivor, under the false suspicion of betrayal.

Hunt recruits a new team: Phelps’s wife, Claire (Emmanuelle Beart), a thuggish, Franz Krieger (Jean Reno), and a master computer hacker, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), all to help him discover and expose the real mole in I.M.F.

One of the smartest summer movies of all time, Mission: Impossible, upon its release, left audiences shaking their heads. The film itself is like one of the mind games for which the television series was famous. The characters in the film, other than Hunt, are not what they seem, and the writers filled the film with hints that come and go quickly that inevitably reveal the secrets and secret identities. M: I is light on plot, but deceptively simple. Hunt must obtain the object of desire, the deep cover agent list that will in turn bring all the players out of the shadows and into the light of day. Only then, can he prove his innocence.

Cruise proves to be a very good actor (in addition to be such a magnifying screen presence) in the hands of a good director, and De Palma (Casualties of War), despite his spotty box office career, is a fine director. A student of Alfred Hitchcock’s work, De Palma brings the master’s sense of suspense and mystery to M: I. As with a Hitchcock lead, we know that Hunt is innocent, but the odds are so stacked against him that we wonder if he will escape alive, let alone solve the puzzle.

Jon Voight as Phelps fairly drips with duplicity and mystery; he is simultaneously an wise old teacher and reptilian cold war era spy. Vanessa Redgrave brings a lively elegance to the proceedings as the arms dealer, Max. Henry Czerny, as Eugene Kittridge, brings to the show the similar essence of his character Robert Ritter from Clear and Present Danger.

Mission: Impossible is a fine action thriller full of riveting suspense. It demands one’s attention with its unorthodox approach to action movies. Its premise is a gorilla that hangs by a thread on the suspension of disbelief. But it engages and demands that the viewer not only pay attention but uses his mind. The creators only ask that you surrender part of your thinking to them, while most movies, especially summer fare, ask for all of your good sense.

8 of 10
A

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