The DGA announces theatrical nominees today (in under an hour). It will be a big announcement, but as I perused the Guild’s website this morning killing a little time, I delighted in F.X. Feeney’s lengthy chat with director Michael Mann currently being featured there.

Mann is my favorite working director and I can’t wait to dive into the new series he’s been working on with David Milch (another personal god), HBO’s “Luck.” So I leap at any chance to read someone picking his brain. And Feeney has a nice history with the director, having edited that handsome Taschen book on the films of Mann and offered up some quality interviews over the years.

A lot of ground is covered, from Mann’s “I-want-to-make-movies” moment (seeing Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” in college) to his new task managing directors on “Luck.” I was having trouble deciding which bit I wanted to quote. It’s all good stuff. Ultimately, though, a passage on Mann’s view of camaraderie with his fellow directors seemed particularly applicable today.

Here’s what he had to say about how being active in the Guild has served him as a director:

“Directors don’t see other directors a lot. When we’re making films, there’s only one director on that set. It’s not like actors, working with other actors, or writers, who are working at home and can get together after work over coffee. If you’re working in Rome and I’m in Mozambique, we can’t just hang out. So what the Guild provides, apart from the many superb bedrock forms of support whose virtues are well known by its membership-creative rights, the pension plan, etc.-what I personally hold close is the society it offers of spending time with fellow directors. Whenever we get a chance to get together and talk, it is both rare and tremendously enjoyable. If Alejandro González Iñárritu wants to ask me about a certain cameraman, actor or actress, there are things I can reveal to him, regardless of the political sensitivities, which I wouldn’t say to anybody else. I can always tell the unvarnished truth to another director. And I’ve enjoyed the same benefit coming the other way. There’s a wonderful solidarity and truth-telling that goes on among directors.”

Oh, okay, one more passage. These thoughts on Mann’s retrospective view of the sound and music of 1981’s “Thief” and using sound effects melodically to integrate audio textures are just fascinating:

“…it can actually get quite nuts. In Thief there’s a fire extinguisher going off in F minor. We actually found a way, in Tangerine Dream’s studio, of processing actual sound effects and rendering them into a key. This was long before digital computers. The layering can be extraordinarily intricate. During the safe-cracking sequence in Thief, the chaotic sound of the burning bar suddenly stops, and in the silence-corresponding to the bright points of light on the diamonds when the first tray is pulled out-you start hearing a high-pitched note in the key of E, and every once in awhile there’s a blast in F minor of the fire extinguisher putting out the embers. This moment happens to work for me, now, in a way that I can still look at and not cringe. It’s withstood the test of time. Other things in the film are nonsensical: ocean waves crashing in G minor-sounding big, but yielding nothing at all.”

Give it all a read at the DGA website.

Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for today’s big reveal. Will Woody Allen assert the dominance of “Midnight in Paris?” Will Terrence Malick defy the odds and make the cut? Or will it just be a benign slate revealing very little? We’ll know soon enough.

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

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Credit where it’s due to the Academy: when the high number of egregious omissions in this year’s documnentary Oscar longlist (from “Senna” to “The Interrupters” to “Tabloid”) made it clear that something in the system was broken, they didn’t waste too much time attempting a fix. Whether their solution works remains to be seen: in future, any doc hoping to compete will need to be reviewed in either the New York Times or Los Angeles Times to qualify, spelling the end of phantom qualifying runs. Some are protesting that this discriminates unfairly against smaller works with sketchier distribution, though I don’t think it’s unreasonable to limit the competition to films that have, at some point, been made available to the public in a theatrical context: it’s no different from how the general Oscar categories work, after all. Perhaps the Best Foreign Language Film award should go the same way? [New York Times]    

Oscar-winning documentarian Michael Moore approves of the change, as does Steve James, the twice-snubbed director of “The Interrupters” and “Hoop Dreams.” [IndieWire]

A superb piece by Tim Robey about why “The Iron Lady” switched composers — from Clint Mansell to Thomas Newman — and what it suggests about an uncertain film. [The Telegraph]

Speaking of soundtracks, Jim Emerson reflects on the experience not just of watching “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” but listening to it. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Critics unsold on Keira Knightley’s performance in “A Dangerous Method” are “reveling in their own plainness of appearance, supercilious intellectualism and compulsions to express bitchiness.” Uh, okay. [Women and Hollywood] 

David Poland talks to the crafts artists behind “War Horse”: Janusz Kaminski, Michael Kahn, Rick Carter and Lois Burwell. [Hot Blog]

An interview with “W.E.” and “Brighton Rock” star Andrea Riseborough, who “may be the best and brightest actor of her generation.” Shame about the films. [The Guardian]

Dan Kois on why “Captain America” was 2011’s best comic-book movie… and why “Weekend” is great. An obvious segue. [Slate] 

Tilda Swinton on “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and why winning an Oscar is nothoing more than “an amazing piece of luck.” [Los Angeles Times]

The Visual Effects Society has announced its list of nominees for the organization’s 10th annual ceremony, and leading the way wasn’t one of the live action blockbusters on the whittled-down slate of 10 advancing Oscar contenders. It was Steven Spielberg’s animated offering “The Adventures of Tintin,” which landed six nominations across the feature film categories.

The animated films are segregated by the Society, though, (and “Tintin” was not shortlisted by the Academy), so leading the way for live action entries was the year’s one-two franchise punch (and perhaps not-so-coincidentally the top two domestic grossers of the year) “Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows: Part 2” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Each picked up five nominations.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” wasn’t far behind with four. All three are considered frontrunners for the Best Visual Effects Oscar race.

The biggest surprise is “The Tree of Life” managing to be shut out. Films like “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” “Source Code” and “War Horse” were noted for supporting visual effects and nowhere else, but nothing at all for Terrence Malick’s partly cosmic opus. Nothing, either, for Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia,” which begins to shed some light on how limited in scope the slate ultimately was.

I was happy to see a little recognition for “Anonymous” (supporting visual effects and created environment). But it was a shame “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” could only nab one mention (for model work). The latter is on the Academy’s list of finalists, the former is not.

Other Academy finalists recognized include “Hugo” with three nominations, “Captain America: The First Avenger” with two and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” with one. “Real Steel” and “X-Men: First Class,” both shortlisted by the Academy, were snubbed along with Malick’s film.

Speaking of which, “The Tree of Life” visual effects consultant Douglas Trumbull was previously announced as recipient of the Georges Méliès Award. That should make for an awkward moment. Also previously announced was Stan Lee as recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

As for Oscar, I still think “The Tree of Life” gets in (along with “Potter,” “Apes,” “Transformers” and “Hugo”). But I say again, watch out for “Pirates” as a spoiler. Every film in the series has been nominated here and one of them took home the gold.

Check out the full list of feature film nominees below, and refresh yourself with the Academy’s shortlist of 10 Best Visual Effects finalists to get an idea of how you think this race might fall.

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature
“Captain America: The First Avenger”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
“Anonymous”
“Hugo”
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
“Source Code”
“War Horse”

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part ” (Ukranian Ironbelly)
“Paul” (Paul)
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (Caesar)
“The Thing” (Edvard/Adam)

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“The Adventures of Tintin” (Tintin)
“Puss in Boots” (Puss)
“Rango” (Rango)
“Rio” (Nigel)

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“Anonymous” (London)
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (Hogwarts)
“Thor” (Heimdall’s Observatory)
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (155 Wacker Drive)

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“The Adventures of Tintin” (Bagghar)
“The Adventures of Tintin” (Docks)
“The Adventures of Tintin” (Pirate Battle)
“Puss in Boots” (The Cloud World)
“Rango” (Main Street Dirt)

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“Hugo”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Thor”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Cars 2”
“Rango”

Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (Hogwarts School Buildings)
“Hugo” (Train Crash)
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (Parking Garage)
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Driller)

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
“Captain America: The First Avenger”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit.

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

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The Kansas City Film Critics Circle held its vote this evening and “The Descendants” was named the year’s best. I was somewhat confused that “Hugo” won an award designated for sci-fi/fantasy/horror films, though. How does that perception even happen? Anyway, check out the full list of winners below.

Best Picture: “The Descendants”

Best Director: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

Best Actor: George Clooney, “The Descendants”

Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia”

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Moneyball”

Best Original Screenplay: “Beginners”

Best Animated Film: “Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation”

Best Documentary: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

Vince Koehler Award for Best Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Film: “Hugo”

Remember to keep track of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit.

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

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I’ve never attended the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. It’s a key stop along the Oscar trail this time of year, very competitive with the Santa Barbara Film Festival. The two duke it out for honorees, one reticent to honor talent that the other has chalked up for an award. Which is obviously silly. But it seemed time to give it a go.

The evening was a nice enough one. Good whiskey, tasty spare ribs, yummy dessert. But the heathens at my table nearly tore it. I don’t quite know what their business was there, but it appeared that most were friends of one of the festival’s sponsors. Fine, fair enough, bring your friends. But maybe chastise them for gloating over snapping photos of Angelina Jolie in the bathroom? Earlier I heard another conniving over “getting my picture with George [Clooney].” Ugh.

Poor Howard Shore — I couldn’t even hear him through his acceptance of an award deep into the evening. Little to no reverence seemed to be paid. Chatter, chatter, chatter. But that, I gather from the vets I’ve spoken to this evening, is the Palm Springs way. Alas.

Anyway, things started with the presentation of the Breakthrough Performance Award, presented to “The Help” actress Octavia Spencer by “Bridesmaids” star Melissa McCarthy. Spencer took to the stage amid instant emotion, particularly choked up when she mentioned her co-star, Jessica Chastain.

Next up was Tom Hanks and the creepily precocious Thomas Horn to present the Director of the Year Award to “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” director Stephen Daldry. Daldry was one of two honorees this evening to pay homage to film publicist Ronni Chasen, who was brutally murdered in the middle of the season last year (the other being Howard Shore).

“9/11 is not taught in any national curriculum in America,” he said, referring to the subject matter of his film. “So let’s tell these stories.”

Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight fame once again served as host of the festivities. She introduced the aforementioned Howard Shore, recipient of this year’s Frederick Lowe Music Award for his contributions to Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo.” I wish I could convey a quote of note, but I couldn’t hear over the self-involved chatter of the crowd.

Al Pacino was on hand to present the Spotlight Award to the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain. The famed actor recalled when he first saw the actress in action six years ago during an audition. “I was so struck by her delivery and acting,” he said. “I turned to a producer, Robert Fox, who has been in the business almost as long as I have, and he had the same look on his face: ‘What are we witnessing here? Is this a prodigy?'”

Pacino recently cast Chastain in “Wild Salome,” which came before her epic slate of films that released in 2011. Chastain called Pacino her “acting godfather” for the break he gave her.

Michel Hazanavicius accepted the Sonny Bono Visionary Award from “The Artist” stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, taking the words right out of my mouth by offering (humbly), “I wasn’t comfortable with the word ‘visionary.’ I’m not sure I have vision.” Of course, he charmed the crowd by following it up with, “But as I look out at you now, you are a vision. So today, thanks to you, I am a visionary.” He was in black and white on the big screen behind him as he spoke. Aw, how cute.

Olivia Wilde presented the Vanguard Award for Creative Ensemble to “Young Adult” director Jason Reitman, writer Diablo Cody and stars Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt. Oswalt spoke for the group, his usual funny, affable self. Meanwhile, Adrien Brody was on hand to present the International Star Award to Gary Oldman.

Which brings me to a point. Oldman’s reel blew everything else out of the water. We’re clearly fans around these parts, but to see what this man has done on screen throughout his career, and what he’s done this year in “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” it’s time for him to be out of movie jail already. It’s a blight on the Academy that he doesn’t have an Oscar nomination, and it will be an even bigger blight if he goes without this year. Wise up, already.

And Brody was with me on that score. “Oh, shit,” he said. “That’s a reel.” Oldman noted the odd sculpt of the unique award: “I’m going to smoke out of this later.”

Moving right along, Kenneth Branagh presented the Desert Palm Award for Best Actress to his “My Week with Marilyn” co-star Michelle Williams. “He was the most extraordinary partner,” Williams said of Branagh. “The only hard part was laying down my awe that I was in a scene with him.”

Williams also noted that it was suggested to her at the start of her career that she employ alliteration in her professional name, much like Marilyn Monroe. She almost, therefore, changed her name to Michelle Montana once upon a time. “I came this close to a career as a porn star,” she quipped.

The porn references didn’t end there. Jonah Hill presented the Desert Palm Award for Best Actor to Brad Pitt, honored for his work in both “Moneyball” and “The Tree of Life.” The actor said of his co-star in the latter, Jessica Chastain, “Seven films this year, five films next year. You have to be in the porn industry to see that kind of success.”

Jeff Goldblum was on hand to present the Career Achievement Award to his “The Big Chill” co-star Glenn Close and Shailene Woodley presented the Chairman’s Award to George Clooney, who I’m sure had something charming to say, but I left in order to make the after party. Here’s hoping that craven attendee was able to get her photo with him, though.

And that was the awards gala of the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The after-party was okay. I was happy to catch up with Jason Reitman (who really wants Patton Oswalt to get his due this year) and to meet Jessica Chastain (who cutely dragged Octavia Spencer out onto the dance floor early on). What else can I say? It happened.

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

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God love the National Society of Film Critics. More often than not, you can count on them to go their own way on the precursor trail — and they did so in defiant fashion today, becoming the first major critics’ group to single out Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” as the year’s best, handing star Kirsten Dunst the Best Actress prize into the bargain. (It’s Dunst’s first win since her Cannes trophy, and not a moment too soon; look out for my interview with her on Monday.) It’s the second time the group has stood up for von Trier in this way — 15 years ago, they gave “Breaking the Waves” the same two awards.

As if to underline their independence from the Oscar conversation, their runner-up picks were also decidedly dark horses: “The Tree of Life” (which lost the Best Picture race by a single point, but won Best Director and Best Cinematography to make up for it) and “A Separation,” which won the foreign-language race by a landslide and also took its second major critics’ prize in the Best Screenplay category. (The LA Critics reached the same conclusion last month — could the Academy’s writers’ branch take notice?)

Breaking up the arthouse love-in in the top categories, Brad Pitt took their Best Actor award for “Moneyball.” Following his New York critics’ prize at the start of the season, this means he’s now taken two of the Big Three US critics’ gongs — which suggests to me that we ought to start taking his Oscar chances very seriously. The Academy’s last seven picks for Best Actor all took at least one of those three prizes along the way, a stat George Clooney won’t like much. Indeed, supposed critics’ favorite “The Descendants” is somewhat conspicuous by its absence throughout the NSFC list — a bronze medal for Shailene Woodley is its sole citation.

Speaking of the supporting trophies, the NSFC didn’t shake things up here, as Albert Brooks and Jessica Chastain (again cited for multiple roles) continued their dominance of the precursor circuit thus far, though it’s nice to see Jeannie Berlin copping a runner-up mention for “Margaret.” They didn’t stray too far in the documentary category either, as Werner Herzog picked up yet another award for “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (I still don’t get why), beating his own “Into the Abyss” into third place.

But it’s “Melancholia” that’s obviously the biggest story here, and I’m thrilled the NSFC has chosen to shine an extra light on this striking, unsettling, not openly embraceable film — in a year when certain critics’ groups have proudly boasted of their Oscar-predicting records, would that more of them had the gumption to veer this far off-track. Whether anybody follows their lead or not is neither here nor there — there’s every chance this will be the Society’s first top winner since “Yi Yi” in 2000 not to register with the Academy at all. They’ve given one of the year’s best and most discussed films its due, and asserted their critical identity in the process, Isn’t that what all critics’ awards should aim for?

The full list of winners is below:   

Best Picture
1. “Melancholia” (29)
2. “The Tree of Life” (28)
3. “A Separation” (20)

Best Director
1. Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life” (31)
2. Martin Scorsese, “Hugo” (29)
3. Lars von Trier, “Melancholia” (23)

Best Actor
1. Brad Pitt, “Moneyball” and “The Tree of Life” (35)
2. Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (22)
3. Jean Dujardin, “The Artist” (19)

Best Actress
1. Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia” (39)
2. Yun Jung-hee, “Poetry” (25)
3. Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady” (20)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Albert Brooks, “Drive”
2. Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” (24)
3. Patton Oswalt, “Young Adult” (19)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Jessica Chastain, “The Help,” “Take Shelter” and “The Tree of Life” (30)
2. Jeannie Berlin, “Margaret” (19)
3. Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants” (17)

Best Screenplay
1. “A Separation” (39)
2. “Moneyball” (22)
3. “Midnight in Paris” (16)

Best Foreign Language Film
1. “A Separation” (67)
2. “Mysteries of Lisbon” (28)
3. “Le Havre” (22)

Best Documentary
1. “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (35)
2. “The Interrupters” (26)
3. “Into the Abyss” (18)

Best Cinematography
1. “The Tree of Life” (76)
2. “Melancholia” (41)
3. “Hugo” (33)

Best Experimental Film
“Seeking the Monkey King”

Film Heritage
1. BAMcinématek for its complete Vincente Minnelli retrospective with all titles shown on 16 mm. or 35 mm. film.
2. Lobster Films, Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema and the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema for the restoration of the color version of George Méliès”s “A Trip to the Moon.”
3. New York”s Museum of Modern Art for its extensive retrospective of Weimar Cinema.
4. Flicker Alley for their box set Landmarks Of Early Soviet Film. 5. Criterion Collecton for its 2-disc DVD package The Complete Jean Vigo.

Be sure to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit.

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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Welcome to Oscar Talk.

In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.

Welcome to the first podcast of the new year. The holidays and 2011 as a film year are memories and we forge ahead into the rest of the season and whatever 2012 may have to offer. So let’s see what’s on the docket today…

We’ve had a few guild announcements this week, starting with the PGA nominees on Tuesday. We address the guild’s choice of 10 and what that might mean for Oscar.

Next up was yesterday’s WGA announcement, which was somewhat easy to peg down given the list of ineligible scripts. We discuss how that might change or be similar when it comes to what the writing branch of the Academy has to say on the matter.

The DGA announces nominees on Monday, which will keep the guild train rolling. We offer up our predictions on that, which differ in just one area.

Finally, reader questions. We address queries regarding the strong industry showing for “Bridesmaids,” what nomination would make us happiest and what films from 2011 will be more appreciated by critics and film journalists than Academy members.

Have a listen to the new podcast below with something bubbly leading the way. If the file cuts off for you at any time, try the back-up download link at the bottom of this post. And as always, remember to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

“When You’re Smiling” courtesy of Louis Prima and Capitol.
“Big News I” courtesy of Clutch and Eastwest Records.

After “The Tree of Life” led the way with nominations from the Central Ohio Film Critics Association, it was “Drive” that took top honors, winning Best Picture and Best Director for Nicolas Winding Refn. Refn also won the Breakthrough Film Artist award. Check out the full list of winners below.

Best Film: “Drive” (Runner-up: “Martha Marcy May Marlene”)

Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive” (Runner-up: Lars von Trier, “Melancholia”)

Best Actor: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter” (Runner-up: Ryan Gosling, “Drive”)

Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (Runner-up: Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”)

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” (Runner-up: Albert Brooks, “Drive”)

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants” (Runner-up: Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”)

Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Runner-up: “Moneyball”)

Best Original Screenplay: “Source Code” (Runner-up: “Midnight in Paris”)

Best Cinematography: “The Tree of Life” (Runner-up: “Melancholia”)

Best Score: “Hanna” (Runner-up: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”)

Best Animated Film: “Arthur Christmas” (Runner-up: “Winnie the Pooh”)

Best Foreign Language Film: “Of Gods and Men” (Runner-up: “The Skin I Live In”)

Best Documentary: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (Runner-up: “Project Nim”)

Best Ensemble: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (Runner-up: “The Descendants”)

Breakthrough Film Artist: Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive” (Runner-up: Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter,” “Texas Killing Fields” and “The Tree of Life”)

Most Overlooked Film: “Margaret” (Runner-up: “Beginners”)

Top 10 Films (in order): “Drive,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Take Shelter,” “Melancholia,” “The Descendants,” “Midnight in Paris,” “The Tree of Life,” “The Artist,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Hugo”

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the film awards season via The Circuit.

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

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The words “passion vote” get repeated with numbing frequency in the Oscar prediction racket, as pundits try to separate the niche contenders who inspire fierce devotion from the broadly agreeable ones who appear to be nobody’s favorite. Year after year, we convince ourselves the former are in a more advantageous position; year after year, films like “Frost/Nixon” somehow get nominated. Mark Harris addresses this dichotomy in his column this week, acknowledging the films and actors that seem primed for passion votes (Fassbender, Swinton, “Margaret”), while wondering if they have enough support to overcome the Academy’s dutiful tendency to reward dull familiarity and hard work (“an A-for-effort nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio” about sums it up). [Grantland]

Anne Thompson talks to WGA nominee John Logan, whose diverse 2011 accomplishments include “Hugo,” “Rango” and “Coriolanus.” [Thompson on Hollywood]

The venerable David Thomson closes his long-running Biographical Dictionary series at The Guardian with an entry on Michael Fassbender. [The Guardian]

Stephanie Zacharek tells the detractors why she loves “The Artist,” despite it being “allegedly the Philistine’s choice for movie of the year.” [Slate]

Richard Brody bemoans the flawed foreign-language Oscar selection process, suggests the same sensible alternative many of us have called for. [New Yorker]

The release of “The Wettest County in the World,” one of our most anticipated of 2012, has been pushed back to August. No worse than April, surely. [LA Times]  

Steven Soderbergh on “Haywire,” and why he likes killing movie stars. [The Independent]

R. Kurt Osenlund weighs up the Oscar potential of “The Tree of Life.” [Slant]

Marc Lee on the sort-of-campaign that just won’t die: an Oscar for Uggie! I’m still entirely on board. [The Telegraph]

Elton John, the man who stands to make “Gnomeo and Juliet” an Academy Award nominee, talks to Steve Pond about his film work. [The Odds]

Just in case you were wondering, “The Iron Lady” is a better film — and a better directed film — than “Shame.” Obviously. “Arthur Christmas” and “War Horse” are better British films than “Weekend,” “Kill List” and “Wuthering Heights.” Of course. Zoe Wanamaker and Judi Dench gave nomination-worthy performances in “My Week With Marilyn.” (Sure, but why not throw in Emma Watson too? They’re all better than Vanessa Redgrave in “Coriolanus.”)

Hey, how about those awesome visual effects in “Midnight in Paris?” Better, I’m sure you’ll agree, than those half-assed efforts in “The Tree of Life” — which, by the way, has no place in a Best Director conversation that includes such visionary auteurs as Simon Curtis.

These golden truths all come to us courtesy of the BAFTA longlists, an annual preview (or, perhaps more appropriately, warning) of the British Academy’s eventual nominations, in which 15 contenders are announced in each category, from which the five nominees will be chosen. Marked with an asterisk are the top choices of the relevant voting branch (“chapter” in BAFTA lingo) in each field — in a reversal of the Oscar system, the general membership votes on the nominees in each category, while the chapter determines the winner in all categories except Best Film, Foreign Language Film, British Film, Documentary and the acting races.

Year after year, it’s an announcement that reveals both the narrowness of the pool of films they consider, and the astonishing blandness of their collective taste — and this year, they’ve truly outdone themselves. Leading the longlists with 16 mentions each, and emphatically keeping the home fires burning in the race, are “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “My Week With Marilyn.”

The former was always predicted to be a BAFTA favorite, and deservedly so; the latter is more of a groaner, particularly by the time it starts showing up in categories like Cinematography and Sound. Look at the technical categories and note the alarming level of title repetition — by the time the structurally disastrous “The Iron Lady,” with a whopping 14 mentions, makes the cut for Best Film Editing, you know they’re not digging too deep.

More significant than the overall tally, however, is the number of chapter selections: “The Artist” unsurprisingly comes out on top there, placing in the chapter’s top five in nine of the 13 categories in which it is longlisted. (Among them is Best Actress for Berenice Bejo: if BAFTA deserve credit for anything, it’s that they rarely submit to category fraud. Carey Mulligan has also been promoted to lead for “Shame.”) Close behind, with eight, are “Tinker, Tailor” and “Hugo” — you can safely expect these three films to lead the nominations on January 17. 

I sense Tomas Alfredson’s espionage thriller remains the French silent film’s only real competition for the win: with the film’s awards campaign flagging in the US, could this evident local support propel it to an Oscar nomination for Best Picture? It’s still possible.

That said, for all their apparent hometown bias, the BAFTAs remain trapped in an identity crisis, clearly illustrated by the sorry list below. Torn between conflicting impulses to honor their own and anticipate the Oscar race, they wind up doing neither job very well: there may be Brits galore on the longlists, but the notion that they’re serving UK cinema by showering accolades on anonymous pap like “My Week With Marilyn,” while ignoring major talents like Steve McQueen, or indeed Tom Hardy, is patently absurd. Nominations voted on by a group this large are never going to be as rangy and inclusive as they could be; when even the longlists are this behind the beat, however, you have to wonder why they bother. 

The longlists are as follows:

Best Film
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
The Iron Lady
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Outstanding British Film 
Arthur Christmas
Attack the Block
Coriolanus
The Guard
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The Iron Lady
Jane Eyre
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Submarine
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tyrannosaur
War Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Director
The Artist*
The Descendants
Drive*
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo*
The Ides of March
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
War Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin*

Film Not in the English Language
Abel
As If I Am Not There
The Boy Mir – Ten Years in Afghanistan
Calvet
Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries)
Incendies
Little White Lies
Pina
Post Mortem
Potiche
Le Quattro Volte
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Tomboy
The Troll Hunter

Documentary
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Life in a Day
Pina
Project Nim
Senna

Animated Film
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn*
Arthur Christmas*
Gnomeo and Juliet
Puss in Boots
Rango*

Original Screenplay
50/50
Anonymous
Arthur Christmas
The Artist*
Beginners
Bridesmaids*
The Guard*
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
Midnight in Paris*
Senna
Shame
Super 8
Tyrannosaur
Young Adult*

Adapted Screenplay
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Coriolanus
The Descendants*
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The Help*
Hugo
The Ides of March*
Jane Eyre
Moneyball*
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
War Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Leading Actor
Antonio Banderas, The Skin I Live In
Brad Pitt, Moneyball*
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Daniel Craig, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Eddie Redmayne, My Week with Marilyn
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
George Clooney, The Descendants*
Jean Dujardin, The Artist*
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame*
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris
Peter Mullan, Tyrannosaur
Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March

Leading Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist*
Carey Mulligan, Shame
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Emma Stone, The Help
Helen Mirren, The Debt
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Kate Winslet, Carnage
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady*
Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn*
Olivia Colman, Tyrannosaur
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin*
Viola Davis, The Help*

Supporting Actor
Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Albert Brooks, Drive
Ben Kingsley, Hugo
Benedict Cumberbatch, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Christopher Plummer, Beginners*
Colin Firth, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Eddie Marsan, Tyrannosaur*
Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady
John Hurt, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Jonah Hill, Moneyball*
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn*
Paul Giamatti, The Ides of March
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March*

Supporting Actress
Alexandra Roach, The Iron Lady
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help*
Carey Mulligan, Drive
Emily Watson, War Horse
Evan Rachel Wood, The Ides of March
Jessica Chastain, The Help*
Judi Dench, My Week with Marilyn*
Kathy Bates, Midnight in Paris
Kathy Burke, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Marion Cotillard, Midnight in Paris
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids*
Octavia Spencer, The Help*
Olivia Colman, The Iron Lady
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Zoe Wanamaker, My Week with Marilyn*

Editing
The Artist*
The Descendants
Drive*
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo*
The Ides of March
The Iron Lady
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
My Week with Marilyn
Senna*
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy*
War Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Production Design
Anonymous
The Artist*
Coriolanus
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2*
The Help
Hugo*
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
Jane Eyre
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
War Horse*

Cinematography
The Artist*
The Descendants
Drive*
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo*
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo*
The Ides of March
J. Edgar
Jane Eyre
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
The Tree of Life
War Horse
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Make Up & Hair
Anonymous
The Artist*
Bridesmaids
Coriolanus
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2*
The Help
Hugo*
The Iron Lady*
J. Edgar
Jane Eyre
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn*
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Costume Design
Anonymous*
The Artist*
Coriolanus
A Dangerous Method
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The Help
Hugo*
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
Jane Eyre*
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn*
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Sound
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn*
The Artist
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2*
Hugo*
The Iron Lady
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Super 8
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
War Horse*
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Special Visual Effects
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn*
The Artist
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2*
Hugo*
Midnight in Paris
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Rise of the Planet of the Apes*
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon*
War Horse
X-Men: First Class

Original Music
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn*
The Artist*
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The Help
Hugo*
The Ides of March
The Iron Lady
Jane Eyre
Moneyball
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*
War Horse*
We Need to Talk About Kevin

On Tuesday, January 10 at 7pm, USC and Fox Searchlight will host an “Out of the Box [Office]” screening of “Margaret” at the Ray Stark Family Theatre on the USC campus.

As many of you know, In Contention is firmly set in the #TeamMargaret camp. Kris named the film as his number one movie of the year, and Guy his number two. I saw “Margaret” via a streaming link recently. It was presented in six instillations that required me to log in at each breaking point, the player was about a quarter of the size of my 17-inch computer, and the name “Kris Tapley” sat as a vertical watermark across the frame for the entirety of the screening. And yet even given the constraints of that viewing experience, had I created a top 10 list, I would have named “Margaret” as my number two film of the year as well – if not my number one.

“Margaret” is an authentic snapshot of New York”s creative intelligentsia, far more so than the overworked “Carnage,” which talks down to its characters and inspires nothing more than a desire to find a large stick of one”s own. “Margaret” is raw and messy and shockingly real. It feels both patterned and elliptical in the way that life often does. It is an almost painfully accurate depiction of a privileged, overly bright teen with more ambition (ethical and sometimes sexual in this case) than the sense that is born only of experience.

As someone who grew up first in the overcrowded, underfunded hallways of the public school system and then in the indulged corridors of an alternative, private high school for “gifted” children in New York, I can attest to the stunning sense of verisimilitude that the film evokes. I both was Lisa (the film”s central protagonist) and knew her. Had I been in high school in the post-9/11 era I would have taken part in the same heated, and yes, strident, debates that Anna Paquin’s Lisa regularly engages in.

To present an image: I transferred to my school midway through ninth grade. I came from a specialized public school that the students took the PSAT in eighth grade to get into. I was in the advanced levels of the humanities in said school. When I left we were reading the short story “The Lottery.” When I entered private school they had just completed “The Communist Manifesto” and were writing a manifesto of their own. I recall the idiosyncratic patterns of speech that we followed. If we substituted Lisa”s repeated use of “necessarily” for the word “particularly,” it would be as if either I or one of my classmates were speaking. Lisa is locked into a need to communicate with a sense of overt rationalism, even (as happens in the film) in the “throws of passion.” Do you have “any general guidelines” she queries as she is about to perform an intimate act, rather than the simpler, rawer and perhaps hotter “tell me what you want.” She cannot let go of her persona, of her need to control her external circumstances and vision of the world even long enough to surrender to the primal release of pleasure.

We, too, spoke with an established cadence peppered with intermittent SAT words so that we might test the flavors of “abeyance,” “inveigh” and “timorous” on our tongues in an everyday context (which, of course, is ludicrous in an everyday context — particularly the everyday context of a 16-year-old). We were obnoxious, well-meaning, intolerably ignorant, determined to be wisened and reprehensibly dismissive of “places like that” (read: outside of the boarders of NYC, which we inevitably referred to as “bridge and tunnel” or “where?”).

Kenneth Lonergan”s portrait of New York is the most genuine that I have ever seen. It is neither worshipful (as Woody Allen”s films often are) or dismissive (see “Carnage”). It is akin to our very best friend, the one that sees and loves us in the full scope of our virtues and frailties and does not shy from telling us the truth, from holding up a mirror to expose our nature so we can face it, as adults, rather than allowing us to remain in a willfully adolescent state.

Lonergan”s own turn as Lisa”s New Yorker cum Angelino father is a brutally honest picture of a well-intentioned but deeply selfish man, a man who is convinced of the justifications for his absentee parenting and reprehensibly inconsistent behavior. Lisa”s desire to right a wrong that cannot be undone is tragically untenable. It is adult in context (the scale and consequences of her error) and childish in practice (the path she takes in her reckoning). She hopes to reset the world to a moment when it makes sense, to shake off the guilt of her own culpability and clarify the confusion of the moral gray by finding a simple clear target to eliminate.

She latches onto what appears to be an achievable goal, and of course, paradoxically, the more insurmountable the prize becomes the more determined Lisa becomes to have it. She will do near anything to correct the uncorrectable, to assuage her shame, to sooth her sorrow and to find meaning in any manner of “justice” she can cling to. And yet it is ever unattainable, for her loss is her innocence, and it is the end of her untainted vision of herself that she truly grieves for.

How horrifically gorgeous a story this is, set against the backdrop of a city attempting to reconcile itself with the causes and consequences of 9/11. As a character study, the film is incomparable. As a metaphor, it continues to provide. “Margaret” goes beyond the limited scope of “a slice of life” to, without force, express a truth about the macro via the experience of the micro.

The film also represents the finest performance its lead has given since her Academy Award-winning cinematic debut as young Flora McGrath in Jane Campion”s “The Piano.” The roles are also oddly similar, both characters full of precocious mischief, burdened by parents who are in some ways themselves children, full of the subsequent rage that such conditions inspire, agonizingly young and dangerously self-centered. In self-serving pursuits they each make choices that reap irreversible consequences (though Lisa”s more so). They are each narcissists surrounded by narcissists, attempting to find their way to connection.

How frighteningly relatable is that?

If you are a Los Angeles local, I cannot recommend enough that you take the time (it is a two-and-half-hour commitment) to see this film at this very rare screening. This is a free event and open to the public. You can register for your tickets on the USC site. Please do so, and then give us your take on “Margaret.”

And if you’re not an LA local, I can only hope you have the chance to experience the film, sooner rather than later.

For year-round entertainment news and commentary follow @JRothC on Twitter.

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The Cinema Eye Honors are perhaps the most discerning and well-rounded of all documentary awards, so it figures that they’d be no less idiosyncratic when it comes to narrative cinema. This is where their Heterodox Award, now in its second year, comes in, and it’s one of the more unusual categories on the awards beat, recognizing “narrative film[s] that imaginatively incorporate nonfiction strategies, content and/or modes of production… illuminat[ing] the formal possibilities of nonfiction filmmaking while raising provocative questions about on-going documentary orthodoxy and the perceived boundaries between narrative and nonfiction filmmaking. ” Whew.

Obviously, it’s not every film that fulfils that brief, making for an idiosyncratic list of nominees — the highest-profile of which is “Beginners,” Mike Mills’s autobiographical indie about late-blooming romance and self-realization. The bulk of the film’s awards recognition thus far has centered more on Christopher Plummer’s Oscar-bound performance than Mills’s own rather singular achievement, so it’s nice to see the writer-director-designer honored specifically for his hybrid qualities as an artist, acknowledging the personal history he brought to the project.

I regret to say I haven’t seen any of the other four nominees: “The Lips,” “The Mill and the Cross,” “Snow on the Bluff” and “My Joy,” though I know at least one colleague who will be delighted to see the latter surfacing on any awards list. Last year’s inaugural winner, incidentally, was Matt Porterfield’s “Putty Hill,” so the award is off to a thoughtful start — perhaps they’d consider a few more fiction categories? We could use this kind of thinking.

The award will be presented at the Cinema Eye Honors ceremony on Wednesday. Below are details of the five nominees, as described in the press release:

Beginners: Drawing from autobiographical elements, including his relationship to his dying father, Mike Mills has made a sensitive, insightful, and whimsically funny ode to romance and reinvention. Starring Ewen McGregor, Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer, Beginners mixes drama with not only humor but also brief documentary essays that examine everything from art to the history of California gay culture.

The Lips: Ivan Fund and Santiago Loza’s Argentine picture, “The Lips” (“Los Labios”), a subtle and challenging mix of documentary and narrative filmmaking, follows three women who deeply inhabit their cinematic roles as social workers interacting with members of an impoverished rural Argentine community. Facing desperate poverty that threatens to overwhelm even the greatest reserves of calm, humor, and empathy, the trio moves into makeshift living quarters and records data on the needs of the community, while still taking time for an occasional night out.

The Mill and the Cross: Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross is an epic restaging of and journey into Pieter Bruegel’s celebrated 1564 painting, “Way to Calvary.” Rutger Hauer stars as Bruegel, Michael York is his art collector friend, and Charlotte Rampling is the inspiration for his Virgin Mary. Majewski explores not only the rich iconography of this work but, using digital technology to make his picture a dialogue with not only the past but the nature of creativity itself.

My Joy: Ukranian documentary director Sergei Loznitsa made his debut drama with My Joy, a harshly riveting journey through the countryside of contemporary Russia. Following a truck driver as he makes his various deliveries, Loznitsa draws upon his own experience shooting and traveling through the Russian provinces in this bold and terrifying film.

Snow on tha Bluff: As authentic a document of the life of a young, black, crack-dealing single parent as you will ever see, Damon Russell’s “Snow on tha Bluff” audaciously mixes footage from the camcorder of the film’s real-life inspiration with dramatic scenes to create a sometimes indecipherable mixture of real life and fiction, documentary authenticity and cultural mythmaking. 

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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Bret McKenzie is not a fan of musicals. He doesn”t cruise down the motorways of his hometown in Wellington belting the plaintiff cry of “Les Miserables” – “2-4-6-0-1111111” (Jean Valjean that is). Or at least that”s what he would have us believe and claimed when I spoke to him from his home in New Zealand this week. I remain convinced that he has a “Best of Barbara” tucked away in the nether regions of his vehicle.

In any event, McKenzie”s (alleged) lack of interest in musical theater is somewhat ironic given that he has made his name as one half of the folk comedy duo “Flight of the Conchords” (his other half being Jemaine Clement), and that he is in all likelihood about to receive one, if not two, Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. (And it’s a shame that, according to Academy rules, the film can’t receive three.)

Mckenzie wrote two of the three songs from “The Muppets” that are currently eligible for nominations, “Life”s a Happy Song” and “Man or Muppet,” and (as a part of his role as the film’s musical supervisor) produced the third: “Pictures in My Head.” Most predict that the effusive and unabashedly joyful “Life”s a Happy Song” is a lock for a nomination and that there will be a split between the two other more bittersweet offerings.

“It”s surreal and at the same time exciting because I am completely new to this whole Oscar thing,” McKenzie says of the current buzz. “I mean I”ve seen the Oscars on TV and so I know what goes on. I know Jack Nicholson wears his sunglasses.”

When “Flight of the Conchords” and “The Muppets” director James Bobin originally approached McKenzie, it was to write an “upbeat,” “cheerful” song for the film”s opening, and thus, “Life”s a Happy Song” was born. From there they moved to a few other tunes in the film that had pre-established beats and/or titles, and finally, McKenzie took on the role of music supervisor full stop, where a large portion of his task was to maintain the “Muppety” sound throughout.

“There”s looseness to it,” he says of said “Muppetyness.” “There are particular instruments like the banjo, tech piano and the baritone sax that sound Muppety, but ultimately it”s about the feel. Jim Henson said, ‘If the music sounds too good then it”s not right.” I think that”s what makes a thing sound ‘Muppety.’ They”re slightly off and they”re not overly produced. That”s what”s so refreshing in the contemporary world where everything is so polished. It”s so great to hear characters sing like that. That”s part of why people connect to them. It”s also in the way that they look, which is slightly off, funny and wrong.”

Many would say that  it is the very quirky vulnerability of the Muppets that inspires our love. As individuals, they are not very good at what they do: Fozzie is not a great comedian, Gonzo”s adventurous attempts often fail, but as a unit, they are magnificent.

Kris has always favored “Pictures in my Head” of the two more dramatic ballads, but I am 100% on board with “Man or Muppet” as the song to not only be nominated for, but ultimately win the Oscar. “‘Pictures in My Head” is more nostalgic,” McKenzie says. “It really tugs at the Muppet heartstrings.” Some would feel that it also reflects the broader themes in the film. My take on “Man or Muppet,” however, is that it not only accurately reflects Jason Segel”s state of arrested development and Walter”s confused sense of self, but also the internal dialog of an entire generation of man and women children. When I laughingly relayed my theory to McKenzie he quipped back, “Yeah, I feel like ‘Man or Muppet” transcends the film and becomes an anthem for people”s personal identify crisis. It”s fate versus self determination.”

“Man or Muppet” already had a title when McKenzie came on-board so he had a given theme to address. “But I do approach comedy songs with a lot of sincerity,” he says, “because they end up being funnier the more sincere they are. So there”s definitely a lot of heart put into that song. I don”t know if I was wondering if I was a man or a Muppet at the time, but I really channeled the character.”

Mckenzie calls the song both his favorite and the “most Conchordian” of all of the numbers. “It references a specific time period,” he says. “It”s a 70s/80s power ballad, and on ‘Conchords,” we did that a lot. Especially with the visuals, that song feels like a music video. As well as the fact that there”s two characters. You could replace Walter and Gary with Jemain and I. I think ‘Man or Muppet” is the most successful musically, but I can”t deny the joy that ‘Life”s a Happy Song” brings people. It”s catchy.”

The unrestrained optimism inherent in “Life”s a Happy Song” invites the viewer into the acknowledgment that musicals no longer really have a place in our world, but that paradoxically, we wish that they did. It is so self-consciously reminiscent of the simple, traipsing, whimsical musicals of the 1950s and so not of our time that it allows us to accept the parts of the film that are sincere. Because we know that it knows what it”s doing. It”s as if it”s saying, “Look how outrageous this is! We don”t buy into any of this stuff anymore because it”s so silly and unreal. Now that we”re on the same page about that – let”s buy into it anyway!”

McKenzie agrees, offering that the song “was so genuine that it was ridiculous. Watching the footage of Jason skipping about in that blue suit was a highlight for me. There”s a tone that happens when you take something very seriously. At the same time as parodying musicals, we also put a lot of love into it so it doesn”t come across as a sketch. It works on two levels.”

“The Muppets” is precisely the type of musical that a contemporary audience is willing to embrace. “It”s almost like an ironic love,” he qualifies. “It starts out as a joke and becomes something you end up doing.” Which is exactly what musicals have become for McKenzie.

As to where he takes those talents from here, there are projects to which he coyly alludes, but he says he simply isn”t sure which doors will open for him. “It must have been fun working in musicals in the 1950s when studios were making them all the time,” he says. “Imagine Jason Segel going from dance to singing rehearsals all day long.”

There is room for musical comedy at this point in the industry, however, as evidenced by “South Park,” “The Muppets” and McKenzie”s own career. The actor/writer/comedian completed his role as Lindir the elf in Peter Jackson”s “The Hobbit” earlier this year. Perhaps we’ll be able to see excerpts of their impromptu, off-set musical interpretations of the Shire translated into “A Very Hobbity Musical” on YouTube any day now.

“I”m trying to get a hold of Ian McKellen,” McKenzie assures. “But he”s not answering my calls.”

McKenzie began as an elf extra on “The Lord of the Rings” when a Tolkien fan noticed him, dubbed him FIGWIT (Frodo Is Great…Who Is That?) and devoted a website to him. Jackson made sure he had an actual line in “The Return of the King” as a result, and has now created a legitimate, named character for him.

That said, if anyone understands the capricious and surprising nature of a creative career it is McKenzie. So who’s to say what is next in his non-musically inclined, musical career. “Kermit might want a new vehicle,” he theorizes. “Kermit and I are talking about doing something more serious.”

For year-round entertainment news and commentary follow @JRothC on Twitter.

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The Denver Film Critics Society has announced its list of nominees this year, and “The Descendants” was the vote-leader. The film even scored two nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category, as Judy Greer joined Shailene Woodley for the fun. Check out the full list of nominees below.

Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Martha Marcy May Marlene”
“Melancholia”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Director
Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Lars von Trier, “Melancholia”

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Woody Harrelson, “Rampart”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”
John Hawkes, “Martha mArcy May Marlene”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”
Judy Greer, “The Descendants”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Screenplay
“Bridesmaids”
“Contagion”
“The Descendants”
“Martha Marcy May Marlene”
“Moneyball”

Best Original Score
“The Artist”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hanna”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Animated Film
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
“Rio”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Double Hour”
“The Flowers of War”
“Le Havre”
“A Separation”
“The Skin I Live In”

Best Documentary
“Buck”
“Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life”
“The Other F Word”
“Page One: Inside The New York Times”
“Project Nim”

Best Ensemble
“Bridesmaids”
“Contagion”
“The Descendants”
“Margin Call”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Breakout Star
Jessica Chastain
Felicity Jones
Rooney Mara
Elizabeth Olsen
Shailene Woodley

Be sure to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit.

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On Monday, the most important precursor announcement of them all drops: the Directors Guild of America offers up its list of nominees for excellence in directing.

Except it isn’t really about “excellence in directing” for this crowd. It really never has been. It’s a chance for the organization to speak up on its picks for the “Best Picture” of the year.

There have been happy aberrations along the way, like Cameron Crowe getting recognized for “Almost Famous” or Christopher Nolan getting a surprising tip of the hat for “Memento.” But while the group has dipped into “lone director” territory before (Mike Figgis, Ridley Scott), largely this has been about picking the five top films of the year, which often go on to be the eventual Best Picture nominees with the Academy. So the question is, why has the DGA’s announcement so often been a reliable indicator of where the Academy will go with Best Picture?

The reason is the DGA is one of the only voting bodies thinking in these terms with a vast membership. The Academy is verging on 6,000 members. The DGA sports over 11,000. The PGA is up there in numbers, too, but only as of late, following the absorption of the Associate Producers Guild and other moves to inflate the number of people who decide its nominees. (Would you believe it was once a tiny committee that decided?)

So, with that in mind, if there are five films you think this race would be whittled down to in a typical year, predicting those five directors isn’t a bad way to go. That’s what I’ve done below, but there are other possibilities.

Woody Allen, it seems to me, is a possible spoiler here. “Midnight in Paris” has done well with the industry thus far and has a strong wind in its sails. Also just on the outside of my bets is Bennett Miller, nominated in 2005 for “Capote” and a handsome choice this year for “Moneyball.”

Some may say Terrence Malick is a good bet, but I don’t feel confidant about that at all. It’s rare that a group this large will boil things down to something that has such a potent but marginalized core of passion. The Academy’s directors branch, which has less than 400 members, is typically more likely to stray outside of consensus and nominate someone like David Lynch, Mike Leigh or, indeed, Malick.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” showed up surprisingly in this week’s PGA announcement and again earlier today in the WGA nominations. But David Fincher riding residual respect from “The Social Network” to another DGA nod this year would be a surprise. Not that I’m counting it out.

A happy surprise, though, would be Nicolas Winding Refn, but in addition to the commentary above vis a vis Malick, we’re just not seeing that the industry is as welcoming of “Drive” as the critics have been. Ditto Tomas Alfredson and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”

And finally, Stephen Daldry seems to have taken a hike along with his film, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” which hasn’t gotten a foothold at all this season.

So with all that in mind, these are my predictions for this year’s DGA nominees:

Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”

Tate Taylor, “The Help”

Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Steven Spielberg, “War Horse”

Taylor may be the weak spot. But I think, again, this is where we see a vast organization boil things down to a consensus, and “The Help” is certainly part of the industry’s consensus this year.

Feel free to rattle off your own predictions in the comments section below.

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

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Alright, you know the drill. Toss out your need-to-knows and we’ll try to address a few on the first podcast of the new year tomorrow. As always, try to keep it fresh and stay away from stuff mulled over to death.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced, along with its film schedule, the recipients of this year’s Virtuosos Award. And they cast the widest net yet, honoring Demián Bichir (“A Better Life”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”), Patton Oswalt (“Young Adult”), Andy Serkis (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Adventures of Tintin”) and Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”).

The Virtuosos Award is meant to recognize a select group of actors who have distinguished themselves through their work in a given year. In the press release, festival director Roger Durling praises the honorees for their “indelible performances.”

You can’t really argue with the list. Though I feel like Serkis stands out a bit and probably could have used some kind of singular achievement notice. Then again, rounding him up with a number of other actors is probably just how he’d like it to be. Performance capture is just a way of recording performance and it all still boils down to the elements of acting for him.

The awards presentation will be moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger and will take place at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara on Friday, February 3.

Last year’s Virtuosos honorees were Lesley Manville, John Hawkes, Jacki Weaver and Hailee Steinfeld.

This is the final awards announcement from the festival. Others included Viola Davis as Outstanding Performer of the Year, Christopher Plummer as Modern Master, the American Riviera Award to Martin Scorsese and the Cinema Vanguard Award to Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo.

The 27th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival runs January 28 through February 5. I’ll be there once again, reporting on most if not all of the above.

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

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The Internet Film Critics Society has jumped into the fray with a list of winners this year. It’s a nifty list because rather than just a “Best Picture” field, things are divided into a couple genres (drama, comedy, action, horror/sci-fi). Though I don’t qualify “Drive” as “action.” Check out the full list below.

Best Drama: “The Tree of Life”

Best Comedy: “Midnight in Paris”

Best Horror or Science Fiction Film: “Attack the Block”

Best Experimental Film: “Bellflower”

Best Director: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

Best Action Film: “Drive”

Best Actor: George Clooney, “The Descendants”

Best Actress: Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Most Underrated Film: “Meek’s Cutoff”

Worst Film of 2011: “Jack and Jill”

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the film awards season via The Circuit.

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

Sign up for Instant Alerts from In Contention!