The Academy has announced via press release the 39 eligible songs eligible for this year’s Best Original Song Oscar. As I look over the list, I only noticed two songs on our on-going list of 24 at the Contenders section that didn’t make the cut.

The first is “Fake I.D.” from the “Footloose” remake, which I guess it was written prior to the film or something. The other is Madonna’s Golden Globe-nominated “Masterpiece” from “W.E.,” which you’ll recall I had a hunch might be in trouble because it’s the second cue of the film’s closing credits (and the rules stipulate that if it’s a closing credits number, it has to be the first cue).

All three tracks submitted by “The Muppets” are on there, and that’s really where the story is, because at the end of the day, I expect there to be two of them in the mix. Which two is anyone’s guess, but my favorite has always been “Pictures in My Head.”

There are, as always, a few songs on the list that came from out of nowhere. Like three tunes from “DAM999,” for instance, or anything at all from “Our Idiot Brother.” But there they sit, regardless.

Chris Cornell made the cut for “The Keeper” from “Machine Gun Preacher,” which could face trouble being a closing credits number and not figuring into the narrative. But he did get a Golden Globe nomination, so that keeps him visible. (I just caught his accoustic show in LA Friday night, and it was AWESOME).

Anyway, check out the full list of songs below:

“The World I Knew” from “African Cats”

“Lay Your Head Down” from “Albert Nobbs”

“Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger”

“Collision of Worlds” from “Cars 2”

“Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu” from “DAM999”

“DAM999 Theme Song” from “DAM999”

“Mujhe Chod Ke” from “DAM999”

“Rainbird” from “Dirty Girl”

“Keep On Walking” from “The First Grader”

“Where the River Goes” from “Footloose”

“Hello Hello” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”

“Love Builds a Garden” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”

“Bridge of Light” from “Happy Feet Two”

“The Mighty Sven” from “Happy Feet Two”

“Never Be Daunted” from “happythankyoumoreplease”

“Hell and Back” from “Hell and Back Again”

“The Living Proof” from “The Help”

“Coeur Volant” from “Hugo”

“It’s How We Play” from “I Don’t Know How She Does It”

“When the Heart Dies” from “In the Land of Blood and Honey”

“Ja Nao Estar” from “José and Pilar”

“The Keeper” from “Machine Gun Preacher”

“Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”

“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”

“Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets”

“Summer Song” from “The Music Never Stopped”

“Imaginary Friends” from “Olive”

“Sparkling Day” from “One Day”

“Taking You with Me” from “Our Idiot Brother”

“The Greatest Song I Ever Heard” from “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”

“Hot Wings” from “Rio”

“Let Me Take You to Rio” from “Rio”

“Real in Rio” from “Rio”

“Shelter” from “Take Shelter”

“Gathering Stories” from “We Bought a Zoo”

“Pop” from “White Irish Drinkers”

“Think You Can Wait” from “Win Win”

“The Backson Song” from “Winnie the Pooh”

“So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh”

And from the press release:

“On Thursday, January 5, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in Los Angeles.  Following the screenings, members will determine the nominees by an averaged point system of voting.  If no song receives an average score of 8.25 or more, there will be no nominees in the category.  If only one song achieves that score, it and the song receiving the next highest score shall be the two nominees.  If two or more songs (up to five) achieve that score, they shall be the nominees.  A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing.  A mail-in ballot will be provided.

“Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.  If more than two songs from a film achieve a score of 8.25 or more, the two songs with the highest scores will be the nominees.

“To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film.  A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.”

I’ll update the Best Original Song Contenders page later today to reflect this announcement.

How do you see the Best Original Song category panning out? Have your say in the comments section below.

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

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In just three weeks we’ve gone from zero to a hundred on the circuit as the film awards landscape has been sculpted into a bit of a consensus in these waning moments of 2011. And now that I’ve consolidated all the announcements into an easy-to-navigate post, I can dig in and see what that consensus is.

Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist” is considered far and away the frontrunner for Best Picture at the moment by a number of pundits, having won six Best Film prizes from various groups. But would you be shocked to know that “The Descendants” has just as many? And Terence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” meanwhile, isn’t going away. It has landed four Best Picture honors and today was crowned the year’s best in a survey of critics and pundits at indieWIRE.

As for the directors, it’s Martin Scorsese and Michel Hazanavicius currently eking out the edge with six wins each for “Hugo” and “The Artist” respectively. But Malick isn’t far behind with four of his own. We can tip the scales back in Scorsese and Hazanavicius’s favor a bit, though, as both received BFCA and Golden Globe nominations, while Malick did not.

Lead actor is currently a dead heat between George Clooney (“The Descendants”) and Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), with both receiving five awards and each landing BFCA and Golden Globe nominations. Michael Shannon has managed four wins for his “Take Shelter” performance while Brad Pitt has managed two (both taking into account his roles in two films, “Moneyball” and “The Tree of Life”). The Screen Actors Guild threw a wrench in the works, though, by snubbing Fassbender and adding another consideration, Demián Bichir in “A Better Life,” to the mix.

Leading ladies? It’s been all about Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn” so far, leading me to wonder if she ought to be considered the frontrunner. The actress, who was also nominated by the HFPA, SAG and BFCA, has won a whopping eight prizes so far. Her closest competition is Tilda Swinton with four for her “We Need to Talk About Kevin” performance. Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) has three and Viola Davis (“The Help”) has two. Williams will also win a Golden Globe because Harvey Weinstein shrewdly convinced the HFPA that her film ought to be placed in the comedy/musical category, so expect that to put her in the thick of the Oscar hunt all the more.

Best Supporting Actor has been dominated by Albert Brooks (“Drive”) and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”). Brooks has the considerable edge with 12 wins to Plummer’s seven, but perhaps crucially, he was snubbed by the Screen Actors Guild. They will compete side-by-side at the BFCA’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes, so it could be a nail-biter all the way through. Despite Brooks’ strong showing on the circuit so far, though, Plummer is considered by most to be the favorite in the category. There has been some love sprinkled for Nick Nolte (“Warrior”) here and Michael Smiley (“Kill List”) there, but it’s pretty much been all about these two.

Things get a little crazy with the supporting actress field, which is deliciously all over the map so far. Currently, “The Descendants” star Shailene Woodley is out in front with five wins to go along with nominations from the BFCA and HFPA. But she was snubbed by SAG. However, the edge really ought to be given to Jessica Chastain, who has six awards. The thing is, they have been spread across her various films. Two of her wins have been catch-all prizes for her body of work, two have be awards for her performance in “The Tree of Life” and one group has spoken up for her work in “Take Shelter.” And yet, the BFCA, HFPA and SAG each nominated her for “The Help,” the one performance that hasn’t received its own award.

Still with me? Complicating matters a bit is Melissa McCarthy, who clearly has a bandwagon for her “Bridesmaids” performance as she’s nailed down three wins and received nominations from the BFCA and SAG. Two other actresses have multiple wins, with Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) and Vanessa Redgrave (“Coriolanus”) winning two apiece. And the rest of the field is spread pretty thin as Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”), Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”) and even Viola Davis (“The Help,”  considered a lead by most) have one each. Talk about an exciting race!

As for screenplays, which are sometimes split between adapted and original in the precursor circuit, sometimes not, “The Descendants” is on top with eight wins. “Moneyball” isn’t far behind with seven, giving me some hope that it could inch out a win over the former on Oscar night (though probably not). Both are nominated by the BFCA and HFPA, as is “The Artist,” which has three wins to its name. The only other scripts with multiple wins are “Midnight in Paris” (nominated by the BFCA and HFPA) and “50/50” (nominated by the BFCA but snubbed by the HFPA).

And nearly every time a cinematography award has been handed out, it has gone to “The Tree of Life,” which is 14/16 in the field (having lost to “Melancholia” on one occasion and “War Horse” on another). Yet I still expect the Academy to go a different direction in that category.

Which brings me to my point. If last year taught us anything it’s that the precursors can set the table, pour the beverage and place the meal, and the Academy will still crave something else. Why? Because the film awards season is a series of phases. It isn’t typically a runaway train. There are bends in the track and as I intimated this morning and in Friday’s podcast, that appetite can shift as a result of over-saturation.

Meanwhile, not a lot of members have seen “War Horse” yet, or “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” Those are two films that could figure into the race in a big way and, most importantly, don’t need the seal of approval from critics as they are inherently populist titles. And “Hugo,” a film that has planted its flag in the season but hasn’t overstayed its welcome or come on too strong, could be biding its time, playing the under-sell.

I still see the Oscar race as “The Artist” vs. “Hugo” vs. “War Horse,” as I have for some time. “The Descendants” is making a go of it and will likely be rewarded for writing, maybe acting, but I don’t see it as a serious Best Picture contender. The critics, after all, were always going to spring for it.

But we’ll see.

Guy and I have run a comb through the Contenders section. The sidebar predictions reflect those changes. Meanwhile, keep up with the ups and downs of the season via The Circuit, your one-stop shop for all the precursor announcements as they land throughout.

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

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If you made it out to “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” at IMAX venues this weekend, you likely saw the opening prologue for “The Dark Knight Rises.” The new trailer for the film was also attached to prints of Brad Bird’s actioner, as well as prints of WB’s own “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

That trailer has now popped up (officially) online, and more and more, it seems obvious this will be Christopher Nolan’s version of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns.” We already know the film takes place eight years after the events of “The Dark Knight,” but in the new trailer, I’m pretty sure we see Bruce Wayne walking around with a cane, and we definitely see the graying of the hair.

It’s time for old man Wayne to come out of retirement and kick some ass, it seems, just like in Frank Miller’s industry-changing series.

The new trailer is far and away the best to be cooked up for any film in the franchise (which, to be perfectly honest, I think the trailers throughout have been pretty weak). It’s nicely structured, not at all messy, a real construction with a “wow” moment that is sure to help get more butts in seats. And it’s brave for a tentpole trailer. But it has earned the capital to be as much.

I’m excited. Obviously. And I’m also happy to see whatever this flying machine is without dealing with hilarious out-of-context footage shot by foaming-at-the-mouth fanboys looking to get as much pre-release material from this film onto the web as possible.

Check out the new trailer at Apple or watch the embed below. And tell us what you think in the comments section, or by rating the trailer above.

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

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The Florida Film Critics Circle has tossed its hat into the over-stuffed precursor ring this year by picking “The Descendants” as the year’s best film. Martin Scorsese picked up the Best Director prize for “Hugo” while Michelle Williams continued a dominating streak by nabbing Best Actress. Check out the full list of winners below.

Best Picture: “The Descendants”

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, “Shame”

Best Actress: Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, “Drive”

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Descendants”

Best Original Screenplay: “The Artist”

Best Arti Direction/Production Design: “Hugo”

Best Cinematography: “The Tree of Life”

Best Visual Effects: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

Best Animated Feature: “The Adventures of Tintin”

Best Documentary: “Project Nim”

Best Foreign Language Film: “The Skin I Live In”

Breakout: Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Keep track of all the ups and downs of this year’s film awards season at The Circuit.

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

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After submitting nominees last week, the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association has picked “The Artist” as this year’s Best Picture winner. Michel Hazanavicius won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while Rooney Mara was singled out for her lead actress performance in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Check out the full list of winners below.

Best Picture: “The Artist” (Runner-up: “The Descendants”)

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist” (Runner-up: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”)

Best Actor: George Clooney, “The Descendants” (Runner-up: Ryan Gosling, “Drive”)

Best Actress: Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Runner-up: TIE – Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady” and Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”)

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, “Drive” (Runner-up: Alan Rickman, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”)

Best Supporting Actress: Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist” (Runner-up: TIE – Octavia Spencer, “The Help” and Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”)

Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Descendants” (Runner-up: “Moneyball”)

Best Original Screenplay: “The Artist” (Runner-up: “50/50”)

Best Cinematography: “The Tree of Life” (Runner-up: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”)

Best Music: “The Artist” (Runner-up: “Drive”)

Best Visual Effects: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (Runner-up: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”)

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin” (Runner-up: “Rango”)

Best Documentary: “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” (Runner-up: “Tabloid”)

Best Foreign Language Film: “13 Assassins” (Runner-up “Winter in Wartime”)

Best Art House or Festival Film: “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (Runner-up: “Win Win”)

Best Comedy: “Bridesmaids” (Runner-up: “Midnight in Paris”)

Best Scene: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – opening credits (Runner-up: “The Artist” – dance scene finale)

Keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season at The Circuit.

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

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If you somehow haven’t noticed, I’m right in the middle of a massive update of film awards announcements. But something stuck out to me when I noted that the Southeastern Film Critics Association didn’t give “The Artist” a single award.

Of the five groups announcing today and yesterday (two of which I still have to publish), only one awarded “The Artist” this year’s Best Picture prize (the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association). Everyone else relegated it to runner-up consideration or perhaps a bone for Best Original Screenplay.

This is interesting to me. After a wave of groups anointed the film “the one,” everyone (okay, not everyone, but almost) apparently feeling safe in going to that place, given the back-up, suddenly we get a chunk who shied away from it. I’m not saying it means anything but I do think it could be representative of something I was getting at in Friday’s Oscar Talk podcast.

Nobody wants to be anointed “the one” in December. There are still five weeks to go in phase one of the season and ballots haven’t even arrived in voters’ mailboxes yet (they go out next Tuesday). By the time voting bodies get a chance to have their say, something that has been a front-running juggernaut can suddenly seem like old news or not so fresh. Or worse, people who haven’t seen the film could put it in the player and think, “What’s the big deal?”

I think this happened to some extent with “The Social Network” last year and I think we could see it happen with “The Artist” this year. We’ll see, though.

Check out the full list of Southeastern film critics winners below.

Best Picture: “The Descendants” (Runner-up: “The Artist”)

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo” (Runner-up: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”)

Best Actor: George Clooney, “The Descendants” (Runner-up: Michael Fassbender, “Shame”)

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady” (Runner-up: Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”)

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

Best Supporting Actress: Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs” (Runner-up: Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”)

Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Descendants” (Runner-up: “Moneyball”)

Best Original Screenplay: “Midnight in Paris” (Runner-up: “The Artist”)

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

Best Animated Film: “Rango” (Runner-up: “The Adventures of Tintin”)

Best Documentary: “Project Nim” (Runner-up: “Tabloid”)

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation” (Runner-up: “The Skin I Live In”)

Gene Wyatt Award: “The Help” (Runner-up: “Undefeated”)

Keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season at The Circuit.

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

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After Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” led with seven nominations from the Chicago Film Critics Association, it seemed obvious the film was likely to win the group’s Best Picture award. But the film ended up walking away with four big wins in total. Check out the full list of winners below.

Best Picture: “The Tree of Life”

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

Best Actor: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter”

Best Actress: Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, “Drive”

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

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Moneyball”

Best Original Screenplay: “The Artist”

Best Cinematography: “The Tree of Life”

Best Original Score: “Drive”

Best Animated Film: “Rango”

Best Documentary: “The Interrupters”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation”

Most Promising Performer: Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Most Promising Filmmaker: “Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Be sure to keep up with the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season at The Circuit.

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

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After nominating any and everything under the sun, the International Press Academy (Satellite Awards) has tapped “The Descendants” as this year’s Best Picture of the year. The group, however, gave “Drive” a field-leading four wins, and overall, it’s a unique set of superlatives. Check out the full list below.

Best Picture: “The Descendants”

Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”

Best Actor: Ryan Gosling, “Drive”

Best Actress: Viola Davis, “The Help”

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, “Drive”

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

Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Descendants”

Best Original Screenplay: “The Tree of Life”

Best Art & Production Design: “The Artist”

Best Cinematography: “War Horse”

Best Film Editing: “The Guard”

Best Score: “Soul Surfer”

Best Sound (Mixing and Editing): “Drive”

Best Visual Effects: “Hugo”

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin”

Best Foreign Film: “Mysteries of Lisbon”

Best First Feature: Paddy Considine, “Tyrannosaur”

Best Ensemble: “The Help”

Keep track of all the ups and downs of this year’s film awards season at The Circuit.

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

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I spent some time over the weekend catching up with the avalanche of film lists that inevitably hits the internet at this time of year, and while many of them cover similar territory (and, of course, similar films), I rather enjoyed Oli Lyttelton’s writeup of the year’s best scores and soundtracks, which underlines what an exciting year it’s been for contemporary alternatives to classic orchestral scoring. I rather like that we’re currently in a place where the electro-influenced scores for the likes of “Drive,” “Hanna” and “Attack the Block” are competing for attention with, say, John Williams at his most florid. And in the midst of a pleasingly diverse collective, I’m glad Lyttelton found room for Dario Marianelli’s work on “Jane Eyre,” as freshly classical a score as we’ve heard all year. [The Playlist]

Mark Harris surveys the acting categories in the wake of last week’s precursors, and proves once more why he’s the best in the game. [Grantland]

War journalist Janine di Giovanni has a pretty serious talk with Angelina Jolie about “In the Land of Blood and Honey” [The Guardian]

Christoph Waltz won Kris’ award for Best Performance In A Bad Film; Cinema Blend takes that idea to a Top 10 list. Hell yes to Bruno Ganz. [Cinema Blend]

Betsy Sharkey concludes that there’s been little comfort — but plenty of good movies — on our screens in 2011. [Los Angeles Times]

I’ve said before that it’s been the year of the dog in film. The Reporter runs with that idea, complete with (awwww) photo shoot of the canine stars of “The Artist,” “Young Adult” and more. [Hollywood Reporter]

Jacob Bernstein talks to Thomas Horn, the young star of the newly embargo-free “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” [Newsweek]

As the trades handle the film guardedly, Brad Brevet goes out on a limb and calls it one of the year’s best. [Rope of Silicon]

Talking “The Artist” and tap-dancing with Best Actor hopeful Jean Dujardin. [Screen Daily]

Something for the silly season: in ‘honor’ of “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” a celebration of stupid sequel titles. [The Telegraph]

The reality is that barring a massive LSD dose in the greater Los Angeles water supply, “The Smurfs” was unlikely to become one of the five animated films nominated for an Academy Award this year. However, the film”s disqualification does point to an interesting question: What does qualify as an animated film in today”s cinematic landscape?

Three of the qualifying submissions — “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Mars Needs Moms” and “Happy Feet Two” — employed performance capture technology. The method is interesting to think about when one considers that “Avatar” was submitted and nominated as a live-action film. The industry at large seems, as yet, unsure of performance-capture”s place in the grander scheme. The AMPAS rule on it feels almost deliberately vague. It states that, “motion capture by itself is not an animation technique.” That doesn’t clarify when or why it is. According to the Academy, “an animated feature film is defined as a motion picture with a running time of more than 40 minutes, in which movement and characters” performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique.”

Of course a good portion of “Avatar” was live-action, so the category becomes even more complex when we look at the entries which are a hybrids of live-action and animation. The Wrap reports that “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” was approved for consideration, whereas Sony”s “The Smurfs” has been disqualified. According to AMPAS rules, in order for a hybrid film to qualify, “a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75% of the picture’s running time.”

I”ve not seen “Chipwrecked,” but a significant number of the major characters in “The Smurfs” were indeed animated. More to the point, is this meant to say that 75% must be fully animated (in which case, I am not certain, but I do not believe “Chipwrecked” would meet the given requirement) or does it mean that an animated character should appear in 75% of the shots (in which case I would be surprised if “The Smurfs” did not). I”d have to re-watch “Avatar” (which, to clarify, was of course not submitted for animated consideration) to get a proper gauge of the percentages. I”d love for someone to do the math on all of these films.

What occurs to me is that according to those parameters, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” could well meet the criteria for an animated film. The performances are captured and then painted over frame by frame. It is simply that the goal is to create as photo real an image of a primate as possible. As such, it does not read as “animated.” The unstated distinction may well be a film’s intent to capture the nuanced performance of an actor rather than creating a performance on the drawing board (computerized or not) as is done in traditional animation.

Certainly, Andy Serkis would like the division to be based on the faithfulness of the rendering of the actor’s portrayal. Here is what the actor had to say on the matter in a recent interview with In Contention:

“At the end of the day, performance capture is a technology. It’s not anything other than that. It’s a way of recording an actor’s performance, and so if the performance is emotionally engaging and means something to an audience, then that is generated initially by the work of the actor. The enhancement of it in a film where the ownership, the authorship of the character originates from the actor, that’s significantly different than an animated movie, where the authorship of the character really belongs to a much bigger group of people.”

Notably, Serkis appears in both “Tintin” and “Apes,” so I wonder if he would take more or less authorship over either of those depictions.  As technology advances and evolves, it is fascinating to trace the Academy and audience”s response to the shifts. As mentioned, motion-capture has already spawned a notable debate in terms of performance (for the record, I support Serkis on his campaign for recognition).

As lines continue to blur, it seems as though two films using the same technology will be submitted as live-action or animation based on content rather than technique. Family films with broader character renderings are considered animated while general audience films which seek to indicate a sense of “realism” are considered live-action. That may be oversimplifying the matter; certainly there are some very significant players who consider it an affront for motion-capture to be considered animation at all. It is interesting to think about, however.

In any event, with “The Smurfs” disqualification, there are now 17 qualifying contenders, which means the category will still extend to five nominations versus last year”s three (16 is the requirement). Though as Kris indicated in his piece on the animated features field, with few true standouts (other than “Rango”) in this year”s race, the final five could be anyone”s guess.

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

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Brad Bird’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” was the last 2011 film I screened, and it was a nice, fun excursion amid the usual Oscar season glut. See it in IMAX if you can, particularly for the Burj Khalifa, which played havoc on my vertigo. There’s also a nice addendum in the form of a prologue for “The Dark Knight Rises,” which I’ll be checking out when I go see the film again closer to the holidays. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the film, so when/if you see it, head on back here and let us know.

Jason Reitman’s “Young Adult” goes into wide release today, and I’m interested to know what our readers make of it — it’s a piece that takes some bold tonal risks in asking its audience to accompany a tragically deluded, cripplingly spiteful character, and some will be more willing to take the journey than others. Certainly, awards voters have been regarding it warily: it failed to show up in yesterday’s Globe nominees for Best Comedy or Musical, while top-form star Charlize Theron was blanked by SAG the day before. No matter. I appreciated the film’s prickly eccentricities, and certainly think it’s one of the most daring major studio releases of 2011; Kris was even more impressed. But what about you? Share your thoughts in the comments.  

The answer, as most of us would agree, is “both.” Earlier today we reported that Christopher Plummer, a well-established and much-beloved actor, is for the first time in his long and expansive career primed to take home Oscar gold. Gary Oldman, though, who is also considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, has had a similar (befuddling) lack of recognition so far in the precursor season.

As we all know, Oldman has never received recognition from the industry in the form of an Oscar nomination. His work this year was cited by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle but has otherwise been largely left out of the awards conversation. With organizations like the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Screen Actors Guild and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association leaving him out of the their nominations, things are looking worse and worse for his Oscar chances this year.

In a bit of comforting news for both Oldman and his frustrated supporters, the Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced that it will present the actor with the International Star Award, which, recognizes “an actor or actress who has achieved both critical and commercial international recognition throughout their body of work.”

That feels like a perfectly apt description of the trajectory of Oldman”s career. He is an actor that is recognized by the large majority of audience members both for his talent as well as his versatility. From “Sid and Nancy,” “The Professional” and “Harry Potter” to the bizarrely unforgettable Rastafarian drug lord in “True Romance,” Oldman is the kind of performer who seamlessly steps into the skin of his characters, and yet remains fundamentally himself.

“Gary Oldman is an actor whose ability to portray the most extreme of characters is a testament to the enormity of his talent,” said festival chairman Harold Matzner via press release. He called the actor a “consummate talent who consistently challenges audiences to expect the unexpected when he performs,” and nots that “in ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” as the embodiment of John le Carré’s classic spymaster George Smiley, he combines cunning, pathos and cold determination when he is brought out of retirement to ferret out a double agent during the Cold War.”

Some theorize that it is in fact Oldman’s consistent ability to nail supporting roles that has kept him in the critical background. One recent article in The Poutine Wall likened him to NBA player Eric Gordon, while an earlier piece in The Washington Post compared him to political hopeful Jon Huntsman. The comparisons feel apropos as the gentlemen in question are accomplished and have an established ability to “deliver,” but remain in the shadow of more visible “leading men” in their respective fields.

It is interesting to consider the circumstances that have lead to Oldman”s exclusion from both the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor fields over the years. But it’s a story as old as time as far as the Academy is concerned. Sometimes, it seems, things (or in this case great actors) simply slip through the cracks. Or perhaps Oldman”s moment is still yet to come.

The Palm Springs Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.  Hosted by Mary Hart, the Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius, Brad Pitt, Octavia Spencer, Michelle Williams, and the film Young Adult.  The Festival runs January 5-16.

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

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Thanks everyone who participated in our novel giveaway contest. It dovetails nicely with my post this morning about Hunter McCracken in “The Tree of Life.” We got a lot of passionate defenses of actors like Elle Fanning (“Super 8”), Anna Jacoby-Heron (“Contagion”), Chloe Grace Moretz (“Hugo), Anna Sophia Robb (“Soul Surfer”), Jacon Wsocki (“Terri”), Alex Shaffer (“Win Win”) and Cozi Zuehlsdorff (“Dolphin Tale”).

Ultimately, though, I really liked what reader CODY S had to say about Shailene Woodley in “The Descendants”:

“Audiences often worship adult actors, adore child actors and simply recognize teenage actors. Shailene Woodley, coming from a show that criminally mocks and overlooks teenage emotion, surprisingly astounded me in ‘The Descendants.’ Woodley could have simply played off cliched angst and walked away with a nice paycheck, but instead embodies her character’s ambivalence, anger, sadness, and frustration. Beyond her character’s profanity and sarcasm lies a genuine struggle between forgiveness and disdain, which Woodley conveys beautifully through strained glances and buried grief. Embodying a showy and subdued performance, Woodley truly deserves a spot in oscar candidacy.”

So Cody S, if you’re reading, drop me a line so I can get your address and send off your spoils!

So we’ve spent a week digesting and considering every critics organization’s list of winners from LA to New York and everywhere in between. It’s probably resulted in a numbing effect, the sheer volume of announcements whittling the season down to a point where it doesn’t resemble much of anything anymore.

But who am I to complain about the amount of year-end kudos announcements when I had this post coming all along? I know. I’m so hypocritical.

Alas, after starting with the top 10 column on Monday and continuing with The Longlists on Wednesday, I’m wrapping up a week of year-in-review specials today with the annual list of superlatives, née, “The In Contention Awards.” I have over 30 categories here with winners in each. Basically I take the Oscar fields and add a bunch of peripheral stuff to round out the year and send it off with a bang.

I look forward to hearing everyone else’s choices for best this and best that as the season continues and more of you are able to see the films in release. But for me, I’m putting a bow on it with the below. Enjoy.

Best Picture: “Margaret” (Runner-up: “The Tree of Life”)

Thoughts: What I have to say I think I’ve said in the top 10 column, but to reiterate, it’s the most emotionally complex film of the year. It’s messy and bold and enriching, brilliantly acted, an accidental masterpiece.

Best Director: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life” (Runner-up: Kenneth Lonergan, “Margaret”)

Thoughts: A close call, just like in Best Picture, but Terrence Malick’s wavelength on “The Tree of Life” is another one entirely.

Best Actor: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter” (Runner-up: Woody Harrelson, “Rampart”)

Thoughts: There were a number of top-tier performers among the leading men this year. The runner-up was tougher to decide than the winner for me, though. Michael Shannon is a beast in “Take Shelter.” It’s a monument to his arrival these last few years.

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (Runner-up: Anna Paquin, “Margaret”)

Thoughts: This was a really close call for me but I ultimately couldn’t argue with the remarkable control and skill and ease of Swinton’s work.

Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, “The Tree of Life” (Runner-up: Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”)

Thoughts: I ended up shuffling Andy Serkis over to the supporting side of things rather subconsciously, to be honest, after considering him a lead in the film for so long. Very strange, but I think he deserves some of the spotlight, and he wouldn’t likely have broken in for me with Best Actor. Here, though, it was Brad Pitt’s career-best work that stole the category.

Best Supporting Actress: Mélanie Laurent, “Beginners” (Runner-up: Jeannie Berlin, “Margaret”)

Thoughts: Another close call, but Laurent just stole my heart in “Beginners.” It was such a fresh and authentic spin on what has become such a cliched stock character of indie cinema.

Best Screenplay: “Margaret” (Runner-up: “Moneyball”)

Thoughts: What Kenneth Lonergan put on the page with “Margaret” is to be treasured, raw, unbridled, probing, dense, significant. Much respect to my runner-up, though.

Best Art Direction: “Hugo” (Runner-up: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”)

Thoughts: There really is no other contender, as far as I’m concerned. It’s these two then everything else. But “Hugo” pulls out a win for the sheer volume of detailed reconstructions and dazzling environments.

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

Thoughts: Emmanuel Lubezki’s contribution to the cinematic landscape this year is monumental. His images in “The Tree of Life” will be argued and considered for years to come.

Best Costume Design: “Hugo” (Runner-up: “Midnight in Paris”)

Thoughts: Once again, the recreations were considerable in “Hugo,” a wide swath of designs and functionality.

Best Film Editing: “The Tree of Life” (Runner-up: “Margaret”)

Thoughts: A film like “The Tree of Life,” much like most of Malick’s work, is made in post-production, sculpted in the editing bay. “Margaret,” meanwhile, bears a lot of scars but they work in its favor.

Best Makeup: “The Iron Lady” (Runner-up: “Green Lantern”)

Thoughts: Two very different makeup jobs here but it’s difficult not to give “The Iron Lady” its due in this regard.

Best Music (Original Score): “Attack the Block” (Runner-up: “Rango”)

Thoughts: Steven Price and Basement Jaxx have as much to do with the identity of “Attack the Block” as any other element, if not more. They created a living, breathing soundtrack that, like Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Daft Punk before it (and the Chemical Brothers this year), signals a lively new era for the alternative film music score.

Best Music (Original Song): “Star-Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Runner-up: “Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets”)

Thoughts: Much as I love the tunes from “The Muppets,” no song in a film this year has meant quite as much to its film than the Alan Menken-penned USO ditty “Star-Spangled Man.”

Best Sound Editing: “Rango” (Runner-up: “The Tree of Life”)

Thoughts: Few films this year felt quite as unique as “Rango” for use of sound effects and editing. And while a lot of the year’s action films deserve serious props in this field — “Battle: Los Angeles,” “Fast Five” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” among them — it was the handling of sound design in “The Tree of Life” that stuck with me enough to land as a runner-up, particularly in the oft-discussed cosmos sequence.

Best Sound Mixing: “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Runner-up: “Rango”)

Thoughts: It can’t be overstated how much of an impressive sound job the “Transformers” films have been, blending such a massive batch of tracks with the other assaulting elements of a Michael Bay film. The effect has never been overpowering, always crisp and defined.

Best Visual Effects: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (Runner-up: “The Tree of Life”)

Thoughts: Believe it or not, for me, this was closer than it has probably been for others. The two films are so drastically different and use visual effects in such drastically different ways. I might as well have flipped a coin but I ultimately went with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” for the progression in the field it represents.

Best Animated Film: “Rango” (Runner-up: “Chico & Rita”)

Thoughts: No, you don’t see “The Adventures of Tintin” there. I didn’t feel right considering it animation, frankly, but obviously it would be the winner otherwise. Instead, a different film from my top 10, and likely the Oscar winner, at the end of the day.

And finally, a few extraneous awards in categories, some common elsewhere, others I’ve made up along the way:

Most Underrated Film of the Year: “The Ides of March”

Most Overrated Film of the Year: “The Artist”

Breakthrough Performance (Male): Hunter McCracken, “The Tree of Life”

Breakthrough Performance (Female): Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Best Cameo Performance (Male): Ray McKinnon, “Take Shelter”

Best Cameo Performance (Female): Allison Janney, “Margaret”

Best Performance in a Bad Film: Christoph Waltz, “Carnage”

Worst Performance in a Good Film: Nick Krause, “The Descendants”

Best Hero: Driver, “Drive”

Best Villain: Kevin, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Poster: “Moneyball” (link)

Best Trailer (for a trailer released in 2011, not necessarily a film released in 2011): “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (teaser)

Most Surprising Film of the Year: “The Muppets”

Most Disappointing Film of the Year: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Most Ambitious Film of the Year: “Margaret”

Most Intriguing Failure: “The Skin I Live In”

Best Action Sequence: “The Adventures of Tintin” (Bicycle chase through Moroccan village.)

Entertainer of the Year: Weta Digital

Five Worst Films I Saw This Year (in order): “Your Highness,” “Red Riding Hood,” “Limitless,” “The Green Hornet,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

Top 10 Films of the Year (in order): “Margaret,” “The Tree of Life,” “Drive,” “Rampart,” “Shame,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “A Separation,” “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Take Shelter,” “Rango”

And that does it for 2011, the year in review. I’m frankly surprised it came and went so fast. Again, if you’d like to revisit some stuff, you can check out the top 10 podcast here, my top 10 column here and the longlists special here.

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

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Christopher Plummer is easily one of the most well-known and respected actors of our time. He is also an incredibly active 82-year-old man with a schedule to rival that of Clint Eastwood”s: He’s completing press rounds for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” can be seen in the film version of his one-man show “Barrymore,” is developing another one-man show, “A Word or Two,” and has settled in as the frontrunner for the Best Support Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a widower who comes out of the closet in the later part of his life in Mike Mills”s “Beginners.”

Plumber just received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for his work in the film, among other kudos, and has now added anoter feather to his pre-Oscar cap. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced that Plumber will receive the Modern Master Award at this year’s festival. SBIFF describes the award as its highest honor, created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through his/her multi-faceted accomplishments in the industry.

“My fondest memories of going to the movies and the theater involve Mr. Plummer and I”m so grateful he”s agreed to this honor,” festival director Roger Durling said in the press release.  “He is one of the greatest and most cherished ones – and he gave us his best in ‘Beginners.’”

Though Plumber has been working in theater and film for 60 years and followed his cinematic debut in Sidney Lumet”s “Stage Struck” with memorable roles in films as varied as “The Sound of Music” and “Twelve Monkeys,” the only Academy Award nomination he has received (thus far) was for Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for his portrayal of Leo Tolstoy in “The Last Station.”

He is now the forerunner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in a film that simply passed under many people’s radars. Of course, the principal goal and benefit of Oscar buzz is increased revenue for a film, so perhaps we will see a boost in home sales and rentals for “Beginners,” if not a small re-release. It is somewhat interesting to note that the “actors’ actor,” John Barrymore, who Plummer portrayed on Broadway and now on film, went through the entirety of his career without winning a major award. He was posthumously granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, however.

The festivities will take place at the historic Arlington Theater Saturday, January 28, 2012. If you are local, and so inclined, tickets for the Modern Master Award, presented by lynda.com, are available now and can be purchased through www.sbfilmfestival.org or by calling 805-963-0023. Past recipients include: Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Diane Keaton, Sean Penn, Jeff Bridges, Peter Jackson, George Clooney, Will Smith, Cate Blanchett, Clint Eastwood, James Cameron and Christopher Nolan.

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

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Another day, another list of film critics groups dishing out their year-end kudos. This will continue on for a few weeks, but the Chicago Film Critics Association announced its nominees today, and something in the mix got me thinking: Where’s the love for Hunter McCracken this season?

The young star of “The Tree of Life” picked up a notice from the Chicago crowd for Most Promising Performer, and if you can believe it, it’s only the first time he’s been mentioned in an awards capacity this season. The first time! Though please correct me if I’m wrong.

This is stunning to me. I think the kid is good enough to warrant Best Actor attention, as you know, but he hasn’t even shown up in the various youth performance categories. I was most disheartened to see that he didn’t even land in the BFCA’s Best Young Actor/Actress category. He deserved to be in over every other nominee in that field, but at LEAST he should have been in over Asa Butterfield, who is kind of all over the place in “Hugo.”

In “The Tree of Life,” McCracken is a revelation of subtle, authentic gestures. Maybe his work isn’t considered mannered enough for some people to go there. Maybe he gets points deducted for being a non-actor cast to “act” realistically, which was obviously a goal for Malick in choosing him. But he’s so much more than that in the movie. I’ve never seen the loss of innocence so profoundly conveyed in the physicality of a child performance, the eyes revealing everything, the eggshell-walking demeanor of a son held in check by an authoritative father. It’s the best performance of the film, hands down.

Fox Searchlight placed the actor in the lead actor field, which I was pleased to see. Not that it matters, of course. McCracken is in school and isn’t able to come out here and do the whole dog and pony show, so these other actors zip on by him. And an Oscar nomination was never going to be in the cards, given the massive blind spot to this kind of thing. But the circuit is for finding areas to aware this kind of talent, and it has failed McCracken so far.

So I’m happy the Chicago crowd was able to cut through all that and offer up what should really be a no-brainer, recognition for an exciting debut performance (one that, along with Elizabeth Olsen’s work in “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” sparked an idea for charting the 10 best debut performances of all time some weeks back).

Anyway, check out the full list of Chicago nominees below. McCracken’s film led the way with seven nominations.

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 Wainding 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 Adapted Screenplay
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Artist”
“Martha Marcy May Marlene”
“Midnight in Paris”
“A Separation”
“The Tree of Life”

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

Best Original Score
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hanna”
“Hugo”

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: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life”
“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”

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”

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

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The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association has picked its jumped into the fray with a list of winners and it’s rather clear they kind of had a thing for Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants.” The film won awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay. Check out the full list below.

Best Picture: “The Descendants”

Best Director: Alexander Payne, “The Descendants” (Runner-up: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”)

Best Actor: George Clooney, “The Descendants” (Runner-up: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”)

Best Actress: Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn” (Runner-up: Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”)

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

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants” (Runner-up: Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”)

Best Screenplay: “The Descendants” (Runner-up: “Midnight in Paris”)

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

Best Animated Film: “Rango” (Runner-up: “The Adventures of Tintin”)

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

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation” (Runner-up: “The Skin I Live In”)

Russell Smith Award: “We Need to Talk About Kevin”