CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION 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)

·         Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

·         Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

·         George Clooney (The Descendants)

·         Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

·         Michael Fassbender (Shame)

·         Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

·         Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

·         Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)

·         Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

·         Anna Paquin (Margaret)

·         Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

·         Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

·         Albert Brooks (Drive)

·         Nick Nolte (Warrior)

·         Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

·         Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life)

·         Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

·         Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life)

·         Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)

·         Carey Mulligan (Shame)

·         Octavia Spencer (The Help)

·         Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Best Original Screenplay

·         Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

·         Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

·         Asghar Farhadi (A Separation)

·         Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

·         Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life

Best Adapted Screenplay

·         Hossein Amini (Drive)

·         Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne and Jim Rash (The Descendants)

·         John Logan (Hugo)

·         Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

·         Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)

Best Cinematography

·         Manuel Alberto Claro (Melancholia)

·         Janusz Kaminski (War Horse)

·         Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)

·         Robert Richardson (Hugo)

·         Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive)

Best Original Score

·         Ludovic Bource (The Artist)

·         Cliff Martinez (Drive)

·         Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

·         Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons (Hanna)

·         Howard Shore (Hugo)

Best Animated Feature

·         The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

·         Arthur Christmas

·         Puss in Boots

·         Rango

·         Winnie the Pooh

Best Documentary

·         Cave of Forgotten Dreams

·         The Interrupters

·         Into the Abyss

·         Pina

·         Project Nim

·         Tabloid

Best Foreign Language Film

·         In a Better World

·         Incendies

·         A Separation

·         The Skin I Live In

·         Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

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)

Most Promising Peformer

·         Liana Liberato (Trust)

·         Brit Marling (Another Earth)

·         Hunter McCracken (The Tree of Life)

·         Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

·         Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Sometimes I wonder if the CFCA doesn't just follow Roger Ebert's lead and nominate what he would nominate. It's a thought which may have some reason to it - he is, after all, a member and his nominations are counted in the process. Plus, being the world's most prominent film critics can't hurt, and the fact is that often, critics in one city align in favour of the same films even at review stage, never mind nomination stage.

One way or another, Ebert's influence is evident in the above nominations. Praise for The Tree of Life, which beats out The Artist, The Descendants, Drive and Hugo to lead the field with seven nominations. Shame, Melancholia and A Separation all make strong showings too. Not that I'm complaining - this is the best crop of nominees I've seen all season and, I can almost guarantee, will see all season too.

Also faring well are Martha Marcy May Marlene (with four nominations) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Brad Pitt misses out on a nomination for Moneyball, but earns one for The Tree of Life nonetheless. Indeed, his absence in the Best Actor lineup makes way for a near ideal Top 5, including Michaels Fassbender and Shannon, and Gary Oldman. Jessica Chastain is also nominated for The Tree of Life, as opposed to her other 71 performances this year, which begs the question: were they voting for the performances or for the films? Either way, these are deserved nominees. The Best Actress lineup is perhaps the oddest - no Viola Davis, no Tilda Swinton, not even Glenn Close, Rooney Mara or Charlize Theron (to make up for his Golden Globe snub, Patton Oswalt is nominated though). Instead, I'm delighted to see Kirsten Dunst recognised (and equally delighted to see Melancholia's DoP, Manuel Alberto Claro, also acknowledged), and she's joined by Elizabeth Olsen, and curio Anna Paquin.

Do I need to go on? Fassbender, Oldman, Shannon, Dunst, Olsen, Brooks, Nolte, Oswalt, Mulligan...those acting nominations are sublime, as are so many others - A Separation for Original Screenplay, Liana Liberato for Most Promising Performer. Thankfully, people are likely to care about these choices, as the CFCA is one of the bigger critics' groups. But Anna Paquin's Oscar chances? Perhaps they may give that one a miss...