CRITICS' CHOICE NOMINEES

I neglected to post any predictions or preview for the BFCA nominees, only to find them announced before I could do anything about that. Here they are...

Best Picture

·         The Artist

·         The Descendants

·         Drive

·         Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

·         The Help

·         Hugo

·         Midnight in Paris

·         Moneyball

·         The Tree of Life

·         War Horse

Best Director

·         Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

·         Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

·         Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

·         Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

·         Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

·         Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

·         George Clooney (The Descendants)

·         Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

·         Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

·         Michael Fassbender (Shame)

·         Ryan Gosling (Drive)

·         Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

·         Viola Davis (The Help)

·         Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

·         Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

·         Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)

·         Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

·         Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

·         Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

·         Albert Brooks (Drive)

·         Nick Nolte (Warrior)

·         Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

·         Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

·         Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

·         Bérénice Bejo (The Artist)

·         Jessica Chastain (The Help)

·         Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)

·         Carey Mulligan (Shame)

·         Octavia Spencer (The Help)

·         Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Best Original Screenplay

·         Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

·         Diablo Cody (Young Adult)

·         Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

·         Thomas McCarthy and Joe Tiboni (Win Win)

·         Will Reiser (50/50)

Best Adapted Screenplay

·         Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)

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

·         John Logan (Hugo)

·         Eric Roth (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

·         Tate Taylor (The Help)

There's more after the jump...

Best Cinematography

·         Janusz Kaminski (War Horse)

·         Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)

·         Robert Richardson (Hugo)

·         Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)

·         Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive)

Best Editing

·         Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

·         Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

·         Michael Kahn (War Horse)

·         Matthew Newman (Drive)

·         Thelma Schoonmaker (Hugo)

Best Art Direction

·         Laurence Bennett and Gregory S. Hooper (The Artist)

·         Rick Carter and Lee Sandales (War Horse)

·         Stuart Craig and Stephenie McMillan (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)

·         David Crank and Jack Fisk (The Tree of Life)

·         Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo (Hugo)

Best Costume Design

·         Mark Bridges (The Artist)

·         Sharen Davis (The Help)

·         Michael O’Connor (Jane Eyre)

·         Sandy Powell (Hugo)

·         Jill Taylor (My Week with Marilyn)

Best Sound

·         Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

·         Hugo

·         Super 8

·         The Tree of Life

·         War Horse

Best Visual Effects

·         Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

·         Hugo

·         Rise of the Planet of the Apes

·         Super 8

·         The Tree of Life

Best Make-Up

·         Albert Nobbs

·         Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

·         The Iron Lady

·         J. Edgar

·         My Week with Marilyn

Best Score

·         Ludovic Bource (The Artist)

·         Cliff Martinez (Drive)

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

·         Howard Shore (Hugo)

·         John Williams (War Horse)

Best Song

·         Aris Archontis, Jeannie Lurie and Chen Neeman – ‘Pictures in My Head’ (The Muppets)

·         Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr. and Thomas Newman – ‘The Living Proof’ (The Help)

·         Elton John and Bernie Taupin – ‘Hello Hello’ (Gnomeo & Juliet)

·         Bret McKenzie – ‘Life’s a Happy Song’ (The Muppets)

·         Bret McKenzie – ‘Man or Muppet’ (The Muppets)

Best Ensemble Cast

·         The Artist

·         Bridesmaids

·         The Descendants

·         The Help

·         The Ides of March

Best Animated Feature

·         The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

·         Arthur Christmas

·         Kung Fu Panda 2

·         Puss in Boots

·         Rango

Best Documentary

·         Buck

·         Cave of Forgotten Dreams

·         George Harrison: Living in the Material World

·         Page One: Inside the New York Times

·         Project Nim

·         Undefeated

Best Foreign Language Film

·         Le Havre

·         In Darkness

·         A Separation

·         The Skin I Live In

·         Where Do We Go Now?

Best Young Actor / Actress

·         Asa Butterfield (Hugo)

·         Elle Fanning (Super 8)

·         Thomas Horn (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

·         Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin)

·         Saoirse Ronan (Hanna)

·         Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Best Action Movie

·         Drive

·         Fast Five

·         Hanna

·         Rise of the Planet of the Apes

·         Super 8

Best Comedy

·         Bridesmaids

·         Crazy, Stupid, Love.

·         Horrible Bosses

·         Midnight in Paris

·         The Muppets

It's hard not to be a little disappointed when a major group like this announces, because they, inevitably, will not be able to feature all of your favourites. But there's plenty to appreciate here.

For one thing, the situation regarding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is very interesting here. They've clearly seen it, but the reaction seems far more muted than I had expected. The fact that it has failed to make their Top 10 is unfortunate. Are people shying away from voting for it in fear that that might break the embargo? It wouldn't. Still, Fincher's film is picking up nominations slowly but surely, and things may pick up considerably once the embargo is lifted. For the time being, we may have to put up with the fact that The Muppets has more nominations.

There's also support here for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. After a nomination for Max von Sydow from San Diego yesterday, now we have Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay nominations. Another film under embargo, but this may be an easier sell to the Academy. It would appear that we have another frontunner emerging.

Those supporting categories are interesting. Andy Serkis (who is lead anyway) joins Nick Nolte and Patton Oswalt - a collection of which I approve. All three are definitely picking up steam at the minute, but if SAG, Golden Globes and BAFTA don't back them as well, BFCA nominations alone can mean very little. Also, although this lot clearly love The Help (eight nominations, the second highest tally after The Artist and Hugo with eleven, and tying with Drive), the fact that BFCA have singled out The Help as their Jessica Chastain performance of course (surprising, over The Tree of Life and Take Shelter - completely shut out here) may prove significant. It's looking ever more likely that the industry will rally behind that film, including AMPAS. But while Berenice Bejo, Jessica Chastain and Melissa McCarthy have bagged nominations, Vanessa Redgrave continues to lose out. Will her fellow actors appreciate her work moreso than critics (and bloggers, and just about anyone who can join BFCA)?

Otherwise, those films which have been playing well thus far in the season, The Artist, Hugo and The Descendants, are leading the way here, as expected. Drive also keeps showing up in major categories, proving that it'll be one to watch, even if it may be a slightly tough sell for the Academy. Nevertheless, eight nominations are hard to ignore en masse.