Best Picture
1. The Descendants
2. The Tree of Life
Best Director
1. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
2. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
1. Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method / Jane Eyre / Shame / X-Men: First Class)
2. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
1. Yun Jeong-Hie (Poetry)
2. Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
1. Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
2. Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
1. Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus / The Debt / The Help / Take Shelter / Texas Killing Fields / The Tree of Life)
2. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Best Screenplay
1. Asghar Farhadi (A Separation)
2. Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne and Jim Rash (The Descendants)
Best Cinematography
1. Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
2. Cao Yu (City of Life and Death)
Best Production Design
1. Dante Ferretti (Hugo)
2. Maria Djurkovic (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Best Music / Score
1. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons (Hanna)
2. Cliff Martinez (Drive)
Best Animation
1. The Adventures of Tintin
2. Rango
Best Documentary / Non-Fiction Film
1. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
2. The Arbor
Best Foreign Language Film
1. City of Life and Death
2. A Separation
New Generation Award
Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Josh Mond and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Best Independent / Experimental Film
Spark of Being
And just when we all thought things were starting to fall into place, LAFCA picks a film which many had thought was losing favour with the critics' groups. Sure, their support for it doesn't seem to have fallen all across the board, but isn't that an indication of an honest result? And anyway, Clooney, Woodley and the screenwriting crew (runners-up here) won't need much support - their nominations are mostly secure already. But while The Descendants' Best Picture Oscar nomination was also probably secure, this puts it sharply back into contention for the win. Goodness knows it's AMPAS' type of film, and goodness knows it feels like the right time for Alexander Payne to win.
Now one award which particularly pleases me is Best Actor - not only because I predicted Michael Fassbender to win (a dangerous prediction, I knew at the time) but because I know he deserves to win. That award surely wasn't just for X-Men, was it? No, it was mostly for Shame. That's obvious. The other good performances probably just warranted mention, considering what a great year he's had, but who could deny the power of his performance in Shame?
Of course, some of LAFCA's wackier choices probably won't exert an awful lot of influence on the race. The Chemical Brothers' score for Hanna is maybe way too 'out-there' for industry groups - it needs to be more classically-aligned and in a film with major Oscar heat to even stand a chance of being recognised (I'm referring to Reznor / Ross). Also, City of Life and Death couldn't be further from having a hope of receiving Oscar nominations. But wouldn't it be brilliant if A Separation could be nominated for an Original Screenplay Oscar?
And what will become of Jessica Chastain? Unlike Michael Fassbender, her win here doesn't seem to be for any one specific film, with the remainder as filler. The Tree of Life is still picking up momentum, so perhaps that remains her best shot. But Take Shelter is also gaining ground, especially for Michael Shannon, with a win and a second place from the critics' groups in one day. She may struggle to be noticed for The Help, with one actress already in line for a Supporting Actress nomination from that film. Wouldn't it be odd, though, after such a strong year, such a prolific year, if Chastain failed to be nominated for anything? I haven't predicted her once yet...
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