UTAH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCE

Best Picture

1.    Drive

2.       The Artist

Best Director

1.    Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

2.       Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

1.    Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50)

2.       Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

1.    Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

2.       Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

1.    Albert Brooks (Drive)

2.       Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

1.    Amy Ryan (Win Win)

2.       Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

Best Original Screenplay

1.    Will Reiser (50/50)

2.       Mike Mills (Beginners)

Best Adapted Screenplay

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

2.       Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (The Muppets)

Best Cinematography

1.    Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive)

2.       Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)

Best Animated Feature

1.    Rango

2.       The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Kung Fu Panda 2

Best Documentary

1.    Senna

2.       Project Nim

Best Foreign Language Film

1.    A Separation

2.       13 Assassins

The first win for Drive, although not for Best Director, surprisingly. Utah don't hold much influence over the race on the whole, but this is at least proof that Drive is a major contender - will Oscar show it the same level of love though? I doubt it. It even wins Cinematography here, the first win for a film other than The Tree of Life in this category, and now the second time (after London) that Lubezki has been denied the award - he at least places second here; he didn't even place third there.

More support continues to materialise for Rooney Mara additionally - read the reviews and the same thing happens. She's definitely a big contender now. A surprise win for Joseph Gordon-Levitt - I'm not complaining, but there were better choices. It's always nice to see the underdogs do well though, and I'm particularly happy about Amy Ryan's Supporting Actress win, which is thoroughly deserved, and Vanessa Redgrave's second place mention there. Fab choices.