So, to wrap up the 2011 Boston Society of Film Critics awards:
BEST PICTURE: "The Artist"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE: "Incendies"
BEST ANIMATED FILM: "Rango"
BEST DOCUMENTARY: "Project Nim"
BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
BEST NEW FILMMAKER:Sean Durkin for "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
BEST SCREENPLAY: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stann Chervin, and Michael Lewis for "Moneyball"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki for "Tree of Life"
BEST EDITING: Christian Marclay for "The Clock"
BEST USE OF MUSIC IN A FILM: "Drive" and "The Artist" (tie)
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: "Carnage"
BEST ACTOR: Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" [erroneously and perhaps as an instance of unconscious wish fulfillment this was previously reported as George Clooney]
BEST ACTRESS: Michelle Williams in "My Week With Marilyn"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks in "Drive"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
As far as I can see, the dominant trend or pattern is no trend and no pattern. Some say if more members had a chance to see "Margaret, which was a runner-up in several categories, it might have been a winner, Be that as it may, here's the statement we cooked up chastizing that film's delinquent distributor, Fox Searchlight:
"The Boston Society of Film Critics expresses its regret
that Fox Searchlight refused to distribute screeners of the film Margaret and
scheduling only a last-minute screening after numerous requests. The film, which
received an extremely limited release, was a favorite of many BSFC members and
could have won several awards had it been made available for viewing within a
reasonable timeframe. Despite this disadvantage, Margaret was a runner up in
three of the BSFC’s award categories. We encourage Fox Searchlight not compound
this oversight and to make screeners available to the voting body of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and so give the film a fair chance in the
upcoming awards competition."