Awards 2011: THE ARTIST Takes Top Prize from NYFCO and BFCA; THE DESCENDANTS Honored by LAFCA; THE TREE OF LIFE Takes SFCC

Multiple critics associations announced their awards picks for 2011. The awards race hasn't really firmed up yet with The Artist winning the top prize from the New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) and the Boston Film Critics Association (BFCA), The Descendants grabbing Best Picture from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), and the San Francisco Film Critics (SFFC) honoring The Tree of Life. The acting and directing catagories aren't firming up either. The only performer who is starting to emerge as a front-runner is Albert Brooks for Best Supporting Actor for Drive. He was honored by the New York Film Critics, the NYFCO, and the BFCA.

On the one hand, it's exciting that currently no film is dominating, but on the other hand, I think even from here we can see that Harvey Weinstein will probably be able to muscle The Artist to a Best Picture Oscar. Hit the jump for the full list of winners from the NYFCO, BFCA, LAFCA, and SFCC.

Winners (and parenthetical commentary) courtesy of Awards Daily.

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE

BEST PICTURE: THE ARTIST

BEST DIRECTOR – MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS for The Artist

BEST ACTOR: BEST ACTOR – MICHAEL SHANNON for Take Shelter (runners-up: MICHAEL FASSBENDER for Shame and GARY OLDMAN for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

BEST ACTRESS – MERYL STREEP for “The Iron Lady”

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – BRIDESMAIDS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – ALBERT BROOKS for Drive

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER: JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, Coriolanu

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – EMMANUEL LUBEZKI for The Tree of Life

BEST SCREENPLAY – ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON, JIM RASH for The Descendants. Runner-Up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants.”

BEST USE OF MUSIC – LUDOVIC BOURCE for The Artist

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR – JOE CORNISH for Attack the Block

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – A SEPARATION

BEST DOCUMENTARY – CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

BOSTON FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

Best Picture: THE ARTIST (close seconds: HUGO and MARGARET)

Best Director: Martin Scorsese for HUGO. Close runner-up: THE ARTIST.

Best Actor: Brad Pitt for MONEYBALL Runners up: George Clooney for THE DESCENDANTS, Michael Fassbender for SHAME

Best Actress (another competitive one!): Michelle Williams for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN.

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for DRIVE

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy for BRIDESMAIDS. Jeannie Berlin: close second for MARGARET

Best Ensemble: CARNAGE (“MARGARET was a fairly close runner-up”)

Best Screenplay: MONEYBALL!

Best Use of Music: Cliff Martinez, DRIVE and Ludovic Bource, THE ARTIST! (a tie) Runner up: THE DESCENDANTS

Best Editing: Christian Marclay for THE CLOCK! Runner-up: HUGO.

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, THE TREE OF LIFE. Runner-up: HUGO.

Best New Filmmaker (David Brudnoy Award): Sean Durkin for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. Runner-up: J. C. Chandor for MARIN CALL.

Best Documentary : PROJECT NIM (James Marsh, who made MAN ON WIRE). Close second: BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK.

Best Foreign Film: INCENDIES Runners up: A SEPARATION and POETRY)

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

BEST PICTURE, Winner: “The Descendants.” Runner-Up: “The Tree of Life.”

BEST DIRECTOR, Winner: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life.” Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

BEST ACTOR, Winner: Michael Fassbender, “A Dangerous Method,” “Jane Eyre,” “Shame,” “X-Men: First Class.” Runner-Up: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter.”

BEST ACTRESS, Winner: Yun Jung-hee, “Poetry.” Runner-Up: Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Winner: Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter,” “Texas Killing Fields,” “Tree of Life” Runner-Up: Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Winner: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”Runner-Up: Patton Oswalt, “Young Adult.”

BEST SCREENPLAY, Winner: Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation.”

BEST MUSIC/SCORE: Winner: The Chemical Brothers, “Hanna.” Runner-Up: Cliff Martinez, “Drive.”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Winner: Dante Ferretti, “Hugo.” Runner-Up: Maria Djurkovic, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life.”

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION, Winner: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.”

BEST ANIMATION, Winner: “Rango.”

SAN FRANCISCO FILM CRITICS

Best Picture

“The Tree of Life”

Best Director

Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”