I am – Hercules!!
The critics have been rolling out their picks for top movies of 2011, and the vague impression I was getting? They were really spreading the love around.
But a closer look suggests three films could claim the most journalistic applause:
1) At least SEVEN critics associations pick “The Artist”:
New York Film Critics Circle
The Artist
San Diego Film Critics Society
The Artist
St. Louis Film Critics
The Artist
Indiana Film Journalists Association
The Artist
D.C. Area Film Critics Association
The Artist
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle
The Artist
Detroit Film Critics Society
The Artist
2) At least FIVE critics associations pick Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” (Did you know the actor who plays Dean Pelton on “Community” co-wrote “The Descendants”? Is true!) :
International Press Academy
The Descendants
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
The Descendants
Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics Association
The Descendants
Houston Film Critics Society
The Descendants
Florida Film Critics Circle
The Descendants
3) At least TWO critics associations pick Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” (Did you know the actor who plays Dean Pelton on “Community” co-wrote “The Descendants”? Is true!) :
Chicago Film Critics Association
The Tree of Life
Toronto Film Critics Association
The Tree of Life
Utah Film Critics Association
Drive
Austin Film Critics Association
Hugo
National Board of Review
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Death Hallows 2
The Ides of March
J. Edgar
The Tree of Life
War Horse
But “Tree of Life” was the only movie to make the top five of the three “At The Movies” critics:
Christy Lemire (At The Movies/The Associated Press)
1. Martha Marcy May Marlene
2. 50/50
3. The Myth of the American Sleepover
4. The Tree of Life
5. Bellflower
6. Melancholia
7. Take Shelter
8. Hell and Back Again
9. Beginners
10. Bridesmaids
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (At The Movies/Mubi)
1. Mysteries of Lisbon
2. House of Pleasures
3. The Skin I Live In
4. Certified Copy
5. The Tree of Life
6. Film Socialisme
7. Essential Killing
8. Road to Nowhere
9. The Girls With The Dragon Tattoo
10 Detective Dee
Roger Ebert (At The Movies/Chicago Sun-Times)
1. A Separation
2. Shame
3. The Tree of Life
4. Hugo
5. Take Shelter
6. Kinyarwanda
7. Drive
8. Midnight in Paris
9. Le Havre
10. The Artist
11. Melancholia
12. Terri
13. The Descendants
14. Margaret
15. Martha Marcy May Marlene
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
17. Trust
18. Life, Above All
19. The Mill and the Cross
20. Another Earth
“Tree of Life” also scored in the top six with two AICN critics:
Steve “Capone” Prokopy (AICN)
1. Drive
2. Martha Marcy May Marlene
3. Melancholia
4. 13 Assassins
5. Warrior
6. The Tree of Life
7. Moneyball
8. Midnight in Paris
9. The Artist
10. Young Adult
11. Take Shelter
12. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
13. A Separation
14. Mildred Pierce
15. The Muppets
16. Submarine
17. X-Men: First Class
18. Another Earth
19. The Descendants
20. Hugo
Alan “Nordling” Cerny (AICN)
1. Drive
2. A Boy and His Samurai
3. The Tree of Life
4. Attack The Block
5. I Saw The Devil
6. We Need To Talk About Kevin
7. Juan of the Dead
8. The Muppets
9. Hugo
10. Project Nim/Rise of the Planet of the Apes
“The Artist” also failed to make the top-ten of the two big “Ebert & Roeper” fill-ins:
Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune)
1. Poetry
2. Moneyball
3. Certified Copy
4. The Descendants
5. The Interrupters
6. Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
7. A Separation
8. The Tree of Life
9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
10. Weekend
A.O. Scott (New York Times)
Bridesmaids
A Brighter Summer Day
Cedar Rapids
A Dangerous Method
The Descendants
The Future
The Help
Incendies
Into the Abyss
Margin Call
Meek’s Cutoff
Mysteries of Lisbon
Le Quattro Volte
The Tree of Life
Tuesday, After Christmas
War Horse
Warrior
Weekend
Winnie the Pooh
Young Adult
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times didn’t include “Tree,” “Descendants” or “Artist” among her top 22:
Manohla Dargis (New York Times)
Abracadabra
Aurora
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu
Bridesmaids
Contagion
A Dangerous Method
J. Edgar
Le Havre
Hugo
Melancholia
Moneyball
My Joy
Mysteries of Lisbon
Of Gods and Men
Poetry
Le Quattro Volte
The Return
Seeking the Monkey King
The Skin I Live In
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Voluptuous Sleep
Warrior
More critics associations will be weighing in in the coming days. If you’re aware of a group of journalist we’re overlooking, kindly drop me a line at herculesAICN@yahoo.com.
