2011 Muriel Award: Best Ensemble

Can't say I saw the margin of victory being as large as it is here. Though I can't say it doesn't make sense.

Third place:



Bridesmaids [72 points/12 votes]

Second place:



A Separation [102/14]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Director

Third place:



Lars Von Trier, Melancholia [92 points/17 votes]

Second place:



Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive [111/16]

And your winner...

Special Award: Best Film of the '90s

(Apologies - this was supposed to go up yesterday, but my home Internet connection was out all day.)

You know how we like our special categories - it's not Muriel season if there isn't at least one category that makes its voters flail in frustration. And yet, we always seem to come up with a pretty respectable winner.

But first, in third place - a tie!:



The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen) and The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick) [92/9]

Second place:



Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino) [148/14]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Awards: Best Cinematography

This race has been real tight the past couple of years. In 2009, the winner was decided by the last ballot. This year... not so much.

Third place:



Newton Thomas Siegel, Drive [105 points/17 votes]

Second place:



Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia [123/30]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Cinematic Breakthrough

While you probably know who's taking this one, the gap between first and second was a lot closer than I would have expected. Goes to show.

Third place:



Rooney Mara (actress, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) [64 points/11 votes]

Second place:



Elizabeth Olsen (actress, Martha Marcy May Marlene) [130/20]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: 50th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 1961

Can I just say how impressed I am that Blast of Silence made our Top Ten? Unthinkable only a couple of years ago back when that existed only in rumors and bootlegs. Thanks, Criterion!

Anyway...

Third place:



Viridiana (Luis Buñuel) [88 points/13 votes]

Second place:



The Hustler (Robert Rossen) [123/19]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Music

This category seemed to give people a tougher time than usual this year. Sorry, guys. Some years there's a bounty, other years we all scratch to fill out that five.

Third place:



Hanna (original score by The Chemical Brothers) [102 points/17 votes]

Second place:



The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) [127/21]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: 25th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 1986

Why do I suddenly have Stevie Nicks singing in my head...?

Third place:



Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen) [112 points/18 votes]

Second place:



The Fly (David Cronenberg) [121/20]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Body of Work

I'll admit, I expected our second-place entrant to win this category through sheer ubiquity. Not that I'm complaining, of course - the winner is perfectly worthy. I'm an avowed fan. Anyway. Yeah.

Third place:



Brad Pitt (actor/producer - The Tree of Life, Moneyball; voice actor, Happy Feet) [118 points/19 points]

Second place:



Jessica Chastain (actress - The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help, The Debt, Coriolanus, Texas Killing Fields) [195/29]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Editing

Third place:



Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [100 points/17 votes]

Second place:



Mat Newman, Drive [105/16]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: 10th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 2001

This one should come as no surprise at all to anyone who's followed us over the past couple years.

Third place:

Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff) [101 points/17 votes]



Second place:

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson) [122/20]



And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Web-Based Criticism

Today’s result makes me happy. And that’s all I’m going to say.

Third place:



Mubi/The Daily Mubi [50 points/8 votes]

Second place:



Slant Magazine [64/10]

And your winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Supporting Actress

This category's always a free-for-all. (I think of the first four or five ballots I received, none had any Supporting Actress nominations in common.) With that in mind, I tip a cap to our winner, both the first in the category to break 100 points and the first to command the lead without any points shifted over from Lead since 2008. It says something to the impression she made.

Third place:



Shailene Woodley, The Descendents [89 points/14 votes]

Second place:



Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia [96/16]

And the winner...

2011 Muriel Award: Best Supporting Actor

So once again, here we are. The ballots have been cast and counted, the points have been totaled. We've checked and double-checked, tightened bolts and screws and made sure everything is as smooth as possible. We're ready. Are you? (I bet you are.)

This year's crop of winners... well, I'm real proud of both the runners-up and ones who got themselves up top. Think we got some awesome stuff lined up. But... well, I'm stalling. Best to just jump right in, eh?

So, first up, Best Supporting Actor.

Third place:



Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life [98 points/13 votes]

Second place:



Christopher Plummer, Beginners [147/21]

And your winner...