Indiewire's Survey Rises Above Precursors

In case you haven't noticed, I've all but abandoned the precursor season, at last for the time being. Why? Because I'm just sick of it. I'm tired and bored, not because it's so repetitive, but because it's so repetitive for films I just don't care about. I'm in a weird place regarding "The Artist", because it looks nice, but I'm not sure it looks good anymore. Nice does not constitute good. So I am glad that Indiewire has at least been able to partially return me to sanity with their survey. Do I agree with their top-tier assertion of "The Tree of Life"? Absolutely not! I get more and more ornery about it every second of my life that goes on. But what's great about it is that it raises interest towards the films that still don't have distribution. Somebody fix that already!

Best Film:

1. The Tree of Life
2. Melancholia
3. A Separation
4. Drive
5. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Best Lead Performance:

1. Michael Fassbender, Shame & Michael Shannon, Take Shelter (tie)
2. Anna Paquin, Margaret
3. Juliette Binoche, Certified Copy
4. Yun Jung-hee, Poetry
5. Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia

Best Supporting Performance:

1. Christopher Plummer, Beginners
2. Albert Brooks, Drive
3. Jeannie Berlin, Margaret
4. Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
5. Viggo Mortenson, A Dangerous Method

Best Director:

1. Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
2. Lars von Trier, Melancholia & Martin Scorsese, Hugo (tie)
3. Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
4. Raul Ruiz, Mysteries of Lisbon
5. Kelly Reichart, Meek’s Cutoff

Best Documentary:

1. The Interrupters
2. Nostalgia for the Light
3. The Arbor
4. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaucescu
5. Project Nim

Best Screenplay:

1. A Separation
2. Margaret
3. Moneyball
4. Young Adult
5. A Dangerous Method & Certified Copy & Mysteries of Lisbon (tie)

Best First Feature: 

1. Martha Marcy May Marlene
2. Margin Call
3. Attack the Block
4. Bellflower
5. Pariah

Best Ensemble:

1. Margaret
2. Bridesmaids
3. A Separation & Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (tie)
4. Margin Call
5. House of Pleasures, Melancholia, Midnight in Paris, The Descendants 

Best Cinematography:

1. The Tree of Life
2. Hugo
3. Drive & Melancholia (tie)
4. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
5. Meek’s Cutoff

Best Undistributed Film:

1. The Color Wheel
2. Green
3. Oslo, August 31st & Sleeping Sickness
4. Policeman & Without (tie)
5. Two Years at Sea