(some of my old Muriels posters)
It’s my own fault really for conveniently forgetting every year that The Weinstein… er Independent Spirit Awards vote is open to anyone who wants to pay $100 every year to join Film Independent. Of course there are lots of smart people who participate every year, I know many of them, but obviously they’re mainly outnumbered by troglodytes and stooges. Rather than dwell on the mostly lousy picks (there are a few gems down the ballot and I’ve included the whole ignominious list at the bottom), lets get to this year’s Muriel Awards. The Muriels have been delivering yearly cinematic goodness since 2006 courtesy of a growing group of passionate film bloggers and journalists. They’ve delivered again in 2013.
Be sure to hit the links after each award to read what the voters had to say and for the runners up in each category.
The Muriels Best Picture (Top 10):
- Holy Motors [322 points / 28 votes]
- Moonrise Kingdom [295.5 points / 27 votes]
- The Master [272 points / 26 votes]
- Zero Dark Thirty [174.5 points / 17 votes]
- The Turin Horse [163 points / 15 votes]
- The Deep Blue Sea [156/16]
- Django Unchained [151/16]
- Lincoln [150/15]
- Looper [139/16]
- Amour [118/10]
- Director: Leos Carax, Holy Motors [142 points / 23 votes]
- Female Lead: Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea [186 points / 28 votes]
- Male Lead: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors [242 points / 35 votes]
- Supporting Female: Amy Adams, The Master [146 points / 22 votes]
- Supporting Male: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master [187 points / 28 votes]
- Cinematic Moment: Holy Motors – “entr’acte” [263 points / 22 votes]
- Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom [154 points / 24 votes]
- Ensemble: Moonrise Kingdom [197 points / 29 votes]
- Cinematography: The Master (director of photography: Mihai Malamaire Jr.) [201 points / 31 votes]
- Editing: Zero Dark Thirty (William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor) [148 points / 21 votes]
- Music (Original, Adapted, Compiled): Moonrise Kingdom (score composed by Alexandre Desplat; march composed by Mark Mothersbaugh; additional music composed by Peter Jarvis; music supervisor Randall Poster) [169 points / 26 votes]
- Body of Work in 2012: Matthew McConaughey, (actor – Killer Joe, Magic Mike, Bernie, The Paperboy) [213 points / 29 votes]
- Cinematic Breakthrough: Quvenzhané Wallis (actor, Beasts of the Southern Wild) [80 points / 14 votes]
- Special Award – Best Film of the 1970s: Taxi Driver (1976, Martin Scorsese) [208 points / 22 votes]
- 50th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 1962: Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean) [170 points / 25 votes]
- 25th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 1987: Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick) [133 points / 22 votes]
- 10th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 2002: Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson) [135 points / 22 votes]
Be sure to hit the Muriels Blog for even more cinematic goodness including a list of voters and a rundown of a bunch of films that didn’t quite crack the Top 10
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Oh, and here are the The Spirit Awards:
Best Film: Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Cinematography: Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Male Lead: John Hawkes, The Sessions
Best Female Lead: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings
Cassavetes Award: Middle of Nowhere
Best Screenplay: David O. Russell, Silver Linings
Best International Film: Amour
Best Supporting Actress: Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
Best First Feature: Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
First Screenplay: Derek Connolly, Safety not Guaranteed
Best Documentary: The Invisible War
Applause for Beasts, Sessions, Middle of Nowhere, Amour, Magic Mike, Perks of Being a Wallflower and Invisible War.
Filed under: Awards
This was my first year as a voting member on the Muriels, and I thank you so much Craig for ‘putting in the good word’ on my behalf.
I was thrilled that my #1 choice THE TURIN HORSE landed in the Top 5, and was rather relieved that the uneven THE MASTER didn’t capture top spot as I predicted it would. Was over the moon on Rachel Weisz winning Best Actress as she deserved to!
The only choice I can seriously condemn is the overrated PUNCH DRUNK LOVE as Best Film of 2002. This proves everybody is just smitten with the ‘can-do-no-wrong P.T. Anderson. Was happy to see my own #1 of that year, FAR FROM HEAVEN finish among the leasers though.
All in all, great work by the Muriel voters and Paul and Steve who outdid themselves.
The voter’s outdid themselves in an awards year that generally seemed to steer clear from so many of the great movies that came out this year.
And I’ll go to the mat for Punch Drunk. Loved it then. Love it even more now. I like it better than Boogie Nights or Magnolia.
PUNCH DRUNK has some serious fans Craig. i don’t begrudge you that, though my favorite Anderson is MAGNOLIA.