EXTRA! EXTRA! MURIEL KICKS OSCAR'S ASS!

I’m assuming you’ve all been following the big reveals for all the winners at the 5th Annual Muriel Awards, the last awards gathering of the season and surely the most important, gaining in stature and allure with every new edition. If you haven’t (and frankly, no excuse is good enough), here’s a handy click-friendly guide to each award, from first to freshest, the Golden Muriel for Best Picture courtesy of longtime Muriellete Jim Emerson. A word of thanks must be conveyed to Muriels founder Paul Clark (and his late but no less lovely guinea pig, for whom our awards have been named) and Steve Carlson, both of whom handle this event each year with aplomb and tireless energy. The administration of something like this always requires so very much more effort and care than one would ever think-- if one did think it, one would likely sidestep the duty altogether. But not Paul and Steve, and thanks to them we have another group of brilliantly written essays examining for the last time (at least under an umbrella such as this) the great achievements of the past movie year. Much appreciation to you both, gentlemen. And now let’s see what the Muriel voters had to say and how they voted. (My complete ballot follows the list of links.)


10th Anniversary Muriel Award for Best Film of 2000

Best Film Editing

Best Web-based Film Criticism

Best Film of the 1950s

Best Supporting Actress


Best Supporting Actor

Best Body of Work

Best Ensemble

25th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 1985

Best Music (Original, Adapted or Compiled)


Best Cinematic Breakthrough

Best Cinematography

50th Anniversary Award for Best Film of 1960

Best Screenplay

Best Cinematic Moment (This is Steve Carlson’s favorite category, and mine too; Kent Beeson’s words on Toy Story 3 might be the best thing I’ve seen written on this movie, period.)


Best Director

Other Stuff We Liked, Part 1: Actors

Best Actor

Other Stuff We Liked, Pt. 2: Actresses (Here I got to wax a little more enthusiastic about my choice for Best Actress of 2010, Emma Stone.)


Best Actress

Other Stuff We Loved Part 3: Miscellany

Countdown to Best Picture #56

Countdown to Best Picture #42 (Tie) (Here I got one last chance to try to talk some more of you into seeing Please Give.)


Countdown to Best Picture #42 (Tie)

Countdown to Best Picture #39

Countdown to Best Picture #35 (tie)

Countdown to Best Picture #30 (tie)

Countdown to Best Picture #27


Countdown to Best Picture #26

Countdown to Best Picture #20

Countdown to Best Picture #18

Countdown to Best Picture #14

Countdown to Best Picture #12


Countdown to Best Picture #10

Copuntdown to Best Picture #9

Countdown to Best Picture #8

Countdown to Best Picture #7

Countdown to Best Picture #5 (tie)


Countdown to Best Picture #5 (tie)

Countdown to Best Picture #3 (tie)

Countdown to Best Picture #3 (tie)

Countdown to Best Picture #2

And the Golden Muriel for Best Picture goes to…

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MY 2010 MURIELS BALLOT


Best Feature-Length Film [10]
(the best film- documentary, experimental, or fiction- over 70 minutes)

1. PLEASE GIVE
2. LET ME IN
3. TOY STORY 3
4. MOTHER
5. ANOTHER YEAR
6. THE KILLER INSIDE ME
7. CARLOS
8. THE GHOST WRITER
9. EASY A
10. UNSTOPPABLE

Best Lead Performance, Male [5]

1. Edgar Ramirez CARLOS
2. Casey Affleck THE KILLER INSIDE ME
3. Jeff Bridges TRUE GRIT
4. Michael Caine HARRY BROWN
5. Jesse Eisenberg THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Best Lead Performance, Female [5]

1. Emma Stone EASY A
2. Michelle Williams BLUE VALENTINE
3. Hye-Ja Kim MOTHER
4. Annette Bening MOTHER AND CHILD
5. Hallie Steinberg TRUE GRIT

Best Supporting Performance, Male [5]

1. Jim Broadbent ANOTHER YEAR
2. Richard Jenkins LET ME IN
3. Geoffrey Rush THE KING’S SPEECH
4. Jeremy Renner THE TOWN
5. Christian Bale THE FIGHTER

Best Supporting Performance, Female [5]

1. Lesley Manville ANOTHER YEAR
2. Olivia Williams THE GHOST WRITER
3. Jessica Alba THE KILLER INSIDE ME
4. Amy Adams THE FIGHTER
5. Kerry Washington MOTHER AND CHILD

Best Direction [5]

1. Nicole Holofcener PLEASE GIVE
2. Matt Reeves LET ME IN
3. Lee Unkrich TOY STORY 3
4. Joon-ho Bong MOTHER
5. Mike Leigh ANOTHER YEAR

Best Screenplay (original or adapted) [5]
1. Nicole Holofcener PLEASE GIVE
2. Mike Leigh ANOTHER YEAR
3. Olivier Assayas, Dan Franck, Daniel Leconte CARLOS
4. John Curran THE KILLER INSIDE ME
5. Rodrigo Garcia MOTHER AND CHILD


Best Cinematography (film or video) [5]

1. Grieg Fraser LET ME IN
2. Kyung-Pyo Hong MOTHER
3. Roger Deakins TRUE GRIT
4. Morten Soborg VALHALLA RISING
5. Bill Pope SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Best Editing [5]
1. Stan Salfas LET ME IN
2. Ken Schretzman, Lee Unkrich TOY STORY 3
3. Luc Barnier, Marion Monnier CARLOS
4. Robert Duffy, Chris Lebenzon UNSTOPPABLE
5. Joe Walker HARRY BROWN

Best Music (original, adapted or compiled) [5]

1. Carter Burwell TRUE GRIT
2. Hector Pereira, Pharrell Williams DESPICABLE ME
3. Marius De Vries, Ilan Eshkeri, Henry Jackman, John Murphy KICK-ASS
4. Nigel Godrich, Beck Hansen SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
5. Javier Navarrete THE WARRIOR’S WAY

Best Cinematic Moment (best scene or sequence- include YouTube link if available) [10]

1. The aborted murder LET ME IN
2. Holding hands above the incinerator TOY STORY 3
3. Catherine Keener falling apart at a gym for special needs kids: PLEASE GIVE
4. Mary meets Joe and his fiancée: ANOTHER YEAR
5. “Pocketful Full of Sunshine” EASY A
6. Olive’s African-American brother “finds out” he’s adopted: EASY A
7. The sheep sees you: near the opening of SWEETGRASS
8. Vanessa Redgrave reunited with Franco Nero: LETTERS TO JULIET
9. Reanimating and interrogating the dead: JONAH HEX
10. “Oh, my God! Was I good?” Mila Kunis quizzes Natalie Portman about her “dream”: BLACK SWAN

Best Cinematic Breakthrough [5]
(vague explanation: a performer, filmmaker, or technician who made a notable debut in film, took his/her career to a higher level, or revealed unforeseen layers to his/her talent during the year 2008)

1. Matt Reeves, director, LET ME IN
2. Michelle Williams, actress, BLUE VALENTINE, MEEK’S CUTOFF
3. Jeff Malmberg, director, MARWENCOL
4. Jessica Alba, actress, THE KILLER INSIDE ME, MACHETE (but not LITTLE FOCKERS or VALENTINE’S DAY)
5. Tony Scott, director, UNSTOPPABLE

Best Body of Work [5]
(a performer, filmmaker, or technician who made superior contributions to multiple films released in calendar year 2008)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.


Best Ensemble Performance [5]

1. PLEASE GIVE Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet, Lois Smith, Ann Guilbert, Sarah Steele, Thomas Ian Nicholas

2. TOY STORY 3 Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris, John Morris, Jodi Benson, Laurie Metcalf

3. ANOTHER YEAR Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Martin Savage, Karina Fernandez, Imelda Staunton

4. MACHETE Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, Daryl Sabara, Electra Avellan, Elise Avellan

5. RED Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Brian Cox, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Rebecca Pidgeon, James Remar

Best Web-Based Criticism [5]
(Please include the site name and URL. Remember, sites run by Muriel Awards voters are ineligible to win, although sites that Muriel voters contribute to are eligible. Also, The House Next Door is ineligible this year, as it was last year's winner and we'd like a little variety.)

1. Kevin J. Olson, HUGO STIGLITZ MAKES MOVIES
2. Farran Smith Nehme SELF STYLED SIREN
3. Chris Stangl THE EXPLODING KINETOSCOPE
4. Jason Bellamy THE COOLER
5. Sheila O’Malley THE SHEILA VARIATIONS

10th Anniversary Award, Best Feature Film 2000 [5]

1. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON Ang Lee
2. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE Wong Kar-wai
3. TOPSY TURVY Mike Leigh
4. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU Joel and Ethan Coen
5. DR. T AND THE WOMEN Robert Altman

25th Anniversary Award, Best Feature Film 1985 [5]

1. LOST IN AMERICA Albert Brooks
2. MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS Paul Schrader
3. PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE Tim Burton
4. EXPLORERS Joe Dante
5. O.C. and STIGGS Robert Altman



50th Anniversary Award, Best Feature Film 1960 [5]

1. WILD RIVER Elia Kazan
2. LATE AUTUMN Yazujiro Ozu
3. PSYCHO Alfred Hitchcock
4. PEEPING TOM Michael Powell
5. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN John Sturges

Special Award: Best Film of the 1950s [10]

1. RIO BRAVO Howard Hawks
2. THE SEARCHERS John Ford
3. NORTH BY NORTHWEST Alfred Hitchcock
4. BEND OF THE RIVER Anthony Mann
5. VERTIGO Alfred Hitchcock
6. SUNSET BOULEVARD Billy Wilder
7. THE TALL T Budd Boetticher
8. DAY OF THE OUTLAW Andre De Toth
9. DIABOLIQUE Henri-Georges Clouzot
10. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES Howard Hawks

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You can read the tallies of the voting in each individual category, plus access the individual ballots of all the voters (see, Oscar, Muriel is all about full disclosure too!) by clicking here. For now, bye, Muriel. See you next year, sweetheart!

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