The National Society of Film Critics selected Lars von Trier’s drama “Melancholia” as the best picture of 2011 during its annual meeting Saturday.
The society also named the movie’s star, Kirsten Dunst, as 2011’s best actress. The film ponders the end of the world.
The group, comprised of 58 prominent movie critics from around the country, met Saturday at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York City to make its picks.
Society members chose Brad Pitt as best actor for his performances in “Moneyball” and “The Tree of Life.” Albert Brooks, in “Drive,” and Jessica Chastain, in “The Tree of Life” and two other movies, received nods for supporting roles.
Terrance Malick was picked as best director, also for “The Tree of Life,” and Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” was selected as best nonfiction film.
The society, founded in 1966, also works to promote film preservation and historically important movies.
This year, it recognized Brooklyn’s BAMcinematek for its retrospective of films by Vincente Minnelli, known for musicals and dramas; and the Criterion Collection for its DVD package of “The Complete Jean Vigo.”
The group’s picks can help galvanize interest in films ahead of the Academy Awards in February, but are not known to heavily influence who gets picked for the Oscars.
Stars Among Those Who Lost Their Homes In L.A. Area Fires; Jamie Lee Curtis Pledges $1M To Relief Effort
Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, and R&B star Jhené Aiko, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens. Thousands of structures have been destroyed but damage assessments are just beginning. More than 180,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt. Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards. That fire had been largely contained without damage to Hollywood landmarks. Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry: Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost. The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years. "Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this," the Crystals wrote in the statement. After her learning her Pacific Palisades home was lost in the fires, Melissa Rivers says she was... Read More