Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2010
Encyclopedia
The 4th Houston Film Critics Society Awards were presented on December 18, 2010. These awards for "extraordinary accomplishment in film" are presented annually by the Houston Film Critics Society
(HFCS) based in Houston, Texas
. The organization, founded in 2007, includes 22 film critics for print, radio, television, and internet publications in the greater Houston area. The awards are co-sponsored by the Houston Film Commission, Southwest Alternate Media Project, Women in Film and Television/Houston, WorldFest, and the Houston Cinema Arts Society.
The nominations for the 2010 awards were announced on December 12, 2010. Eligible films do not need to have played or opened in a Houston movie theater prior to the nomination deadline, merely made available to the HFCS membership at a screening or on DVD
. Along with the 13 "best of" category awards, this year also saw the introduction of a new category for "Worst Movies of the Year". The Social Network
, True Grit
, and 127 Hours
each received six nominations, all including the Best Picture, Actor, Direction, and Original Score categories.
The Social Network was the HFCS's most awarded film of 2010 taking top honors in the Best Picture, Best Director (David Fincher
), Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg
), and Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin
) categories. Inception was the only other film to garner multiple awards, winning both the Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer
) and Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister) prizes. The other acting awards went to Natalie Portman
as Best Actress for Black Swan
, Hailee Steinfeld
as Best Supporting Actress for True Grit, and Christian Bale
as Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter. The remaining film honors went to Toy Story 3
as Best Animated Film, Restrepo
as Best Documentary, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Best Foreign Language Film. "We Are Sex Bob-Omb" by Beck
from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
was named the Best Original Song. The HFCS's first-ever award for "Worst Picture" was given to Jonah Hex
starring Josh Brolin
.
In addition to the category awards, the HFCS presented their annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Sissy Spacek
and its Humanitarian Award to George Clooney
. Clooney was selected for "selflessly using his celebrity for greater good". The HFCS award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema awards were presented to Charles Dove, director of the Rice University
Media Center, and Hector Luna, the founder and editor of C-47 Houston.
.
Houston Film Critics Society
The Houston Film Critics Society is a film critic organization in Houston, Texas, United States. The group presents an annual set of film awards for "extraordinary accomplishment in film" in a ceremony held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston...
(HFCS) based in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. The organization, founded in 2007, includes 22 film critics for print, radio, television, and internet publications in the greater Houston area. The awards are co-sponsored by the Houston Film Commission, Southwest Alternate Media Project, Women in Film and Television/Houston, WorldFest, and the Houston Cinema Arts Society.
The nominations for the 2010 awards were announced on December 12, 2010. Eligible films do not need to have played or opened in a Houston movie theater prior to the nomination deadline, merely made available to the HFCS membership at a screening or on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. Along with the 13 "best of" category awards, this year also saw the introduction of a new category for "Worst Movies of the Year". The Social Network
The Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
, True Grit
True Grit (2010 film)
True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. This version stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as U.S....
, and 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
each received six nominations, all including the Best Picture, Actor, Direction, and Original Score categories.
The Social Network was the HFCS's most awarded film of 2010 taking top honors in the Best Picture, Best Director (David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
), Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
), and Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
) categories. Inception was the only other film to garner multiple awards, winning both the Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
) and Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister) prizes. The other acting awards went to Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
as Best Actress for Black Swan
Black Swan (film)
Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis. Its plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by a prestigious New York City company. The production requires a ballerina to...
, Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress. She rose to fame for her portrayal as Mattie Ross in the 2010 film True Grit, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.-Early life:Steinfeld was born in Tarzana, Los...
as Best Supporting Actress for True Grit, and Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
as Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter. The remaining film honors went to Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
as Best Animated Film, Restrepo
Restrepo (film)
Restrepo is a 2010 documentary film about the Afghanistan war, directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and British/American photojournalist Tim Hetherington....
as Best Documentary, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Best Foreign Language Film. "We Are Sex Bob-Omb" by Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim , a young Canadian musician, meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers , an American delivery girl...
was named the Best Original Song. The HFCS's first-ever award for "Worst Picture" was given to Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex (film)
Jonah Hex is a 2010 post-Civil War antihero Western film loosely based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolin as the title character, Jonah Hex, and also stars John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender,...
starring Josh Brolin
Josh Brolin
Josh James Brolin is an American actor. He has acted in theater, film and television roles since 1985, and won acting awards for his roles in the films W., No Country for Old Men, Milk and True Grit.-Early life:...
.
In addition to the category awards, the HFCS presented their annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She came to international prominence for her for role as Carrie White in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination...
and its Humanitarian Award to George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
. Clooney was selected for "selflessly using his celebrity for greater good". The HFCS award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema awards were presented to Charles Dove, director of the Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
Media Center, and Hector Luna, the founder and editor of C-47 Houston.
Ceremony
The 2010 awards were given out at a ceremony held at the Museum of Fine Arts on December 18, 2010. The award ceremony was free and open to the general public. While organizers did not expect any of the nominees in the "best of" category awards to be in attendance, director Edgar Wright recorded a thank-you clip which was shown. The ceremony also included clips of nominated films plus special tributes to George Clooney and Sissy Spacek, and was followed by a catered reception with the members of the HFCS in the museum gallery. Catering for the reception was provided by Central MarketCentral Market (Texas)
Central Market is a gourmet grocery store chain owned by San Antonio, Texas-based H-E-B Grocery Company. It specializes in high-quality, hard-to-find gourmet foods. Most locations also have a full-service kitchen, offer cooking and wine classes in their culinary school, and offer catering...
.
Category awards
Best Picture | Best Foreign Language Film |
---|---|
|
Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
|
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000... - The Social Network The Social Network The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
|
Natalie Portman Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel... - Black Swan Black Swan (film) Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis. Its plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by a prestigious New York City company. The production requires a ballerina to...
|
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses.... - The Fighter
|
Hailee Steinfeld Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress. She rose to fame for her portrayal as Mattie Ross in the 2010 film True Grit, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.-Early life:Steinfeld was born in Tarzana, Los... - True Grit True Grit (2010 film) True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. This version stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as U.S....
|
Best Direction of a Motion Picture | Best Cinematography |
David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and... - The Social Network The Social Network The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
|
Inception Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
|
Best Animated Feature Film | Best Documentary Feature |
Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
|
Restrepo (film) Restrepo is a 2010 documentary film about the Afghanistan war, directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and British/American photojournalist Tim Hetherington....
|
Best Original Score | Best Original Song |
Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the... - Inception Inception Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
|
Beck Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck... - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim , a young Canadian musician, meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers , an American delivery girl...
|
Best Screenplay | Worst Picture |
Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse... - The Social Network The Social Network The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
|
Jonah Hex (film) Jonah Hex is a 2010 post-Civil War antihero Western film loosely based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolin as the title character, Jonah Hex, and also stars John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender,...
|
Outstanding Achievement in Cinema
- Charles Dove, director of the Rice University Media Center
- Hector Luna, founder and editor of C-47 Houston magazine