The Chicago Film Critics Awards 2012
An afternoon press conference with James Earl Jones, Jason Segel and Dennis Farina was the first event starting at 3pm in the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Jan. 7. A cocktail reception began at 4pm and the Red Carpet around 5pm.
Special guests included the stars named above with the addition of George Lucas, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard.
The Broadway Playhouse in Water Tower Place was the location of the CFCA awards, followed by the Comedy Awards.
Tickets were on sale earlier in the week and the cost to mingle with celebrities and chat about movies varied.
Silver Tickets – Awards Show at 6 pm Sat, $90
Gold Tickets – Awards Show AND After Party at the Ritz Carlton, $150
Platinum Tickets – Awards Show AND After Party AND Friday Night Cocktails at Second City 6 – 8 pm – $200
WLS radio personalities Richard Roeper and Roe Conn hosted the 23rd annual Chicago Film Critics Awards.
Three honorary award recipients were: James Earl Jones, recipient of the Oscar Micheaux Award; Chicago actor Dennis Farina, recipient of the Commitment to Chicago Award; and writer/actor/producer Jason Segel, recipient of the new Commedian Extraordinaire Award for contributions to the art of film comedy. The Oscar Micheaux Award is named in honor of Illinois-born Micheaux, a black writer, producer and director who operated his own independent studio that straddled the silent and talkie eras in film.
Director Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” a visual poem that whisks viewers from the beginning of creation to 1950s Texas, won four major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain) and Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki).
Chicago actor Michael Shannon won Best Actor as a man tormented by apocalyptic visions of disaster in the drama “Take Shelter.” Michelle Williams won the Best Actress award for her stunning turn as Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn.”
The violent neo-noir “Drive” won Supporting Actor for comedian Albert Brooks and Original Score for composer Cliff Martinez. The indie drama “Martha Marcy May Marlene” won Most Promising Performer (Elizabeth Olsen) and Most Promising Filmmaker (Sean Durkin).
“The Artist” won Original Screenplay while “Moneyball” won Adapted Screenplay. The Iranian drama “A Separation” won Foreign-Language Film. “Rango” won Best Animated Film and the director Asghar Farhadi accepted the award. “The Interrupters” won Best Documentary.
Sarah Adamson© January 14, 2012