2011, 6 Months In: The Favorites

It's hard to believe, but half of 2011 is already gone. In a few months, we'll be hit with festivals from both Venice and Toronto, and then it's back to awards season madness. However, since that's still some ways off, I'd rather focus on the present: the halfway (well, probably a little past, but close enough) point of the year in movies. How 2011 will stack up against recent years remains to be seen, but it's certainly been a diverse year so far. Here's a look at my favorites (across the categories), written up as though today was the last day of the year:

The Half-Way Favorites:

Best Picture:
13 Assassins
Bridesmaids
Certified Copy
The Double Hour
Hanna
Jane Eyre
Midnight in Paris
Rango
The Tree of Life
Tyrannosaur

Winner: The Tree of Life

Best Director:
Giuseppe Capotondi - The Double Hour
Abbass Kiarostami - Certified Copy
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
Gore Verbinski - Rango
Joe Wright - Hanna

Winner: Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life

Best Actor:
Johnny Depp - Rango
Paul Giamatti - Win Win
Mel Gibson - The Beaver
Peter Mullan - Tyrannosaur
William Shimmell - Certified Copy

Winner: Peter Mullan - Tyrannosaur

Best Actress:
Juliette Binoche - Certified Copy
Olivia Colman - Tyrannosaur
Kseniya Rappoport - The Double Hour
Saoirse Ronan - Hanna
Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre
Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids

Winner: Juliette Binoche - Certified Copy

Best Supporting Actor:
Michael Fassbender - Jane Eyre
Hunter McCracken - The Tree of Life
Brad Pitt - The Tree of Life
Christoph Waltz - Water for Elephants
Anton Yelchin - The Beaver

Winner: Brad Pitt - The Tree of Life

Best Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett - Hanna
Rose Byrne - Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain - The Tree of Life
Melanie Lynskey - Win Win
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Winner [TIE]: Cate Blanchett - Hanna/Jessica Chastain - The Tree of Life

Best Original Screenplay:
Bridesmaids
Certified Copy
The Double Hour
Midnight in Paris
Tyrannosaur

Winner: The Double Hour

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Incendies
Jane Eyre
X-Men: First Class
--
--

Winner: Jane Eyre

Best Editing:
The Beaver
The Double Hour
Hanna
Midnight in Paris
Tyrannosaur

Winner: Hanna

Best Cinematography:
13 Assassins
The Double Hour
Hanna
Jane Eyre
The Tree of Life

Winner: The Tree of Life

Best Art Direction:
Hanna
Jane Eyre
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life
X-Men: First Class

Winner: The Tree of Life

Best Costume Design:
Hanna
Jane Eyre
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life
Water for Elephants

Winner: Water for Elephants

Best Animated Film: Rango [default]

Best Foreign Language Film:
13 Assassins [Japan]
Certified Copy [Belgium/France/Italy]
The Double Hour [Italy]
Incendies [Canada]
Of Gods and Men [France]

Winner: The Double Hour [Italy]

Best Original Score:
The Double Hour - Pasquale Catalano
Hanna - The Chemical Brothers
Jane Eyre - Dario Marianelli
Rango - Hans Zimmer
The Tree of Life - Alexandre Desplat

Winner: Hanna - The Chemical Brothers

Best Original Song: "Hanna's Theme" - Hanna [default]

Best Makeup:
13 Assassins
Hanna
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Super 8
X-Men: First Class

Winner: 13 Assassins

Best Visual Effects:
Fast Five
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Super 8
The Tree of Life
X-Men: First Class

Winner: The Tree of Life