2012 Buckle Awards

The Rules: ANY Film released in an Australian cinema in 2012 + any films I have seen at a festival or via screener that have not had a general release. This is a HUGE list of films to select from, but doesn't include some of the U.S 2012 releases (Life of Pi, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, The Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln) not yet released in Australian cinemas.

*There are two exceptions: MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE and A SEPARATION - released February 2 and March 1 respectively - were considered in last year's awards because I watched them well prior to their release date and included them amongst my 2011 releases.*

As a result of the large volume of films, there will be six slots for each category and the winner marked in BOLD.

Best American Film

The Master *WINNER*
Margaret
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Grey
Argo
The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Best British Film

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Shame *WINNER*
Weekend
This Must Be The Place
Berberian Sound Studio
The Angels' Share

Best Australian Film

The Sapphires
Hail
Not Suitable For Children
Lore *WINNER*
Wish You Were Here

Best Foreign Language Film

Holy Motors *WINNER*
Monsieur Lazhar
Amour
Caesar Must Die
Oslo, August 31st
Bleak Night

Best Film (Overall)

Holy Motors *WINNER*
Shame
The Master
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Monsieur Lazhar
Margaret

Best Director

Leos Carax - Holy Motors *WINNER*
Steve McQueen - Shame
Paul Thomas Anderson - The Master
Tomas Alfredson - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Michael Haneke - Amour
Joachim Trier - Oslo, August 31st

Best Lead Male Performance

Michael Fassbender - Shame *WINNER*
Denis Lavant - Holy Motors
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Mads Mikkelsen - The Hunt
Jean-Louis Trintignant - Amour
Matthew McConaughey - Killer Joe

Best Lead Female Performance

Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Anna Paquin - Margaret
Emanuelle Riva - Amour *WINNER*
Charlize Theron - Young Adult
Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Smashed
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone

Best Supporting Female Performance

Amy Adams - The Master
Carey Mulligan - Shame
Emily Blunt - Your Sister's Sister *WINNER*
Rosemarie DeWitt - Your Sister's Sister *WINNER*
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Gina Gershon - Killer Joe

Best Supporting Male Performance

Matthew McConaughey - Magic Mike/Bernie
Scoot McNairy - Killing Them Softly
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master *WINNER*
Ezra Miller - The Perks of Being A Wallflower
Ben Kingsley - Hugo
Frank Grillo - The Grey

Best Original Screenplay

Leos Carax - Holy Motors
Steve McQueen/Abi Morgan - Shame
Paul Thomas Anderson - The Master
Kenneth Lonergan - Margaret *WINNER*
Michael Haneke - Amour
Joachim Trier/Eskil Vogt - Oslo, August 31st

Best Adapted Screenplay

Bridget O'Connor/Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy *WINNER*
Chris Terrio - Argo
Steve Zaillian - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Joe Carnahan/Ian MacKenzie Jeffers - The Grey
Richard Linklater/Skip Hollandsworth - Bernie
Steven Chbosky - The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Best Cinematography

Holy Motors
The Master
This Must Be The Place
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia *WINNER*

Best Original Score/Soundtrack

The Master
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo *WINNER (Score)*
Moonrise Kingdom
From Up On Poppy Hill
Cafe De Flore
Shame *WINNER (Soundtrack)*
This Must Be The Place
The Perks of Being A Wallflower
Searching For Sugar Man

Best Documentary

Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present
The Imposter *WINNER*
Undefeated
Searching For Sugar Man
Side By Side
Indie Game: The Movie

Best Animated Film

From Up On Poppy Hill *WINNER*
Wrinkles
Brave
Frankenweenie

Best Scene

'Brandon takes a run' - Shame
'Interlude' - Holy Motors *WINNER*
'Processing' - The Master
'I'm done' - The Grey
'This Must Be The Place' - This Must Be The Place
'Hallway Takedown' - The Raid

Now, it is very likely I have forgotten to include some worthy nominees, but when reflecting on an entire year of film it is hard just narrowing the categories down to six. Thoughts?