MOB: The Gotham Awards Kick-off the Awards Season

The Gothams are a big enough name on the indie circuit to provide a small alternative to the Independent Spirit Awards (announcing nominees tomorrow), but often aren't taken with quite the seriousness that a group like the NYFCC or the NBR, but seemed to lend a smart and smooth amount of influence to start off the '11 awards race tonight. The Gotham Awards became the first with a fancy awards show this year and started off an already surely unpredictable year with many a surprise, including two seeming heavyweights in The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene, both going into the night with the most nominations, pulling a Gangs of New York and a Color Purple, respectively. They went him with no awards. Indeed, Dee Rees took Breakthrough Director away from Sean Durkin while Felicity Jones bitchslapped Elizabeth Olsen and Shailene Woodley both to the Breakthrough Actor prize for Like Crazy (not sure what can exactly account for that preference, myself).

The lovable little film Beginners, highly recommended, got about as big a boost as an award like this could offer a tiny independent underdog heading into the awards season with its best shot at Oscar in Christopher Plummer accepting the Best Ensemble prize (over films like The Descendants and Margin Call) with humor and grace. Natalie Portman discussed a 2.5 hour conversation the jury had before compromising to also give the tiny film the coveted Best Feature prize tied with the very big Tree of Life.

The boost this lends The Tree of Life is significant, on first glance. It's just another expectation it defied, after taking home the Palme D'Or, winning the International FIRPRESCI prize earlier this year and earlier this week topping the Sight & Sound poll of 100 critics in a landslide victory. The amount to which this can became a major player on the critics circuit depends on how well it does tomorrow, particularly in the New York critics, but I suspect it shan't do too bad considering how much of the Circle's voting body are admirers of Malick's. I'd bet on a Best Director win, at least (although I'm predicting Picture as well).