2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

The 10 Best Movies and TV-series of the Year

1. The Descendants - Alexander Payne + Best Dramedy of the Year + Best Hawaii Movie of the Year

3 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Film 
Best Non-adult Actor: Amara Miller 
Best Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael

6 Time Film Excess nominee:


Best Film (won)
Best Screenplay: Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Director: Alexander Payne (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Actor: George Clooney (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
Best Non-adult Actor: Amara Miller (won)
Best Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael (won)

2. The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius  + Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year + Best B/W Movie of the Year + Best Music Movie of the Year + Best Dog Movie of the Year + Best Mega-hit Movie of the Year


2 Time Film Excess award winner:

Best Actress: Bérénice Bejo
Best Editing: Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius

8 Time Film Excess nominee:


Best Film (lost to The Descendants)
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
Best Actress: Bérénice Bejo (won)
Best Supporting Actor: John Goodman (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)
Best Editing: Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius (won)

Best Score: Ludovic Bource (lost to Cliff Martinez for Drive)

3. We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lynne Ramsay + Best Shooting Star Actor of the Year (Ezra Miller) + Most Upsetting Movie of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Screenplay: Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay

9 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Film (lost to The Descendants)
Best Screenplay: Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay (won)
Best Director: Lynne Ramsay (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Supporting Actor: Ezra Miller (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Non-adult Actor: Jasper Newell (lost to Amara Miller for The Descendants)
Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)
Best Sound (lost to Drive) 
Best Score: Jonny Greenwood (lost to Cliff Martinez for Drive)

4. In Darkness/W Ciemnosci - Agnieszka Holland + Best War Movie of the Year + Best Polish Movie of the Year


2 Time Film Excess Award Winner:


Best Director: Agnieszka Holland
Best Supporting Actress: Agnieszka Grochowska

6 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Film (lost to The Descendants)
Best Director: Agnieszka Holland (won)
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Wieckiewicz (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Supporting Actress: Agnieszka Grochowska (won)
Best Cinematography: Jolenta Dylewska (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)
Best Costumes: Jagna Janicka, Katarzyna Lewinska (lost to Mildred Pierce)

5. Haywire - Steven Soderbergh + Best Breakthrough of the Year (Gina Carano) + Sexiest Movie of the Year + Most Undeserved Flop of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Practical Effects

4 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Film (lost to The Descendants)
Best Director: Steven Soderbergh (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Cinematography: Steven Soderbergh (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)
Best Practical Effects (won)

6. The Help - Tate Taylor + Best Mississippi Movie of the Year + Best Ensemble Movie of the Year
 

3 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Film (lost to The Descendants)
Best Director: Tate Taylor (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (lost to Agnieszka Grochowska for In Darkness)

7. Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel - Alex Stapleton

1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Documentary: Alex Stapleton

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Documentary: Alex Stapleton (won)

8. The Intouchables/Intouchables/Untouchable - Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache + Best French Movie of the Year


3 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Film (lost to The Descendants)
Best Cinematography: Mathieu Vadepied (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)
Best Editing: Dorian Rigal-Ansous (lost to The Artist)

9. Boardwalk Empire S2 - Terence Winter, creator + Best Adaptation of the Year + Best Gangster Movie/TV-series of the Year

2 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon 
Best Production Design: Bill Groom, Charley Beal, Adam Scher, Carol Silverman

7 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actor: Steve Buscemi (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Pitt (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon (won)
Best Supporting Actress: Kelly Macdonald (lost to Agnieszka Grochowska for In Darkness)
Best Costumes: John Dunn, Lisa Padovani (lost to Mildred Pierce)
Best Make-up and Hair: Mary Aaron, Christine Cantrell and others (lost to J. Edgar) 
Best Production Design: Bill Groom, Charley Beal, Adam Scher, Carol Silverman (won)

10. Bridesmaids - Paul Feig + Best Comedy of the Year

2 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Screenplay: Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig  (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Actress: Kristen Wiig (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)

Other great films of the year (in alphabetical order)

A Separation/جدایی نادر از سیمین - Asghar Farhadi + Best Iranian Movie of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)

Albert Nobbs - Rodrigo García + Best Irish Movie of the Year + Most Overlooked Movie of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Song: Lay Down Your Head, Glenn Close, Brian Byrne; Sinéad O'Connor

4 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actress: Glenn Close (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Supporting Actress: Mia Wasikowska (lost to Agnieszka Grochowska for In Darkness)
Best Makeup and Hair: Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnson, Matthew W. Mungle (lost to J. Edgar)
Best Song: Lay Down Your Head, Glenn Close, Brian Byrne; Sinéad O'Connor (won)

The Bengali Detective - Philip Cox 

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Documentary: Philip Cox (lost to Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel)

Bernie - Richard Linklater + Best True-Crime Movie of the Year  

1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Actor: Jack Black

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actor: Jack Black (won)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - John Madden


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith (lost to Agnieszka Grochowska for In Darkness)

Carnage - Roman Polanski + Best New York Movie of the Year


2 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Director: Roman Polanski (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Editing: Hervé de Luze (lost to The Artist)

Contagion - Steven Soderbergh + Best Disaster Movie of the Year


2 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Screenplay: Scott Z. Burns (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Editing: Stephen Mirrione (lost to The Artist)

Hugo - Martin Scorsese + Best Family Movie of the Year + Most Expensive Flop of the Year + Best 3D Movie of the Year + Worst Poster of the Year


2 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Non-adult Actor: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz (lost to Amara Miller for The Descendants)
Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)

J. Edgar - Clint Eastwood + Best Biopic of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Make-up and Hair: Alessandro Bertolazzi, Kathryn Blondell, Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Tania McComas, Carol A. O'Connell

3 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
Best Make-up and Hair: Alessandro Bertolazzi, Kathryn Blondell, Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Tania McComas, Carol A. O'Connell (won)

Jeff Who Lives at Home - Mark & Jay Duplass

Kill List - Ben Wheatley + Best English Movie of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Cinematography: Laurie Rose (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)

Killer Joe - William Friedkin + Best Poster of the Year


3 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Screenplay: Tracy Letts (lost to Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Director: William Friedkin (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)

Machine Gun Preacher - Marc Forster + Best Religious Movie of the Year

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Sean Durkin + Best Thriller of the Year + Best Debut Movie of the Year + Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year (Elizabeth Olsen) + Best Low-budget Movie of the Year


4 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Director: Sean Durkin (lost to Agnieszka Holland for In Darkness)
Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Cinematography: Jody Lee Lipes (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Brad Bird + Best Action Movie of the Year + Best Blockbuster of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Digital Effects

3 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Sound (lost to Drive)
Best Practical Effects (lost to Haywire) 
Best Digital Effects (won)
 

 Moneyball - Bennett Miller + Best Sports Movie of the Year
 

Mr. Popper's Penguins - Mark Waters


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Score: Rolfe Kent (lost to Cliff Martinez for Drive)

My Week with Marilyn - Simon Curtis + Best Period Movie of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Actress: Michelle Williams (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)

Oslo, August 31st/Oslo, 31. August - Joachim Trier + Best Norwegian Movie of the Year + Best Drug-themed Movie of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Actor: Anders Danielsen Lie (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)

Red State - Kevin Smith + Wildest Movie of the Year + Best Independent Movie of the Year


3 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Parks (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (lost to Agnieszka Grochowska for In Darkness)
Best Practical Effects (lost to Haywire)

Scream 4 - Wes Craven

Warrior  - Gavin O'Connor + Best Boxing Movie of the Year

4 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actor: Joel Edgerton (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hardy (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Supporting Actor: Nick Nolte (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Practical Effects (lost to Haywire) 

We Bought a Zoo - Cameron Crowe + Best Animal Movie of the Year + Best True-Story Movie fo the Year

Weekend - Andrew Haigh + Best LGBT Movie of the Year

You're Next - Adam Wingard + Best Horror Movie of the Year


1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Editing: Adam Wingard (lost to The Artist)


Good films of the year (in alphabetical order)

50/50- Jonathan Levine

A Funny Man/Dirch - Martin Zandvliet

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:
 

Best Actor: Nikolaj Lie Kaas (lost to Jack Black for Bernie)
 

Attack the Block - Joe Cornish + Best Monster Movie of the Year



1 Time Film Excess Nominee:


Best Practical Effects (lost to Haywire)

The Beaver - Jodie Foster

Boy/Dreng - Peter Gantzler

Bullhead/Rundskop - Michaël R. Roskam + Best Belgian Movie of the Year

The Details - Jacob Aaron Estes + Best Mega-flop Movie of the Year

 Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn + Best Car Movie of the Year

2 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Sound
Best Score: Cliff Martinez

2 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Sound (won)
Best Score: Cliff Martinez (won)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Stephen Daldry

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Non-adult Actor: Thomas Horn (lost to Amara Miller for The Descendants)

 The Guard - John Michael McDonagh + Best Crime Comedy of the Year

Headhunters/Hodejegerne - Morten Tyldum

Hobo with a Shotgun - Jason Eisener + Best Canadian Movie of the Year + Best Gore Movie of the Year + Best Lines in a Movie of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Score: Adam Burke, Darius Holbert, Russ Howard III (lost to Cliff Martinez for Drive)

The Ides of March - George Clooney + Best Political Movie of the Year + Sexiest Screen Couple of the Year (Ryan Gosling & Evan Rachel Wood)
 

The Iron Lady - Phyllida Lloyd

2 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Make-up and Hair: Mark Coulier (lost to J. Edgar)

Johnny English Reborn/Johnny English Returns - Oliver Parker

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Jennifer Yuh

1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Animation: Jennifer Yuh

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Animation: Jennifer Yuh (won)

Margin Call - J. C. Chandor

Melancholia - Lars Von Trier + Best Apocalyptic Movie of the Year

2 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Cinematography: Manuel Alberto Claro (lost to Phedon Papamichael for The Descendants)

Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen + Best Paris Movie of the Year

Mildred Pierce - Todd Haynes + Best Miniseries of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:

Best Costumes: Ann Roth

4 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actress: Kate Winslet (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Supporting Actor: Brían F. O'Byrne (lost to Michael Shannon for Boardwalk Empire S2)
Best Costumes: Ann Roth (won)
Best Production Design: Mark Friedberg, Peter Rogness, Ellen Christiansen (lost to Boardwalk Empire S2)

The Muppets - James Bobin + Best Musical of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Song: Man or Muppet, Brett McKenzie (lost to Albert Nobbs)

Our Idiot Brother - Jesse Peretz + Best Satire of the Year

Rango - Gore Verbinski

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Animation: Gore Verbinski (lost to Kung Fu Panda 2)

The Rum Diary - Bruce Robinson + Best Comeback of the Year (Johnny Depp and Bruce Robinson)

Shame - Steve McQueen

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Supporting Actress: Carrey Mulligan (lost to Agnieszka Grochowska for In Darkness)

Silent House - Chris Kentis & Laura Lau + Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year (Elizabeth Olsen)

The Sitter - David Gordon Green

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Non-adult actor: Max Records (lost to Amara Miller for The Descendants)

Super 8 - J. J. Abrams

The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick + Best Art Film of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Non-adult Actor: Laramie Eppler, Hunter McCracken, Tye Sheridan (lost to Amara Miller for The Descendants)

Twixt - Francis Ford Coppola

Wuthering Heights - Andrea Arnold + Best Romance of the Year

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Sound (lost to Drive)

Your Highness - David Gordon Green + Best Fantasy Movie of the Year

The 10 Worst Movies of the Year

1. Arthur - Jason Winer + Stupidest Movie of the Year

2. The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) - Tom Six + Most Unredeemable Trash of the Year

3. The Turin Horse/A Torinói Ló - Béla Tarr + Most Sleep-inducing Movie of the Year

4. Fright Night - Craig Gillespie 

5. Hall Pass - Bobby & Peter Farrelly

6. Hostel: Part III - Scott Spiegel

7. The Hangover Part II - Todd Phillips + Most Undeserved Hit Movie of the Year

8. The Mechanic - Simon West

9. Memories of My Melancholy Whores/Memoria de Mis Putas Tristes - Henning Carlsen

10. Dolphin Tale - Charles Martin Smith


Other mediocre or poor films (in alphabetical order)

30 Minutes or Less 
The Adventures of Tintin/The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn - Steven Spielberg 
All for One/Alle for Én - Rasmus Heide
The Awakening 
Bad Teacher - Jake Kasdan
Cedar Rapids 
Crazy, Stupid, Love 
A Dangerous Method 
Fast & Furious 5/Fast Five/Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist  + Best Car Chase of the Year (Bank vault through Rio car chase)

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Practical Effects (lost to Haywire)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Score: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (lost to Cliff Martinez for Drive)


Horrible Bosses 
Paul 
The Raid: Redemption/The Raid/Serbuan Maut  + Most Violent Movie of the Year
Rise of the Planet of the Apes 
The Skin I Live In/La Piel Que Habito 
The Son of No One 
The Sunset Limited 
Take Shelter 

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Digital Effects (lost to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol)
 
The Thing 

1 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Digital Effects (lost to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol)

This Must Be the Place 
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 
Tower Heist 
War Horse
X-Men: First Class 

[101 titles in total]

Notes

This third updated edition of the 2011 lists adds just 6 titles, upping the tally from 95 to 101 reviewed titles.

Topping the year's best-of list are 9 masterpieces: Alexander Payne's poignant The Descendants, Michel Hazanavicious' silent B/W Hollywood homage surprise hit The Artist, Lynne Ramsay's uncompromising 'mother-horror' We Need to Talk About Kevin, Agnieszka Holland's gut-wrenching WWII sewer survival drama In Darkness, Steven Soderbergh's (who also released the great Contagion this year) funky-cool martial arts actioner Haywire, Tate Taylor's race-discussing Southern drama The Help, Alex Stapleton's immersive, rollicking Roger Corman documentary, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel and finally Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache's uplifting drama The Intouchables and the second season of Terence Winter's phenomenal gangster TV-seris Boardwalk Empire. These are followed by Paul Feig's female-headed comedy smash Bridesmaids, as Gavin O'Connor's terrific MMA-drama Warrior is forced out of the top 10 at this point.

Moving on to individuals, George Clooney had a spectacular year with both The Descendants and his own fine Ides of March. Johnny Depp made a dramatic comeback in even more 'come-backing' Bruce Robinson's free-spirited, fun Rum Diary, though it flopped. And Elizabeth Olsen made herself known in a big way with excellent, nerve-wrecking performances in both Silent House and the great Martha Marcy May Marlene. Ezra Miller cemented his position as one of the most talented and far-ranging young actors with his lead performance in Kevin, and Gina Carano broke the mold as a tough as nails female action star in Haywire.
Jason Segel also had a great year on the silver screen with fine work in both the hilarious indie Jeff Who Lives at Home, The Muppets and a big hit with Bad Teacher. Jim Carrey made a refreshing return to family comedy with the great Mr. Popper's Penguins.
2011 also offered very exciting films from Iran (A Separation), Norway (Oslo, August 31st), Ireland (Albert Nobbs), England (Kill List), India (The Bengali Detective and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Sudan (Machine Gun Preacher) and many other countries.
Scorsese released his critically acclaimed, great Hugo, which is the film reviewed thus far that lost most money by far, despite all the praise and awards that were heaped upon it.
We also got a fine, British monster movie (Attack the Block), an unusually dark Hollywood dramedy (The Details), a great baseball movie (Moneyball), an uplifting zoo family drama (We Bought a Zoo), a car movie that took the world by storm (Drive), a Canadian gore grindhouse homage (Hobo with a Shotgun), a really funny Irish movie (The Guard) and a really strange American one (Terrence Malick's Palme d'Or winner The Tree of Life).
David Gordon Green released two major comedies that both fared well with Film Excess, The Sitter and Your Highness, but which also both lost millions of dollars. Green is one of the few commercially highly unstable if not downright unviable directors, who still gets to direct big movies in a seemingly freewheeling, steady pace today.
Others are less fortunate, as Jason Winer with the year's undoubtedly worst film, the godawful Arthur. It gets followed on the worst-of list by Tom Six's next, preposterous Centipede movie and Bela Tarr's last movie ever, Turin Horse. The worst-of list also includes the perhaps worst Bobby & Peter Farrelly movie to date (Hall Pass), Scott Spiegel's straight-to-DVD Hostel 3, Tod Phillips' second Hangover movie, master filmmaker Henning Carlsen's also last film ever, the Cuba-set Memories of My Melancholy Whores and Charles Martin Smith's sappy, flawed Dolphin Tale.
Some of the year's huge films were also not very memorable, as is often the case; namely Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class and Fast Five, which were all too fast forgotten.
Cinema masters David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method), Steven Spielberg (War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin were both underwhelming) and Pedro Almodóvar (The Skin I Live In) also premiered films in 2011 that didn't meet their high standards of yore.

The 2011 Film Excess Awards and Nominees:


Best Film (7 nominees)
The Artist
The Descendants Winner
Haywire
The Help
We Need to Talk about Kevin
The Intouchables
In Darkness

Best Screenplay (7 Nominees)
Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Scott Z. Burns, Contagion
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
Dustin Lance Black, J. Edgar
Tracy Letts, Killer Joe
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
Rory Stewart Kinnear, Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin Winner

Best Director (9 Nominees)
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Roman Polanski, Carnage
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Steven Soderbergh, Haywire
Tate Taylor, The Help
William Friedkin, Killer Joe
Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Agnieszka Holland, In Darkness Winner

Best Lead Actor (9 Nominees)
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Jack Black, Bernie Winner
George Clooney, The Descendants
Nikolaj Lie Kaas, A Funny Man
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Anders Danielsen Lie, Oslo, August 31st
Joel Edgerton, Warrior
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire S2

Best Lead Actress (9 Nominees)
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist Winner
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Supporting Actor (10 Nominees)
John Goodman, The Artist
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michael Parks, Red State
Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Robert Wieckiewicz, In Darkness
Brían F. O'Byrne, Mildred Pierce
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Michael Pitt, Boardwalk Empire S2
Michael Shannon, Boardwalk Empire S2 Winner

Best Supporting Actress (7 Nominees)
Mia Wasikowska, Albert Nobbs
Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Melissa Leo, Red State
Carrey Mulligan, Shame
Agnieszka Grochowska, In Darkness Winner
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire S2

Best Non-adult Actor (6 Nominees)
Tye Sheridan, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler, The Tree of Life
Amara Miller, The Descendants Winner
Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Hugo
Max Records, The Sitter
Jasper Newell, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Cinematography (10 Nominees)
Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Phedon Papamichael, The Descendants Winner
Steven Soderbergh, Haywire
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Laurie Rose, Kill List
Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Jody Lee Lipes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Seamus McGarvey, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Mathieu Vadepied, The Intouchables
Jolenta Dylewska, In Darkness

Best Costumes (3 Nominees) 
Jagna Janicka, Katarzyna Lewinska, In Darkness 
Ann Roth, Mildred Pierce Winner 
John Dunn, Lisa Padovani, Boardwalk Empire S2

Best Sound (4 Nominees)
Drive Winner
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Wuthering Heights

Best Editing (5 Nominees)
Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Winner 
Stephen Mirrione, Contagion
Hervé de Luze, Carnage 
Dorian Rigal-Ansous, The Intouchables
Adam Wingard, You're Next

Best Practical Effects (6 Nominees)
Attack the Block
Fast & Furious 5
Haywire Winner
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Red State
Warrior

Best Digital Effects (3 Nominees)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Winner
The Thing
Take Shelter

Best Makeup and Hair (4 Nominees)
Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnson, Matthew W. Mungle, Albert Nobbs
Mark Coulier, The Iron Lady
Alessandro Bertolazzi, Kathryn Blondell, Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Tania McComas, Carol A. O'Connell, J. Edgar Winner
Mary Aaron, Christine Cantrell and others, Boardwalk Empire S2

Best Original Song (2 Nominees)
Lay Down Your Head, Glenn Close, Brian Byrne; Sinéad O'Connor, Albert Nobbs Winner
Man or Muppet, Brett McKenzie, The Muppets

Best Score (6 Nominees)
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Cliff Martinez, Drive Winner
Adam Burke, Darius Holbert, Russ Howard III, Hobo with a Shotgun
Rolfe Kent, Mr. Popper's Penguins
Jonny Greenwood, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Animation (2 Nominees)
Rango, Gore Verbinski
Kung Fu Panda 2, Jennifer Yuh Nelson Winner

Best Documentary (2 Nominees)
The Bengali Detective - Philip Cox
Corman's World: Expoits of a Hollywood Rebel - Alex Stapleton Winner

Best Production Design (2 Nominees) 
Mark Friedberg, Peter Rogness, Ellen Christiansen, Mildred Pierce
Bill Groom, Charley Beal, Adam Scher, Carol Silverman, Boardwalk Empire S2 Winner


Note: One category remains unresolved (Best TV-series) as there yet only is one nominated title for it (Boardwalk Empire S2)

The 2012 Oscars:

Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for his 9th time, (he's only surpassed by Bob Hope's 12 times as host), following James Franco and Anne Hathaway's disastrous co-hosting job at the 2011 ceremony.
The Artist was the night's biggest winner with 5 awards: Best Picture (ahead of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Tree of Life, Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball and War Horse), Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Best Costumes, Best Score (Ludovic Bource). - And Hazanavicious won Best Director ahead of Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick and Alexander Payne.
Meryl Streep won Best Actress for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in Iron Lady, which also won for Best Makeup, and Christopher Plummer won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Beginners (2010), becoming the oldest recipient to date, at age 82. Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for The Help.
Woody Allen won for his original screenplay for Midnight in Paris, and Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash won for their adapted screenplay for Descendants. Robert Richardson won for his extraordinary cinematography in Hugo, which also won the art direction, visual effects, sound editing and sound mixing Oscars.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo won its only Oscar, out of 5 nominations, for Best Editing. Bret McKenzie won Best Song for his Man or Muppet from The Muppets.
The shorts The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (animated), The Shore (live-action) and Saving Face (documentary) won awards. Undefeated, about a football team, won Best Documentary, and Asghar Farhadi's A Separation won Best Foreign Film, ahead of Bullhead, Footnote, In Darkness and Monsieur Lazhar. Rango won Best Animation.
Dignitary awards went to James Earl Jones, Dick Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Jonathan Erland and Douglas Trumbull. 

IMDb's user-generated Top 10 Most Popular of 2011 features:

1. Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows - Part 2
2. The Help
3. X-Men: First Class
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
5. Thor
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
7. Warrior
8. Drive
9. Sucker Punch
10. The Intouchables  
  
The 2011 Cannes Film Featival:

Robert De Niro acted as jury president, and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris opened the festival. Bernardo Bertolucci received the year's honorary award, and Lars Von Trier, whose Melancholia was in competition, caused furor with comments about himself and his understanding Hitler at his press conference, causing him much grief later, as he was declared persona non grata by the festival and later questioned by police about the matter.
Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life won the Palme d'Or as the first American since Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). 
A full list of films in the main competition:
The Skin I Live In, Tolerance, Pater, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Footnote, The Kid with a Bike, Le Havre, The Artist, Hanezu, Sleeping Beauty, Polisse, The Tree of Life, The Source, Hara-kiri: Death of a Samuari, We Have a Pope, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Michael, This Must Be the Place, Melancholia and Drive.
Other main competition prizes went to Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Nikolas Winding Refn for Drive, Jean Dujardin for The Artist and Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia, - among many others.
Kim Ki-duk's Arirang and Andreas Dresen's Stopped on Track won the Un Certain Regard prize. Maryna Vroda's Cross won the short film award and Doroteya Droumeva's The Letter won the Cinefoundation film school short award. Bouli Lanners' The Giants won the Director's Fortnight section, and Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter and Stephen Kang's short Blue won at the International Critics' Week.

Still on Film Excess' 2011 watch-list:

Hell and Back Again, Lorimer, Pina, Harvest, Jane Eyre, Undefeated, Busted Walk, Footnote,  A Better Life, I Am Eleven, Italy: Love It, or Leave It, American Horror Story, Puss in Boots, Margaret,Thor, Sucker Punch,  Source Code, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Zookeeper, The Devil's Double, The Alps, Tom Boy, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Five Broken Cameras, Enlightened, The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg, House of Tolerance, Pater, Le Havre, Hanezu, Sleeping Beauty, Polisse, The Source, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, We Have a Pope, Michael, Arirang, Stopped on Track, Cross, The Letter, The Giants, Blue

Previous annual lists:
  
2016 in films - according to Film Excess
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2014 in films - according to Film Excess
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2013 in films - according to Film Excess    
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess


What do you think of Film Excess' 2011 lists?
What movies would comprise your best and worst of 2011 lists?
What missing 2011 movies and/or TV-series would you recommend?