Since posting the first Best in Film Tracker, I have seen Final Destination 5, The Debt, Colombiana, Warrior, and Crazy, Stupid, Love.  Jessica Chastain performed another memorable performance in The Debt (but not quite on the level of what she did in The Help or The Tree of Life).  There has been a good deal of buzz building for Nick Nolte, but I was most impressed by Tom Hardy when it comes to the cast of Warrior.  The brooding hero has become a bit cliché lately, but Hardy made sure that Tommy Conlon’s moments of longing and forcefully workmanlike approach to fighting were filled with a clarity as to why he was so brooding.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. has vaulted near the top of my list for best films of the years.  The cast was solid all-around, though I am not sure if any one actor stood out, with the exception of Analeigh Tipton, who had what was surely the trickiest role among tricky roles.  And the more I think about it, the more I realize that Ryan Gosling was rather notable as well for all that he accomplished in a role that could have been one-note (so I guess there actually were some actors who stood out in that cast).  And credit in that regard must surely also go to the screenplay from Dan Fogelman.

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Midnight in Paris

Director
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids
Glen Ficarra and John Requa, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class
Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class

Lead Actress
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Emma Stone, The Help
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Bruno Ganz, Unknown
Peter Sarsgaard, Green Lantern
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Analeigh Tipton, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Lin Shaye, Insidious

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Score
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna