WAFCA Speaks

The Washington Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) conducted our end-of-the-year awards balloting over the weekend, and the big winner was Up in the Air, which took Best Film, Best Actor (George Clooney), and Best Adapted Screenplay. An Education did well, too, with Carey Mulligan taking Best Actress. It's still early in awards season, but given that these results were identical to the picks by the National Board of Review last week (though in their case Best Actor was a tie between Clooney and Morgan Freeman for Invictus), I think it's fair to say a conventional wisdom is emerging.

Unlike the Board of Review, which had surprise picks for Best Supporting Actor (Woody Harrelson for The Messenger) and Best Supporting Actress (Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air), WAFCA went for the heavy--and, to my mind, justifiable--favorites in both categories, Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds and Mo'Nique for Precious. The Hurt Locker took Best Ensemble and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow, Sin Nombre took Best Foreign Film, Up took Best Animated Film, and Inglorious Basterds took Best Original Screenplay. You can find all the winners--and the nominees--here.

My own end-of-the-year list is still a couple weeks away but, for what it's worth, the only WAFCA categories in which I voted for the victor were Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, and Foreign and Animated Films. Still, with the possible exception of Mulligan--who is still very good in the somewhat overrated An Education--I wouldn't take issue with any of the winners, which comprise a pretty good list in a tricky, underwhelming year.