The Artist Named Best Film By the NYFCC

The New York Film Critics Circle has spoken. They’ve named The Artist by Director Michel Hazanavicus as Best Film of the year. Now I’ve not seen the film, and I’m sure that most people haven’t seen it as at this time,  it is playing only in about six theaters in the whole country. So I can’t really have anything to say about the merits or lack of merits for The Artist.

But I am saying that the ‘award’ seems a bit early, or VERY early. In fact they were in such a rush to be the first to announce that their schedule called for the announcement  to be made even before the David Fincher version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo had been made available to the critics.

Once the available date was made known, the NY Film Critics Circle decided to wait, and hold their pub date of the announcements up one day. I can imagine the rush of hurried phone calls. “Manohla? Hi, Its Lou. get your tail over to the Z, they’re showing Fincher’s Dragon Tattoo there this morning. Then get online and submit your vote. The NYFCC has to make the first announcement so we must have your vote today. Thanks. Oh yeah, it’s each one call one, so give Scotty a call will you? Thanks.”

Yeah. One and done. So what if the rest of us haven’t seen The Artist? So what if we haven’t seen Streep as Thatcher in the bio-film, The Iron Lady. So what if Jennifer Chastain won for Best Supporting Actress for her trio – Tree of Life, The Help, and Take Shelter– does this mean that her work in The Debt doesn’t count?

Oh maybe it was because The Debt was made in 2010? Are we to ignore the fact that The Debt’s release date was August 31st, 2011. What are the rules anyway?

Seems like a rush to judgment to me. Just sayin’.