Art Directors Guild Awards Single Out Anonymous, Cowboys & Aliens, And Some Other Surprises

With all of the movies eligible for the 2011 awards season finally out there, it's time for the industry guilds to announce their picks, giving us our first glimpse into how the actual Hollywood people who make films-- not just the critics who have been handing out awards for weeks-- think about what came out this year. The Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild have already announced their choices, and today the Art Directors Guild has followed suit. As you might guess they're only choosing films for the quality of their Art Direction-- no shadowy "Best Picture" choices here-- but it's still an interesting lineup, especially since they divide things up by Period Film, Fantasy Film and Contemporary Film, giving them a lot of room to make choices. Here's the list, via Deadline:


There are actually a lot of fascinating choices in there, from the nod to The Adventures of Tintin-- a movie whose look is created entirely in a computer-- to choosing Anonymous for the period category, a film almost entirely forgotten and also relying heavily on CGI, but undeniably gorgeous. Especially since the Oscar for Art Direction almost always leans heavily toward glitzy period pieces, it's great to look at the Contemporary category and realize how hard it can be to create realistic modern interiors-- think of that suffocatingly white bridal shop in Bridesmaids, or Lisbeth's scummy apartment in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and tell me that's not just as hard as recreating old Hollywood in The Artist.

If you're looking for more Guild awards, you won't have to wait long-- the Writer's Guild announces their picks tomorrow, and the Directors Guild comes close behind on Monday. And it's not even two weeks before the glitziest, silliest awards ceremony of them all-- The Golden Globes! Awards season is in full swing, so enjoy it while it lasts.