The 4th Houston Film Critics Society Awards were presented on December 18, 2010. These awards for "extraordinary accomplishment in film" are presented annually by the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) based in Houston, Texas. The organization, founded in 2007, includes 22 film critics for print, radio, television, and internet publications in the greater Houston area. The awards are co-sponsored by the Houston Film Commission, Southwest Alternate Media Project, Women in Film and Television/Houston, WorldFest, and the Houston Cinema Arts Society. The nominations for the 2010 awards were announced on December 12, 2010. Eligible films do not need to have played or opened in a Houston film theater prior to the nomination deadline, merely made available to the HFCS membership at a screening or on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

. Along with the 13 "best of" category awards, this year also saw the introduction of a new category for "Worst Movies of the Year". ''

The Social Network ''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book ''The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking websi ...

'', ''

True Grit True Grit may refer to: Fiction * ''True Grit'' (novel), a 1968 novel by Charles Portis ** ''True Grit'' (1969 film), a film adaptation by Henry Hathaway, starring John Wayne ** ''True Grit'' (2010 film), a film adaptation by the Coen Brothers, ...

'', and ''

127 Hours ''127 Hours'' is a 2010 biographical psychological survival drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn and Clémence Poésy. In the film, canyoneer Aron Ralston mus ...

'' each received six nominations, all including the Best Picture, Actor, Direction, and Original Score categories. ''The Social Network'' was the HFCS's most awarded film of 2010 taking top honors in the Best Picture, Best Director ( David Fincher), Best Actor (

Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg (; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, writer, and director. He has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. ...

), and Best Screenplay (

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...

) categories. ''Inception'' was the only other film to garner multiple awards, winning both the Best Original Score (

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...

) and Best Cinematography (

Wally Pfister Walter C. Pfister (born July 8, 1961) is an American director and former cinematographer, who is best known for his work with filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Some of his collaborations with Nolan include '' Memento'' (2000), ''The Dark Knight Tri ...

) prizes. The other acting awards went to

Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...

as Best Actress for '' Black Swan'', Hailee Steinfeld as Best Supporting Actress for ''True Grit'', and Christian Bale as Best Supporting Actor for ''

The Fighter ''The Fighter'' is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and stars Mark Wahlberg (who also produced), Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Mi ...

''. The remaining film honors went to ''

Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to '' Toy Story 2'' (1999). It wa ...

'' as Best Animated Film, '' Restrepo'' as Best Documentary, and ''

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (original title in sv, Män som hatar kvinnor , lit=''Men Who Hate Women'') is a psychological thriller novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson (1954–2004). It was published posthumously in 2 ...

'' as Best Foreign Language Film. " We Are Sex Bob-Omb" by Beck from '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' was named the Best Original Song. The HFCS's first-ever award for "Worst Picture" was given to ''

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

'' starring

Josh Brolin Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985), '' Mimic'' (1997), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), '' Grindhouse'' (2007), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gan ...

. In addition to the category awards, the HFCS presented their annual Lifetime Achievement Award to

Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four Britis ...

and its Humanitarian Award to George Clooney. Clooney was selected for "selflessly using his celebrity for greater good". The HFCS award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema awards were presented to Charles Dove, director of the

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

Media Center, and Hector Luna, the founder and editor of ''C-47 Houston''.

Ceremony

The 2010 awards were given out at a ceremony held at the Museum of Fine Arts on December 18, 2010. The award ceremony was free and open to the general public. While organizers did not expect any of the nominees in the "best of" category awards to be in attendance, director Edgar Wright recorded a thank-you clip which was shown. The ceremony also included clips of nominated films plus special tributes to George Clooney and Sissy Spacek, and was followed by a catered reception with the members of the HFCS in the museum gallery. Catering for the reception was provided by

Central Market Central Market may refer to: *Central Market, a 2009 album by Tyondai Braxton Fresh food markets * Adelaide Central Market, Australia * Cardiff Central Market, Wales *Central Market, Hong Kong * Central Market, Casablanca, Morocco * Riga Central ...

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted with boldface.

Category awards

Individual awards

Lifetime Achievement Award

Humanitarian Award

* George Clooney

Outstanding Achievement in Cinema

* Charles Dove, director of the Rice University Media Center * Hector Luna, founder and editor of ''C-47 Houston'' magazine

References

External links

Houston Film Critics Society official website
{{Houston Film Critics Society 2010 2010 film awards 2010 in Texas

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...