'The Tree of Life' leads Chicago Film Critics awards

Terrence Malick's long-awaited drama “The Tree of Life,” a visual poem that whisks viewers from the beginning of creation to 1950s Texas, won four major awards Monday from the Chicago Film Critics, who gave it Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain) and Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki).

The Chicago Film Critics winners were announced Monday on ABC 7 Chicago's “News This Morning” with Linda Yu and Hosea Sanders.

The violent neo-noir “Drive” won Supporting Actor for comedian Albert Brooks for his impressive performance as a ruthless crime boss and won Original Score for composer Cliff Martinez.

With two wins, “Drive” tied awards with “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” the raw, indie drama about a young woman haunted by her past while living in a cult. Star Elizabeth Olsen won Most Promising Performer. Director Sean Durkin receiving the Most Promising Filmmaker award.

Chicago actor Michael Shannon, who cut his professional teeth at the Windy City's Steppenwolf and Red Orchid theaters, was named Best Actor for his searing performance as a man tormented by apocalyptic visions of disaster in the drama “Take Shelter.”

Michelle Williams won the Best Actress award for her stunning turn as Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn.”

“The Artist,” the black & white silent comedy from France about an actor unwilling to make the transition to talkies, won Original Screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius. Screenwriters Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin won the Adapted Screenplay prize for “Moneyball.” (This marks Sorkin's second consecutive Chicago film critics' award in his category. He won last year for “The Social Network.”)

The Iranian drama “A Separation” won Foreign-Language Film. Chicago critics named the trippy western cliche-skewering comedy “Rango” Best Animated Film. “The Interrupters,” the powerful film following a group of people trying to stamp out violence in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods, won Best Documentary.

The 23rd Chicago Film Critics Awards will formally be handed out starting at 6 p.m. Jan. 7 at Chicago's Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.

In addition to the competitive award winners, Chicago's critics will bestow honorary awards upon some well-known recipients to celebrate their contributions to cinema.

Legendary actress Shirley MacLaine will receive the Commitment to the Craft Award for career-long excellence. James Earl Jones will be presented with the Oscar Micheaux Award, named in honor of Illinois-born Micheaux, a black writer, producer and director who operated his own independent studio that straddled the silent and talkie ages of film.

The Commitment to Chicago goes to the Windy City's beloved character actor Dennis Farina. The Big Shoulders Award will be given to Chicago's comedy institution Second City.

The newly created Commedia Extraordinaire Award to acknowledge work in the often overlooked field of screen comedy will be given to Jason Segel for his body of comic achievements and for his role in resurrecting the Muppets on the big screen.