Say, what are they drinking down in Georgia? Whatever it is — and I’ll bet it’s good — can we arrange for a few thousand crates of the stuff to be shipped over to Academy voters? The state’s film critics have put their heads together for what is surely the most singular US critics’ award slate of the season: from “We Need to Talk About Kevin” popping up in the Best Picture and Director categories to a Best Adapted Screenplay nod for “The Muppets” to “The Artist” failing to show up for Best Picture, Director or Actor, this is one group that clearly couldn’t care less about their record as Oscar predictors.

“The Tree of Life” and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” lead the nominations with eight mentions apiece, with both films scoring a pleasingly unexpected acting nod: young Hunter McCracken makes the Best Actor list (with Brad Pitt in supporting), while the critics have singled Tom Hardy out of the latter film’s formidable supporting cast.

Indeed, the acting categories are full of happy surprises: major cool points to Georgia for being the first critics’ group to recognize the year’s most intricate leading performance, Juliette Binoche in “Certified Copy.” (Between that and Mia Wasikowska showing up for “Jane Eyre,” did they read my First-Half FYC column this week?) Pats on the back all round. Check out the full list of nominees below.

Best Picture
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Another Earth”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Moneyball”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
“We Need to Talk About Kevin”
“Young Adult”

Best Director
Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
Tomas Alfredson, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Steven Spieberg, “War Horse”
Lynne Ramsay, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Hunter McCracken, “The Tree of Life”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter”

Best Actress
Juliette Binoche, “Certified Copy”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”
Mia Wasikowska, “Jane Eyre”

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Robert Forster, “The Descendants”
Tom Hardy, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Brad Pitt, “The Tree of Life”
Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Sandra Bullock, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”
Kate Mara, “happythankyoumoreplease”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Descendants”
“Moneyball”
“The Muppets”
“Submarine”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Artist”
“50/50”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Tree of Life”
“Young Adult”

Best Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Cinematography
“Drive”
“Moneyball”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Original Score
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Contagion”
“Hanna”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”

Best Original Song
“Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
“Pictures in my Head” from “The Muppets”
“So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh”
“Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger”

Best Ensemble
“Contagion”
“The Ides of March”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“War Horse”

Best Foreign Film
“Certified Copy”
“The Human Resources Manager”
“In Darkness”
“Inuk”
“Sound of Noise”

Breakthrough Award
Richard Ayoade, “Submarine”
Jessica Chastain, “Coriolanus,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter” and “The Tree of Life”
Tom Hiddleston, “Midnight in Paris,” “Thor” and “War Horse”
Hunter McCracken, “The Tree of Life”
Josh Radnor, “happythankyoumoreplease”

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin”

Best Documentary: “Senna”

Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema: John Henry Summerour, “Sahkanaga”

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 filma wards season via The Circuit.