Critic-palooza: New York Online, Boston And LA Critics Give Their Awards For Best In Film This Year

While Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty may be wiping the floor with most films when it comes to critics and their year-end best of lists, but when it comes to the likes of the Los Angeles Film Critics, that’s not at all the case.

Sure, the film ultimately, this past Sunday, took home Best Picture prizes from both the Boston Film Critics and New York Film Critics Online, but the Los Angeles Film Critics went with Michael Haneke’s Amour as Best Picture, leaving Bigelow’s film nearly win-less, save for an editing win, making it the biggest oddity this award’s season.

With a handful of critics groups handing out awards this weekend, there are far too many winners to discuss full on here, but what it does give us is a rather insightful look into where we stand roughly half way into this Oscar season.

The leader? Despite what critics may say, the leader of the pack here is still Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, with Zero Dark Thirty playing as this year’s Social Network to Spielberg’s King’s Speech-like Oscar contender. ZDT‘s star, Jessica Chastain, is very much in the driver’s seat for Best Actress however, with the most interesting acting race likely in the Best Supporting Actress field. Les Miserables’ Anne Hathaway and Lincoln‘s Sally Field lead, with Amy Adams playing as an interesting long shot for The Master. Best Actor is also intriguing, particularly with Beasts Of The Southern Wild‘s Dwight Henry picking up a prize this weekend, so this season is truly proving to be one of the most competitive in some time.

Here are the respective winners:

LA Film Critics Awards
Best Picture – “Amour” (Runner Up: “The Master”)
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “The Master” (RU: Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”)
Best Actress: Tie: Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook,” Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master” (RU: Denis Lavant, “Holy Motors”)
Best Screenplay – Chris Terrio, “Argo” (RU: David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”)
Best Supporting Actress – Amy Adams, “The Master” (RU: Anne Hathaway, “The Dark Knight Rises” & “Les Misérables”)
Best Supporting Actor – Dwight Henry, “Beasts Of The Southern Wild (RU: Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”)
Best Foreign Language Film – “Holy Motors” (RU: “Footnote”)
Best Cinematography – “Skyfall” (RU: “The Master”)
Best Editing “Zero Dark Thirty” (RU: “Argo”)
Best Documentary – “The Gatekeepers (RU: “Searching For Sugar Man”)
Best Animation – “Frankenweenie” (RU: “It’s Such A Beautiful Day”)
Best Music/Score – “Beasts Of The Southern Wild” (RU: “The Master”)
Best Production Design – “The Master” (RU: “Moonrise Kingdom”)
New Generation Award: Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts Of The Southern Wild”

Boston Film Critics Awards
Best Picture – “Zero Dark Thirty” (Runner up: “Moonrise Kingdom”/”Amour”)
Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty” (RU: Paul Thomas Anderson, “The Master”)
Best Screenplay – Tony Kushner, “Lincoln” (RU: Wes Anderson, “Moonrise Kingdom”)
Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” (RU: Denis Lavant, “Holy Motors”)
Best Actress – Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour” (RU: Deanie Yip, “A Simple Life”)
Best Supporting Actor – Ezra Miller, “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” (RU Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”)
Best Supporting Actress – Sally Field, “Lincoln” (RU: Emma Watson, “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower”)
Best Ensemble: “Seven Psychopaths” (RU: “Moonrise Kingdom”)
Best Animated Film: “Frankenweenie” (RU: “ParaNorman”)
Best Documentary: “How To Survive A Plague” (RU: “The Queen Of Versailles”)
Best New Filmmaker – David France, “How To Survive A Plague” (RU: Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”)
Best Editing – “Zero Dark Thirty” (RU: “Argo”)
Best Cinematography – “The Master” (RU: “Life Of Pi,” “Moonrise Kingdom”)
Best Use Of Music – “Moonrise Kingdom” (RU: “Django Unchained”)

New York Film Critics Online Awards
Best Picture – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Ensemble – “Argo”
Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Best Actress – Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”
Best Supporting Actor – Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
Best Supporting Actress – Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables”
Debut Director – Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts Of The Southern Wild”
Best Use Of Music – “Django Unchained”
Best Cinematography – “LIfe Of PI”
Best Screenplay – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Breakthrough Performance – Quvenzhané Wallis, “Beasts Of The Southern Wild”