I haven't done the math but why count with my fingers when The Wrap is a born calculator and reveals that as the critics prizes have shaken down Zero Dark Thirty leads the race with 8 while Argo is in second for Best Picture prizes with half as many triumphs thus far. The Master is the only other film that's managed multiple "Best Film" gongs (3) in this thankfully divided year. Licking the crumbs off the critics awards plate we have Amour, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and... Safety Not Guaranteed? Well, ok, Indiana! You go your own way.
Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, and The Master are the critics win leaders
Les Misérables is the only film from Oscar's presumed big five that hasn't managed a Best Picture win from a critics group though it's surprising to realize that Lincoln hasn't done much better in terms of taking the top prize. Another casualty is Beasts of the Southern Wild. That gloriously original moving indie has recovered from its first weeks in the precursors where it couldn't win "first film" or "breakthrough performer" prizes with the unexpected strength of How to Survive a Plague and Middle of Nowhere blocking its pathway with critics or at the Gothams respectively. It's won a few things here and there. But I'd argue it's the biggest casualty of the critics weeks since it hasn't managed even one Best Picture win. It deserved and needed them so it's no surprise that it's outsider shot at a Best Picture nomination which once seemed totally doable now looks like a true long shot.
Supporting Actor Disappointments and more after the jump...
The critics have also failed Matthew McConaughey in his career peak year despite a role that feels like both a perfect fit and a true career-best stretch. Instead they've opted to rubber stamp previous Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones and Philip Seymour Hoffman with the bulk of their prizes (they're nearly tied with 7 and 6 wins). The tragedy is that neither of them needed any help whatsoever to secure an Oscar nomination for what are typically awardable roles in serious dramas. I've been pleased with the variety we've seen from the critics prizes overall this year but I'd argue that Supporting Actor is the category in which the media has totally dropped the ball. For once we had a fascinating field of contenders for what is traditionally the dullest annual Oscar acting category but then the buzz and traction lazily surrounded just a small handful of men, and left all sorts of deserving players out of the conversation entirely. In addition to an almost total shut out for McConaughey three different groups have wasted their prize on Christoph Waltz despite his new performance being both a true leading role (he steers at least 75% of the picture) and something of a rehash of his Hans Landa routine. It'd be easier to live with Waltz as a leading player hogging supporting prizes if he weren't also blocking his own co-star Samuel L Jackson, who gives the best and most clever performance in Django Unchained. I'll go so far as to prophesy that in ten years time when Django is as old as, say, Kill Bill is now, that the consensus will have long since formed that Jackson is easily best in show. I feel certain that he's the sole player in the new film that'll show up on future 'top ten best performances in a Tarantino picture' lists once the initial "New Tarantino Picture!" thrills have died down.
Here's ten awards groupings we haven't yet shared, many of them announcing in the past 24ish hours.
Chicago Film Critics Association
Film Zero Dark Thirty
Director Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Actress Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Actor Daniel Day Lewis Lincoln
Supporting Actress Amy Adams The Master
Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman The Master
Original Screenplay Zero Dark Thirty
Adapted Screenplay Lincoln
Most Promising Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Most Promising Newcomer Quvenhzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Animated Feature ParaNorman
Foreign Film Amour
Documentary The Invisible War
Art Direction Moonrise Kingdom
Score The Master
Editing Zero Dark Thirty
Cinematography The Master
Austin Film Critics Association
Film Zero Dark Thirty
Director Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
Actress Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Actor Joaquin Phoenix The Master
Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Original Screenplay Looper
Adapted Screenplay Argo
First Feature Beasts of the Southern Wild
Breakthrough Artist Quvenhzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Animated Feature Wreck-It Ralph
Foreign Film Holy Motors
Documentary The Imposter
Best Austin Film Bernie
Special Honorary Away: Matthew McConaughey for Bernie, Killer Joe, Magic Mike, and The Paperboy
Dallas-Fort Work Film Critics Association
Film Lincoln
Director Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Actress Jessica Chastain Zero Dark Thirty
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Supporting Actress Sally Field, Lincoln
Supporting Actor Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Screenplay Lincoln
Russell Smith Award (Indie) Beasts of the Southern Wild
Animated Feature ParaNorman
Foreign Film Amour
Documentary Searching For Sugar Man
Cinematography Life of Pi
Florida Film Critics Circle
Film Argo
Director Ben Affleck, Argo
Actress Jessica Chastain Zero Dark Thirty
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Original Screenplay Looper
Adapted Screenplay Argo
Animated Feature Frankenweenie
Foreign Film The Intouchables
Documentary The Queen of Versailles
Visual Effects Life of Pi
Art Direction Anna Karenina
Breakout Quvenhzane Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild
Cinematography Skyfall
Toronto Film Critics Association
Film The Master (ru: Amour)
Director Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master (ru: Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty)
Actress Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea (ru: Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty)
Actor Denis Lavant, Holy Motors (ru: Day Lewis: Lincoln)
Supporting Actress Gina Gershon, Killer Joe (ru: Amy Adams, The Master)
Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master (ru: Javier Bardem, Skyfall)
Screenplay The Master (ru: Lincoln)
First Feature (tie) Beasts of the Southern Wild and Beyond the Black Rainbow (ru: Cabin in the Woods)
Animated Feature ParaNorman (ru: Brave)
Foreign Film Amour (ru: Holy Motors)
Documentary Stories We Tell (ru: The Queen of Versailles)
Canadian Film Bestiare, Goon, and Stories We Tell
Indiana Film Journalists Association
Film Safety Not Guaranteed (ru: Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Director Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained (ru: Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty)
Actress Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty (ru: Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook)
Actor (tie) Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook and Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables (ru: Helen Hunt, The Sessions)
Supporting Actor Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln (ru: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained)
Original Screenplay Safety Not Guaranteed (ru: Django Unchained)
Adapted Screenplay The Perks of Being a Wallflower (ru: Silver Linings Playbook)
Score Skyfall (ru: Life of Pi)
Animated Feature Rise of the Guardians (ru: ParaNorman)
Foreign Film The Raid: Redemption (ru: Amour)
Documentary Searching For Sugar Man (ru: Room 237)
Original Vision Award Beasts of the Southern Wild (ru: Django Unchained)
The Hoosier Award Jon Vickers, Founding Director of Indiana University Cinema
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
Film Argo
Director Ben Affleck, Argo
Actress Jessica Chastain Zero Dark Thirty
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Supporting Actress (tie) Ann Dowd, Compliance and Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Original Screenplay Zero Dark Thirty
Adapted Screenplay (tie) Lincoln & Silver Linings Playbook
Animated Feature Wreck-It Ralph
Foreign Film The Intouchables
Documentary Searching For Sugar Man
Visual Effects Life of Pi
Arthouse or Festival Film (tie) Compliance and Safety Not Guaranteed
Comedy (tie) Moonrise Kingdom & Ted
Music Soundtrack (tie) Django Unchained & Moonrise Kingdom
Las Vegas Film Critics Society
Film Life of Pi
[top ten now in descending order: Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln, Moonrise Kingdom, The Impossible, Les Misérables, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and The Master]
Director Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Actress Jennifer Lawrence Silver Linings Playbook
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Supporting Actor Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Screenplay Looper
Cinematography Life of Pi
Editing Zero Dark Thirty
Score Life of Pi
Production Design Prometheus
Costumes Anna Karenina
Visual Eeffects Life of Pi
Song Skyfall
New Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Youth In Film Award Suraj Sharma Life of Pi
Lifetime Acheivement Award Alan Arkin
Animated Feature ParaNorman
Foreign Film Amour
Documentary Bully
Southeastern Film Critics Association
Film Argo (and in descending order for a top ten: Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Master, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, and The Dark Knight Rises)
Director Ben Affleck, Argo (ru: Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty)
Actress Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook (ru: Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty)
Actor Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln (ru: Phoenix, The Master)
Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables (ru: Sally Field, Lincoln)
Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master (ru: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln)
Original Screenplay Moonrise Kingdom (ru: Zero Dark Thirty)
Adapted Screenplay Argo (ru: Lincoln)
Ensemble Lincoln (ru: Moonrise Kingdom)
Animated Feature ParaNorman (ru: Frankenweenie)
Foreign Film The Intouchables (ru: Amour)
Documentary The Queen of Versailles (ru: Bully)
Cinematography Life of Pi (ru: Skyfall)
Gene Wyatt Award (Spirit of the South) Beasts of the Southern Wild (ru: Bernie)
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association
Film Zero Dark Thirty
Director Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Actress Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Actor Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln (ru: Phoenix, The Master)
Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Supporting Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Original Screenplay Looper
Adapted Screenplay Silver Linings Playbook
Ensemble Les Misérables
Animated Feature ParaNorman
Foreign Film Amour
Documentary Bully
Art Direction Cloud Atlas
Cinematography Life of Pi
Score The Master
Youth Performances Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
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