Precursor Mania!

Holy shit. I had no idea end-of-the-year critics awards were coming down the pike so fast. Damn. I guess it really is December.

I'm working on my Golden Globe predictions (they announce tomorrow morning -- holy shit!) but here's a quick recap (click on the links to see the entire list of nominees):

Broadcast Film Critics Awards (Critics' Choice) -- a major Oscar barometer. No big surprises here -- their top ten films:
American Gangster
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

Los Angeles Film Critics -- they went cuckoo for There Will Be Blood, giving it Best Picture, Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis and runner-up prizes for Cinematography, Screenplay and Score.


New York Film Critics Circle -- meanwhile, on the other coast, the NY film elite put their crown on No Country for Old Men, giving love to the Coen brothers for directing and screenplay and Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem

New York Film Critics Online -- kind of like the Critics Circle, except they're...well...online. They gave their top prize to There Will Be Blood and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

San Francisco -- top prizes went to The Assassination of Jesse James, the Coen brothers for directing, George Clooney and Julie Christie for lead, Amy Ryan and Casey Affleck for supporting.

Washington DC -- No Country for Old Men, the Coens, Clooney, Christie, Bardem and Ryan

Boston -- No Country, Julian Schnabel (for Diving Bell), Frank Langella and Marion Cottiliard for lead, Bardem and Ryan.


It's been an early No Country/There Will Be Blood tug-o-war. Based on what I've seen (No Country -- brilliant) and what I've heard (Blood -- early reviews indicate greatness) they seem to me to be two of the oddest early front runners in recent Oscar history. Violent, dark films by independent directors -- not the usual Academy fare. Seems there is probability that a film more mainstream, less dark might be able to gain some momentum -- Juno? Atonement? Into the Wild (which led the BFCAs with seven nominations)?

As for the acting races, the Clooney/Day-Lewis matchup is going to be a good one -- two highly respected movie stars in very different roles. The Christie/Cottiliard race is one to watch as well -- although you'll be hard pressed to find folks who have actually seen both of their movies. In supporting, Amy Ryan has been the big surprise -- the front-runner was thought to be Blanchett in I'm Not There. Perhaps since Blanchett just won two years ago for another celebrity impersonation (Kate Hepburn) that critics are looking the other way. Ryan's a worthy alternative. Meanwhile, Bardem looks all but unstoppable for Supporting Actor, with Hal Holbrook getting the early old-guy-never-won vote and Casey Affleck getting the young-guy-better-than-Ben love.

Next up: Golden Globe predix.