So, obviously we've been revealing critic's choices for the past two weeks, but this particular group is the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the largest national organization of critics in the country, and the only ones with their own televised ceremony, the Critics Choice Awards. Curiously taking place this year after the Golden Globes (in recent years they've liked to place themselves first), their influence may be less prominent this time, but of late they've become one of the best Oscar predictors of all the various precursors. Their award show is often lame and low-budget (it now airs on the CW of all places), but their choices have been pretty on the money the past few years, so they're worth noting.
Best Picture
- American Hustle
- Captain Phillips
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Gravity
- Her
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Nebraska
- Saving Mr. Banks
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Director
- Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
- Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
- Spike Jonze, Her
- Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
- David O. Russell, American Hustle
- Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor
- Christian Bale, American Hustle
- Bruce Dern, Nebraska
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
- Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
- Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
- Robert Redford, All is Lost
Best Actress
- Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
- Sandra Bullock, Gravity
- Judi Dench, Philomena
- Brie Larsen, Short Term 12
- Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
- Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Best Supporting Actor
- Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
- Daniel Bruhl, Rush
- Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
- Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
- James Gandolfini, Enough Said
- Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Actress
- Scarlett Johansson, Her
- Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
- Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
- Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
- June Squibb, Nebraska
- Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler
Best Young Actor/Actress
- Asa Butterfield, Ender's Game
- Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color
- Liam James, The Way, Way Back
- Sophie Nelisse, The Book Thief
- Tye Sheridan, Mud
Best Acting Ensemble
- American Hustle
- August: Osage County
- Lee Daniels' The Butler
- Nebraska
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Original Screenplay
- American Hustle
- Blue Jasmine
- Her
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Nebraska
Best Adapted Screenplay
- August: Osage County
- Before Midnight
- Captain Phillips
- Philomena
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Art Direction
- Gravity
- The Great Gatsby
- Her
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- 12 Years a Slave
Best Cinematography
- Gravity
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Nebraska
- Prisoners
- 12 Years a Slave
Best Costume Design
- American Hustle
- The Great Gatsby
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Saving Mr. Banks
- 12 Years a Slave
Best Editing
- American Hustle
- Captain Phillips
- Gravity
- Rush
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Makeup
- American Hustle
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Lee Daniels' The Butler
- Rush
- 12 Years a Slave
Best Score
- Gravity
- Her
- 12 Years a Slave
- Saving Mr. Banks
Best Song
- "Atlas" (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)
- "Happy" (Despicable Me 2)
- "Let it Go" (Frozen)
- "Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
- "Please Mr. Kennedy" (Inside Llewyn Davis)
- "Young and Beautiful" (The Great Gatsby)
Best Visual Effects
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Iron Man 3
- Pacific Rim
- Star Trek Into Darkness
Best Animated Feature
- The Croods
- Despicable Me 2
- Frozen
- Monsters University
- The Wind Rises
Best Action Movie
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- Iron Man 3
- Lone Survivor
- Rush
- Star Trek Into Darkness
Best Actor in an Action Movie
- Henry Cavill, Man of Steel
- Robert Downey, Jr., Iron Man 3
- Brad Pitt, World War Z
- Mark Wahlberg, Lone Survivor
Best Actress in an Action Movie
- Sandra Bullock, Gravity
- Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- Evangeline Lilly, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 3
Best Comedy
- American Hustle
- Enough Said
- The Heat
- This is the End
- The Way, Way Back
- The World's End
Best Actor in a Comedy
- Christian Bale, American Hustle
- Leonardo Dicaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
- James Gandolfini, Enough Said
- Simon Pegg, The World's End
- Sam Rockwell, The Way, Way Back
Best Actress in a Comedy
- Amy Adams, American Hustle
- Sandra Bullock, The Heat
- Great Gerwig, Frances Ha
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
- Melissa McCarthy, The Heat
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie
- The Conjuring
- Gravity
- Star Trek Into Darkness
- World War Z
Best Foreign Language Film
- Blue is the Warmest Color
- The Great Beauty
- The Hunt
- The Past
- Wadjda
Best Documentary
- The Act of Killing
- Blackfish
- Stories We Tell
- Tim's Vermeer
- 20 Feet From Stardom
Virtually nothing of note here, as the BFCA figured out a way to cover their bases and nominate pretty much everyone by adding so many categories of film. For people who call themselves critics they sure aren't very discerning- It's like the ridiculous Satellite nominations all over again. But American Hustle and 12 Years lead the field, and with 12 Years becoming the consensus critics vote in regional groups across the country, I'd expect it to prevail at these awards next month. The only other thing worth picking up on is the fact that Dallas Buyers Club may have a better shot at making the Best Picture lineup than previously thought.
