Critics Groups Rundown

The National Board of Reviews (NBR) already gave us their opinions on what they thought the best films and filmmakers were in 2010. Now the critics are starting to get in on the action especially with two of the most prominent critics groups, Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) and New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) announcing their winners the past two days. Including those two, nine groups have chosen their winners.

National Board of Reviews (NBR), New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO), Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC), Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA), Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC), Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA), Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA)

Here are the results for the major categories:

BEST PICTURE

• The Social Network - NBR, NYFCC, LAFCA, NYFCO, BSFC, IFJA, WAFCA, SFFCC, SEFCA, TFCA

BEST DIRECTOR

• David Fincher - NBR, NYFCC, LAFCA, NYFCO, BSFC, WAFCA, SFFCC, SEFCA, TFCA
• Christopher Nolan - IFJA
• Darren Aronofksy - SFFCC
• Olivier Assayas - LAFCA

BEST ACTOR

• Colin Firth - NYFCC, LAFCA, WAFCA, SFFCC, SEFCA
• Jesse Eisenberg - NBR, BSFC, TFCA
• James Franco - NYFCO, IFJA

BEST ACTRESS

• Natalie Portman - NYFCO, BSFC, IFJA, SEFCA
• Jennifer Lawrence - WAFCA, TFCA
• Annette Bening - NYFCC
• Michelle Williams - SFFCC
• Lesley Manville - NBR
• Kim Hye-ja - LAFCA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Christian Bale - NBR, NYFCO, BSFC, IFJA, WAFCA
• Geoffrey Rush - SEFCA
• Mark Ruffalo - NYFCC
• John Hawkes - SFFCC
• Niels Arestrup - LAFCA
• Armie Hammer - TFCA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Melissa Leo - NYFCC, NYFCO, WAFCA
• Jacki Weaver - NBR, LAFCA, SFFCC
• Hailee Steinfeld - IFJA, SEFCA, TFCA
• Juliette Lewis - BSFC

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• The King's Speech - SFFCC, SEFCA
• The Kids Are All Right - NYFCC
• Inception - WAFCA
• Buried - NBR

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• The Social Network - NBR, LAFCA, NYFCO, BSFC, IFJA, WAFCA, SFFCC, SEFCA, TFCA

BEST ANIMATED FILM

• Toy Story 3 - NBR, LAFCA, NYFCO, BSFC, WAFCA, SFFCC, SEFCA
• How to Train Your Dragon - IFJA, TFCA
• The Illusionist - NYFCC

There are still about 20 or so critics group left to chime in, but even this early on it is abundantly clear that The Social Network is a force to be reckoned with, winning all 8 critics groups so far along with NBR. Its director (David Fincher) and screenwriter (Aaron Sorkin) also look to dominate. While this is all exciting (if you're a huge fan) or interminably dull (for everyone else), at least the other categories look to have some competition. But already some favorites are coalescing their front-runner status aka Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, and Christian Bale. Expect all of them to be nominated. Oh and of course Pixar is leading the possible nominees in Animated. And the sky is blue.

Even with a lot more groups to come, it's difficult to see Social Network falter, but tomorrow's Golden Globes nominations will further thin the herd for everything else. Then of course there's the all-important guild awards finalize everything before Oscar nominations.