'Zero Dark Thirty,' 'Lincoln' win big with Boston Online Film Critics Association
And a consideration of how much is too much
Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"
Are you a fan of In Contention?
Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.
Last night the winners of the first-ever Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards landed via press release, and I left it for a moment. I'm weighing the pros and cons of posting every single one of these things this year because it begins to be a giant, unvetted clutter of opinion. Who are these folks and why did they decide to form their own group rather than let the Boston Society of Film Critics speak for the area and/or push for membership therein?
I imagine the latter has happened -- I don't know these guys and I'm not passing judgment -- and all politics are local. And I don't say this next thing by way of insult to them (or even as a comparative statement because it's not), but if a bunch of people with Live Journals in Los Angeles up and decide there needs to be an LA Online group, do we just pass their picks along with the rest? Is the job just providing safe passage or should some curation be in order? I don't know, but find the Boston online crowd's winners below, in any case.
Best Picture: "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
Best Screenplay: "Lincoln"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Oslo, August 31st"
Related Videos
-
Zero Dark Thirty - Trailer 2
Kathryn Bigelow directs Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton in this thriller c...
Best Documentary: "How to Survive a Plague"
Best Animated Film: "ParaNorman"
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, "Skyfall"
Best Editing: "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Original Score: "The Master"
Best Ensemble Cast: "Moonrise Kingdom"
The 10 Best Films of the year
1. "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
3. "Lincoln"
4. "Moonrise Kingdom"
5. "Django Unchained"
6. "Oslo, August 31st"
7. "Holy Motors"
8. "The Master"
9. "Argo"
10. "Cloud Atlas"
And just to note, this crowd has been diligent enough to offer the following by way of introduction and explanation:
"During the following week, BOFCA will publish their membership’s individual ballots at www.bofca.com for readers interested in how final decisions were made.
"Founded in May 2012, BOFCA fosters a community of web-based film critics and provides them with a supportive group of colleagues and a professional platform for their voices to be heard. They collect and link to their reviews every week at a website that also features original content by members, including filmmaker interviews and spotlights on Boston’s vital repertory film scene.
"By widening professional membership to writers working in new media, BOFCA aims to encourage more diverse opinions in the field. The Boston Online Film Critics Association has gathered together critics writing for publications that collectively receive over 15 million impressions/page views per month. BOFCA is present on social media year-round with members’ film articles and essays."
As always, keep track of all the ups and downs of the 2012-2013 film awards season via The Circuit.
2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
News From Our Partners
-
James Gandolfini Dead At 51
'Star Wars VII' Cast List Leaks: Who Are The Seven Characters?
'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Locks In Director
-
Hear This: “Deacon Blues,” Scotch, Steely Dan, and other intergenerational appreciations
Watch This: Wes Craven’s The Serpent And The Rainbow returns zombies to their Haitian roots
Tolerability Index: This week we’re barely putting up with Man Of Steel
-
'Hemlock Grove' Season 2: Netflix Renews Under New Executive Producer
James Gandolfini Dead at Age 51
FX Buys Kelsey Grammer-Martin Lawrence Syndication-Friendly Lawyer Sitcom
-
Can You Guess the Celebrity in This Yearbook Photo?
David Guetta Joins Forces With Glowinthedark + Harrison on 'Ain't a Party'
Hanson Party Celebrate the Release of New Album 'Anthem' in New York [Pics]
-
James Gandolfini Dead: Actor Dies of Heart Attack at 51
Josh Hutcherson on Kissing Jennifer Lawrence for 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire'
Sam Taylor-Johnson Tapped to Direct 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
-
What to Watch Tonight: The Season Premieres of Futurama and Franklin & Bash, and Hot in Cleveland's Live Episode
Hey The Voice Has Crowned a Season 4 Winner! Too Bad the Success (Probably) Stops Here
Pretty Little Liars "Turn of the Shoe" Review: Dead Birds Sing No Phone Numbers
-
James Gandolfini: 1961-2013
Total Recall: John Goodman's Best Movies
In Pictures: Zombie Nation!
-
The Telefile - TV on DVD: Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Telefile - Veep: The Episode's Best Insults
The Telefile - The Most Heinous Person on Reality TV This Week
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupcineJAB
December 8, 2012 at 2:24PM EST Reply to Commentin their defense, that might absolutely be how the big six categories turn out.
X. Why is that "in their defense"? It just portrays them as shameless Oscar predictors, who aren't actually voicing their opinions as critics, but rather, just choosing what they believe will be the status quo
December 8, 2012 at 3:01PM ESTAthena
December 8, 2012 at 2:36PM EST Reply to CommentI've actually started my own group, the SJSMOFCA (South Jersey Soccer Moms Online Film Critics Association)....ballots have been mailed.
Joey As a South Jerseyan, I can support this. While there are way too many critics groups springing up, does anyone know why Philadelphia doesn't have a critics association?
December 8, 2012 at 8:31PM ESTAthena
December 8, 2012 at 2:41PM EST Reply to CommentKris, when will the Los Angeles Film Critics Association release the winners?....just wondering.
Kristopher Tapley Tomorrow.
December 8, 2012 at 5:09PM ESTEvan
December 8, 2012 at 2:42PM EST Reply to CommentMinus a few categories-- Foreign, maybe Doc, Score, and Cinematography-- this looks like a great attempt to predict this year's Oscar winners. Sigh.
Maxim Why? Because they liked ZDT and Lincoln? Their top 10 is not huge on crossover compared to what've seen so far.
December 8, 2012 at 5:16PM ESTMaxim This maybe hard to explain but what I really mean is that ZDT is not necessarily the safest choice to predict as the Oscar winner though I admit that I haven't seen it.
December 8, 2012 at 5:22PM ESTEvan Well it has won two major critics awards/is second in the Gurus of Gold and their acting winners look like the assumed frontrunners while the technical award winners are major contenders.
December 8, 2012 at 9:52PM ESTAmir
December 8, 2012 at 2:55PM EST Reply to CommentAt least their foreign language pick is my number one film of 2011, so I like them already.
Jan Seconded.
December 8, 2012 at 6:08PM ESTGuy Lodge
December 8, 2012 at 3:29PM EST Reply to CommentWell, 'Oslo, August 31st' is an individual pick, I'll give them that. I'd be interested to know how big this group actually is.
someperson According to their site, about thirteen members
December 8, 2012 at 8:54PM ESTMaxim
December 8, 2012 at 4:33PM EST Reply to CommentI think posting everything is better than posting just some picks. Not only does it avoid favoritism and reinforcement of major city bias, but it also allows people to make up their own minds over how much importance they would give to every individual group.
Kristopher Tapley That's my instinct.
December 8, 2012 at 5:09PM ESTred_wine NY - 76 years old
December 8, 2012 at 6:24PM ESTNSFC - 45 years old
Kansas - 45 years old
LA - 37 years old
Boston - 31 years old
London - 31 years old
Chicago - 23 years old
Kris these are the one I think you need worry about. NY, NSFC and LA have the most prestige. Boston, Chicago and Kansas can be considered second tier. London is the UK counterpart.
Rest all are younger and just rubbish. Most have sprung up within the last decade. Boston Online started this year.
Maxim Above is EXACTLY the kind of nonsense I was addressing. The use of the word "prestige" made me flinch. I suppose to red_wine validity and age go hand in hand (there's a "grand old party" joke in here somewhere).
December 8, 2012 at 6:39PM ESTThe concept of a second tier critics group is also amusing and I like the fact that Kansas "can be considered second tier" despite being older than LA.
Whatever happened to deciding what is or isn't rubbish based on the actual picks?
GlennAU Exactly. If a new organisation pops up and decides to reward best picture to Holy Motors, director to the Cloud Atlas trio, and actress to Linda Cardenelli, I'd champion it. This group is probably just a bunch of Boston bloggers who got together, but that shouldn't mean that some other group won't actually become a valid alternative.
December 8, 2012 at 9:53PM ESTred_wine There has to be some distinguishing factor. Age is the only thing available here. An award started this year is obviously gonna be lesser than one started decades ago.
December 9, 2012 at 2:58AM ESTAnd Kansas for whatever reason has never bee even a known or discussed group. I included it only because of age.
There would no end to this. Just some people ganging up in every city and calling themselves a group. Very pleasingly democratic I am sure but also not worth my time atleast.
And the fact remains that the members of LA, NY and NSFC are well known and all considered valuable critics. The rest not so much.
At some point, even the critics' voice will devolve to "some guy on the street". If we have to listen to the critics', some distinction has to be made.
red_wine *The rest, I should rather say, containing a smattering of known critics but not as many as these other 3.
December 9, 2012 at 3:00AM ESTred_wine Just to make a point, I see some website reporting the Washington DC Film Critics noms. ACROSS the board, they are predictions. Kris, you could just as well post your sidebar and it would be the same.
December 9, 2012 at 3:08AM ESTRichardZ
December 8, 2012 at 5:21PM EST Reply to CommentSkyfall for best cinematography! This is absolutely amazing. Cinematography is not about just being "pretty" anymore.
GlennAU Except the very reason people are championing SKYFALL for this category now more than ever before is because it did take a swift left turn into pretty territory.
December 8, 2012 at 9:54PM ESTDylanS Prettiness is pretty much the only thing the "Skyfall" cinematography has going for it (not meant to be backhanded, it's as gorgeously lit as any film i've ever seen), but it's not exactly thematically deep.
December 8, 2012 at 10:59PM ESTRichardZ Spoiler alert: Third act is a visual analogy of the Turner's painting discussed earlier in the film. For example, Skyfall engulfed in flames and the frozen pond. It's deep.
December 8, 2012 at 11:40PM ESTGuy Lodge It may or may not be deep, but it's certainly pretty.
December 9, 2012 at 8:00AM ESTGlennAU Yes, yes, RichardZ, we all get that. And what a pretty painting it is.
December 9, 2012 at 8:39PM ESTred_wine
December 8, 2012 at 6:11PM EST Reply to CommentKris, Guy, honestly these small ones can be reported in the round up. Its worthless. The Austin group or some such was 6 members. They have neither the prestige, nor the numbers not the taste to actually bother with them.
All they do is report the same picks with a few switches here and there.
Hans
December 8, 2012 at 6:52PM EST Reply to CommentWasn't there a similar kerfuffle last year about the "Georgia Film Critics"? At least "they" had a few mavericky choices if I recall (BP for Tree of Life I think?). If you're going to splinter yourself a new critics group, a peppering of out-of-the-box choices wouldn't be a bad thing (though I finally saw Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones is definitely my Best Supporting Actor frontrunner. And, honestly, Daniel Day-Lewis for that matter). I'll be anxious to see these ballots.
JLPatt How was "The Tree of Life" for Best Picture a "mavericky" pick? I think some people are forgetting that that film was one of last year's big winners with the critics.
December 8, 2012 at 7:32PM ESTTHE Diego Ortiz
December 8, 2012 at 7:01PM EST Reply to CommentPost all of them. It means more links for us to click and more ad revenue for you guys.
Kristopher Tapley ;)
December 8, 2012 at 8:27PM ESTJJ1 Agreed
December 8, 2012 at 10:05PM ESTYogss
December 8, 2012 at 11:11PM EST Reply to CommentBest Cinematography: Roger Deakins, "Skyfall"
Praise the lord!
forg
December 8, 2012 at 11:24PM EST Reply to CommentPersonally, I wouldn't mind you post them all because I checking out this stuff :)
Jack
December 9, 2012 at 1:45AM EST Reply to CommentI'm from Boston and I know a fair amount of the people in this group. Trust me, not worth it.
HIP OP
December 9, 2012 at 8:43AM EST Reply to Comment---Yet another Lincoln? --yet AGAIN with Sally Field?
---and 'mysteriously' omitting what is, ijn 2012, the
most urgently relevant aspect of his legacy, his quite
possibly ----FATAL----- diss of the Global USURY
bank monopoly over finance of the war.
MEANWHILE, in 2012 alone, Hollywood is 'overlooking'
this year's
----200th Anniversary of the Defeat of the Napoleonic
Global police state
----the 1000th Anniversary of the jeckyl Island coup
against the American Republic
----the 40th Anniversary of the Rockefeller-Nixon
handover summit with MAO TSE TUNG
--and the -----60th Anniversary----- of the RED China,
Globalism, mind control, EUGENICS and GENOCIDE
'uncomfortable' -------KOREAN WAR. . .