With most nominees in Los Angeles to attend the Golden Globes on Sunday, January 16, the Critics' Choice Awards by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, televised on Friday before the Globes ceremony, not only had most winners in attendance but foreshadowed what might be ahead for the entire film awards season.
The show - aired on VH1, part of MTV Networks' family of channels, on January 14 - fell in line with other critics associations' choices, as well as with the Golden Globes and various Oscar predictions.
The critics' top prize went to The Social Network and the Best Director prize was presented to its director David Fincher, with Aaron Sorkin winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Also, Best Score went to Trent Reznor of with his collaborator Atticus Ross. These same kudos were echoed at The Golden Globes.
Best Actress went to Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Christian Bale took Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter, and Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actress for the same film, as did the cast for Best Acting Ensemble, including Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams.
Colin Firth, who the critics' presented with the Best Actor trophy, called the award a "moment of love...as we all enter the fray again," referring to the series of awards ahead, including the Screen Actors Guild, the BAFTAs (British Oscars) and, of course, The Academy Awards on February 27.
Christopher Nolan's Inception scored the most critics' prizes with a total of six, including Best Action Movie and awards for cinematography, art direction, editing, visual effects, and sound. Nolan is also nominated by the Directors Guild, Writers Guild and Producers Guild, and the film could also sweep technical awards at next month's Oscars.
The Broadcast Film Critics Association, which formed in 1995, is the largest of the many critics groups, with 250 members representing television, radio and online journalists. Most other press associations, from New York to Los Angeles, are small and regional.
By contrast, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which has presented The Golden Globes for 68 years, consists of just 90 members, but represents approximately 55 countries with an estimated readership of more than 250 million.
The Critics' Choice Awards also recognized Hailee Steinfeld as Best Young Actor/Actress for her role in the Coen brothers' remake of True Grit. Also, Toy Story 3 won Best Animated Feature and Easy A, starring Emma Stone, who will appear in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, won the Best Comedy prize.
Source: independent
