As the precursor awards continue unabated until Oscar night, I’m going to be providing a weekly update highlighting the films that have won and lost momentum through the precursor awards (and in some cases other outside influences). Less than a month left before the Oscars and the precursors are still trickling in. This week, we had four, two guilds and two other organization. The Editors and Art Directors Guilds were accompanied by the USC Scripter award and the Online Film & Television Association awards.

But, before we get into this week’s winners and losers, let’s take a look at what’s coming up this week:

Week 12

Wed., Feb. 12 – Visual Effects Society Awards
Fri., Feb. 14 – Academy Awards Voting Begins
Sat., Feb. 15 – Sci-Tech Awards
Sun., Feb. 16 – British Academy Awards
Sun., Feb. 16 – Sound Editors Awards

Big Winners

12 Years a Slave had two important victories this weekend. The first came from the USC Scripter award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since it was ineligible for the Writers Guild award, this was the first time a major prize gave the film an opportunity to shine. Shine it did. Screenwriter John Ridley gave a beautiful, impassioned speech at the Scripter ceremony (which streams live online every year). It was the kind of acceptance speech that wins Oscars and if enough people see it, it may bolster his chances, even if they may already be fairly high. The other good news came from the OFTA which gave the film its Best Picture prize as well as three of its four top acting awards. Seven prizes in all gives it a nice boost. Argo also won the OFTA award last year before moving on to the Oscars. While the group has an uneven history, in the last four wins, three of their choices have become Oscar winners.
Captain Phillips did the unexpected with the American Cinema Editors, picking up the Best Drama Editing prize, which put it in the forefront of the competition for the Oscar. That victory bolsters a film whose chances diminished significantly after its director and star failed to earn suspected Oscar nominations. Topping the likes of Gravity also helped, though what faith we can put in the group’s decision this year when they also gave Paul Greengrass a special award during the same ceremony?
American Hustle didn’t win much at the OFTA, one award for Best Ensemble, but it did pick up the comedy editing award from the American Cinema Editors. While that prize doesn’t necessarily guarantee Oscar success, matter of fact it means next to nothing, but it shows the film can still garner votes even when it’s the favored prediction to win the category at the guild in question.

Big Losers

Gravity isn’t what you would call a loser this week, after all it won the Art Directors Guild award for Fantasy Production Design, but it’s big loss at the American Cinema Editors qualify it for a losers citation, the only one being issued this week. What makes the ACE loss so significant is that it makes a case for Gravity winning the Oscar more difficult, especially since many of us had predicted it. Now that someone else has the crown, doubt easily fills the mind and we could have another Paul Greengrass film taking the prize this year, knocking down Gravity‘s likely huge tally down a notch. It did manage one other bit of good news, taking 9 awards at the OFTA awards announced Sunday. That’s significant because it beat Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, which makes it seem likely the film may end up in Cabaret territory.