As the precursor awards continue unabated through the month of December, I’m going to be providing a weekly update highlighting the films that have won and lost momentum through the precursor awards (this will be in place of my prior weekly article “Oscar Preview”. Today, we look back at the results of the New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review, Satellite Awards nominations, Spirit Awards nominations and the Producers Guild of America nominations. This is a healthy spread of award bodies from indie to big budget, and a nice broad spectrum of critics groups.

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

Week 3

Monday, Dec. 10 – San Diego Critics Nominations (guesstimate)
Monday, Dec. 10 – St. Louis Critics Nominations (guesstimate)
Monday, Dec. 10 – American Film Institute Top Ten
Monday, Dec. 10 – D.C. Area Critics Awards
Monday, Dec. 10 – Indiana Critics Awards (guesstimate)

Tuesday, Dec. 11 – Broadcast Critics Nominations
Tuesday, Dec. 11 – Las Vegas Critics Awards (guesstimate)

Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Chicago Critics Nominations (guesstimate)
Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Screen Actors Guild Nominations
Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Austin Critics Awards (guesstimate)
Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Dallas-Fort Worth Area Critics Awards (guesstimate)
Wednesday, Dec. 12 – San Diego Critics Awards (guesstimate)
Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Toronto Critics Awards (guesstimate)

Thursday, Dec. 13 – Golden Globe Award Nominations
Thursday, Dec. 13 – Detroit Critics Awards (guesstimate)

Friday, Dec. 14 – Houston Critics Awards (guesstimate)
Friday, Dec. 14 – Utah Critics Awards (guesstimate)

Sunday, Dec. 16 – Satellite Awards

Big Winners

The Master With its first major showing (and a strong one at that) at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards, The Master finally gets some measure of awards traction. This may be the first, but it may not be its only. The problem is that if it IS the last time we see the film as a critics award winner, it could mean trouble for the Oscars.
Amour The film, and especially its lead actress Emmanuelle Riva, have been doing very well with the critics, picking up several prizes, going so far as to even beat The Master for the Best Picture prize with the L.A. Critics. While many thought the name recognition of Jean-Louis Trintignant would push him into contention for Best Actress, the limited familiarity people had with Riva might have kept her out of the Oscar race. But with so many groups lining up behind her, that won’t believe that any longer.
Zero Dark Thirty It continues to quietly amass awards from the various guilds, including several Best Picture and Best Director wins. This is one of the few year-end films that haven’t been seen by audiences and whose performance there will determine just how much of a shot it has at duplicating its critics success at the Oscars.

Big Losers

The Master Winning three awards from the L.A. Critics, but failing to win Best Picture is a bit of a blow to the gut. The film wasn’t much of a player with audiences and its performance with critics will be key to its success with the Oscars. Without much attention being paid to it during the run up to the Oscar nominations, its chances are not receiving a favorable wind.
Anne Hathaway Many were declaring her the undisputed winner of Best Supporting Actress this year, but critics don’t seem convinced, having gone for a wide array of choices. That lack of consensus might be good for her, but the utter lack of unanimity might be troubling for her.