It’s already picked up Best Picture honors from the New York and Los Angeles film critics societies, and now The Hurt Locker has made a clean sweep of the three biggest movie-reviewer groups, winning the National Society of Film Critics prize for the top film of the year. Check out my critics-award chart here. The full NSFC list is below.
Best Picture The Hurt Locker
Best Director Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Actor Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Best Actress Yolande Moreau, Seraphine
Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds and Paul Schneider, Bright Star
Best Supporting Actress Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Screenplay Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Foreign-Language Film Summer Hours
Non-fiction Film The Beaches of Agnes
Cinematography Christian Berger, The White Ribbon
Production Design Nelson Lowry, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Hmmm… Owen said its a foot race between Avatar and Up in the Air. This definitely contradicts that idea.
It’s still early
Agree, it’s still early…but the other message boards are comparing it to previous years when there was a front runner (LA Confidential) that lost to another movie.
I hope not, I haven’t seen Hurt, but I intend to next year and expect it to be as good as the trailer.
However, I’ve seen some entertaining movies this year that aren’t being considered: THIS IS IT; the Blind Side; Public Enemy; and 500 Days. Oh, yeh, District 9.
Its not even that early. The Golden Globes are two weeks away. Avatar really doesn’t have that much momentum awards wise (box office wise, it has a lot) Avatar has received 1 best picture award from critics. I’m just saying that to say its a foot race between Avatar and Up in the Air seems illogical since The Hurt Locker has been winning so many awards.
The Hurt Locker (and it was brilliant, don’t get me wrong) won’t win Best Picture at the Oscars for one simple reason: Almost no one saw it. It’s not right, it’s not fair, it’s not reflective of its quality. But it’s probably true.
If it wins it’d be the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in like three decades, and that’s without considering inflation (i.e. the “low”-grossing winner from three decades ago would have earned more in today’s dollars).
THL has been winning “critic” awards but that does not always equal oscar. Slumdog didn’t even win this award last year. Happy Go Lucky had critics love and Sally Hawkins didn’t get a nomination. The main precursors are the Globes, BAFTA, DGA, PGA, SGA, and BFCA. If Hurt locker can win some of these, then it will be considered the front runner.
SAG not SAG, I got carried away with the GAs
@woot, you’re right.
Hurt Locker would be possibly the lowest-grossing best picture winner of the past 40 or 50 years. And it would be a disgraceful slap in the face to fans and critics who have embraced Avatar for the great achievement that it is.
You mean it would be a slap in the face to YOU, because YOU liked it. Please speak for yourself, not others.
Yes, Avatar is a great TECHNICAL achievement. Storytelling wise, Avatar pails in comparison to The Hurt Locker. Just because The Hurt Locker grossed what like 16 million dollars does not make Avatar a better movie, and it would not be a slap in the face if The Hurt Locker won.
I know we’re looking at a lack of true quality supporting performances, but wow — Christoph Waltz and Mo’Nique are looking more and more unstoppable every day. It would almost be disappointing if both of them didn’t deserve it so much.
Waltz is fantastic in Basterds!
I thought Waltz tied with Paul Schneider for Bright Star?
Thanks, Big Ted, you’re exactly right. I’ve added him above.
Such a boring list. Don’t any of these critics groups have minds of their own?
These lists aren’t supposed to be interesting as much as accurate. ‘The Hurt Locker’ deserves all the props it gets and I appreciate Schnieder’s win also.
You mean like the million of nerds flocking to see Avatar because it’s pretty to look at?
Mo’nique says you smell.
i’ve been calling the hurt locker since day one…come on oscar. make me proud
Good to see some more love for Yolande Moreau’s incredible performance.
The last time a movie took this many critics awards and lost the best picture was LA Confidential. The movie it lost to? Titanic. Anyone get the parallels?
Up In The Air has zero chance of getting best pic. It will come down to the box office phenomenon vs. the critics darling (Avatar vs. Hurt Locker). Who knows, maybe if they cancel each other out, Inglorious Basterds could slip in!
I think Inglourious basterds will win, at least I hope. Up in the air missing the SAG nom is very telling. The only BP winner without a SAG nomination since the award started is Braveheart. Avatar didn’t get the nom but it fits Braveheart mould of an epic. UITA is an actor driven film and it still didn’t get the nomination. The actors are the largest section of the academy so SAG is important. The Hurt locker is the critics’ darling but we have seen them lose over the years and the LA confidential parallel sticks out. THL didn’t do well in the box office also. Recent BP winners have all grosses over $50 million. Avatar stands a good chance but will the academy reward a scifi movie? I think Inglorious basterds is the most well rounded movie but I may be biased in my analysis because IB is my personal favorite.
And the circlejerking for Hurt Locker rolls on without letup. C’mon, Golden Globes, have the stones to buck the trend and vote Avatar as best picture.
Why not? The GG picky s*itty movies for BP all the time.
Why would they when it’s not. Give Avatar a technical award. Story and characters suck.
I’ve been rooting for Hurt Locker since I saw Anthony Macke performing this summer. I’m KIND OF disappointed about Saiorse not getting nom. for Bones, but after I saw Up in the Air I knew Anna and Vera deserved the nominations.
Saoirse Ronan wouldn’t be supporting anyway, I’m pretty sure they’re plugging her for lead.
These critics’ awards should be immediately dismissed out of hand; because they’re trying to spin people into believing that The Fantastic Mr. Fox has better production design than Avatar. They lose all legitimacy. this group of buffoons.
Yeah. What’s up with that? Discgraceful
I still think Avatar has a big chance at winning Best Picture. This could be a year where one movie wins best director (Hurt Locker), while another wins Best Picture (Avatar or Up in the Air). So…we’ll have to see what the golden globes and the guild awards say!
Look at how similar this year is to 1997.
Up in the Air = As Good As It Gets. Nominations out the wazoo, but settles for acting awards.
The Hurt Locker = LA Confidential. Critical darling, likely to compete for director/editing/screenplay, but just not quite enough oomph.
Avatar = Titanic. Not quite the critical darling, but so massive in scope and size and popularity that it can’t be ignored.
Inglourious Basterds = The Full Monty. Great movie but a little too naughty/bent to get much (except that Waltz will probably win supporting actor).
Precious = Good Will Hunting. Inspiring overcoming-adversity story, will win a supporting acting prize, possibly a screenplay contender, but that’s probably it.
I know there are 10 slots this year but I think most people agree that those are “the real” five.
Seriously, the parallels are spooky.
Lee Daniels needs an Oscar nomination. Monique gave the best performance in any category this year, and the lead in Precious was pretty damn good too. Great acting and a solid, compelling story don’t appear on screen without some serious work behind the camera.
I think it’s between Up In the Air and the Hurt Locker. I think Up in the Air will probably win, but who ever knows. Precious was a powerhouse film but no one sadly wants to see it. Up is animated. Avatar isn’t even close to being a serious contender. It’ll win the techies. Up in the Air has 3 terrific performances, a smart screenplay, and it’s just an entertaining 2 hrs. Plus, everyone loves Clooney.
I think it’s unfortunate that Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver are not even mentioned for acting consideration in Avatar. Saldana in particular. I think Avatar’s tremendous, bordering on epochal boxoffice run is being held against it. Hurt Locker is art house stuff. Plain and simple.
The reason for the actors and actresses from Avatar being left out of consideration is not because of its box office run. Worthington and Weaver both gave fine performances, but there is stiff competition for both of them, you have to admit. Did Weaver pull off anything extraordinary in the film to group her with the likes of Mo’Nique, Anna Kendrick, Julianne Moore, or the others in the supporting actress race this year? Not really. I would say the same for Worthington, very good performance, but nothing quite spectacular. As for Saldana, whom I agree gives the best performance in the film, I would say the reason is probably because her entire performance is motion-capture. And whether or not her performance is worthy of awards recognition, it’s going to be a while before a nontraditional performance like motion-capture is truly celebrated.
Your dismissal of HT as art house stuff is proof that the art itself is dead and the yahoos are now triumphant. People like you put the last nail on the coffin when tinsel appears as art to you.