The Edge of the Frame

While the LAFCA has helped spread the wealth in California, Boston and the rest of New York have continued their enduring love for “Zero Dark Thirty.” On behalf of all those on the outside looking in on this supposed gem, I must say that it has a lot to live up to at this point.

One thing that today has definitely told us is that Best Actress is going to me closer and any of us could have imagined. A month ago, people proclaimed it was signed, sealed and delivered for Jennifer Lawrence. Despite pulling out a tie on the west coast, she hasn’t been much of a factor on the critical front. Jessica Chastain has had much of the buzz, and today, Emmanuelle Riva pretty much ran the table for her work in Michael Hanecke’s “Amour” Previously, I wasn’t sure if the aging actress would have enough support to even gain a nomination, but as of this point, there’s certainly no question. If it wasn’t for the tendency of the male side of the Academy to vote from below the waste, she might have had a decent shot at winning.

A very surprising development that has continued today has been Christoph Waltz gaining momentum for his supporting role for “Django Unchained.” While DiCaprio’s performance is certainly the showier one that will generate much more support in the Academy, this certainly isn’t the course that many expected this category to take.

Now while I must applaud the originality and diversity of some of Boston’s choices, some of them, I’m not sure to take this “Perks of Being a Wallflower” love with a grain of salt. The film has an outside shot at a Best Adapted Screenplay nod. However, many of these young actors just haven’t paid their dues yet in the Academy’s eyes. Emma Watson has a lot of room to grow before she escapes from the “Harry Potter” shadow.

Here’s the full list of winners from both parties:

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

BEST PICTURE: “Zero Dark Thirty”
runner-up: “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Amour”

BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”

BEST LEADING ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
runner-up: Denis Lavant – “Holy Motors”

BEST LEADING ACTRESS: Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
runner-up: Deanie Yip – “A Simple Life”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Ezra Miller – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
runner-up: Christoph Waltz – “Django Unchained”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sally Field – “Lincoln”
runner-up: Emma Watson – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: “Seven Psychopaths”
runner-up: “Moonrise Kingdom”

BEST SCREENPLAY: “Lincoln”
runner-up: “Moonrise Kingdom”

BEST BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER: David France – “How to Survive a Plague”
runner-up: Benh Zeitlin – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

BEST ANIMATED FILM: “Frankenweenie”
runner-up: “ParaNorman”

BEST DOCUMENTARY: “How to Survive a Plague”
runner-up: “The Queen of Versailles”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: “The Master”
runner-up: “Life of Pi” and “Moonrise Kingdom”

BEST EDITING: “Zero Dark Thirty”
runner-up: “Argo”

BEST USE OF MUSIC: “Moonrise Kingdom”
runner-up: “Django Unchained”

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE

BEST PICTURE: “Zero Dark Thirty”

BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”

BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”

BEST LEADING ACTRESS: Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”

BEST SCREENPLAY: “Zero Dark Thirty”

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: Quvenzhane Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR: Benh Zeitlin – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “Amour”

BEST DOCUMENTARY: “The Central Park Five”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: “Life of Pi”