With the New York Film Critics having announced their awards and "American Hustle" winning Best Picture, pundits are now speculating that "12 Years a Slave" is no longer the front-runner to win the Oscar.
However, that speculation is a bit dubious; the NYFCC has not been consistent in picking the Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Last year, the organization picked "Zero Dark Thirty" and Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director. The film was nominated for Best Picture, but Bigelow did not get a director nod. In 2011, the organization was on par with the Academy picking "The Artist" for Best Picture and Michel Hazanavicius for Best Director. However, other winners included "The Social Network," "Milk" and "United 93." None of these films won at the Oscars.
The NYFCC does, however, give contenders a boost. "American Hustle" has not been reviewed by critics or seen by the public. The intrigue and the early award give it more buzz and secures a spot in the Best Picture category for it.
"12 Years a Slave" has been in a slump for the past two days having lost the Gotham award and having lost the NYFCC. However, the Best Director award for Steve McQueen proves "12 Years a Slave" still has strong support.
The acting awards reasserted what most pundits already thought. Robert Redford ("All is Lost") is a sure bet for Best Actor while Jared Leto ("Dallas Buyers Club") and Cate Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine") are front-runners in their categories. Jennifer Lawrence's ("American Hustle") win in the Best Supporting Actress category also supported what most pundits suspected about the starlet's performance.
Bruno Delbonnel's win for "Inside Llewyn Davis" in the Cinematography category also shows support for the Coen brothers film, which won the Gotham Award.
The awards circuit can change by Dec. 4 when the National Board of Review announces its winners.