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Though there are so many groups to talk about, the seemingly biggest critical awards news is from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, who head the Critics' Choice Awards. Thanks to the addition of some below-the-line (read: technical) awards categories, the two films that lead the BFCA nominations are Inglourious Basterds and Nine with, ironically for the latter film, ten nominations. Avatar, the sci-fi epic from James Cameron, was right behind with nine nods. The BFCA list of Best Picture nominees, with ten choices just like the Oscars, is as follows: Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus, Nine, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, and Up in the Air. Before we delve into what this means for the films nominated, and those left off the list, let's be clear about one thing: there is a very, very good chance that this list will be repeated exactly at the Oscars. None of the films here are shockingly included; The Lovely Bones may be the most well-known exclusion.

Also, let's go over some interesting inclusions before getting to the analysis. Viggo Mortensen, in the underseen The Road, got a nod for Best Actor. Sandra Bullock continues her potentially slow march to an Oscar nomination, with a nom for Best Actress in The Blind Side. An intriguing nomination went to Star Trek, as one of five nominees for Best Acting Ensemble; the other four nominees (Inglourious Basterds, Nine, Precious, and Up in the Air) all got on the Best Picture list. The addition of many technical awards, such as Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Editing, makes this list seem more like an Oscar wishlist than ever. But how solid a predictor are the BFCA awards?

In the past ten years' worth of awards, the BFCA has predicted eight of ten Best Picture winners. They missed the boat in 2004, when they gave the top prize to Sideways, not the Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby; and in 2005, when they gave the top prize to Brokeback Mountain, not Crash. What's most important for the time being, though, is that list of their choices for the Best Picture of the Year. Though 2009 will be the first year since the BFCA has been doling out awards that the Oscars will have more than five nominees, it's worth noting that the BFCA Best Picture nominees have almost always been matched at the Oscars. One notable exception was in 2001, when Gosford Park was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, but not the BFCA trophy. Aside from that, all Best Picture nominees were represented in the BFCA awards. Will it be the same this year? Hard to say, of course, but don't be surprised if the lists mirror each other.

The Boston Society of Film Critics followed suit with L.A. and New York, handing out trophies to The Hurt Locker for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Jeremy Renner). The film also won for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Though it may not fully penetrate the Oscar voters for still being an Iraq War film (and also being an immensely intense action film), The Hurt Locker has been winning so solidly or appearing on nomination lists that the supposed frontrunner, Up in the Air, should be quaking in its metaphorical boots. The latter film didn't show up in the Boston critics' awards; however, Meryl Streep, Christoph Waltz, and Mo'Nique all won for their respective acting categories and the same three films we've talked about in this article.

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