'12 Years A Slave' Tops Boston & Washington Critics List; 'Gravity' & Her' Tie For Best Film In L.A.

12 Years A Slave

As the critics’ lists keep rolling in, the consensus this year is that there’s no real consensus. Unlike 2010 where “The Social Network” seemed unstoppable and 2012 when “Zero Dark Thirty” looked like the one to beat, in 2013, at least among critics, it seems to be anyone’s game. And again, while critics and Academy voter tastes tend to differ, if there is anything to be gleaned from the wide variety of winners, it’s that no one can claim frontrunner status at this point.

And so, while Boston and Washington, D.C. critics gave “12 Years A Slave” the distinction of Best Film, in L.A. they had to award a tie between “Gravity” and “Her.” In the other categories, some more uniformity is beginning to emerge, but again, nothing decisive. In short, with just over a month to go until the Oscar nominations, the campaigning is going to continue to be fierce, as a crowded field jostles not only for recognition, but for the ultimate prize. 

Washington, Boston and L.A. critics winners below.

THE WASHINGTON, D.C. FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION WINNERS 2013 

Best Film:
12 Years a Slave

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)

Best Actor:
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Supporting Actor:
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actress:
Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)

Best Acting Ensemble:
12 Years a Slave

Best Youth Performance:
Tye Sheridan (Mud)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
John Ridley (12 Years a Slave)

Best Original Screenplay:
Spike Jonze (Her)

Best Animated Feature:
Frozen

Best Documentary:
Blackfish

Best Foreign Language Film:
The Broken Circle Breakdown

Best Art Direction:
Production Designer: Catherine Martin, Set Decorator: Beverley Dunn (The Great Gatsby)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, A.M.C. (Gravity)

Best Editing:
Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger (Gravity)

Best Original Score:
Hans Zimmer (12 Years a Slave)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Lee Daniels’ The Butler

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS WINNERS 2013

Best Picture  — 12 Years a Slave



Best Actor — Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave



Best Actress — Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine



Best Supporting Actor — James Gandolfini for Enough Said

Best Supporting Actress — June Squibb for Nebraska



Best Director — Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave



Best Screenplay — Nicole Holofcener for Enough Said



Best Cinematography — Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity



Best Documentary — The Act of Killing



Best Foreign-Language Film — Wadjida

Best Animated Film — The Wind Rises



Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) — Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill forRush

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) — Ryan Coogler for Fruitvale Station



Best Ensemble Cast — Nebraska



Best Use of Music in a Film — Inside Llewyn Davis

L.A. FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION WINNERS 2013

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMBlue Is the Warmest Color
Runner-up: The Great Beauty

BEST PICTURE (tie): Gravity and Her

BEST ACTRESS (tie): Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine and Adèle Exarchopoulos,Blue Is the Warmest Color

BEST SCREENPLAY: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Runner-up: Spike Jonze, 
Her

BEST ACTOR: Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Runner-up: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Runner-up: Spike Jonze, Her

BEST DOCUMENTARYStories We Tell
Runner-up: The Act of Killing

Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video AwardCabinets Of Wonder: Films and a Performance by Charlotte Pryce

BEST MUSIC SCORE, T Bone Burnett, Inside Llewyn Davis
Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, Her

BEST ANIMATIONErnest & Celestine
Runner-up: The Wind Rises

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Winner (tie): James Franco, Spring Breakers, and Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity 
Runner-up, Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST EDITING: Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, Gravity
Runner-up: Shane Carruth and David Lowery, Upstream Color

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Runner-up: June Squibb, Nebraska

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: K.K. Barrett, HER
Runner-up: Jess Gonchor, Inside Llewyn Davis

NEW GENERATION Prize
: Megan Ellison

LEGACY OF CINEMA: The Criterion Collection

SPECIAL CITATION12 Years a Slave