New York Film Critics Circle Winners

The first major awards voting body has selected their winners.

Click below to see who took home the first honors in film of the season and what it means for the race.

Best Animated Film:

• The Lego Movie

Kind of strange to me, given the film's mass appeal with audiences; the NYFCC usually go for the more arty animated films, but given how thin the category is, and the film's overall reception, I suppose it's not so strange after all. 

Best Foreign Language Film: 

• "Ida"

Best Nonfiction Film:

• "Citizen Four"

Best Supporting Actor:

• J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Simmons has been a lock for a nomination since Sundance, and the undisputed frontrunner since supporting actor is so thin this year. Though I think he's going to face some heat from Edward Norton, this is definitely not a bad first win to have going into Oscar season. Simmons' status as a long working character actor will give him a lot of votes from various groups and critics; it always helps to have a long, respected body of work. 

Best Supporting Actress:

• Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

I saw this one coming from a mile away; much like Simmons, Arquette has been the undisputed frontrunner of her category since her film played earlier this year. It makes sense, given the nature of the role, the quality of the performance, and the thinness of this category, that Arquette took this. Get used to seeing her name pop up in a lot of these awards. 

Best Screenplay:

• Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

A nice little boost to a film in danger of being forgotten (that early spring release date hurts in a year filled with end of the year contenders). Though screenplay and production design were arguably always the film's best bets at Oscar recognition, this laurel definitely adds some gas to the film's inevitable campaign tank.

Best Cinematography:

• Darius Khondji, "The Immigrant"

WOW. I was afraid the film's hackneyed release would tarnish any and all hopes for awards season love, but kudos to the NYFCC for rewarding such a deserving recipient. After the mess last year with "American Hustle" winning almost everything, I was a little nervous about what they'd go for this year. Hopefully this win can launch Khondji, and maybe the film itself, into the conversation. 

Best Actor:

• Timothy Spall, "Mr. Turner"

In a day full of surprises, Timothy Spall adds another laurel to join his Best Actor award at Cannes. This was widely predicted to be Michael Keaton's to lose, which I don't think in any way affects his status in the race. That being said, I think this is indicative of just how competitive Best Actor is this year; so many rich, deserving performances to choose from. Kudos to Spall, however, for finally being rewarded as a leading man, after toiling away for so long as a "background" actor. You figure you have Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, and David Oyelowo's party crashing work in "Selma". If Spall can get some more love from critics, that fifth spot could be his.

Best Actress: 

• Marion Cotillard, "Two Days One Night" and "The Immigrant"

After that win for "The Immigrant" in Cinematography, I got to wondering if it was possible for Cotillard to be rewarded for her incredible tour de force in the film, and looks like my hunch was right. They also decided to reward her for her quietly intense work in "Two Days One Night". Both incredibly deserving performances. She's been passed over so many times since winning an Oscar for "La Vie En Rose", it seems silly to hope she can break through with Oscar. But like Actor, Actress has 4 sure things (Julianne Moore, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike and Reese Witherspoon), that leaves 1 spot. The problem is, none of the other contenders (Emily Blunt, Amy Adams, Hillary Swank or Shailene Woodley) seem to have the enthusiasm for their work the others have. That Independent Spirit award nomination looks good too... Though still a longshot, Cotillard could monetize on that weakness, and score a nomination.

Best First Film:

• "The Babadook", Jennifer Kent

Best Director:

• Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Not really surprised. If there's any frontrunner, it's Linklater, a writer/director who has been consistently putting out great films for some time now, yet has gone unrewarded. This is an angle I'm sure will play out all season, and this is a great start to what I'm sure will be a successful awards season for him.

Best Film: 

• "Boyhood"

Not quite the sweep that "American Hustle" was last year (3 as opposed to Hustle's 4) but it's easy to see the NYFCC loved Boyhood and "The Immigrant". Boyhood is the most critically acclaimed film of the year, so I suppose it's not surprising it won (I expected at least one award for "Birdman" though). It'll be interesting to see how the Los Angeles critics vote, but for right now, things are looking very good for Linklater and company.

Take a look at the awards tallies as they stand right now