'Amour' Wins Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actress From The National Society Of Film Critics

The Oscar nominations are coming on Thursday morning, so that still leaves some time for critics groups to weigh in before the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences makes their announcement, and pretty much determines the movies that will be focus of conversation until Febraury 26th. But one movie most safely predict will be discussed, is Michael Haneke's "Amour."

And indeed, The National Society Of Film Critics believes it deserves to be honored among the year's best, as they have given it Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. Across the board, it's interesting that NSFC largely stayed away from the one movie that has been knocking out guilds and critics' circles all awards season long, Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty." However, "Lincoln" and "The Master" both were also honored with two wins each. Steven Spielberg's film found the performance by Daniel Day-Lewis and screenplay by Tony Kushner winning, while Paul Thomas Anderson's movie saw Amy Adams and cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. getting recognition for their work.

Full list of winners and vote tallies below. [Variety]

BEST ACTOR

*1. Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln – 59 (Dreamworks/Touchstone)

2. Denis Lavant – 49

2. Joaquin Phoenix – 49

BEST ACTRESS

*1. Emmanuelle Riva – Amour – 50 (Sony Classics)

2. Jennifer Lawrence - 42

3. Jessica Chastain– 32

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

*1. Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike (Warner Bros.), Bernie (Millennium Entertainment) – 27

2. Tommy Lee Jones – 22

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman - 19

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

*1. Amy Adams – The Master (The Weinstein Co.) – 34

2. Sally Field – 23

3. Anne Hathaway - 13

BEST PICTURE

*1. Amour (Sony Classics) – 28

2. The Master – 25

3. Zero Dark Thirty – 18

BEST DIRECTOR

*1. Michael Haneke (Amour) – 27

2. Kathryn Bigelow – 24

2. Paul Thomas Anderson - 24

BEST NONFICTION

*1. The Gatekeepers - Sony Pictures Classics – 53

2. This Is Not a Film – 45

3. Searching for Sugar Man - 23

BEST SCREENPLAY

*1. Lincoln (Dreamworks/Touchstone) – Tony Kushner – 59

2. The Master (P.T. Anderson)– 27

3. Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell) - 19

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

*1. Master (Mihai Malaimare, Jr. ) - 60

2. Skyfall (Roger Deakins) – 30

3. Zero Dark Thirty (Greig Fraser) - 21

EXPERIMENTAL: This Is Not a Film (Jafar Panahi)

FILM HERITAGE

• To Laurence Kardish, Senior Film Curator at MoMA, for his extraordinary 44 years of

service, including this year's Weimar Cinema retrospective.

•To Milestone Film and Video for their ongoing Shirley Clarke project.

DEDICATION:

This year's awards are dedicated to the late Andrew Sarris, one of the most original and influential American film critics as well as a founding member of the Society.