Both the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Boston Society of Film Critics on Sunday gave Richard Linklater’s 166-minute dramedy "Boyhood," filmed over 12 years, their best-picture awards. “Boyhood” also won the best-picture prize from the New York Film Critics Circle last week.
Among the three critics groups, the Boston critics’ best-picture choices are lately the most Oscar-predictive, having lined up with the Academy Awards six of the last eight years. (New York's best pictures only lined up with Oscar three times over the last eight years. Los Angeles only lined up with Oscar once over the last eight years, for 2009's "The Hurt Locker.)
In 2013 Boston picked “12 Years A Slave” (which won the Oscar). New York went with “American Hustle.” Los Angeles had a tie between “Her” and “Gravity.”
In 2012, New York and Boston went with “Zero Dark Thirty” while Los Angeles went with the old-French-dying-people movie “Amour.” (“Argo,” the choice of most of the other critics groups that year, won the Oscar.)
In 2011, Boston and New York chose “The Artist” (which won the Oscar), Los Angeles chose “The Descendants.”
In 2010, New York, Los Angeles and Boston all chose “The Social Network” as best picture. But the Oscar went to “The King’s Speech.” (!)
In 2009 Boston, New York and Los Angeles all picked “The Hurt Locker.” The Oscar went to “The Hurt Locker.”
In 2008 Boston went with “Wall-E” and “Slumdog Millionaire” (the latter won the Oscar). New York picked “Milk.” Los Angeles went with “Wall-E.”
In 2007, Boston and New York picked “No Country For Old Men” (which won the Oscar). Los Angeles picked “There Will Be Blood.”
In 2006, Boston picked “The Departed” (which won the Oscar). New York picked “United 93.” Los Angeles picked “Letters From Iwo Jima.”
