The National Society of Film Critics gave "Inside Llewyn Davis" an awards boost it needed greatly if it wants to remain amid the top of the Oscar radar. After being shut out of the finalists for the Producers Guild Awards -- considered a prognosticator for the Best Picture race -- and the Writers Guild Awards, "Davis" earned top honors from the NSFC. It came out ahead in four of the awards' 10 categories and notched the runner-up slot in a fifth.
Seeing James Franco's name may come as a surprise to many. The actor's polarizing "Spring Breakers" performance has flittered in and out of pundits' predictions, but this Supporting Actor win could help to draw some attention to it in advance of Jan. 16's Oscar nominations.
Movies shut out by the NSFC include "Saving Mr. Banks," "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Philomena," "Lee Daniels' The Butler" and "Rush." Of the past 10 years' nominations, two movies -- "The Hurt Locker" and "Million Dollar Baby" -- went on to win Best Picture, while another four received nods.
Read on for this year's winners along with the number of votes they received.
Picture: “Inside Llewyn Davis” (23)
Runners-up: “American Hustle” (17); “12 Years a Slave” (16); “Her” (16)
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis” (25)
Runners-up: Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity” (18); Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave” (15)
Actor: Oscar Isaac, “Inside Llewyn Davis” (28)
Runners-up: Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave” (19); Robert Redford, “All Is Lost” (12)
Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine” (57)
Runners-up: Adele Exarchopoulos, “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (36); Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight” (26)
Supporting Actor: James Franco, “Spring Breakers” (24)
Runners-up: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club” (20); Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips” (14)
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle” (54)
Runners-up: Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave” (38); Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine” (18); Lea Seydoux, “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (18)
Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight” (29)
Runners-up: Joel and Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis” (26); Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, “American Hustle” (18)
Foreign Language Film: “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (27)
Runners-up: “A Touch of Sin” (21); “The Great Beauty” (15)
Nonfiction: “The Act of Killing” and “At Berkeley” (tie, 20)
Runner-up: “Leviathan” (18)
Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel, “Inside Llewyn Davis” (28)
Runners-up: Emmanuel Lubezki, “Gravity” (26); Phedon Papamichael, “Nebraska” (17)
Before You Go
