The various critics groups from around the country are beginning to announce their favorite films of the year, and not surprisingly David Fincher’s The Social Network is leading the pack, with Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan following closely behind. Those who have announced their winners include The Los Angeles Film Critics Association, The Boston Society of Film Critics, The New York Critics Online and the Broadcast Film Critics Association, with the New York Film Critics Circle announcing today.

The Social Network

All those names may not mean much to you, but the fact that they’re all picking The Social Network as the top film of the year indicates that it’s now the clear frontrunner to take home the Best Picture Oscar in 2011. Granted, the Broadcast Critics only announced their nominations (they host their own awards show in January) – and Black Swan led that pack with a whopping 12 – but the true leading contender is Social Network, which scored Best Picture, Director and Screenplay in Los Angeles and New York (Online), with Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg) tacked on to that in Boston. As far as the New York Critics Circle goes, they gave The Social Network Best Picture and Best Director, with The Kids Are All Right nabbing Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Annette Bening) and Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo).
 
Do you think The Social Network deserves all the honors? Is it truly the best picture of the year? Check out all the winners and nominations below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
 
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
 
Best Film:

The Social Network
 
Best Director:

David Fincher, The Social Network
 
Best Screenplay:
 
The Kids Are All Right
 
Best Actress:

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
 
Best Actor:
 
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
 
Best Supporting Actress:
 
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
 
Best Supporting Actor:

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
 
Best Cinematography:

Black Swan
 
Best Animated Film:

The Illusionist
 
Best Non-fiction Film:

Inside Job
 
Best Foreign Language Film:

Carlos
 
Best First Feature:

Animal Kingdom
 
 
LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

PICTURE: The Social Network
Runner-up: Carlos

DIRECTOR: Olivier Assayas, Carlos, and David Fincher, The Social Network (tie) 

ACTOR: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Runner-up: Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

ACTRESS: Kim Hye-ja, Mother
Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Niels Arestrup, A Prophet
Runner-up: Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Runner-up: Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer

SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Runner-up: David Seidler, The King's Speech

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Carlos
Runner-up: Mother

ANIMATION: Toy Story 3
Runner-up: The Illusionist

DOCUMENTARY / NON-FICTION FILM: Last Train Home
Runner-up: Exit Through the Gift Shop

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Runner-up: Roger Deakins, True Grit

MUSIC/SCORE: Alexandre Desplat, The Ghost Writer, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network (tie) 

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Inception
Runner-up: Eve Stewart, The King's Speech
 
 
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE

Picture: The Social Network

Actor: James Franco, 127 Hours

Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Breakthrough Performer: Noomi Repace, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Debut Director: John Wells, The Company Men

Ensemble Cast: The Kids Are All Right
 
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop

Foreign Language: I Am Love

Animated: Toy Story 3

Cinematography: Black Swan

Film Music or Score: Black Swan
 
 
BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

Best Picture: The Social Network
Runner up: Toy Story 3

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Runner up: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech (by one vote)

Best Actress: Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Runner up: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale for The Fighter
Runner up: Andrew Garfield for The Social Network

Best Supporting Actress: Juliette Lewis for Conviction
Runner up: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Best Director: David Fincher for The Social Network
Runner up: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Runner up: Nicole Holofcener for Please Give

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins for True Grit
Runner up: Matthew Libatique for Black Swan

Best Documentary: Marwencol
Runner up: Inside Job

Best Foreign-Language Film: Mother
Runner up: I Am Love

Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Runner up: The Illusionist

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer): Andrew Weisblum for The Black Swan
Runner up: Lee Smith for Inception

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy): Jeff Malmberg for Marwencol
Runner up: David Michod for Animal Kingdom

Best Ensemble Cast: The Fighter
Runner up: The Kids Are All Right

Best Use of Music in a Film: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network
Runner up: Carter Burwell for True Grit
 
 
BROADCAST FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION NOMINEES

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Robert Duvall – Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Noomi Rapace – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale – The Fighter
Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
Jeremy Renner – The Town
Sam Rockwell – Conviction
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis – Black Swan
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – Somewhere
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Chloe Grace Moretz – Let Me In
Chloe Grace Moretz – Kick-Ass
Kodi Smit-McPhee – Let Me In
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
The Town

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
David Fincher – The Social Network
Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan – Inception

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year – Mike Leigh
Black Swan – Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin
The Fighter – Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson)
Inception – Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech – David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours – Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin
The Town – Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Sheldon Turner
Toy Story 3 – Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
True Grit – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Winter’s Bone – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
127 Hours – Anthony Dod Mantle
Black Swan – Matthew Libatique
Inception – Wally Pfister
The King’s Speech – Danny Cohen
True Grit – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland – Stefan Dechant
Black Swan – Therese DePrez and Tora Peterson
Inception – Guy Hendrix Dyas
The King’s Speech – Netty Chapman
True Grit – Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh

BEST EDITING
127 Hours – Jon Harris
Black Swan – Andrew Weisblum
Inception – Lee Smith
The Social Network – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
Black Swan – Amy Westcott
The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
True Grit – Mary Zophres

BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
Tron: Legacy

BEST SOUND
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Inception
Kick-Ass
Red
The Town
Unstoppable

BEST COMEDY
Cyrus
Date Night
Easy A
Get Him to the Greek
I Love You Phillip Morris
The Other Guys

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
I Am Love
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Restrepo
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman

BEST SONG
"I See the Light" – performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi/written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater – Tangled
"If I Rise" – performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong – 127 Hours
"Shine" – performed and written by John Legend – Waiting for Superman
"We Belong Together" – performed and written by Randy Newman – Toy Story 3
"You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet" – performed by Cher/written by Diane Warren – Burlesque

BEST SCORE
Black Swan – Clint Mansell
Inception – Hans Zimmer
The King’s Speech – Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
True Grit – Carter Burwell