It was a good weekend for 'Spotlight' as the film took home a hat-trick of best picture trophies from critics' circles across the country.
The Tom McCarthy directed flick was named the year's best by the Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC), New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO), and most recently at the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards (LACFA).
McCarthy was also named best director by the BSFC but lost out to Mad Max: Fury Road Helmer George Miller in the LACFA race and Carol director Todd Hayes in the NYFCO counterpart. He and co-writer Josh Singer swept the best screenplay award from all three groups.
Based on a true story, the film centers on the Boston Globe's 'Spotlight' team and their efforts to uncover a decades-long sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by Roman Catholic Priests in the archdiocese of Boston. The Globe's coverage of the story was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003.
According to Variety, it's still too early to tell who the front runner at the Oscars will be.
Among the three groups that picked Spotlight, only the LACFA is considered as a major critics' body. Other big names like the National Board of Review and New York Film Critics Circle cast their best picture ballots in favor of Mad Max and Carol respectively.
As we move further into December, a number of regional critics groups will speak up and perhaps then, more and more, we'll get a sense of what films and performances truly appeal to a broad base. That can be a significant clue, as it was in 2013 when "Gravity" and "Her" split the L.A. film critics prize, "American Hustle" won over the New Yorkers, yet "12 Years a Slave" won the lion's share of regional best picture prizes. Says author Kristopher Tapley.
If Spotlight continues to rack up the smaller awards like it did this past weekend, it may show which way the wind is blowing for the major awards shows next year.
