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What are those special helmets that soldiers wore during World War I? Is there a specific name for those kind of helmets? Are they just called helmets? Well then put on your helmets! But if you have one of those World War I helmets (you know the kind I'm talking about) then put that one on, because the Oscar race is underway, and it's about to get crazy!

In the same way that the Iowa Caucuses kick off election season every four years, the Oscar season always gets started at the beginning of December by the National Board of Review, or, as I like to call them, the National Board of Shadowy Figures, because everybody appreciates a Clone High reference. They're not critics or filmmakers, they often don't get to see one or two of the latest-screening contenders (this year they missed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), and very often their choices do a better job of representing what happens to be hot now rather than what has the staying power to win Best Picture. Really, the only importance they have is that they get to shout “we were first!” and whoever they pick gets to shout “we got picked first!” Just like the Iowa Caucuses!

This year, the New York Film Critics Circle decided to get the jump on the NBR in an attempt to cash in on their respect and credibility. And by cash in on, I of course mean destroy. By moving the announcement of their award winners to the last day of November, they made the statement that they don't care as much about awarding the best films as they do about getting the most press; this image wasn't helped by the fact that, rather than just wait a week to make sure they saw every important film, they demanded that a special screening of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo be held just for them. Of course, considering that none of the New York Times critics are members of the NYFCC, but famed nay-sayer Armond White is, perhaps their reputation is catching up to them.

But the point is, with the addition of the Independent Spirit Award Nominations, we now have three legitimate precursors that have announced either their awards or their nominations in the past few days, which means that the Oscar race is getting revved up. Some contenders have already gotten huge boosts from the first precursors, while others have taken hits. Also, the Golden Satellites announced their nominations, which always gives Oscar prognosticators a chance for a good laugh. Nothing is insurmountable at this point, but for a few films and actors that were already facing uphill struggles, those hills are now covered in snow (is snow still a thing? Since I've moved to Los Angeles I can't really remember anything about cold weather). Let's take a look at who got helped, and who got hurt, by the first batch of precursors.

Who Got Helped:

The Artist (Best Picture and Director NYFCC, Top 10 NBR, Nominated Best Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography Spirit Awards)

The Artist already had a spot being kept warm for them on the Best Picture shortlist, but now that seat has just gone from warm to flaming hot. Only twice in the last ten years has a film won the NYFCC and not been nominated for Best Picture, and both of those were far more hard-to-swallow films than this crowd pleaser. The only question that remains is what the box-office will be like for this unusual film. If a black-and-white silent film can win over critics AND audiences, it has the makings of a juggernaut.On the negative side, it is worth noting that supporting actress contender Berenice Bejo was overlooked by all three groups.

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