On Wednesday I predicted that Ratatouille and The Diving Bell and The Butterfly will both be bigger contenders this season then most expect. Meaning they will be mentioned outside their reductive slots (foreign and animation). After this evenings awards shower by the Boston, DC, LA and NY (online) critics, my prediction is now fact. Julian Schnabel was named best director in Boston, and Diving Bell was tied for best pic in NY (online critics) and runner-up in LA.
The Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Man, an Oscar front-runner for a while already, got its position fortified with the awards this evening.

And while I’m ecstatic to see There Will Be Blood showered with love by the critics, I can’t see the movie becoming a front runner, Oscar-wise, except perhaps in the Adapted Screenplay category.

Note also that Persepolis’s numerous mentions reinforces my prediction that this is the front-runner for winning Best Foreign Language Film and also being nominated as Best Animated Feature (but losing to Ratatouille).

The complete list of Sunday’s winners (via Scott Feinberg): after the jump.
(added Monday: New York Film Critics Circle awards)

The Los Angeles Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
Winner: There Will Be Blood
Runner-Up: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Runner-Up: Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Runner-Up: Frank Langella (Starting Out in the Evening)

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Runner-Up: Anamaria Marinca (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Vlad Ivanov (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days)
Runner-Up: Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead)
Runner-Up: Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Ratatouille and Persepolis (tie)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner: No End in Sight
Runner-Up: Sicko

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Runner-Up: Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Runner-Up: Dante Ferretti (Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

BEST MUSIC
Winner: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once)
Runner-Up: Jonny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood)

NEW GENERATION
Winner: Sarah Polley (Away from Her)

New York Film Critics Online

Best Picture: (tie)

There Will Be Blood & The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis for There Will Be Blood

Best Actress:
Julie Christie for Away from Her

Director
PT Anderson for There Will Be Blood

Supporting actress:
Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There

Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Breakthrough Performer
Ellen Page for Juno

Debut Director
Sarah Polley for Away from Her

Ensemble Cast
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Screenplay
Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola for The Darjeeling Limited

Documentary
Sicko

Foreign Language: (tie)
Lives of Others & Persepolis

Animated
Persepolis

Cinematography
Robert Elswit for There Will Be Blood

Film Music
Jonny Greenwood for There Will Be Blood

Top Ten Films (alphabetized):
1 Atonement (Focus Features)
2 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (THINKFilm)
3 The Darjeeling Limited (Fox Searchlight)
4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Miramax)
5 I’m Not There (The Weinstein Company)
6 Juno (Fox Searchlight)
7 Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)
8 No Country for Old Men (Miramax)
9 Persepolis (Sony Pictures Classics)
10 Sweeney Todd (DreamWorks)
11.There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)

Boston Society of Film Critics (Via Jeffrey Wells)

Best Picture:
No Country for Old Men

Best Director:
Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Actor:
Frank Langella for Starting Out in the Evening

Best Actress:
Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose

Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone

Best Cinematography:
Janusz Kaminski for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Screenplay:
Brad Bird for Ratatouille

Best Documentary:
Crazy Love

Best Foreign-Language Film:
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best New Filmmaker:
Ben Affleck for Gone Baby Gone

Best Ensemble Cast:
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association

BEST PICTURE
Winner: No Country for Old Men

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Ethan and Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)

BEST ACTOR
Winner: George Clooney (Michael Clayton)

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Julie Christie (Away from Her)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Diablo Cody (Juno)

BEST ENSEMBLE
Winner: No Country for Old Men

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Winner: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Ratatouille

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner: Sicko

BEST ART DIRECTION
Winner: Sweeney Todd

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Winner: Ellen Page (Juno)

Monday update:
New York Film Critics Circle

* Best Picture — No Country For Old Men
* Best Director — Joel & Ethan Coen / No Country For Old Men
* Best Actor — Daniel Day Lewis / There Will Be Blood
* Best Actress — Juiie Christie / Away From Her
* Best Supporting Actor — Javier Bardem / No Country For Old Men
* Best Supporting Actress — Amy Ryan / Gone Baby Gone
* Best Cinematography — Robert Elswit / There Will Be Blood
* Best Screenplay — Joel & Ethan Coen / No Country For Old Men
* Best Animated Film — Persepolis
* Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) — No End in Sight
* Best Foreign-Language Film — The Lives of Others
* Best First Film — Away From Her
* Lifetime Achievement Award — Sidney Lumet
* Special Critics Award — “Killer of Sheep” by Charles Burnett