Early indicators in New York reveal that “Zero Dark Thirty” may be a heavier hitter than everyone is giving it credit for. With “Lincoln”, “Les Miserables” and even “Silver Linings Playbook” being discussed in the Best Picture category consistently, “Zero Dark Thirty” is rarely mentioned. Well that changed today when it was given the three most prestigious awards a film could receive in Best Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. Not to worry, however, as “Lincoln” ties with three wins as well, bringing in Best Actor, from the front-running Daniel Day-Lewis, and a surprise grab from Sally Field, who was said to have come close with “Silver Lining Playbook’s” Jennifer Lawrence.

Best Foreign Language Film is almost solidified for Oscar night, with all the praise going to Austrian nominee “Amour”, which is all anyone can talk about in that category, and with a lot more wins on the horizon, it is a shoe-in for an Academy Award, as was “A Separation” last year. Best Animated Feature goes to “Frankenweenie”, oddly, which doesn’t seem like much of a contender, and Best Nonfiction Film goes to “The Central Park Five”, which was shut-out of the shortlist for the Oscars, however, Best First Film “How To Survive A Plague” does make the list.

Rachel Weisz, “Deep Blue Sea” and Matthew McConaughey, “Bernie” and “Magic Mike”, both bring home surprising awards and hopefully show the diversity we will see at this year’s Academy Awards.

• Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Actress: Rachel Weisz, Deep Blue Sea
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field, Lincoln
• Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Bernie and Magic Mike
• Best Screenplay: Tony Kushner, Lincoln
• Best Cinematography: Greig Fraser, Zero Dark Thirty
• Best Foreign Language Film: Michael Haneke, Amour
• Best First Film: David France, How To Survive a Plague
• Best Nonfiction Film: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon, The Central Park Five
• Best Animated Film: Frankenweenie