Is Brad Pitt a Better Actor Than Ryan Gosling?
While 2011 seems to be Ryan Gosling's year, veteran actor (and hunk) Brad Pitt still continues to make waves at award ceremonies.
Pitt was the first one to claim a Best Actor win this awards season, via the 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, which praises his work on the baseball flick "Moneyball" as well as the acclaimed "The Tree of Life."
Right now, he isn't thought of as a budding Oscar favourite, unlike Gosling and even George Clooney, but this success could signify his mark as a real candidate for next year's ceremonies.
On the other hand, the Best Actress pick hardly came with a shock. Meryl Streep wowed critics with her performance in "The Iron Lady," a biographical feature about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Streep's win could be a sign of another Oscar trophy, which she hadn't had since 1982.
Albert Brooks, who co-starred with Gosling on "Drive," trades his comic prowess for menace, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor win.
This year's breakout actress, Jessica Chastain, was named Best Supporting Actress for three films, including "The Tree of Life," where she plays Pitt's wife.
The film garnered the most awards as it was nominated in three categories. However, it lost Best Picture and Best Director to "The Artist," the silent romp helmed by French director Michel Hazanavicius.
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards, is a critics-only awards, though results often predict the wins for the next few months in Hollywood.
Here is a complete list of the winners of the New York Film Critics Circle Award
Best Film - The Artist
Best Actor - Brad Pitt, 'Moneyball' and 'The Tree of Life'
Best Actress - Meryl Streep, 'The Iron Lady'
Best Supporting Actor - Albert Brooks, 'Drive'
Best Supporting Actress - Jessica Chastain, 'The Tree of Life', 'The Help' and 'Take Shelter'
Best Director - Michel Hazanavicius, 'The Artist'
Best Screenplay - 'Moneyball'
Best Cinematography - 'The Tree of Life'
Best Documentary - 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams'
Best Foreign Language Film - 'A Separation'
First Feature - 'Margin Call'
Special Award - Raoul Ruiz