Upsets likely at Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Oscars in one of the strongest awards seasons Can she get the gongs? Sandra Bullock in a scene from Gravity. FOR once, the critics agree: 2013 was a great year for mainstream cinema. But the sheer number of films worthy of their consideration is only making it harder for voters to reach a consensus. And that means there is no clear favourite for this year's awards season honours. With seven Golden Globe nominations apiece, Steve McQueen's gripping historical drama 12 Years A Slave and David O. Russell's seductive 70s true con flick American Hustle are the front-runners in what is shaping up to be a very close race. The stars of American Hustle have been nominated, but will they take the gongs home? The New York Film Critics Circle confirmed their neck-and-neck status by naming American Hustle best film and British artist-turned-director McQueen best director last month. The Boston Society of Film Critics was more decisive, voting 12 Years A Slave best film and best director. But as if to confirm that no one film is likely to dominate either the Golden Globes, announced on January 12 (noon Monday Jan 13 AEDT), or the Oscar nominations, on January 16, the always unpredictable LA Film Critics Association chose two best picture winners: Alfonso Cuaron's 3D space simulation Gravity and Spike Jonze's futuristic romance Her. The quirky National Board of Review also voted Her best film. Gravity is the BAFTAs favourite, leading the field with an impressive 11 nominations. Captain Phillips, an edge-of-the-seat action thriller in which Tom Hanks is taken hostage by Somali pirates, is still widely regarded as solid awards contender. Gripping cinema drama ... Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks. Picture: Sony Pictures Source: Supplied Hanks also appears in another likely best film nominee, Saving Mr Banks. The first depiction of the icon Walt Disney in a film follows the family studio head, played by Tom Hanks, in his struggles to get a big-screen adaptation of Mary Poppins off the ground. The Wolf of Wall Street might be a late awards season starter, but any collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio has the muscle to make up ground fast. Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from the film, The Wolf of Wall Street Picture: Roadshow Films Source: Supplied And while the unapologetic debauchery of disgraced stockbroker Jordan Belfort could prove too strong for Academy voters' notoriously conservative tastes, a career-best performance from DiCaprio will be hard to ignore. The American Film Institute picked eight out the nine Oscar best film nominees last year (and only because Amour wasn't eligible). So that makes its list of nominees for 2013 - American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Fruitvale Station, Gravity, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Saving Mr Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street - particularly interesting. Competition in the acting categories is similarly stiff. American Hustle's superb ensemble cast is sure to make a lasting impression. But there are a number of singular performances, too. Chiwetel Ejiofor is sure to be nominated for an Oscar for best actor for his knockout performance in 12 Years A Slave. Matthew McConaughey was overlooked by the BAFTAs on Thursday. But Academy voters love physical transformations and McConaughey lost more than 20kg to play real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, who forced the US government's hand on alternative medical treatment in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, in Dallas Buyers Club. He lost more than 20kg for this role ... Actor Matthew McConaughey who stars in Dallas Buyers Club. Robert Redford was the New York Film Critics Circle's favourite actor for his gripping performance as a shipwrecked mariner in All is Lost. Bruce Dern won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival for Nebraska. He also got the The National Board of Review and the LAFCA's vote. Other worthy contenders include Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), and of course DiCaprio and Hanks. But if the jury is still out in many of the major categories, there are a couple of sure bets. Jennifer Lawrence is a shoe-in for best supporting actress for her scene-stealing performance as Christian Bale's manipulative wife in American Hustle. Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence star in a twisted tale of con men and the FBI in the 1970s. And having been given the thumbs up by the critics in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, Cate Blanchett has to be short-odds favourite for best actress for both the Golden Globes and the Oscars for her role in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. But Australians haven't forgotten the night Blanchett was robbed of her Oscar (for Elizabeth) by Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare In Love). And she is facing extraordinarily stiff competition - 2013 was an unusually good year for strong female characters. Cate Blanchett in a scene from Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. Veteran English actress Judi Dench, who went head to head with Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal, is superb as Philomena. And it's a softer, more empathetic character than Blue Jasmine's drug-addled social-slider. Sandra Bullock must surely get a nod for space sensation Gravity, which was essentially a one-woman show. As must Emma Thompson, for her tart, deliciously unpleasant portrayal of Mary Poppins creator PL Travers in Saving Mr Banks. The biggest upset of the night could well be caused by Amy Adams (American Hustle), who is poised to walk away with Meryl Streep's Oscar nomination. Especially after the three-time Oscar winner, 14-time nominee failed to get a BAFTA nomination for the monstrous matriarch she plays in August: Osage County. Actress Meryl Streep could miss out on an Oscar for her role in August: Osage County. Picture AFP Source: AFP While the bumper crop of Oscar contenders is a bonus for film fans, the embarrassment of riches is not so good for Australian actors such as Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth, both of whom were mentioned in early Oscar predictions for powerful performances in Prisoner and Rush respectively. The costume design category, on the other hand, could have a distinctly Antipodean flavour. Oscars darling Catherine Martin is unlikely to be overlooked for her extraordinary work on The Great Gatsby. And there's every chance she will be competing against fellow NIDA graduate Michael Wilkinson for his work on American Hustle. Martin could well be nominated for a second time, for production design. Gatsby is sure to dominate Australia's answer to the Oscars, the AACTAs, which will be announced in Sydney on January 30. In what is shaping up as a David and Goliath-style battle, its main rival is The Rocket, a low-budget crowd-pleaser set in Laos.