The Artist is the Critics Choice

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) gave out their awards tonight at the Critics Choice Awards. The winners were...

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Adapted Screenplay: Moneyball
Best Ensemble: The Help
Best Young Actor: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
Best Action Movie: Drive
Best Cinematography: War Horse and Tree of Life
Best Editing: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Makeup: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Best Sound: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Best Costume Design: The Artist
Best Score: The Artist
Best Song: "Life's a Happy Song," The Muppets

The critics went big for the "little" silent film that could with The Artist picking up four wins including Best Picture and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius whose name should be learned by all presenters this awards season from the looks of it.

It was also a huge night for The Help getting three acting awards: Best Ensemble, Viola Davis for Best Actress, and Octavia Spencer for Supporting Actress. George Clooney won Best Actor while Christopher Plummer took home Best Supporting Actor. All of them have certainly done well with critics this season and will have real momentum and are the de facto frontrunners moving forward. That EW cover is starting to look a bit prophetic doesn't it?

While The Artist and The Help ruled the night (and Clooney representing for The Descendants), the rest of Best Picture nominees didn't walk away empty handed. Moneyball and Midnight in Paris both took home screenplay awards while Drive won Best Action Movie. War Horse and Tree of Life tied for Best Cinematography while Hugo won Best Art Direction. Its director, Martin Scorsese, was also given a Music+Film Award and a lovely tribue. Finally, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close gave us the one minor surprise of the night when its lead actor Thomas Horn won for Best Young Actor.

Not all of my favorites won, but none of the winners were truly undeserved. There's still the Globes, SAG, BAFTAs, and ultimate the Academy Awards to come. I'm hoping the slight unpredictability of this awards season continue, but there's also the more real possibility that things will start honing in. If so, good for the winners tonight.