Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesOh, it's on.
The super-ceremonial portion of awards season kicked off tonight with the 18th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards, which attracted most of the best and brightest talent that you're only going to being see more of over the next month and a half as the sprightly sprint toward Oscar night switches into marathon mode.
These particular accolades, honoring the overall best achievements in film as well as young talent, comedies, action movies and, tonight, genius Judd Apatow, are handed out by the Broadcast Film Critics' Association.
Which, unlike the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, thinks Ben Affleck is the bee's knees!
Here's the best and worst of what the BFCA wrought at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.:
Best Redemption: Oscar may have flipped him the bird, but the BFCA named Affleck Best Director for Argo and also made a winner out of coproducer George Clooney by naming Argo Best Picture. "I would like to thank the Academy..." Affleck began, hoisting his directing honor. "Just kidding, this is the one that counts!"
Her Again?!: Not that we're complaining—or disagreeing—about all the accolades bestowed on Jennifer Lawrence tonight. The 22-year-old Oscar nominee won Best Actress in an Action Movie for The Hunger Games and both shared in Silver Linings Playbook's win for Best Acting Ensemble and took the title of Best Actress in a Comedy.
Not Just Dreaming the Dream: Anne Hathaway, who started her day with an Oscar nomination, ended up with a Best Supporting Actress win for her sobbing-fit-inducing role of ruined prostitute Fantine in Les Misérables. But, as tended to be the case with moviegoers, only part of the audience participated in the standing ovation.
Penny for Your Thoughts: Lincoln led the field with a leading 13 nominations, but emerged with only three wins, Best Actor for the incomparable Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Adapted Screenplay for the prolific Tony Kushner and Best Original Score for the mighty John Williams.
Zero Dark Almost-Nothing: These awards were presumably in the bag before 5:38 a.m., but the Oscar buzz surrounding Zero Dark Thirty is definitely quieting down, what with the Best Director snub for Kathryn Bigelow. Still holding up her end of the deal, however, is Jessica Chastain, a Best Actress winner tonight. William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor were honored for Best Film Editing.
Best Display of Youth/Sign of the Apocalypse: Nine-year-old Beasts of the Southern Wild star Quvenzhané Wallis read her acceptance speech for Best Young Actor/Actress off her iPhone. Hope she didn't delete—she could be replaying that scene on Oscar night.
My Memory's a Little Fuzzy...: Ted lost out to Silver Linings Playbook in the Best Comedy department, but the Seth MacFarlane-voiced bear didn't let that put a damper on his night. Or at least the boozy part of his night.
No Brainer: Which do you think Bradley Cooper will cherish more? The memory of being the Sexiest Man Alive in 2011 or tonight's win for Best Actor in a Comedy for Silver Linings? "You're looking at a very lucky man," said the doubly blessed thesp.
New Reason to Look Forward to Sunday: Adele and writer Paul Epworth were Best Ssong winners tonight for the theme from Best Action Movie winner Skyfall, meaning there's a good chance we'll be getting to hear one of those "lovely!" speeches when Adele returns to the public eye at the Golden Globes, her first event since becoming a mum.
Complete list of winners from the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards:
Best Movie: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck, Argo
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Acting Ensemble: Silver Linings Playbook
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner, Lincoln
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Best Young Actor/Actress: Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Song: "Skyfall," Skyfall (Adele and Paul Epworth)
Best Original Score: Lincoln
Best Cinematography: Life of Pi
Best Art Direction: Anna Karenina
Best Editing: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Best Makeup: Cloud Atlas
Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph
Best Action Movie: Skyfall
Best Actor in an Action Movie: Daniel Craig, Skyfall
Best Actress in an Action Movie: Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Best Actor in a Comedy: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress in a Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man
Louis XIII Genius Award: Judd Apatow