Chosen by the shadowy group that call themselves The Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Critics’ Choice Awards always seem to end up defining critical opinion everywhere – so we’ve no small interest in what they’ve chosen as the best of 2011. Helpfully though, the winners were announced last night and actually they’ve done pretty well. Almost as if they know what they’re talking about, isn’t it?

Wonderful thing The Artist walked away with four awards including Best Picture and Best Director, and Boo Racism (or The Help as it’s sometimes known) claimed Best Actress for Viola Davies, Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer and Best Ensemble. George Clooney pipped Jean DuJardin to the post for Best Actor for his performance in The Descendants (hurry up and hit the UK, dammit) and Bridesmaids picked up Best Comedy, surprising no-one. Full list of awards below, but can we just take a moment to say a large HURRAH for the dream team that is Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian – writers of Best Film You Probably Didn’t Bother With But Should Have Moneyball. Can you write more things together, please? Thanks.

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Action Movie: Drive
Best Documentary: George Harrison: Living in the Material World
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 Ensemble: The Help
Best Young Actor: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian, Moneyball
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski, War Horse
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Costume: The Artist
Best Score: The Artist
Best Song: The Muppets, “Life’s a Happy Song”
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Make-Up: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Best Sound: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

So, is this any indication of how The Oscars will play out? Yes, probably. It’s a bit of a shame that The Artist has yet to win any acting awards, considering just how brilliant DuJardin and Berenice Bejo were, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens at the Academy…