Argo triumphs at Critics Choice Awards
Science and culture
Hostage drama Argo was the big winner at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, hours after director Ben Affleck missed out on an Oscar nomination.
Affleck jokingly "thanked the Academy" as he accepted best director, but added: "This is the one that counts." The movie was also named best film.
Oscar favourites Daniel Day Lewis and Jessica Chastain won the best actor and actress prizes respectively.
In a separate comedy category, Silver Linings Playbook swept the board.
The film won best comedy actor and actress for leads Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, best comedy film, and best ensemble for a cast which includes Oscar nominees Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver.
Other notable winners included Michael Haneke's Amour, which won best foreign film and Quentin Tarantino, who picked up best original screenplay for his spaghetti western-style film Django Unchained.
Comedy writer and director Judd Apatow, best known for box office hits such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, received a special "genius" award created to honour "an unprecedented demonstration of excellence in the cinematic arts".
The awards precede Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony.


















































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