NY Film Critics Circle Detonate Their Love For The Hurt Locker

Of all the year-end Hollywood rites, the annual Running of the Film Critics is by far our favorite -- a thrilling, life-affirming ritual marred only occasionally by a straggler's demise due to a fatal Manohla Dargis goring. The New York Film Critics Circle is the latest tastemaking conglomerate to announce their top prizes for 2009, and they've given Best Film and Director honors to The Hurt Locker and its director Kathryn Bigelow. Best Actress and Actor honors went to Meryl Streep for her buttery turn as Julia Child in Julie & Julia, and George Clooney for Up in the Air. (NY Critics Online agreed on Meryl, but gave Jeff Bridges the prize for Crazy Heart.) Mo'nique and Christoph Waltz took supporting acting awards, furthering our fantasy that the two show up as each other's dates. ("Oooooh! That's a Mo'nique!" "You just say 'Mo'nique.'") Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, meanwhile, enjoyed its second upset, edging out Up (as it did with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association) to take Best Animated Film.

The full list of winners:

Best Film - THE HURT LOCKER

Best Director - KATHRYN BIGELOW for "The Hurt Locker"

Best Screenplay - IN THE LOOP

Best Actress - MERYL STREEP for "Julie & Julia"

Best Actor - GEORGE CLOONEY for "Up In The Air" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

Best Supporting Actress - MO'NIQUE for "Precious"

Best Supporting Actor - CHRISTOPH WALTZ for "Inglourious Basterds

Best Cinematography - CHRISTIAN BERGER for "The White Ribbon"

Best Animated Film - FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Best Non-fiction Film - OF TIME AND THE CITY

Best Foreign Language Film - SUMMER HOURS

Best First Feature - HUNGER, director Steve McQueen

· 'Hurt Locker' Tops NY Film Critics Circle Awards [The Wrap]