Entertainment Awards Shows and Events Academy Awards George Clooney, Viola Davis Win Critics' Choice Awards The Artist is named best picture by the nation's largest critics' group By Liz Raftery Liz Raftery Liz Raftery is a former contributor at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2012. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 13, 2012 10:50AM EST Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage Oscar crystal ball, anyone? George Clooney and Viola Davis were named best actor and actress at Thursday’s Critics’ Choice Awards for their roles in The Descendants and The Help, respectively, while the old Hollywood-based silent movie The Artist took home four trophies, including best picture and best director, for its French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius. The Help also won best ensemble cast, and Davis’s costar Octavia Spencer claimed best supporting actress. The final acting prize went to Christopher Plummer, for his supporting actor role in Beginners. PHOTOS: 17 Winning Looks from the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards The Critics Choice Awards reflect the choices of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the nation’s largest organization of film critics, and often predict the Oscars. Last year, all four Critics Choice acting winners went on to claim victory at the Academy Awards. Clooney, Davis, Spencer and Plummer are also in the running for Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.