'Lincoln' ends critics group 0-fer, wins in Dallas

The fate of "Lincoln" this awards season is nothing if not forked. When you combine the nominations from the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes, no film has more. But the Steven Spielberg film hadn't finished first among any of the critics groups that had weighed in – more than 20 if you count Film Comment and Sight and Sound's rankings – until today, when the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics named "Lincoln" their top picture of 2012. 

The losing streak was of dubious relevance, given how we know that the Academy and various the critics don't walk in step with each other. Two years ago, "The King's Speech" won but once with the critics – the folks in Phoenix – before scoring victories with the Producers Guild, BAFTA and ultimately, the Academy. Nevertheless, I'm sure the "Lincoln" folks are happy to notch today's victory. 

"Lincoln" sat at the summit of a top-10 list that followed with "Argo," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Life of Pi," "Les Miserables," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Skyfall," "The Master" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones also gave "Lincoln" wins in three of the four acting categories, with Jessica Chastain of "Zero" taking the remaining thesp trophy. "Lincoln" and John Williams also won in original score. 

Still, Steven Spielberg is still looking for his first individual honor associated with "Lincoln" after finishing second at the Dallas-Fort Worth saloon to Kathryn Bigelow of "Zero" for director.  Bigelow cohort Mark Boal won for best screenplay.

Foreign-language, doc and animation honors went to "Amour," "Searching for Sugar Man" and "ParaNorman."

Claudio Miranda ("Life of Pi") grabbed his latest honor for cinematography.