Mid-December has arrived, and with that comes the inevitable flood of best-of lists. The Washington Area Film Critics’ Association has, for the previous five years of its existence, been in the habit of trying to get their own list out ahead of most of the other critics’ societies. We can’t really blame them. Considering the fact that none of the critics from the city’s biggest newspaper are members, not to mention the fact that the city’s highest profile critic is known more for writing thrillers than film reviews, they’re bound to be overshadowed by organizations like the National Board of Review, the L.A. Film Critics, and the N.Y. Film Critic’s Circle.

Of course, the other way to grab some attention is to go with unusual picks, and WAFCA is no stranger to bucking a few trends. In some cases, that’s smart thinking, as in 2005, when they had the good sense to ignore Crash for best film. Of course, that same year they declared Kung Fu Hustle the best foreign film, joining oddball picks like 2002’s awarding of best film to Road to Perdition, and a directing award to Denzel Washington that same year for the lackluster Antwone Fisher.

This year, though, WAFCA knows what a runaway train looks like, and has no reservations about hopping on as it picks up speed, as they’ve awarded best film honors (along with three other awards) to the Coen brothers’ critical juggernaut, No Country for Old Men. We’re certainly not going to argue, since we thought it was the best thing we’ve seen all year, too. The rest of the picks offer little in the way of surprise, as pretty much all the performances and films that have been picking up Oscar buzz are represented here, from Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly for best foreign film, to Julie Christie’s acclaimed (but hardly seen) performance in Away from Her. We’re also glad to see recognition for what is likely the best performance of George Clooney’s career, in Michael Clayton. It does seem a little odd, though, that with four other awards, they ignored No Country for best adapted screenplay in favor of Aaron Sorkin’s Charlie Wilson’s War, but we’ll reserve judgment there until we’ve actually seen that. What do you think, readers? How much did they get right this time around?

Best Film: No Country for Old Men

Best Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

Best Actor: George Clooney (Michael Clayton)

Best Actress: Julie Christie (Away From Her)

Best Ensemble: No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

Best Breakthrough Performance: Ellen Page (Juno)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson’s War)

Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody (Juno)

Best Animated Feature: Ratatouille

Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Documentary: SiCKO

Best Art Direction: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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