'Spotlight,' 'Mad Max' win at Critics' Choice Awards

Like the January 10 Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice — hosted by film and television critics — handed out prizes for accomplishments on the big and small screen.

Both the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards are seen as a possible guide to what may happen at the Oscars ceremony in late February.

The investigative journalism drama “Spotlight,” about the newspaper team that uncovered a widespread child sex scandal in the Catholic Church in Boston, won the awards for Best Picture and Best Acting Ensemble.

Leonardo Di Caprio won Best Actor for his gripping performance in the 19th century frontier drama “The Revenant,” while Brie Larson won Best Actress for the thriller “Room.”

Perhaps the biggest winner of the night was action film “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which scooped nine awards from thirteen nominations, including Best Action Movie and top prizes for the film’s stars, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.

“The Big Short,” about the 2008 financial meltdown, won the Best Comedy category, while “Inside Out” was awarded the Best Animated Feature. Both are also nominated for Oscars.

In the television category, USA Network’s cyber-thriller “Mr. Robot” won three awards, including Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a Drama Series for its Egyptian-American star Rami Malek, and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Christian Slater.

Netflix’s “Master of None” starring Indian-American Aziz Ansari, won in the Best Comedy Series category. Ansari, who made his mark in the NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation,” co-writes the series.

Ansari however lost out in the Best Actor in a Comedy Series award to Jeffrey Tambor, who stars as a transgender, divorced, mother/father in the Amazon show “Transparent.”

The Best Actress in a Comedy Series went to Rachel Bloom for her role in The CW network show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” while Carrie Coon scooped up the Best Actress in a Drama Series award for her role in the HBO show “The Leftovers.”