Michael Haneke's "Amour" a dark and unsparing look at old age and death, was named the best film of 2012 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, giving the French-language film an important boost during a season in which its chances outside the Oscar foreign-language category hinge on getting Academy voters to see it, TheWrap said.

The film stopped a run by Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," which had won the top award with the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Board of Review, the Boston Film Critics Society and the New York Film Critics Online.

Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," which had seen its early awards-season momentum fade in recent weeks, won awards for its director, for stars Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, and for production designers David Crank and Jack Fisk.

Jennifer Lawrence of "Silver Linings Playbook" and Emmanuelle Riva of "Amour" tied for best actress, in a rare case of the frequently contrarian critics' group picking both an Oscar favorite (Lawrence) and a longshot (Riva) at the same time.

Phoenix was named the best actor, proving that the group is even able to resist the power of Daniel Day-Lewis, who had been winning most previous critics' awards for his portrayal of the title character in "Lincoln."