The Houston Film Critics Society honored THE HURT LOCKER as the best movie of 2009 and named George Clooney and Carey Mulligan best actor and actress in ceremonies Saturday.

The organization also bestowed its Lifetime Achievement award posthumously to Patrick Swayze, the Houston-born actor who shot to fame with DIRTY DANCING in 1987 and starred in such motion pictures as GHOST and POINT BREAK.  Swayze died Sept. 14.

G.W. Bailey, a veteran character actor perhaps best known for his work in POLICE ACADEMY movies and in TV’s THE CLOSER, received the society’s Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with the Houston-based Sunshine Kids Foundation. The Sunshine Kids was founded in 1982 to improve the quality of life for children with cancer by involving them in activities and travel. Bailey has served as executive director of the organization since 2001.

The film critics society awards were presented in a film clip-filled ceremony Saturday at the laceType>MuseumlaceType> of laceName>Fine ArtslaceName>’ Brown Auditoriam.

THE HURT LOCKER, a riveting cinema verite-style drama about US soldiers serving on a bomb squad in Iraq, received three awards from the Houston group. Kathryn Bigalow was named Best Director and Barry Ackroyd received the award for cinematography.

UP IN THE AIR also received three awards. In addition to the film’s star George Clooney, costar Anna Kendrick was named Best Supporting Actress and Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner were awarded the award for Best Screenplay.

Other awards went to THE COVE which was named Best Documentary and to SIN NOMBRE for Best Foreign Language Film.

Other winners included Christoph Waltz as Best Supporting Actor award for his work as a sadistic Nazi in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, and UP for Best Animated Feature. UP’s composer, Michael Giacchino, received the award for Best Score.

The other music award went to by Jarvis Cocker, Wes Anderson & 

Noah Baumbach for composing the year’s best song, Petey’s Song from FANTASTIC MR. FOX

The society handed out one other special award – an outstanding achievement award to Margaret Stratton, a veteran Houston film publicist who retired this year.

Founded in 2007, the Houston Film Critics Society is comprised of critics from Houston-area newspapers, TV & radio stations and websites and was organized for the purpose of increasing public awareness of cinematic excellence and to encourage the publication and broadcasting of substantive critical commentary on film.

This is the third year the organization has presented Best of the Year awards.

The Houston Film Critics Society complete list of 2009 winners:

2009 Best Picture  -  The Hurt Locker

2009 Best Director  -  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

2009 Best Actor  -  George Clooney, Up in the Air

2009 Best Actress  -  Carey Mulligan, An Education

2009 Best Supporting Actor  -  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

2009 Best Supporting Actress  -  Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

2009 Best Screenplay  -  Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

2009 Best Animated Film  -  Up

2009 Best Cinematography  -  Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker

2009 Best Documentary  -  The Cove

2009 Best Foreign Film  -  Sin Nombre

2009 Best Original Score  -  Michael Giacchino, Up

2009 Best Original Song  -  Petey's Song by Jarvis Cocker, Wes Anderson & 

                                            Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009 Outstanding Achievement Award  -  Margaret Stratton

2009 Humanitarian of the Year Award - G.W. Bailey

2009 Lifetime Achievement Award  -  Patrick Swayze

The Houston Film Critics Society Top Ten Films for 2009:

1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up in the Air
3. Star Trek
4. Precious
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Up
7. (500) Days of Summer
8. Avatar
9. Invictus
10.  District 9