NY Film Critics Tap ‘Lord of the Rings’ Year’s Best
NEW YORK (Reuters) – “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the final installment of a cinematic trilogy based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, was named best picture of the year on Monday by the New York Film Critics Circle.
The off-beat comedy “Lost In Translation,” from Focus Features, won a pair of major awards doled out by the critics, with Bill Murray named best actor and Sofia Coppola taking best director honors.
Hope Davis took the best actress award for her performances in “American Splendor,” and “The Secret Lives of Dentists.”
The film critics group, which has been issuing awards since 1935, is comprised of 35 New York-based film critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and magazines.
More than 40 percent of the film critics’ choices for best picture have gone on to win the Oscars in the same category.
Shohreh Aghdashloo was named best supporting actress for “House of Sand and Fog,” while Eugene Levy was named best supporting actor for “A Mighty Wind.”
The Brazilian movie “City of God” was named best foreign film.
Film Critics Circle chairman Andrew Johnston, of Radar Magazine, said there had been a slew of close contests.
“I think the degree the wealth was spread around reflected how close much of the voting was,” said Johnston. “All the movies that won something were strong contenders in a number of categories.”
Johnston would not give out specific details of the multi-round balloting, but said the best picture award for “The Lord of the Rings,” was “reasonably decisive,” and in his view appropriately so.
“It is easily the best of the three,” Johnston said of the New Line Cinemas adventure trilogy shot in New Zealand. “It’s amazing epic film making.”
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