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Story by: Jack Foley
THE New York Critics’ Circle has named the final instalment
in The Lord of the Rings trilogy as the best picture of the year,
bolstering its chances of an Oscar clean-up.
The Return of the King
was described as ‘epic film-making’, by the group's
chairman, Andrew Johnston, and is now seen as a firm favourite
for Oscar glory.
He added that the Lord of the Rings trilogy had been ‘far
better than anyone could have imagined’, and declared that
the finale was in keeping with previous winners chosen by the
New York critics.
"It's just beautifully made, it's pure cinema, it does everything,"
he wrote, in his capacity as a film critic for Radar magazine.
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Author, Tom O'Neil, pointed out that whenever the critics’
circle named a big film as its favourite, such as Schindler’s
List or The Silence of the Lambs, it generally goes ‘all
the way’.
Another popular selection was Bill Murray, as best actor, for
Lost In Translation,
while the film's director, Sofia Coppola, took the best director
prize.
Hope Davis, meanwhile, won best actress, for her roles in American
Splendor and The
Secret Life of Dentists, the latter of which also took best
script.
The best foreign film was named as Brazilian crime drama, City
of God, which looks set to top the lists of many UK film critics
in their year-end round-up.
The New York Critics’ Circle awards are voted by film critics
from the Big Apple’s newspapers and magazines.
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