New York Film Critics Circle Winners

[Anon]

I just finished reading this lengthy interview with Mr. White in which he expands on that sentiment, and how.

Excellent interview! Mr. White is spot on and now a new hero of mine!

Favorite quote: "Nobody's painting in caves anymore... Can't go back there. But you've got paper and pencil. If you're an artist, that's sufficient."

[Big Magilla]

Add Deborah Kerr to the list of NY 3-timers.

And Liv Ullmann.

[Eric]

Oh, I see what happened there.

[Penelope]

All Fall, I've been assuming Atonement would get stronger raves, based on a limited sample, and a few dissenters (esp. Richard Corliss, who HATES the film)

He does?!

Perhaps Tee means he hates There Will Be Blood?

[Eric]

All Fall, I've been assuming Atonement would get stronger raves, based on a limited sample, and a few dissenters (esp. Richard Corliss, who HATES the film)

He does?!

[Damien]

Add Deborah Kerr to the list of NY 3-timers.

[Mister Tee]

Just to show there are all kinds of perspectives out there: Jeff Wells is quoting some supposed DGA member who thinks the two locks now are Cotillard and Holbrook. OH-kay...

A few last thoughts on the NY results:

Christie and Day-Lewis, almost unnoticed, each became three-time winners at NY -- Christie had a nearly quarter-century head start, winning in '65 and '97; Day-Lewis took prizes in '89 and '02. Considering how near-impossible it is to win three Oscars, it's startling how many three-time lead winners there are in NY's history: Ingrid Bergman, Joanne Woodward, Sissy Spacek, DeNiro, Lancaster -- with Nicholson the leader at 4 (plus two supporting wins).

Speaking of threes...the Coens pulled off what's become a rare trifecta of film, director and screenplay. I don't have a source to check this against, but memory tells me it's become a literally once-a-decade phenomenon -- achieved last by Annie Hall in '77, Broadcast News in '87 and LA Confidential in '97. Numerologists take note (and place your '17 bets now).

There Will Be Blood's second-place showing indicates it's not a just-LA phenomenon -- something I would have known had I read Denby's, Ansen's and Edelstein's enthusiastic notices beforehand. Sonic made a good point earlier this season, about how a few critics can mislead us into assuming a consensus -- and this is especially true when a film has not yet entered general release. All Fall, I've been assuming Atonement would get stronger raves, based on a limited sample, and a few dissenters (esp. Richard Corliss, who HATES the film) wrongly led me to believe Blood would be middlingly-reviewed.

Incidentally, though Sweeney hasn't figured in many post-season awards, don't assume that means critics are lukewarm -- Edelstein and Ansen were both wild about it, as well.

[Akash]

A few years ago there was that notorious vote for Tom Cruise as best actress in "Vanilla Sky."

Which is ridiculous of course. Everyone knows the Best Actress in that film was Jason Lee.

[Sonic Youth]

Come on, Tee, you know better than to call sure bets this early...I'm quite surprised at you...do you not remember Virginia Madsen.

She had New York AND Los Angeles plus 12 other precursors.

One of them not being the National Board of Review.

Go, Amy!

[The fifth Beatle]

...

[anonymous1980]

New York Film Critics Circle stats courtesy of Big Ted from Backstage:

Best Picture:
2006: United 93*
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2004: Sideways
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2002: Far From Heaven*
2001: Mulholland Drive*
2000: Traffic
1999: Topsy Turvy*
1998: Saving Private Ryan
1997: L.A. Confidential
1996: Fargo

Best Director:
2006: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
2005: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
2004: Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
2003: Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation
2002: Todd Haynes, Far From Heaven*
2001: Robert Altman, Gosford Park
2000: Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich and Traffic
1999: Mike Leigh, Topsy Turvy*
1998: Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line
1997: Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential
1996: Lars Von Trier, Breaking the Waves*

Best Lead Actor:
2006: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
2005: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
2004: Paul Giamatti, Sideways*
2003: Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
2002: Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
2001: Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom
2000: Tom Hanks, Cast Away
1999: Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story
1998: Nick Nolte, Affliction
1997: Peter Fonda, Ulee's Gold
1996: Geoffrey Rush, Shine

Best Lead Actress:
2006: Helen Mirren, The Queen
2005: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
2004: Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
2003: Hope Davis, American Splendor and The Secret Lives of Dentists*
2002: Diane Lane, Unfaithful
2001: Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom
2000: Laura Linney, You Can Count On Me
1999: Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry
1998: Cameron Diaz, There's Something About Mary*
1997: Julie Christie, Afterglow
1996: Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves

Best Supporting Actor:
2006: Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
2005: William Hurt, A History of Violence
2004: Clive Owen, Closer
2003: Eugene Levy, A Mighty Wind*
2002: Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven*
2001: Steve Buscemi, Ghost World*
2000: Benicio del Toro, Traffic
1999: John Malkovich, Being John Malkovich*
1998: Bill Murray, Rushmore*
1997: Burt Reynolds, Boogie Nights
1996: Harry Belafonte, Kansas City*

Best Supporting Actress:
2006: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
2005: Maria Bello, A History of Violence*
2004: Virginia Madsen, Sideways
2003: Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog
2002: Patricia Clarkson, Far From Heaven*
2001: Helen Mirren, Gosford Park
2000: Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock
1999: Catherine Keener, Being John Malkovich
1998: Lisa Kudrow, The Opposite of Sex*
1997: Joan Cusack, In & Out
1996: Courtney Love, The People vs Larry Flynt*

Best Screenplay:
2006: The Queen
2005: The Squid and the Whale
2004: Sideways
2003: The Secret Lives of Dentists*
2002: Adaptation.
2001: Gosford Park
2000: You Can Count on Me
1999: Election
1998: Shakespeare In Love
1997: L.A. Confidential
1996: Mother*

* = Not Nominated At the Oscars
Bold = Won Oscar

[Damien]

Thanks for the link, Rain. Love this sentiment:

Lumet is "one of the most slovenly filmmakers in the history of the medium! . . . Sidney Lumet has never known what he's doing."

I also appreciate his comments on Didley Squat:

AW: Ridley Scott's a hack as well. The television visual sense. That's why Blade Runner doesn't hold up.

SB: Oooh.

AW: Of course. It's television. It was impressive for a moment, like, uh, June of 1982 to July of 1983. Then everybody copied. There's nothing in Blade Runner now that's impressive. Nothing.

SB: (staring in disbelief)

AW: Easily imitated, cuz Ridley Scott's a hack!

SB: The cinematography, the production design.

AW: Art direction, not film direction.

SB: You mean all that shining spotlights through the slats, the rain--

AW: Yeah, its garbage now.

[rain Bard]

I just finished reading this lengthy interview with Mr. White in which he expands on that sentiment, and how.



Edited By rain Bard on 1197358280

[Damien]

Armond White is my new hero.

From Jeffrey Wells's site:

N.Y. Press critic Armond White gave a passionate speech arguing against the proposed Lifetime Achievement Award for director Sidney Lumet (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead) on the grounds that Lumet sucks and always has.

[anonymous1980]

Last year's voting session was marred by a hissy fit from New York Observer critic Rex Reed over "United 93" winning best pic, but "Rex was fairly pleased with the results today," one member reports. "Rex got pissy about a few little things, but nothing major."

I read somewhere he got one vote for Best Supporting Actor for his cameo in Superman back in the 70's.

Bravo to Amy Ryan. I think she's a front-runner to get at least a nomination now. I just hope she won't be the only nominee from Gone Baby Gone.