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L.A. Critics Pick 'Sideways' as Year's Top Movie
2004-12-12
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Saturday named "Sideways," about two men searching for love in California's wine country, as the year's best film and Clint Eastwood's female boxing movie "Million Dollar Baby" as the runner-up.The picks come two days ahead of nominations for the widely watched Golden Globe Awards, which are given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and help narrow the list of films competing for the top film awards in the United States, the Oscars, in February. "Sideways" earned the No. 1 spot in four other categories, including best director for Alexander Payne, screenplay for Payne and Jim Taylor, supporting actress for Virginia Madsen and supporting actor for Thomas Haden Church. Britain's Imelda Staunton was named best actress for her portrayal as an abortionist in "Vera Drake," and Irish actor Liam Neeson was handed the best actor honor for playing U.S. sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey in "Kinsey." Honors from critics and movie writers such as those in the Los Angeles group often indicate the year's top films, and are closely watched by voters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars. Earlier this month, another U.S. group, the National Board of Review, named "Finding Neverland," a fictional film about "Peter Pan" author J.M. Barrie, as 2004's top movie and Howard Hughes drama "The Aviator" as the No. 2 pick. Also included in its top 10 films were "Sideways" and "Million Dollar Baby." RUNNERS-UP The L.A. critics picked "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti, who portrays a man as in love with a good glass of wine as he still is with his ex-wife, as runner-up for best actor. Julie Delpy in drama "Before Sunset" was the No. 2 actress behind Staunton. Supporting actress and actor runners-up, respectively, were Cate Blanchett for two movies, "The Aviator" and "Coffee and Cigarettes," and Morgan Freeman for "Million Dollar Baby." Martin Scorsese was behind Payne for directing Howard Hughes drama, "The Aviator," and Charlie Kaufman was in the No. 2 spot to Payne and Taylor for his screenplay of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." Martial arts film "House of Flying Daggers" was named best foreign language film by the Los Angeles critics, and "The Motorcycle Diaries," about the early life of revolutionary Che Guevara, was the runner-up. Other notable winners included director Brad Bird for animation for box office smash "The Incredibles. National Board of Review pick "Born into Brothels" edged out director Michael Moore's controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11" to be the Los Angeles critics' best documentary. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association will honor the winners of their 30th annual awards at a dinner on January 13. Reuters
L.A. Critics Name 'Sideways' Best Film .c The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) - ``Sideways,'' a quirky comedy about two friends on a road trip through California's wine country, was picked as 2004's best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the group announced Saturday. The movie won four other awards: best director for Alexander Payne; best supporting actor for Thomas Haden Church; best supporting actress for Virginia Madsen; and best screenplay, which was written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Top acting honors went to Imelda Staunton of the abortion drama ``Vera Drake'' and Liam Neeson of the sex-researcher biopic ``Kinsey.'' ``Sideways'' co-star Paul Giamatti was runner-up for best actor. He also starred in ``American Splendor,'' which was the critics association's choice for best movie last year. The best film runner-up was ``Million Dollar Baby,'' directed by Clint Eastwood, who also starred as a gym owner who trains a female boxer. The best director runner-up was Martin Scorsese for ``The Aviator.'' The runner-up for best actress was Julie Delpy of ``Before Sunset,'' a sequel to the 1995 cult hit ``Before Sunrise.'' Runners-ups for supporting actress and actor were Cate Blanchett of ``The Aviator'' and ``Coffee & Cigarettes'' and Morgan Freeman of ``Million Dollar Baby.'' The runner-up for best screenplay was ``Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' by Charlie Kaufman. The awards ceremony was scheduled for Jan. 13 in Los Angeles. Last year, the critics group initially canceled its awards to protest a ban on special video copies of competing films that studios traditionally sent to Academy Awards voters and other groups that bestow movie honors, including critics. Studios implemented the ban in fall 2002 over worries that bootleggers might use the videos to make counterfeit copies. The Los Angeles critics rescheduled their awards after a judge lifted the ban in a lawsuit brought by independent producers, who said the awards videos helped their lower-budgeted movies compete against big studio films. Other 2004 picks: Foreign-language film: ``House of Flying Daggers.'' Documentary/nonfiction film: ``Born into Brothels.'' Production design: Dante Ferretti, ``The Aviator.'' Animation: Brad Bird, ``The Incredibles.'' Music-score: Michael Giacchino, ``The Incredibles.'' Cinematography: Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron, ``Collateral.'' Career achievement: Jerry Lewis. New generation: Joshua Marston, writer and director of ``Maria Full of Grace.'' Douglas Edwards experimental/independent film/video: ``Star-Spangled to Death'' by Ken Jacobs. Special citation: Brian Jamieson of Warner Brothers and Richard Schickel for the reconstruction of Samuel Fuller's 1980 ``The Big Red One.'' AP
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