This organization just named Mystic River best movie of 2003. How can they do this when no one’s even seen ROTK (I know, I know - my fave won’t win any awards), Last Tom Cruise, Cold Mountain, etc.??
Easy. They don’t follow the calendar year. Those titles will be considered for the 2004 awards.
Also, some critics have seen ROTK, Last Samurai, and Cold Mountain. Press screenings can take place weeks before general release, especially for nationally based critics who require long lead times.
No, they have seen all those films (they get early screening opportunities).
LOTR:ROTK did win something from them (see below). NBR lists a top 10 (not just a Best Film). Here they are (in order):
Mystic River
The Last Samurai
The Station Agent
21 Grams
House of Sand and Fog
Lost in Translation
Cold Mountain
In America
Seabiscuit
Master and Commander
LOTR’s omission from this list is a bit eye-opening (especially with the inclusion of the absurd Seabiscuit).
The rest:
Top Five Foreign Films
Barbarian Invasions
Best of Youth
Monsieur Ibrahim
Autumn Spring
Man on the Train
Top Five Documentaries
The Fog of War
Capturing the Friedmans
My Architect
Winged Migration
Spellbound (these last 2 were nominated for last year’s Oscars)
Best Actor
Sean Penn, Mystic River and 21 Grams
Best Actress
Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give
Best Supporting Actor
Alec Baldwin, The Cooler
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April and The Station Agent
Best Acting by an Ensemble
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Breakthrough Performance Actor
Paul Giamatti, American Splendor
Breakthrough Performance Actress
Charlize Theron, Monster
Best Director
Edward Zwick, The Last Samurai
Best Directorial Debut
Vadim Perelman, House of Sand and Fog
Best Adapted Screenplay
Cold Mountain, Anthony Minghella
Best Original Screenplay
In America, Jim Sheridan, Naomi & Kirsten Sheridan
Best Animated Feature
Finding Nemo
The only films they were too late to review for the awards were Peter Pan, Paycheck, Stuck On You and Cheaper by the Dozen.
I like how they spread the awards around, even though they completely ignored Big Fish and Whale Rider, two of the best films of the year.
I’m glad they recognized Lost In Translation and In America.
Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers weren’t on their Top 10 lists the last 2 years either.
I don’t know who these people are (does anyone?) and their only claim to fame, as far as I can see, is that they’re the first “group” to announce their awards.