LA critics name 'Blood' Best Pic, snub 'No Country'
The Envelope grabbed the scoop on the LAFCA winners.First and foremost, Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" got a giant kiss and a HUGE Oscar boost from the group, taking down four wins, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
There was no love for "No Country for Old Men," which stuns me, frankly. Not even in the runner-up arenas. I spoke to a colleague last week who predicted the critics groups might shy away from the film with the NBR tapping it as the best film of the year, but I shrugged that thought off in a hurry.
Anyway, regardless of all of that, this show of solidarity for Anderson's film is significant to say the least. The film came pretty close to sweeping, grabbing three runner-up mentions in addition to the four wins.
Also, Amy Ryans grabbed her third supporting actress win in as many awards announcements. Nothing so far for the perceived frontrunner coming into the season, Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" (aside from a runner-up mention from the LAFCA).
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" looks to have been the group's second-place fave, coming in just behind "Blood" in the Best Picture and Best Director categories. And as expected, the LAFCA went against the grain (typically willful) by going with Vlad Ivanov's supporting performance in "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days." It's a good choice, because Ivanov is so unsettling in the film.
Variety has a write-up. Here's the full list of winners:
Best Picture: "There Will Be Blood"
(runner-up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly")
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
(runner-up: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly")
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
(runner-up: Frank Langella, "Starting Out in the Evening")
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
(runner-up: Anamaria Marinca, "4 Months, 3 Months and 2 Days")
Best Supporting Actor: Vlad Ivanov, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
(runner-up: Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild")
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
(runner-up: Cate Blanchet, "I'm Not There")
Best Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"
(runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood")
Best Animation: (tie -- boooo) "Persepolis"/"Ratatouille"
Best Foreign Language Film: "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
(runner-up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly")
Best Documentary/Non-fiction Film: "No End in Sight"
(runner-up: "Sicko")
Best Production Design: Jack Fisk, "There Will Be Blood"
(runner-up: Dante Ferretti, "Sweeney Todd")
Best Music: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, "Once"
(runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, "There Will Be Blood")
Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
(runner-up: Robert Elswit, "There Will Be Blood")
Best Douglas Edwards Indie Award: "Colossal Youth" directed by Pedro Costa
Best Career Achievement: Sidney Lumet
Red Carpet District is Variety contributor Kristopher Tapley's attempt at making sense of the ever-expanding glut of film awards coverage. He's been on the beat for six years. Email 






Well, Sweeney Todd is done. Depp may still get the C/M Globe but that''s it. Sad part is, it isn''t even out and it''s officially dead.
Posted by: nme1 | 12/9/2007 7:18:02 PM
OH. MY. LORD. MARION. YES, YES, YES.... Also great to see Sidney Lumet win Career Achievement. How many directors ever get to the level of excellence that he has? Regardless of age? WELL DONE... I became interested in the Oscars at the age of 10. So I''ve been immersed in this craziness for approximately 20 years now. (Yeah, I KNOW...) I must say this. This is the most unpredictable year that I can ever recall - & the quality of films is beyond belief. It''s been extraordinarily rich & exceptional. I wonder what''s around the corner...
Posted by: Sherry | 12/9/2007 5:56:10 PM