N.Y. Film Critics court ‘King’

“Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the third installment of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy, was voted best picture of the year Monday by the New York Film Critics Circle.

The New York critics had shut out the previous two “Lord of the Ring” movies, “The Fellowship of the Ring” in 2001 and “The Two Towers” last year.

The 34-member New York group that consists of critics from daily and weekly newspapers and magazines voted Bill Murray best actor for his performance in the comedy “Lost in Translation” as an American movie actor in Tokyo to make a commercial. This marks the second time the former “Saturday Night Live” star has been singled out by the group. He won for supporting actor five years ago for the comedy “Rushmore.”

“Lost in Translation” also won best director for Sofia Coppola. It is only the second time since the critics’ group was formed in 1935 that a woman has won for best director; Coppola is the first American. New Zealand-born Jane Campion won a decade ago for “The Piano.” Coincidentally, Coppola’s father, director Francis Ford Coppola of “The Godfather” trilogy fame, has never received an award from the New York Film Critics.

Independent film favorite Hope Davis won best actress for both “American Splendor” and “The Secret Lives of Dentists” for playing diametrically different women, beating out such early favorites as Diane Keaton, who won the National Board of Review for “Something’s Gotta Give,” and Nicole Kidman for “Cold Mountain.”

Shohreh Aghdashloo received best supporting actress for her performance in “House of Sand and Fog” as an ill-fated Iranian immigrant living with her family in San Francisco. And Eugene Levy won best supporting actor for his comedic turn as a former ‘60s folk singer in “The Mighty Wind.”

Craig Lucas was awarded best screenplay for “The Secret Lives of Dentists” and Harris Savides was chosen best cinematographer for two films he made with director Gus Van Sant, “Elephant” and “Gerry.”

Save for “Lord of the Rings,” the critics’ group shied away from big-budget, high profile films.

Noticeably missing from the New York Film Critics Circle choices were such front-runners as “Mystic River,” which was named best of the year by the National Board of Review; “In America”; “The Last Samurai”; “Cold Mountain”; “Finding Nemo”; “21 Grams”; and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” These films, though, are expected to dominate the Golden Globe nominations, which will be announced Thursday in Beverly Hills.

And in recent years, the New York Film Critics Circle and the Academy Awards rarely have agreed on a best film. The last time was a decade ago when both chose Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List.”

Last year, Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven” was chosen by the New York critics’ group as best of the year; David Lynch’s “Mulholland Dr.” was chosen best of 2001.

Others honored by the New York critics group included: best foreign film, “City of God”; best first film, “American Splendor”; best animated film, “The Triplets of Belleville”; and best nonfiction film, “Capturing the Friedmans.”