Day-Lewis film
And the award goes to There Will Be blood.
The epic drama has bagged the National Society of Film Critics' (NSFC) Awards in the USA.
Not only was There Will Be blood named the movie of the year, it also ushered in Paul Thomas Anderson as the best director and brought Daniel Day-Lewis the best actor award for his role as the oil prospector.
The awards also saw Julie Christie receiving the best actress award for her role in Away From Her. Other winners included Cate Blanchett and Casey Affleck for best supporting roles in other productions of 2007.
The best screenplay went to Tamara Jenkins for the comic drama The Savages starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.
The National Society of Film Critics includes 61 members from various leading US publications and a variety of entertainment websites. It was formed by a group of film critics in New York in 1966 when they were denied membership to the New York Film Critics circle. The eminent members are well respected film critics and are known for agreeing with the Oscars. In fact, there have been only four instances in the past forty years when the Academy awards matched the NSFC awards in terms of selecting the same movies. They are known to select more foreign films than US based ones.
NFSC also represents USA at the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) which is a body comprising of national level film critic organizations and film journalists across more than 50 countries.
The awards also included:
a. The best foreign language film Romanian Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days.
b. The best non-fiction production was No End in Sight a film that dealt with US foreign policy with emphasis on Iraq (documentary).
c. Best supporting actor Casey Affleck for his role in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
d. Best supporting actress Cate Blanchett for the role of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There.
The best film There Will Be Blood is to be released across the United States on the 15th of February and tells the story of a business man who is desperate to make money from oil. The film has been described as "grim" and "gritty" and is expected to do well at the box office.
The story as told by Paul Thomas Anderson has a backdrop of the early 20th Century and is also nominated for the best drama in the upcoming Golden Globe awards. It is also being predicted to take the best picture award at the Oscars in February. It is expected to be a strong contender in the category. While Daniel Day-Lewiss oil prospector won the critics award, he also won the Desert Palm achievement award in California as a part of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
