LA critics honour American Splendor
American Splendor, the film adaptation of hospital file clerk Harvey Pekar's cult comic book, has won the best picture award from the LA Film Critics Association.
Coming just three days after the phlegmatic tale of working class life won the equivalent gong from the National Society of Film Critics, the latest award establishes Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's movie as a serious contender for glory at next month's Academy Awards. The film also won the best screenplay award from both organisations, many of whose members also belong to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in Peter Jackson's fantasy trilogy, is the other movie currently building Oscar heat. LA's critics handed Jackson the best director gong, and he was also nominated for outstanding directorial achievement in feature film by the Directors Guild of America yesterday.
The other DGA nominees are Sofia Coppola for Lost In Translation, Clint Eastwood for Mystic River, Gary Ross for Seabiscuit and Peter Weir for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. All but six DGA award winners have gone on to win the coveted Oscar in the last 55 years.
The LA critics voted Bill Murray best actor for his performance in Lost in Translation, while Naomi Watts took best actress for 21 Grams.
· The Producers Guild of America has selected In America to receive the Stanley Kramer Award, which recognises a company, individual or production that addresses provocative social issues in an uplifting fashion.