King Triumphant

The film's not even out yet and already it's racking up the gongs. Peter Jackson received his first plaudit this week as the New York Film Critics Circle awarded Best Film to Return of the King, giving hope that, if there's justice in the world, everything from the Golden Globes to the Academy will finally recognise the genius of Jackson's creation. Best Director was denied the bearded filmmaker however, going instead to Sophia Coppola for the excellent Lost in Translation - the second time in NYFCC history that a woman has scooped the gong. Bill Murray likewise landed Best Actor for his role in the film. Hope Davis took Best Actress for her roles in American Splendour and Dentists while Eugene Levy was awarded Best Supporting Actor for A Mighty Wind and Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo Best Supporting Actress for House of Sand and Fog. Shoo-in, City of God took honours for Best Foreign Film. So there you have it, the awards season kicks off and it's already apparent how tight the Oscar race will be. With quality indie films like Lost in Translation vying with studio fare like Master and Commander, Cold Mountain and Seabiscuit, the path to glory will be littered with bloody corpses by the end. Let's just hope the true King receives its rightful rewards when the dust settles.