For the second year, an unincorporated, ad hoc group of local film press have pooled their cinematic opinions and come up with a list of Seattle Film Critics Awards saluting the top cinematic achievements of the twelve-month just ending.
The results, announced Dec. 18, heavily favor the so-called independent cinema, those lower-budget, often commercially marginal films that cross Hollywood's radar only if and when they are acquired for distribution by a subsidiary of one of the major studios.
"American Splendor," a multilayered biopic of underground comic-book luminary Harvey Pekar that features not only mixed media but an intermingling of real-life personalities and the actors who are playing them, was voted best picture by the widest margin of the day. It also won a best-actress award for Hope Davis (playing the last-to-date of Pekar's several wives) and best-adapted-screenplay award for the writing-directing team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
Paul Giamatti, who brilliantly plays Pekar, came in second in the best-actor category: the winner was Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation." Critics groups have a better track record than the Motion Picture Academy when it comes to honoring excellence in comic performers; Murray has been honored for his work in "Groundhog Day" and "Rushmore," but never even nominated for an Oscar.
Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford ("The Godfather") Coppola, won both the directing and the original-screenplay awards for her sophomore effort, "Lost in Translation."
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" took awards for Sean Astin as best supporting actor and Andrew Lesnie's cinematography, but was edged out in best direction and adapted screenplay. There was speculation that it would have won more awards if more than a portion of the participating voters had been given the chance to attend the pre-release screening.
Marcia Gay Harden was named best supporting actress for her work in Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River." Best music went to the Christopher Guest folk-music satire "A Mighty Wind"; best documentary, "Capturing the Friedmans"; best animation, "The Triplets of Belleville." Patrice Le-conte's "The Man on the Train," from France, was judged best foreign-language film, Rialto Pictures was voted an honorary award for its restorations of the French classics "Le Cercle Rouge," "Quai des Orfèvres" and "Touchez pas à Grisbi," and veteran British character actor Christopher Lee was acclaimed as a "Living Treasure."
The 14 voters (down by a dozen from last year's cadre) were: Soren Andersen, (Tacoma) News Tribune; Mike Anderton, Seattle Gay News; Tim Appelo, Seattle Weekly; William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Sean Axmaker, P-I; Sheila Benson, Seattle Weekly; John Hartl, The Seattle Times; Robert Horton, The (Everett) Herald; Richard T. Jameson, Queen Anne News; Moira Macdonald, Times; Brian Miller, Seattle Weekly; Paula Nechak, P-I; Mark Rahner, Times; and Bradley Steinbacher, The Stranger.
The group first voted for up to three candidates of their own individual choosing in each category, then voted for up to three candidates among the five top vote-getters (six, in some instances of a tie) in each category.
The Seattle Film Critics Awards are sponsored and organized, but not dictated, by Parallax View: A Film Society, a local, nonprofit group of film enthusiasts.
-Richard T. Jameson
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