by Joal Ryan
Jack is back--in the winner's circle.
Three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson was named Best Actor; his latest vehicle, the serio-comic About Schmidt, Best Film, per the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Nicholson shared his honor with Daniel Day-Lewis, also tapped Best Actor for his turn as a 19th century villain in Martin Scorsese's much- anticipated Gangs of New York.
The critics association, comprised of some 50 L.A.-based movie reviewers, announced its awards Saturday night. It is the second major group, after the National Board of Review, to issue best-of picks for 2002. L.A.'s New York counterparts are set to announce their awards Monday. Then on Thursday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association gets the Oscar race going big-time with nominations for the 60th annual Golden Globes.
With just two groups weighing in so far, it's a bit early to declare Oscar front-runners. But it's not too early to see that Julianne Moore's name is likely to come up at Academy time.
Like the NBR before it, the L.A. critics named Moore Best Actress for the 1950s-style melodrama Far from Heaven. And the group did the NBR one better, also honoring Moore as Best Actress in the art-house drama The Hours.
Last week, Moore scored a Best Actress nomination for Far From Heaven from the so-called indie Oscars, aka the IFP Independent Spirit Awards.
In addition to winners, the L.A. critics also single out the top runners-up. In the Best Film race, Far From Heaven was on About Schmidt's tail. In the Best Actress category, Isabelle Huppert placed second to Moore for the sex drama The Piano Teacher.
Because Nicholson and Day-Lewis tied in the Best Actor race, there was no runner-up named there.
NBR fave Chris Cooper scored his second win of the pre-Oscar season, named Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of an eccentric orchid thief in Adaptation. Christopher Walken emerged as the runner-up, for playing Leonardo DiCaprio's dad in the Steven Spielberg caper flick, Catch Me If You Can.
Edie Falco's named surfaced for the first time this young awards season. 'The Sopranos' matriarch was named Best Aupporting Actress for the indie drama Sunshine State. Kathy Bates, NBR's pick in this category for About Schmidt, was selected the runner-up.
About Schmidt, which is, well, about a guy named Schmidt (Nicholson) who retires and roams the country in an ungodly sized Winnebago, earned Best Screenplay honors for director Alexander Payne and writing partner Jim Taylor. (Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation, credited to Kaufman and his fictitious twin brother Donald, was runner-up.)
While lauding Payne's writing, the L.A. critics snubbed his directing. He was neither named Best Director (that went to Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar for Talk to Her), or runner-up (Todd Haynes for Far from Heaven).
The awards are to be presented January 15 in a ceremony in Santa Monica, California.
Here's a rundown of the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association's 28th annual awards:
© 2002 E! Online