by David Rooney
NEW YORK (Variety) - It's official: The race for the best-picture Oscar is wide open.
The New York Film Critics Circle choice Monday for best picture, Far From Heaven, spread the buzz around. It was the fourth different picture choice from critics offered up so far.
Earlier wins went to The Hours (National Board of Review), About Schmidt (Los Angeles) and The Pianist (Boston), while individual critics' top-ten lists are full of disparate choices for best pictures of the year.
Also over the weekend, the American Film Institute came out with its top ten list and Gotham's online crix clicked on Chicago as picture of the year.
The NYFCC also gave its director nod to Heaven helmer Todd Haynes, adding to the luster of three Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. honors picked up over the weekend.
Five NYFCC awards went to the Focus Features release about a 1950s Connecticut housewife whose seemingly perfect world unravels when she discovers her husband is gay and finds herself drawn to their sensitive black gardener.
In addition to picture and director honors, Dennis Quaid and Patricia Clarkson took the supporting actor and supporting actress nods, respectively. Edward Lachman landed cinematography honors for his retro-styled work on the film.
While Heaven star Julianne Moore was considered a sure thing for actress kudos, she was nudged out for that award by Diane Lane in Fox's Unfaithful.
Daniel Day-Lewis landed the actor prize for Miramax's Gangs of New York; that category emerged as the most contentious during the voting process and the only one to go to a fourth ballot. Day-Lewis narrowly beat out Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt. The two actors shared the L.A. critics' prize.
Charlie Kaufman and his fictitious frere Donald Kaufman shared the screenplay nod for Sony Pictures Classics release Adaptation, while Artisan's Roger Dodger, from director Dylan Kidd, took first film kudos.
Another Artisan release, Paul Justman's Standing in the Shadows of Motown, received the prize for nonfiction film.
Duplicating the Los Angeles critics' vote, Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron's hit IFC Films release Y Tu Mama Tambien was awarded the foreign-language film prize, besting Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her from Sony Pictures Classics.
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away took the nod for animated feature, indicating that the Disney pickup may provide some awards competition for the studio's homegrown pics.
NYFCC president Marshall Fine confirmed that the voting process was an unusually speedy and harmonious one this year, with most awards decided on the second ballot and one on the first. The consensus on Far From Heaven was particularly strong, he added.
"Even though it's always the case to a certain extent, this year more than ever it seems like there are a lot of very strong films coming out in the last month of the year," Fine told Daily Variety.
"There's so much competition for people's attention, it's inevitable that some very good work is going to be passed over. I'm worried that some of these films won't be given the time they need to gain an audience."
© 2002 Reuters