The 2007 London Film Critics' Circle nominations were announced on Dec. 14.
On the positive side, the London critics tend to be more international than their American counterparts. On the negative side, the London critics' nominations — sub-divided into "best" and "best British" this or other — tend to get somewhat redundant.
The Queen, for instance, was nominated as both Film of the Year and Best British Film, while both Helen Mirren (above) and Judi Dench received double best actress nominations as well, for The Queen and Notes on a Scandal, respectively. (Curiously, Stephen Frears, whose The Queen is listed in no less than 7 categories, failed to receive a Best Director nomination. Frears had to content himself with a best British director nod. Also, I keep hoping that some group will list veteran Sylvia Syms in the best supporting actress category, but so far that hasn't happened.)
Among the more interesting choices of the London Film Critics are Richard Griffiths' appearance in the best actor shortlist for his superb portrayal of a kind-hearted teacher with a yen for (male) teenagers in The History Boys (above, with Dominic Cooper); best director nominees Alfonso Cuarón for the futuristic drama Children of Men and Guillermo del Toro for the violent fairy tale Pan's Labyrinth; and four nods for The Prestige, including best British director for Christopher Nolan and best British actor for Christian Bale. Nolan's quite silly sci-fi melodrama became a surprising box-office hit in the United States.
Also in the list are several American films released in the U.S. in 2005. The most curious thing about these nominations is that 2005 favorites such as Good Night and Good Luck. and Capote received only a passing acknowledgement from the London Critics: Good Night and Good Luck. got a best actor nod for David Strathairn, while Capote garnered two nominations, best actor for Philip Seymour Hoffman (above) and best screenplay for Dan Futterman. Without the Oscar hype, those films have clearly lost much of their award-worthiness. Else, they've dated rather rapidly.
The 2007 London Film Critics' Circle winners will be announced on Feb. 8, 2007.