Eastwood movie named best film

Clint Eastwood's boxing drama, "Million Dollar Baby" has been named the best movie of 2004, by a leading group of US film critics.

15:56 09 January 2005

Clint Eastwood's boxing drama, "Million Dollar Baby" has been named the best movie of 2004, by a leading group of US film critics.

The film, in which director Eastwood also stars, was picked by the National Society of Film Critics during their annual gathering at New York's Sardi's Restaurant, where critics from major US newspapers and magazines vote for their favourite movies and performances.

Eastwood's co-star, Hilary Swank shared the best actress title with Britain's Imelda Staunton, who was recognised for her role in the abortion drama "Vera Drake".

"Sideways", a comedy about two middle-aged men looking for love on a wine-soaked holiday in California, was named as the runner up in the battle for the title of this year's best movie. The film did however manage to scoop three top awards, including best supporting actor and actress for Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, and best screenplay.

The prize for best foreign language movie went to director Ousmane Sembene for Senegal's "Moolaade", while Chinese film maker Zhang Yimou was named best director for his martial arts film, "House of Flying Daggers."

Critics named Jamie Foxx as the year's best actor for two separate roles, that of soul singing legend Ray Charles in the biopic "Ray" and also for his portrayal of a taxi driver who is held hostage by a contract killer in "Collateral."

Early critical picks help to shape the list of potential nominees for the Oscars, the US film industry's top awards. So far "Million Dollar Baby", "Sideways" and the romance "Finding Neverland" have shared some critics' awards.