Thanks to Dan Bennett for the following information regarding this year's movie awards decided upon by the San Diego Film Critics Society on December 18. 

No Country for Old Men was voted Best Film of 2007. The film, directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, tells the story of men pursuing stolen drug money in West Texas during the ‘80s, a study in desperate aspirations and lost dreams, also seeking to define the new American west.

The society’s critics, comprising print, television, radio and Internet critics working in San Diego County, voted Paul Thomas Anderson as Best Director for his epic film There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a California oilman whose single-minded pursuit of success overpowers all. Day-Lewis was honored by the critics as Best Actor for his larger-than-life performance.

Voted as Best Actress was Julie Christie for her turn in Away from Her as a woman slowly devastated by Alzheimer’s . Earning the Best Supporting Actress nod was Amy Ryan for her performance as the outspoken mother in Gone Baby Gone.  The critics voted Tommy Lee Jones as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the world-weary lawman in No Country for Old Men.

The critics honored Diablo Cody for Best Original Screenplay for her quick-witted Juno, while honoring Anderson for Best Adapted Screenplay for “There Will Be Blood,” based on the Upton Sinclair book “Oil!”

Chosen as Best Foreign Language Film was the Julian Schnabel-directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

The critics voted the Disney-Pixar film Ratatouille as Best Animated Film.

There was a tie for Best Documentary, with votes split between Crazy Love, the story of the bizarre relationship between Burt and Linda Pugach; and Deep Water, recounting the intrigue behind a 1968 around-the-world boat race.

For Best Cinematography honors, the critics chose veteran Roger Deakins for his work on No Country for Old Men, while honoring Dante Ferretti for Best Production Design for his work on the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Winner of the Best Editing award went to Paul Tothill for his efforts on the film Atonement.

Winning for Best Score was Jonny Greenwood for his challenging, often dissonant music in There Will Be Blood. The cast of No Country for Old Men was honored for Best Ensemble Performance.

The critics honored Christian Bale for Body of Work during 2007, citing the actor's performances in the films 3:10 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn and I’m Not There.

The critics chose retired Point Loma High School teacher Larry Zeiger to receive the annual Kyle Counts Award. The award, named after the late San Diego film critic, honors those who have made a contribution to film in the city.

LIST OF WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP

BEST FILM: No Country for Old Men

Runner-up: There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

Runners-up: Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

BEST ACTRESS: Julie Christie (Away from Her)

Runner-up: Ellen Page (Juno)

BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

Runners-up: (tie) Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises), Russell Crowe (3:10 to Yuma)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

Runner-up: Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men)

Runner-up: Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Diablo Cody  (Juno)

Runners-up: Gerard Soeteman and Paul Verhoeven (Black Book)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:  Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

Runners-up: (tie) Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men), Christopher Hampton (Atonement)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Runner-up: The Orphanage

BEST DOCUMENTARY: (tie) Crazy Love, Deep Water

BEST ANIMATED FILM: Ratatouille

Runners-up: (tie) Persepolis, Paprika

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men)

Runner-up: Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Dante Ferretti (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

Runner-up: Sarah Greenwood (Atonement)

BEST EDITOR: Paul Tothill (Atonement)

Runners-up: Christopher Rouse (The Bourne Ultimatum), Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men), John Gilroy (Michael Clayton)

BEST SCORE: Jonny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood)

Runner-up: Dario Marianelli (Atonement)

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE: No Country for Old Men

BODY OF WORK: Christian Bale (3:10 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn, I’m Not There)

KYLE COUNTS AWARD: Larry Zeiger, retired Point Loma High School teacher