L.A. critics pick 'Brokeback Mountain'

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" best picture of 2005, and honored Lee as best director.

The runner-up for best picture was David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence."

The LAFCA honors are the first of the awards season. Normally, the National Board of Review leads off the annual movie awards season, but the organization's scheduled announcement was postponed from last Wednesday to Dec. 12 because of mistakes on ballots that were sent out to NBR members.

The Los Angeles critics named Vera Farmiga best actress for her performance in "Down to the Bone," and Phillip Seymour Hoffman best actor for his portrayal of the writer Truman Capote in "Capote."

Catherine Keener was named best supporting actress for "Capote," "Ballad of Jack and Rose," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "The Interpreter." William Hurt was named best supporting actor for "A History of Violence."

German filmmaker Michael Haneke's movie "Caché (Hidden)" won for best foreign language film. "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" won for best animated film.