'Blood' takes national critics prize

NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The National Society of Film Critics Saturday named "There Will Be Blood" best picture of 2007 in ceremonies in New York.

The movie cleaned up at the organization's annual awards ceremony, also winning best director for Paul Thomas Anderson, best actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, and best cinematography for Robert Elswit.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" finished second and "No Country for Old Men" was third in voting by the critics, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Julie Christie won for best actress for her performance as a woman afflicted by Alzheimer's disease in "Away From Her." Cate Blanchett was named best supporting actress for her performance as Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There" and Casey Affleck won for best supporting actor for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Tamara Jenkins won screenplay honors for "The Savages."

The prize for foreign-language film went to "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" from Romania, and the documentary award went to Charles Ferguson for his Iraq War-themed "No End in Sight."