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Nailing three film critics awards for best picture, the tale about an oil man infected with greed, "There Will Be Blood", was once again hailed as the Best Picture of 2007 by another film critics. On Saturday, January 5, 2008 at Sardi's Restaurant in New York, it was given the top honor by the the National Society of Film Critics.

The Paul Thomas Anderson directed-film outshone Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men". Aside from nailing the best picture, it also brought praise for Anderson as the Best Director beating out Schnabel and the Coen brothers who were tied in the runner-up position for the honor.

The adaptation film also brought kudos to the film's ruthless oil baron, Daniel Day-Lewis, and to its cinematographer, Robert Elswit. The two men received awards for Best Actor and Best Cinematography respectively.

Meanwhile, the prize for Best Actress went to Julie Christie for her performance as a woman drifting into Alzheimer's in "Away From Her". Further, Cate Blanchett for her role in "I'm Not There" and Casey Affleck for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" were named Best Supporting Actress and Actor respectively.

On the occasion, the society that was founded in 1966 by a group of New York City based film critics also named John Gianvito's "Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind" as Best Experimental Film and recognized "Ford at Fox", a Fox Home Video's 21-disc collection of films by John Ford, with Film Heritage Award.

Here's the list of the 2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards' winners and runners-up:

• Best Picture: "There Will Be Blood"; Runner-up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"; Runners-up: Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") and Joel and Ethan Coen ("No Country for Old Men")
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Runners-up: Frank Langella ("Starting Out in the Evening") and Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Savages" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead")
• Best Actress: Julie Christie, "Away from Her"; Runners-up: Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") and Anamaria Marinca ("4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days")
• Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Runners-up: Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men") and Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Charlie Wilson's War")
• Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There; Runners-up: Amy Ryan ("Gone Baby Gone" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") and Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton")
• Best Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"; Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood")
• Best Cinematography: Robert Elswit, "There Will Be Blood"; Runners-up: Janusz Kaminski ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") and Roger Deakins ("No Country for Old Men")
• Best Documentary: "No End in Sight"; Runners-up: "Sicko" and "Terror's Advocate"
• Best Foreign Film: "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"; Runners-up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "Persepolis"