NEW YORK — David Lynch's twisting, turning "Mulholland Drive" is the best movie of 2001, according to the New York Film Critics Circle.
The group on Thursday also bestowed top acting honors on Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek for their starring roles in "In the Bedroom." Todd Field's story of a grieving Maine couple also was named best first film.
The English ensemble comedy "Gosford Park" won best screenplay, best director for Robert Altman, and best supporting actress for Helen Mirren.
John Anderson, chief film critic for Newsday and the group's president, said he expected "Mulholland Drive" would be the winner before voting began.
The movie stars Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring in a dark tale of obsession, danger and amnesia in Hollywood.
"It had a lot of support coming out of the New York Film Festival," Anderson said. "Lynch is kind of an idiosyncratic filmmaker who appeals to our idiosyncratic membership."
Tom O'Neil of Goldder-by.com, which tracks Oscar predictions, said choosing "Mulholland Drive" was "a shockeroo."
"Some consider it a masterpiece. Some consider it a mess," O'Neil said. "What this award means is Oscar voters have to consider it seriously."
Last year, the group picked "Traffic" as the top movie and Steven Soderbergh as best director. The film went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best picture, and Soderbergh won the Oscar for best director.
Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is composed of critics from the city's daily and weekly publications.
The other winners:
— Best supporting actor: Steve Buscemi, "Ghost World."
— Best cinematographer: Christopher Doyle and Pin Bing Lee, "In the Mood for Love."
— Best foreign film: "In the Mood for Love."
— Best nonfiction film: "The Gleaners and I."
— Best animated film: "Waking Life."
On the Net: New York Film Critics Circle: www.nyfcc.org.