NYFCC Best Picture voting, 2001

Don't know if there's a statute of limitations on this stuff, but since I'm no longer an active member I'm not sure what measures anyone could take. Anyway, 2001 was my first year as a voter, and I was excited enough about the privilege that I went to the goofy trouble of writing down complete voting information, literally everything. And then posted it to a members-only nerd group, where it still resides. So here it is, for those curious about how the sausage is made.

---

Rather than try to cram all this information into one endless post, I
think I'll go category by category, in the order in which we voted. Those
uninterested in voting minutiae should delete or ignore these articles as
quickly as they arrive on your server (which may not be all that quickly,
as it's kind of tedious work and I have stuff to get done tonight).

HOW THE VOTING WORKS: First ballot, everybody (including proxies) votes
for their top choice only. In order to win, the film or person must
appear on 50%+1 of all ballots cast. Needless to say, this almost never
happens, and it didn't happen once this year. However, those who read a
lot of different NY critics can have fun trying to work out whose vote is
whose.

Second ballot, everybody (includes proxies) votes for their top three (3)
choices in preferential order. First choice gets 3 points, second choice
2, third choice 1. In order to win, the film or person must (a) have the
highest point total *and* (b) appear on 50%+1 of all ballots cast. (I
recall only one instance in which these two criteria were met by two
separate films.)

Third ballot's the same as the second, except the proxies drop out and
everybody's reconfiguring their vote on the basis of which films or
performers are actually in the running. There are provisions for ballots
four and five, but this year we never went past the third.

Deliberation, incidentally, is nonexistent, unless a derisive snort when
a name is read aloud counts as deliberation.

As you'll see, IN THE BEDROOM had about ten diehard supporters -- enough
to give it the lead on ballots one and two -- but picked up virtually no
other adherents on the third ballot, when allegiances abruptly shift.
(For example, I gave up on MEMENTO on ballot three, since it was clearly
dead in the water, and threw my weight behind eventual winner DOCTOR
MULHOLLAND, as much to block the overrated IN THE BEDROOM as to honor
Lynch's excellent work. So much for voting my conscience down the
line...)


1st ballot
---------

In the Bedroom (7)
Mulholland Dr. (5)
Shrek (4)
AI (3)
Gosford Park (2)
In the Mood for Love (2)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2)
Memento (2)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2)
Black Hawk Down
Ghost World
Kandahar
Monster's Ball
Va Savoir
Waking Life
Werckmeister Harmonies


2nd ballot
---------

In the Bedroom (35/13)
Mulholland Dr. (30/12)
Gosford Park (22/11)
AI (15/8)
Shrek (15/7)
Memento (12/6)
In the Mood for Love (11/7)
The Royal Tenenbaums (9/4)
The Man Who Wasn't There (8/3)
Ghost World (7/5)
Black Hawk Down (7/4)
The Deep End (6/4)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (6/3)
Waking Life (5/3)
Werckmeister Harmonies (5/2)
Amores Perros (3/2)
The Pledge (3/2)
Kandahar (3/1)
Va Savoir (3/1)
Moulin Rouge (2/2)
The Day I Became a Woman (2/1)
The Devil's Backbone (2/1)
Donnie Darko (2/1)
Monster's Ball (2/1)
Ocean's Eleven (2/1)
The Others (2/1)
Pinero (2/1)
The Tailor of Panama (2/1)
Amelie (1/1)
L.I.E. (1/1)
Together (1/1)


3rd ballot
---------

Mulholland Dr. (46/18)
Gosford Park (39/19)
In the Bedroom (33/12)
The Royal Tenenbaums (12/6)
AI (10/8)
In the Mood for Love (7/4)
Memento (6/4)
Shrek (6/4)
The Man Who Wasn't There (5/3)
Black Hawk Down (4/2)
The Deep End (4/2)
Ghost World (4/2)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2/2)
Monster's Ball (2/1)
Werckmeister Harmonies (2/1)
Pinero (2/1)
The Pledge (2/1)
Waking Life (2/1)
Amelie (1/1)
Donnie Darko (1/1)
Moulin Rouge (1/1)

md'a