Best Movie Of The Year - Clint Eastwood's Drama

Clint Eastwood's World War II drama "Letters From Iwo Jima" was awarded twice in a week as the best movie of the year by Los Angeles Film Critics Association and by National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

"I think it is such an intimate film set against such a grand backdrop, it's hard not to be impressed by it," Henry Sheehan, the critics association president, said Sunday.

This "top film of the year" is about how Japan defended the island of Iwo Jima in World War II at 1945, when 7,000 Americans and more than 20,000 Japanese died. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles. It was scheduled for the next year, but the opening now is changed to Dec 20, so that the movie can be discussed for Oscars consideration.

Only two months ago Clint Eastwood released "Flags of Our Fathers" movie, which is about the same war, but from the point of view of the American soldiers. These two films go deep into the both sides of the battle and show how people feel the war.

These dramas are quite different than Clint's previous works "Mystic River" and "Million Dollar Baby" where the common things are emotions, character and the simplicity of the story.

Eastwood was also runner-up for the Best Director award which went to British director Paul Greengrass for his documentary film "United 93". By the way "United 93" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" are in the top ten list of the most striking films by American Film Institute.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards officially will be handed out on January 14, and the Oscars ceremony will take place on 25 February.

By Ruzan Harutyunyan for HULIQ