The 8th Annual Golden Tomato Awards were announced today, and "Casino Royale" and "The Queen" are the best reviewed wide and limited releases, respectively. The worst-reviewed movie was "Basic Instinct 2," Sharon Stone's attempt to re-capture past glory.

With a new actor in the role of James bond, as well as a grittier, back-to-basics approach for the 007 franchise, "Casino Royale" has been overwhelmingly embraced by the critics, one of whom opined that the movie "is everything you could ask for in a Bond movie, and more." It scores an impressive 95 percent on the Tomatometer. "Die Another Day," Pierce Brosnan final movie as a double O, scores 59 percent in comparison.


New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz with his Golden Tomato trophy for "Wordplay." Photo credit: Kevin Tachman

Dame Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are perfect in their roles in "The Queen." The movie is near perfect on the Tomatometer as well, scoring 98 percent. Mirren and Sheen anchor a movie that illuminates what goes on behind the scenes in Buckingham Palace at a time when the royals faced a crisis of confidence from the populace. New York Magazine's David Edelstein calls the film "a small masterpiece."


No puzzle here. RT's Senh Duong hands writing/directing team Patrick Creadon (left) and Christine O'Malley their well-deserved Golden Tomato trophy for best-reviewed documentary, "Wordplay." Photo credit: Mieke Kramer

Here's how some of the award recipients responded to their Golden Tomato recognition:

"Critical acclaim is the lifeblood of a quality independent film like 'The Queen' and it is a dream come true to be recognized as the best reviewed film in limited release by Rotten Tomatoes," said Daniel Battsek, president of Miramax Films, which distributed the film. "The award will take pride of place in the Miramax trophy cabinet and will hopefully be joined by many more in the future. Long live 'The Queen!' May she be forever fresh."

Guillermo del Toro, writer and director of Foreign Film winner "Pan's Labyrinth," was equally pleased with his win: "The positive response to 'Pan's Labyrinth' has been overwhelming. I can't tell you how many times I have clicked onto Rotten Tomatoes and been bowled over by our positive rating. Rotten Tomatoes provides a much needed, though nerve-wracking service, to all filmmakers. I am proud and honored to accept this award on behalf of 'Pan's Labyrinth.'"

Neil Marshall, writer and director of "The Descent," winner of the Golden Tomato for Horror had this to say about his win, "This is by far the coolest award I've been lucky enough to receive!"


Director Michel Gondry cherishes his Golden Tomato trophy, but wishes it was a pen instead. Photo credit: Kevin Tachman

Michel Gondry, writer and director of the Golden Tomato winner for Romance, "The Science of Sleep," demonstrated that he can sling barbs as well as any critic when he said, "I am thrilled by this Rotten recognition of the critics. Although, one of them said I should not be allowed to hold a pen, so I wanted to know if I could be offered a Rotten Tomato pen as a trophy that I would gladly present to this critic to place in a not so romantic location."

Other major winners include "Borat" for Comedy; "The Departed" for Thriller; and "Cars" for Animation.

The Golden Tomato Awards honor the best-reviewed (as well as worst-reviewed) movies of the previous year by tallying critics' reviews using a weighted formula to account for the variation in the number of reviews.

2006 Winners Complete List:

BEST-REVIEWED WIDE RELEASE:
"Casino Royale"

BEST-REVIEWED LIMITED RELEASE:
"The Queen"

BEST-REVIEWED ACTION/ADVENTURE:
"Casino Royale"

BEST-REVIEWED ANIMATION:
"Cars"

BEST-REVIEWED COMEDY:
"Borat"

BEST-REVIEWED DRAMA:
"The Queen"

BEST-REVIEWED HORROR:
"The Descent"

BEST-REVIEWED KIDS/FAMILY:
"Lassie"

BEST-REVIEWED ROMANCE:
"The Science of Sleep"

BEST-REVIEWED SCI-FI/FANTASY:
"Children of Men"

BEST-REVIEWED DOCUMENTARY:
"Wordplay"

BEST-REVIEWED FOREIGN FILM:
"Pan's Labyrinth"

BEST-REVIEWED THRILLER:
"The Departed"

MOLDY TOMATO (Worst Reviewed Movie of the Year):
"Basic Instinct 2"

Click here to see the runner-ups.