Critics' awards 2008

'WALL-E' (Credit: Disney/PIXAR)

See what critics groups across the country are selecting as the best movies of 2008...

AFI'S 10 BEST OF 2008
(announced Dec. 14)

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Frozen River"
"Gran Torino"
"Iron Man"
"Milk"
"WALL-E"
"Wendy and Lucy"
"The Wrestler"

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS
(announced Dec. 10)

Film: "Milk"
Runner-up: "Rachel Getting Married"

Director: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Runner-up: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"

Screenplay: Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Runner-up: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

First Film: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Runner-up: Lance Hammer, "Ballast"

Foreign Film: "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
Runner-up: "A Christmas Tale"

Animated Film: "WALL-E
Runner-up: "Waltz with Bashir"

Documentary: "Man on Wire"
Runner-up: "Waltz with Bashir"

Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Claudio Miranda, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
(announced Dec. 9)

Picture: "WALL-E"
Runner-up: "The Dark Knight"

Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"

Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"

Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"

Foreign-language film: "Still Life"
Runner-up: "The Class"

Documentary: "Man on Wire"
Runner-up: "Waltz with Bashir"

Animation: "Waltz with Bashir"

Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life"
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Production design: Mark Friedberg, "Synecdoche, New York"
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, "The Dark Knight"

Music/score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

New Generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger"

Douglas E. Edwards independent/experimental film/video: James Benning, "RR" and "Casting a Glance"

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS
(announced Dec. 13)

Best picture (tie): "WALL-E," "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best actor (tie): Sean Penn, "Milk"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Best supporting actress: Penélope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best director: Gus Van Sant, "Milk," "Paranoid Park"

Best screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"

Best cinematography: Christopher Doyle, Rain Kathy Li, "Paranoid Park"

Best documentary: "Man on Wire"

Best foreign-language film: "Let the Right One In"

Best animated film: "WALL-E"

Best film editing: Chris Dickens, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best new filmmaker: Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"

Best ensemble cast: "Tropic Thunder"

WASHINGTON, DC AREA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
(announced Dec. 7)

Film: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Actor: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress: Meryl Streep, "Doubt"

Ensemble: "Doubt"

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"

Breakthrough Performance: Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"

Animated Feature: "WALL·E"

Foreign Language Film: "Let the Right One In"

Documentary: "Man on Wire"

Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE
(announced Dec. 13)

Best Picture of 2008: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Director: Danny Boyle with Loveleen Tandan, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"

Best Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best Cinematography: "Slumdog Millionaire," Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Screenplay: "Slumdog Millionaire," Simon Beaufoy

Best Foreign Picture: "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days"

Best Documentary: "Man On Wire"

Best Animated Feature: "WALL-E"

Best Score: "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman

Best Breakout Performance: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Best Debut as Director: Martin Mcdonagh, "In Bruges"

Best Ensemble Performance: "Milk"

Top 10 Best Films
"Che," "A Christmas Tale," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "Milk," "Rachel Getting Married," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "The Wrestler"

CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
(announced Dec. 18)

Best Picture: “WALL-E”

Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Original Screenplay: Jim Reardon, Andrew Stanton, “WALL-E”

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Foreign-Language Film: “Let the Right One In”

Best Documentary: “Man On Wire”

Best Animated Feature: “WALL-E”

Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister, “The Dark Knight”

Best Original Score: Thomas Newman, “WALL-E”

Most Promising Performer: Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Most Promising Filmmaker: Tomas Alfredson, “Let the Right One In”
 

14TH BROADCAST FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION’S CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS
(announced Jan. 8)

Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire"

Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Actress (tie): Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Acting Ensemble: “Milk”

Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Writer (Original Or Adapted Screenplay): Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Animated Feature: “Wall-E”

Young Actor/Actress (Under 21): Dev Petal, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Action Movie: “The Dark Knight”

Comedy: “Tropic Thunder”

Picture Made For Television: “John Adams”

Foreign Language Film: “Waltz with Bashir”

Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire”

Song: “The Wrestler,” Bruce Springsteen/Bruce Springsteen, “The Wrestler”

Composer: A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Joel Siegel award: Richard Gere