The Dark Knight has scored its third “Best of 2008” nod after the Austin Critics and African American Film Critics Assn. did the same. The Utah Film Critics Society name Batman the best film of the year giving Rachel Getting Married the runner-up spot. Detroit and Florida went the more traditional route and named Slumdog Millionaire while Las Vegas is the first (and likely the last) to name Frost/Nixon the best film of 2008.
Heath Ledger continues his streak of being named Best Supporting Actor by the critics, so much so that the Utah critics didn’t even name a runner-up. Snap dragon! This is also the first time I have listed this many critic awards and Sean Penn didn’t win a single Best Actor nod with Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) pulling most of the weight winning three of the four with Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) getting the nod from the Vegas critics.
On the lady’s side Kate Winslet earns a couple of nods for Revolutionary Road and the folks in Las Vegas put her down for both Revolutionary Road and The Reader. In the supporting category Marisa Tomei faired very well winning three of the four spots for her performance in The Wrestler.
As for directors things were rather normal with Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) taking two and Ron Howard another. However, the Utah folks once again went against the grain and gave it to Andrew Stanton for WALL•E. Go figure.
The complete list for each can be found over the course of the next four pages. Also, if you haven’t weighed in on my WALL•E vs. The Dark Knight poll, click here and be sure your opinion is counted.
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Best Ensemble: Frost/Nixon
Best Newcomer: Martin McDonough, writer/director, In Bruges
