AFI, NYFCO, BSOFC, Golden Satellites Announce Winners

I am sick with "Slumdog" fatigue. The little-Fox Searchlight movie-that-could of 2008 is being showered with critics awards and has emerged as the indisputable frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar. Fine as the film is, it isn't so high above the rest of the nomination field that its victory should be so near-complete. At this point, seeing the choice of something more deserving like "Milk" (thanks, NYFCC) almost makes one pop an eye.

Meanwhile, herein are plenty more helping hands to boost Sally Hawkins' Oscar chances, which make me giddy in ways I'd show you if I knew how to work my Skype camera thingie. However, she was passed over by the Satellites for the most showy performance of the year, "Changeling"'s Angelina Jolie, who wants her Oscar prospects back.

Sprinkled among the accolades below are a few additional points of interest, such as more reasons to practically cement the names Heath Ledger and Penelope Cruz in the supporting sections of your office Oscar pool ballot. Tie-happy Boston throws a lovely bone to Gus Van Sant for not just "Milk," but the painterly "Paranoid Park" as well (I didn't like it, but it looked phenomenal). The American Film Institute gives its obligatory less-prestigious spot to "Iron Man," while also turning up the buzz for "Frozen River" (and the buzz buzzes like this: It's the best movie you haven't seen this year). Astoundingly, AFI exculdes "Slumdog" from its Top Ten. Excuse me while I put my eye back in.

AFI

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"The Dark Knight"
"Frost/Nixon"

"Frozen River"

"Gran Torino"

"Iron Man"
"Milk"
"Wall-E" (Which hilariously looks more like the name of a fish on their official site.)
"Wendy and Lucy"
"The Wrestler"

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE
Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Director: Danny Boyle w/ 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”
10 Best Pictures (alphabetical):
“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”

BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

Best Picture: Tie: "Slumdog Millionaire" and "WALL-E
Best Actor Tie: Sean Penn for "Milk" and Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler"
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins for "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight"
Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best Director: Gus Van Sant for "Milk" and "Paranoid Park"
Best Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black for "Milk"
Best Cinematography: Christopher Doyle and Rain Kathy Li for "Paranoid Park"
(I'm sorry, "Rain Kathy Lee" is just too funny to not mention. I don't think they make umbrellas for that.)
Best Documentary: "Man on Wire"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "Let the Right One In"
Best Animated Film: "WALL·E"
Best Film Editing: Chris Dickens for "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best New Filmmaker: Martin McDonagh for "In Bruges"
Best Ensemble Cast: "Tropic Thunder"

GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARD WINNERS

Best Film (Drama) - "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"

Best Diretor - Danny Boyle, "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"

Best Actress (Drama) - Angelina Jolie, "CHANGELING"

Best Actor (Drama) - Richard Jenkins, "THE VISITOR"

Best Film (Com-Mus) - "HAPPY-GO-LUCKY"

Best Actress (Com-Mus) - Sally Hawkins, "HAPPY-GO-LUCKY"

Best Actor (Com-Mus) - Ricky Gervais, "GHOST TOWN" (interesting)

Best Supporting Actor - Michael Shannon, "REVOLUTIONARY ROAD"

Best Supporting Actress - Rosemarie DeWitt, "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED" (yay!)

Best Foreign-Language Film - “GOMORRA”

Best Animated or Mixed-Media Film - “WALL-E”

Best Documentary - “ANITA O'DAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER” and “MAN ON WIRE”

Berst Original Screenplay - Thomas McCarthy, “THE VISITOR” (lovely choice)

Adapted Screenplay - Peter Morgan, “FROST/NIXON”

Original Score - by A.R.Rahman, “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”

Original Song - “Another Way to Die” from “QUANTUM OF SOLACE”

Cinematography - Mandy Walker, “AUSTRALIA”

Visual Efects - Chris Godfrey, James E. Price and Diana Giorgiutti, “AUSTRALIA”

Editing - Dan Lebental, “IRON MAN”

Sound (Editing and Mixing) - Richard King, “THE DARK KNIGHT”

Best Art Direction and Production Design - Martin, Ian Gracie, Karen Murphy and Beverly Dunn, “AUSTRALIA”

Best Costume Design - Michael O’Connor, “THE DUCHESS”