Critics Awards: Best Picture Winners!

"Slumdog Millionaire", Danny Boyle's acclaimed motion picture is the film that has obtained the most best picture awards at the precursors.

"Milk", "WALL-E" and "The Dark Knight" are second having won three best picture awards at the precursors each. It seems "The Dark Knight" and "WALL-E"'s chances are the same.

Here are the Best Picture winners at the precursors, by far:

African American Film Critics Association — “The Dark Knight”
Alliance of Women Film Journalists — “Slumdog Millionaire”
Austin Film Critics Association — “The Dark Knight”
Boston Society of Film Critics (IC coverage) — “Slumdog Millionaire,” “WALL-E”
Broadcast Film Critics Association (IC coverage) — winners announced Jan. 8
Chicago Film Critics Association (nominees, winners) — “WALL-E”
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association — “Slumdog Millionaire”
Detroit Film Critics Society (IC coverage: nominees, winners) — “Slumdog Millionaire”
Florida Film Critics Circle — “Slumdog Millionaire”
Houston Film Critics Society — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Hollywood Foreign Press Association (IC coverage) — winners announced Jan. 11
International Press Academy (IC coverage: nominees, winners) — “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Las Vegas Film Critics Society — “Frost/Nixon”
London Film Critics Circle (IC coverage) — winners announced Feb. 4
Los Angeles Film Critics Association (IC coverage) — “WALL-E”
New York Film Critics Circle (IC coverage) — “Milk”
New York Film Critics Online — “Slumdog Millionaire”
Phoenix Film Critics Society — “Slumdog Millionaire”
San Diego Film Critics Society (IC coverage) — “Slumdog Millionaire”
San Francisco Film Critics Circle (IC coverage) — “Milk”
Southeastern Film Critics Association — “Milk”
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Toronto Film Critics Association (IC coverage) — “Wendy and Lucy”
Utah Film Critics Association — “The Dark Knight”
Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association — “Slumdog Millionaire”

Predictions Re-updated! Acting nominations after the SAGs.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Clint Eastwood - "Gran Torino"
The Academy loves him, that is a fact.
I think they will be loving his badass performance in this film.
Not to mention, he got a Best Actor nomination in 2004. He wasn't nominated for the Golden Globe or the SAG that year.

Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"
Lock.

Sean Penn - "Milk"
Lock.

Brad Pitt - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
His role is very complex. He has to play a man in a very unusual situation: He is born being old and lives life backwards.
The role has been embraced so far. He has recieved nominations at the Golden Globes and SAG.
He also has "Burn After Reading" this year.

Mickey Rourke - "The Wrestler"
Lock.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"
Lock.

Angelina Jolie - "Changeling"
She was snubbed last year for "A Mighty Heart".
This year, she has been nominated for the Golden Globe and SAG.
Don't forget Clint Eastwood is also behind the camera.

Melissa Leo - "Frozen River"
Melissa and Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" have been the two embraced indie performances.
While I don't think Jenkins will be nominated, Leo will.
The film has won various precursors for Best First Film and obtained great reviews.
Her SAG nomination increases her chances.

Meryl Streep - "Doubt"
Lock.

Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"
The film will not be nominated for Best Picture unless it scores DGA and PGA nods.
Kate Winslet seems to be the most acclaimed performer of the film having Golden Globe and SAG nominations.
She has a solid fan base, five previous nominations and "The Reader".

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Josh Brolin - "Milk"
Lock.

Robert Downey Jr. - "Tropic Thunder"
Lock. (This is amazing and unexpected)

Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Doubt"
Lock.

Heath Ledger - "The Dark Knight"
Lock.

Dev Patel - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Michael Shannon and James Franco were unable to recieve SAG or Golden Globe nominations.
"Slumdog Millionaire" has been the most acclaimed film of the year by far and the Academy may want to give it an acting nomination.
Dev Patel's SAG nomination gives him a huge boost.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Penélope Cruz - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Lock.

Viola Davis - "Doubt"
Lock.

Taraji P. Henson - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
She was beginning to loose buzz a few days ago but her recent precursor win and the SAG nomination are reviving it.

Marisa Tomei - "The Wrestler"
I don't think the Academy will want to honor "Doubt" with two supporting actress nominations. That being said, Marisa Tomei may get nominated. She was snubbed last year for her performance in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead".

Kate Winslet - "The Reader"
SAG and Golden Globe support.
This year's double nominee.

Favorite Oscar Moments.

Many Oscar films have become unforgettable classics. Thus, there are also Oscar moments that have been unforgettable, making you laugh, cry or cheer. I am pleased to put my favorite Oscar moments, the ones that either moved me or the ones that made me cheer for my favorite films winning awards. Here they are:

Charlie Chaplin Recieving An Honorary Oscar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Pl-qvA1X8&feature=channel
Chaplin was a genius, an artist in many filmmaking arts. He was a director, screenwriter, actor, producer, composer and the "greatest ballet dancer". This watered my eyes.

Marlon Brando winning an Oscar for "The Godfather"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU&feature=channel
Now this was totally unexpected. Long live Indians.

Roberto Benigni winning an Oscar for "Life is Beautiful"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cTR6fk8frs
The most beautiful woman on earth giving the Oscar to Roberto Benigni. Roberto's reaction is simply unforgettable.

Halle Berry winning an Oscar for "Monster's Ball"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llgL7mGYVTI&feature=channel
This one's priceless. Probably the most overracting reaction ever. She was D-E-F-I-N-A-T-E-L-Y moved. This was my first Oscar ceremony as well.

Adrien Brody winning an Oscar for "The Pianist"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HgWANva9Xk&feature=channel
His performance is not only one of the best that I have ever seen but his kiss was simply unforgettable. Also, Halle Berry's face after getting kissed is hilarious.

Michael Moore winning an Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Is43K6lrg&feature=channel
Michael Moore is a polemist. Just see the audience reactions of his Bush bashing. Some were saying "boo" to him, others gave him an ovation.

John Williams directing the Movie Scores orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87FMax44QQA
Moving. I loved how "Cinema Paradiso"'s score was included! One of the all-time best! All scores shown are magic for my ears.

"The Return of the King" winning Best Picture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKFtf4A_mc
My all time favorite movie in 2003. I wanted it to win so much and it did. Seeing how it swept was magical! Today, it is not only my favorite film of the decade but also one of my favorites of all-time.

Martin Scorsese winning for "The Departed"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3ZHHYrxQF4
Marty finally wins an Oscar after so many years! Everyone was so happy for him. "Could you double check the enveloppe?" haha Marty.

Marion Cotillard winning for "La Vie en Rose"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWYyI5fUYEo
I screamed of joy when she won. I was nervous but I knew she would win. Among my 5 all-time favorite performances for sure.

Screen Actors Guild Nominations!

http://www.sagawards.org/nominations

Screen Actors Guild Awards - Nomination Predictions!

The Screen Actors Guild Awards is the most important acting precursor. The nominations and winners are voted by the actors themselves. This year's SAG award nominations will be announced tomorrow, Thursday, December 18th, 2008. Nominations will be announced Live on TNT at 6 AM PT. For more information visit: http://www.sagawards.org/

Predicting this year's SAG awards was a difficult task. Here are my predictions:

Best Acting by an Ensemble

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"The Dark Knight"

"Doubt"

"Milk"

"Rachel Getting Married"

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Leonardo DiCaprio - "Revolutionary Road"

Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"

Sean Penn - "Milk"

Brad Pitt - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Mickey Rourke - "The Wrestler

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"

Sally Hawkins - "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Meryl Streep - "Doubt"

Kristin Scott Thomas - "I've Loved You So Long"

Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Penélope Cruz - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Viola Davis - "Doubt"

Rosemarie DeWitt - "Rachel Getting Married"

Taraji P. Henson - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Marisa Tomei - "The Wrestler"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Josh Brolin - "Milk"

Robert Downey Jr. - "Tropic Thunder"

James Franco - "Milk"

Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Doubt"

Heath Ledger - "The Dark Knight"

Austin Film Critics Association Winners!

Batman's first Best Picture Award at the Precursors. Buzz revival.

Christopher Nolan's complex comic book film "The Dark Knight" finally wins a Best Picture award at the precursors. It seems that this film's buzz is slowly reviving after the major snubs at the Golden Globes. I wouldn't be surprised if this film gets nominated for the DGA and the PGA. As of now, I'm predicting a Best Picture nomination for this film at the Oscars.

The other winners aren't surprising with the exception of Taraji P. Henson winning a Best Supporting Actress award and the "Synecdoche, New York" love.

Best Picture: "The Dark Knight"

Best Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"

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

Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"

Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Dark Knight"

Best Original Screenplay: "Synecdoche, New York"

Best Cinematography: "The Fall"

Best Breakthrough Performer: Danny McBride, "Tropic Thunder", "Pineapple Express" and "The Foot Fist Way"

Best Documentary: "Man on Wire"

Best Score: "The Dark Knight"

Best Animated Film: "WALL-E"

Top Ten Films:

"The Dark Knight"

"Slumdog Millionaire"

"Milk"

"Synecdoche, New York"

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"The Wrestler"

"WALL-E"

"Frost/Nixon"

"Gran Torino"

"Let the Right One In"

Some More Precursors...! Best Picture Remix!

Satellite Award Winners:

http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2008.shtml

_______________

National Board of Review: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Washington D. C. Film Critics: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Los Angeles Film Critics: "WALL-E"
New York Film Critics Circle: "Milk"
NYCFO: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Boston Film Critics: "Slumdog Millionaire" and "WALL-E" (tie)
Golden Satellites: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Drama) and "Happy-Go-Lucky" (Comedy)
Southeastern Film Critics: "Milk"
All. of Women FJ: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Phoenix Film Critics: "Slumdog Millionaire"
San Diego Film Critics: "Slumdog Millionaire"
San Francisco Film Critics: "Milk"
St. Louis Film Critics: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"Slumdog Millionaire"'s buzz is huge.

Chicago Film Critics Nominees!

THEY LOVE THAT WALL-E!

I am beginning to think that "WALL-E", this year's Pixar Animated Studios release, may have a shot at getting a Best Picture nominations. It has already won two Best Picture awards at the precursors and it is now nominated at the Chicago Film Critics Awards for Best Picture, overshadowing such contenders as "Frost/Nixon", "The Reader", "Revolutionary Road" and "The Wrestler".

On the other hand, Josh Brolin and James Franco, the supporting players of "Milk", were both snubbed. Heath Ledger is a near lock for the win at the Oscars as of now.

And the Nominees Are...

BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Milk

Slumdog Millionaire

WALL-E

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle–Slumdog Millionaire

David Fincher–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Christopher Nolan–The Dark Knight

Andrew Stanton–WALL-E

Gus Van Sant–Milk

BEST ACTOR

Clint Eastwood–Gran Torino

Richard Jenkins–The Visitor

Frank Langella–Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn–Milk

Mickey Rourke–The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway–Rachel Getting Married

Sally Hawkins–Happy-Go-Lucky

Angelina Jolie–Changeling

Melissa Leo–Frozen River

Meryl Streep–Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Downey Jr.–Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman–Doubt

Bill Irwin–Rachel Getting Married

Heath Ledger–The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon–Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams–Doubt

Penelope Cruz–Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis–Doubt

Rosemarie Dewitt–Rachel Getting Married

Kate Winslet–The Reader

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

The Band’s Visit

Che

A Christmas Tale

I’ve Loved You For So Long

Let the Right One In

BEST DOCUMENTARY

American Teen

Dear Zachary

IOUSA

Man On Wire

Standard Operating Procedure

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt

Kung-Fu Panda

Tale of Desperaux

WALL*E

Waltz with Bashir

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER

Russell Brand–Forgetting Sarah Marshall

David Kross–The Reader

Lina Leandersson–Let the Right One In

Dev Patel–Slumdog Millionaire

Brandon Walters–Australia

AFI Top 10 List

"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"

Notice the omissions of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Revolutionary Road".

While the first may be considered an India/U. K. production, the second has been absent on most precursors except for the Golden Globes. Interesting.

"Wendy and Lucy" is the surprise film of the list. I don't think it has many Oscar chances anyways.

Boston Film Critics Winners!

A "robot" in charge of cleaning the "slums" of the world.

Best Picture: "WALL-E" and "Slumdog Millionaire" tie

Best Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk" and Mickey Rourke "The Wrestler" tie

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" and "Paranoid Park"

Best Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"

Best Cinematography: "Paranoid Park"

Best Documentary: "Man on Wire"

Best Foreign Language Film: "Let the Right One In"

Best Animated Feature Film: "WALL-E"

Best Film Editing: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best New Filmmaker: Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"

Best Ensemble Cast: "Tropic Thunder"

This is "WALL-E"'s second best picture victory at the precursors. The film's buzz is growing. Will it become the second animated film to get a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars? Let's wait for the PGA!

"Slumdog Millionaire" is this year's critical darling by miles and the most solid contender for the Best Picture trophy by far, having won various precursors and obtaining 4 Golden Globe nominations.

Other than that, Heath Ledger and Penélope Cruz remain being frontrunners in their respective categories with Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn fighting for the Best Actor award.

The best actress category is the most unpredictable at this point. There isn't a clear frontrunner yet. Sally Hawkins is building buzz. I expect a Golden Globe win for her and a SAG nomination.

Golden Globe Nominations Announced!

The Golden Globe Awards announced their nominations on December 11th, 2008.

There were a lot of surprises and, as of now, many categories have a lot of possible contenders for the Oscars, especially the Best Picture category. As of now, I can only see "Slumdog Millionaire" as a lock because it has been awarded on every important precursor by far. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Frost/Nixon" also seem to have enormous chances of getting nominated. Now, for the two remaining spots, the race is incredibly crowded between "Milk", "The Dark Knight", "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader".

The Best Supporting Actor category was full of surprises at the Golden Globes. Tom Cruise in "Tropic Thunder" and Ralph Fiennes in "The Duchess" come out of nowhere and surprise everyone by getting nominated. Robert Downey Jr.'s buzz seems to be growing although I'd rather wait for the SAG award nominations. Heath Ledger seems to be the only lock for his portrayal in "The Dark Knight" with Philip Seymour Hoffman having solid chances of getting nominated in "Doubt". Josh Brolin and James Franco, the supporting contenders in "Milk" were completely ignored. I still think they have solid chances of getting nominated: look out for the SAG award nominations.

Other than that, Taraji P. Henson is beginning to loose some buzz for her performance in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". As of now, Penélope Cruz is the frontrunner in the best supporting actress category for her performance as a jealous psychotic woman in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Meryl Streep seems to be the frontrunner in the best actress category for "Doubt". Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke are fighting for the best actor trophy but look out for Frank Langhella in "Frost/Nixon".

The Nominees Are:
http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/104

BFCA Critic's Choice Award Nominations

Here:

http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/2008.php

Golden Globe Predictions!

Golden Globe Predictions

It seems "Revolutionary Road" has been completely left out this Oscar season. Will it recieve Golden Globe nominations? Probably but I'm doubting it. We will see tomorrow.

Other than that, I'm predicting "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" to lead the nominations this year.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Doubt”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Drama

Clint Eastwood – “Gran Torino”
Frank Langhella – “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn – “Milk”
Brad Pitt – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke – “The Wrestler”

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Drama

Cate Blanchett – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Angelina Jolie – “Changeling”
Melissa Leo – “Frozen River”
Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”
Meryl Streep – “Doubt”

Best Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy

“Burn after Reading”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“Mamma Mia!”
“Tropic Thunder”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Musical/Comedy

Javier Bardem – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Steve Carrel – “Get Smart”
George Clooney – “Burn after Reading”
Dustin Hoffman – “Last Chance Harvey”
Ben Stiller – “Tropic Thunder”

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Musical/Comedy

Rebecca Hall – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Sally Hawkins – “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Sarah Jessica Parker – “Sex and the City: The Movie”
Meryl Streep – “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson – “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Achievement in Directing

Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”
Clint Eastwood – “Gran Torino”
David Fincher – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Christopher Nolan – “The Dark Knight”
Gus Van Sant – “Milk”

Best Screenplay

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Josh Brolin – “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr. – “Tropic Thunder”
James Franco – “Milk”
Heath Ledger – “The Dark Knight”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “Doubt”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Penélope Cruz – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis – “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Rosemary DeWitt – “Rachel Getting Married”
Kate Winslet – “The Reader”

Best Original Score

“Australia”
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Milk”
“The Reader”

Best Original Song

“Gran Torino”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Sex and the City: The Movie”
“Wall-E”
“The Wrestler”

Best Animated Feature Film

“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Wall-E”

Best Foreign Language Film

“The Class”
“Gomorrah”
“I’ve Loved You So Long”
“Let the Right One In”
“Waltz with Bashir”

More Precursors! Los Angeles Film Critics Awards & New York Film Critics Awards

Los Angeles Film Critics Awards:

To my surprise, the winner for the best picture was "Wall-E", Pixar's latest animated motion picture. It seems "Wall-E" is still a huge contender for the Academy Awards and could become the second animated film nominated for Best Picture (The first was "Beauty and the Beast" in 1991).

Other than that, "The Dark Knight" has been doing extremely well this Oscar season. It seems it may get a best picture nomination at this point. Sally Hawkins and "Happy-Go-Lucky" are back in the race after loosing some buzz. "Slumdog Millionaire" seems to be the frontrunner in the best achievement in directing category and may score some other technical award nominations as well (Score, Cinematography, Editing).

Winners:

Best Picture : WALL-E (Runner-Up : The Dark Knight)

Best Director : Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire (Runner-Up : Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight)

Best Actor : Sean Penn - Milk (Runner-Up : Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler)

Best Actress : Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky (Runner-Up : Melissa Leo - Frozen River)

Best Supporting Actor : Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight (Runner-Up : Eddie Marsan - Happy-Go-Lucky)

Best Supporting Actress : Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona & Elegy (Runner-Up : Viola Davis - Doubt)

Best Screenplay : Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky (Runner-Up : Charlie Kaufman - Synecdoche, New York)

Best Foreign Language Film : Still Life (Runner-Up : The Class)

Best Documentary : Man on Wire (Runner-Up : Waltz With Bashir)Best Animation : Waltz With Bashir

Best Cinematography : Yu Lik Wai - Still Life (Runner-Up : Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Production Design : Mark Friedberg - Synecdoche, New York (Runner-Up : Nathan Crowley - The Dark Knight)

Best 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 & Casting a Glance

New York Film Critics Awards:

"Milk" takes this precursor and seems to be this year's Oscars season biopic ("The Queen" in 2006, "Capote" in 2005) and Sean Penn seems to be the frontrunner for the best actor award. Josh Brolin is a serious contender for the best supporting actor award. Watch out Heath Ledger!

Other than that, "Happy-Go-Lucky"'s buzz seems to be growing with the recent precursors love. Penélope Cruz is the frontrunner for best supporting actress at this point.

Winners:

Best Film: Milk
Best Director: Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Actor: Sean Penn - Milk
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin - Milk
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona
Best Screenplay: Jenny Lumet - Rachel Getting Married
Best Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Film: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best First Film: Courtney Hunt - Frozen River

Loser: "Revolutionary Road" was completely left out, again. It seems that it isn't the contender that many were predicting. Let's wait for the Golden Globes to see what happens.

Washington D. C. Area Film Critics Association Awards!

D. C. Critics named "Slumdog Millionaire" the best film of the year on December 7th, 2008. The film also took the best directing, best breakthrough performance and best adapted screenplay awards. It seems "Slumdog" is the most loved film by far having won the NBR, D. C. Critics and the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Dev Patel could be a contender for the best supporting actor award at the Oscars.

Other than that, Heath Ledger won the best supporting actor award for "The Dark Knight". (Some people were getting scared when he didn't win the NBR.). Rosemary DeWitt won the Best Supporting Actress award for "Rachel Getting Married". It seems she's more likely to get nominated than her co-star Debra Winger.

"Man on Wire" and "WALL-E" seem to be the frontrunner in the best documentary film and best animated film categories respectively.

"Revolutionary Road" was also completely ignored by these precursors. Let's wait for the Golden Globe Nominations to see what happens.

Here are the complete winners list:

Film: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)
Director: Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire")
Actor: Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler")
Actress: Meryl Streep ("Doubt")
Ensemble: "Doubt" (Miramax)
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" (Disney & Pixar)
Foreign Language Film: "Let The Right One In" (Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing)
Documentary: "Man On Wire" (Magnolia)
Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount)

National Board of Review Results! Oscar Season Officially Begins!!

The National Board of Review Awards is the first important precursor of the Oscars. The winner of the Best Film Award has been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars over the last 20 years with the exceptions of “Quills” in 2000 and “Gods and Monsters” in 1998.

This year’s Best Film winner was Danny Boyle’s crowd-pleasing masterpiece “Slumdog Millionaire”. Based on the book “Q&A”, “Slumdog Millionaire” is a flamboyant story about a poor young man in India who gets the chance to participate in the “Who wants to be a millionaire?” contest. He tries to impress the love of his life by doing this because she is an ardent fan of the show.

“Slumdog” has been one of the most successful films this year. It was the winner of the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival this year and critics have been praising the film.

The NBR awards had various surprises this year though. Heath Ledger, this year’s frontrunner for the best supporting actor statuette as the Joker in “The Dark Knight” was surprisingly snubbed. The winner in this category was Josh Brolin in “Milk”.

Other than that, “Revolutionary Road” was completely ignored by the NBR. While this is certainly surprising, it doesn’t mean anything because “There Will Be Blood” didn’t receive any nominations at the NBR either and look how it did at the Oscars.

The National Board of Review Awards were announced today, December 6th.

Best Film
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Top Ten Films(In alphabetical order)
BURN AFTER READING,
CHANGELING,
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON,
THE DARK KNIGHT,
DEFIANCE,
FROST/NIXON,
GRAN TORINO,
MILK,
WALL-E,
THE WRESTLER

Best Foreign Language Film
MONGOL

Top Five Foreign Films(In alphabetical order)
THE EDGE OF HEAVEN,
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN,
ROMAN DE GARE,
A SECRET,
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

Best Documentary
MAN ON WIRE

Top Five Documentaries(In alphabetical order)
AMERICAN TEEN,
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON),
DEAR ZACHARY,
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD,
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED

Top Independent Films(In alphabetical order)
FROZEN RIVER,
IN BRUGES,
IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS,
MR. FOE,
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED,
SNOW ANGELS,
SON OF RAMBOW,
WENDY AND LUCY,
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA,
THE VISITOR

Best Actor
CLINT EASTWOOD, Gran Torino

Best Actress
ANNE HATHAWAY, Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor
JOSH BROLIN, Milk

Best Supporting Actress
PENELOPE CRUZ, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Ensemble Cast
DOUBT

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
DEV PATEL, Slumdog Millionaire

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
VIOLA DAVIS, Doubt

Best Director
DAVID FINCHER, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Directorial Debut
COURTNEY HUNT, Frozen River

Best Adapted Screenplay
SIMON BEAUFOY, Slumdog Millionaire and ERIC ROTH, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Spotlight Award
MELISSA LEO, Frozen River and RICHARD JENKINS, The Visitor

Best Original Screenplay
NICK SCHENK, Gran Torino

Best Animated Feature
WALL-E

William K. Everson Award For Film History
MOLLY HASKELL and ANDREW SARRIS

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression
TRUMBO

Welcome!

Dear Readers,

"Magic Lantern" is a blog that has been created to follow this year's Oscar season. This blog will be featuring awards coverage, reviews, articles and games.

The blog is called "Magic Lantern" in honor to Ingmar Bergman. He is my favorite filmmaker and won some Oscars himself. "Magic Lantern" is the name of his written autobiography.

I hope you will enjoy the blog,

Harry