'Wall-E,' Sean Penn and Sally Hawkins win Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. Awards
Instead of following its recent art-house tilt, the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. resorted to its old preference for big popcorn pix when naming the best film of 2008: "Wall-E."
In recent years the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. favored more esoteric fare ("There Will Be Blood," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Brokeback Mountain," "Sideways"). In its early days, however, the Hollywood-based critics weren't so snooty, often opting for "E.T." and "Star Wars." Now the question: Will the lift "Wall-E" gets from the L.A. critics help it to become the second animated feature nominated for best pic at the Oscars? The constant snubs caused the academy to create a special category just for animated features in 1991.
Most of LAFCA best-picture choices get nominated for the equivalent top prize at the Academy Awards — with some notable exceptions ("About Schmidt," "American Splendor" over the last decade). Only one animated film has ever been nominated for the top Oscar: "Beauty and the Beast" (1991).
To underscore LAFCA's hunger for popcorn this year, the runner-up to "Wall-E" for best picture was "The Dark Knight." Read more at LAFCA website. Other top prizes:
Best director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Best actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Best actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Best supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
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"
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"
Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life"
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
New generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger
Career Achievement: John Calley
WALL-E is just an ordinary film. There were much better--and much worse ones. But I fail to see the fuss about The Dark Knight. If it weren't for Heath Ledger's performace, I would have walked out of this loud, noisy, silly film. i couldn't even understand Chris Bale half the time, and forget about the plot. Much Ado About Nothing--except for Heath, bless him.
Posted by: peter | December 10, 2008 at 07:20 AM
WRONG!
the runner-up for best foreign-language film is The Class, not Waltz with Bashit.
Posted by: hanimal | December 10, 2008 at 01:17 AM
I'd love to see "Wall-E" receive a Best Picture nod. It was definitely one of my favorite movies of the year and absolutely worth of being considered for the title.
I was wondering how "Wall-E" took the Best Picture prize but not the Best Animated Feature prize? Is it somehow related to the fact that there is no runner-up prize for the Animated Feature category?
Posted by: Charles | December 09, 2008 at 09:15 PM
Sally Well, we want more prizes for you
Posted by: Rose | December 09, 2008 at 03:37 PM
...Well that makes things interesting.
Posted by: Mike | December 09, 2008 at 03:20 PM
Unbelievable. WALL-E, which was no better than any other Pixar film (save for maybe the first third), gets the top prize. How overrated can this movie get? At least the MUCH bolder The Dark Knight shared runner-up.
I am happy, though, that the Oscar prospects of Sally Hawkins have risen. Hopefully she'll get a nomination.
Posted by: Robert Hamer | December 09, 2008 at 02:59 PM