The year is slowly coming to a close, and after this week’s year-in-review pieces, I’m happy to see so much healthy and spirited discussion on my humble picks for the year’s best films. Today I’m wrapping all of that up with a list of superlatives, some of them in your usual categories, the staples, some of them in a couple of, oh, let’s call it “fun” arenas that I like to mix in year in and year out.
I should note, however, that Nathaniel Rogers at The Film Experience is the king at this stuff. His annual “Film Bitch Awards” are a must-read. Here’s last year’s set.
So with that, let’s get into the awards. I used to call these the “In Contention Awards,” but I don’t think that’s fair anymore now that we have a slew of contributors. So I’ll let them speak to their favorites at their leisure. These reflect my views of the season and mine only. You know the Best Picture champ, of course, but beyond that, I hope you enjoy the rundown. Just keep the (inevitable) disagreement friendly:
Best Picture
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Director
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Actor
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Best Supporting Actress
Samantha Morton, “Synecdoche, New York”