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Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced that Pixar/Disney’s Wall-E. Meanwhile, Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tied with 8 nominations apiece in the 14th Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Critics Choice Awards (with the entire list published here). Now for the LAFCA winners:
LOS ANGELES (DECEMBER 9, 2008) – ”Wall-E” was voted Best Picture of the Year, it was announced today by Lael Loewenstein, President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA). The runner up was “The Dark Knight.”
Other award winners are:
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”ACTRESS: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”ACTOR: Sean Penn, “Milk”
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”SCREENPLAY: Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Elegy”
Runner-up: Viola Davis, “Doubt”SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, “Happy-Go-Lucky”FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “Still Life“ directed by Jia Zhangke
Runner-up: “The Class” directed by Laurent CantetDOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM: “Man on Wire” directed by James Marsh
Runner-up: “The Class” directed by Laurent CantetPRODUCTION DESIGN: Mark Friedberg, “Synecdoche, New York”
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, “The Dark Knight”ANIMATION: “Waltz with Bashir” directed by Ari FolmanMUSIC/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 (previously announced)
DOUGLAS E. EDWARDS INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL FILM/VIDEO: James Benning, “RR” and “Casting a Glance”
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… and the infantilization of our culture continues.
…good thing snobbiness continues, as well.
…Apart fromt the fact that Wall-E wasn’t made for infants.
What is the deal with MILK? The movie is just plain dull. A paint by numbers bio pic. It’s only nominally interesting because it’s about a worthy subject. But the execution of the film is flat, flat, flat. Nothing close to the emotional resonance of the documentary ‘Times of Harvey Milk.’ I guess its getting all the critical hoopla because these guys feel a political responsibility to support the film. Aesthetics have nothing to do with it. It’s obvious for this rather unremarkable film. The test of time will got be good to this picture.
You said it, Chromey.
Good. Wall-E is much better than most of these ridiculous movies…
I salute all their picks. It was a great year for movies IMO. Wall-E was more mature than most live action films I’ve seen in recent memory.
It’s great to see Mickey Rourke acknowledged, though I do believe he deserved Best Actor. THE WRESTLER is the best motion picture of 2008, and I hope it will receive more accolades down the road.
I liked “Slumdog Millionaire,” but, not as much as all the critics seem to.
Penelope Cruz for “Supporting Actress?” I think not.
“The Class” isn’t a documentary.
How many L.A. critics are left now besides Scott Foundas and Ella Taylor at L.A. Weekly?
@Chromey:
If you think WALL-E is for infants than I suggest you actually bother to watch it and pay attention. Let me guess, though, you think this is “infantilization” because it’s ANIMATED, right? That would make you, I dunno, an idiot.
This year’s crop of nominees are rather weak. Gone are all the usuall suspects and big names.
What you have is all non-consistent actors who plays it safe to get the awards, you know the selection is really small
Except for Heath, the rest is just small pickings.
Don’t be surprised to see the same ones for Oscars
By the way, Wall-E n Sean Penn winning big? Lame…
Wall-E was awesome! Obviously its commentary on society was lost on some of these posters…
Once again, Pixar showed true artistry this year.. something lacking elsewhere. A story that dealt with continued complex social issues in a way that everyone could relate to; a good story.. but primarily, art. I think back at some of the best films I’ve ever watched, and many didn’t win the awards they deserved.
It will be easy for the Academy Awards to dismiss this, now that there is a best animated picture category; but a decade from now, when people ask for the film that showed true artistry this year.. so far, it’s Wall-E.
Penn is great in “Milk” but the rest of the film is very bland and fails to really express a view; this year is lacking in that truly sensational piece.
Last year, the Academy chose the first film in a while I’ve rooted for, one that was about what film artistry is. I wish they had the balls to consider WALL-E for Best Picture. But it won’t happen. And that’s sad.
Wall-E wasn’t even the best animated film of 2008, an honor that deserves to go to Kung Fu Panda. The Emperor has no clothes, folks–quit listening to Disney’s marketing machine telling you that Wall-E is a masterpiece. It’s not even one of Pixar’s top 5 films.
I was talking about Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona.
Nice. Danny Boyle rocks. Slumdog rocks.
Anybody know what he’s doing next?
Wall E was terrible. Global warming, humanistic propaganda. GROSS.
The “commentary on society” of Wall-E was hardly lost on me, it was just so ridiculously heavy handed and so full of logic holes that it didn’t bear serious consideration by anyone over the age of four. The good news is that one can extrapolate that the fattened (and wholly unprepared for self-sufficiency) human race undoubtedly died a swift and horrible death once abandoned on a barren, polluted earth – so Wall-E and Eve could continue their love affair blissfully unconcerned about anyone and anything besides their inner programming.
Call me old fashioned, but I prefer movies about living, breathing characters – like Woody & Buzz, Mr. & Mrs. Incredible, Mike & Sully, the list goes on and on…
I could argue with you guys about how Wall-E absolutely is the best film of the year, but I think a better use of my time would be to go watch it again.
Although I feel the need to respond to the “global warming” accusation with a… wha-huh?
Wall-E was sensational! Kung Fu Panda, while entertaining, was just another same old animated film that adheres to the tried and true formula of talking animals, “the power is in you etc etc theme”, flashy colors, and slapstick action comedy. Wall-e did far far more for FILM than that movie.
Have society become so jaded that films that actually teach you things like being good to your fellow men, tolerance of other cultures, obeying the law, caring for the planet, caring for yourself, and others of that nature are scorned upon by some?
Wall-E is a FILM, Kung Fu panda-while it is entertaining- is simply a movie.
I agree with most of the picks. I commend their picks, particularly Wall-E for best pic. I understand and respect how that won’t sit well with some because they can’t see it in them to place “animated” films alongside live action films. I on the other hand don’t see it that way, a film is a film.
I can only imagine how hard it must have been to instill that much heart and emotion into a CG film about robots in post-apocalyptic earth. The filmmakers really did a magnificent job. Hell, you have live action movies using real live actors and most of them fail miserably in conveying heart and emotion.
Wall-E was a complex film told in the simplest way and that’s what makes it superb. It will definitely stand the test of time.
Wall-E was awesome. I’ve never had that big a smile and felt that much warmth leaving a theater in a Loooong loooooong time. A love story about robots set in post-apocalyptic earth would never ever get greenlighted at Dreamworks, Blue-Sky, and other animation houses. Hats off to Pixar, their last two films really broke American animation formula of films that spoonfeed the audience. Without question, it is the best animated film of the year, but leaving it at that is a grave injustice. It is one of The best films of the year and of all time.
I agree with most of the selections. Boyle, Wall-E (yay!), etc.
Oh, did some actually post that woody and buzz are living breathing characters?
Wall-E is Pixar’s crowning achievement. Toy Story and The Incredibles, and Nemo were achievements as well, but it is Wall-E (and to some extent Ratatouille) that really pushed the envelope even further. A silent CG animated robot love story set in post-apocalyptic earth. It shouldn’t work, but is sure as hell did.
I liked Wall-E and now doubly so if it manages even to partially unseat that movie that got better reviews than it should have, simply because one of its actors died.