It looks like Wall-E can add an LAFCA plaque to his stash of treasures. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named Wall-E the Best Picture of the Year. This marks the first time the Best Picture award was ever given to an animated film. The runner-up position in the category was awarded to The Dark Knight. Batman might have cast a shadow over the friendly little trash compactor at the summer box office, but Wall-E finally got the reward that he deserved.
The Dark Knight also found itself in the runner-up position in the Best Director category. Christopher Nolan was edged out by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle. But don’t worry; The Dark Knight was awarded the top billing where it counts with Heath Ledger being chosen as the Best Supporting Actor.
The comedy Happy-Go-Lucky received a number of nods from the LAFCA. Sally Hawkins’ portrayal of Poppy, an optimistic and cheerful schoolteacher, won her the number one spot in the Best Actress category. The film also won for Mike Leigh’s screenplay and took the second position for the Best Supporting Actor category, Eddie Marsan obviously falling just short of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. If you’ve got to lose, that’s surely the best way to do it.
The actual award ceremony will be held on Monday, January 12th at the InterContinental Los Angeles. The big question is whether or not the 34th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards could foreshadow potential Oscar results. Being that the association pinpointed a number of fan-favorites, most people must be hoping they do. Check the entire list of winners below:
Picture: "Wall-E"
Runner-up: "The Dark Knight"
Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Foreign-language film: "Still Life"
Runner-up: "The Class"
Documentary: "Man on Wire"
Runner-up: "Waltz With Bashir"
Animation: "Waltz With Bashir"
Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life"
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
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"
New Generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger"
Douglas E. Edwards independent/experimental film/video: James Benning, "RR" and "Casting a Glance"
