Det blir bare mer og mer tydelig – svenskene har virkelig satset på feil hest i sitt valg av kandidatur for beste fremmedspråklige film. Maria Larssons evige øyeblikk klatrer riktignok på bookmakernes lister over favoritter, men La den rette komme inn er allikevel filmen som til nå ha vunnet flest priser i disse kåringene. Ikke de to i mellom, men samtlige kandidater i mellom, og det med overlegen margin. Det er allikevel for sent å gjøre noe med det, så la oss krysse fingrene for at Sverige får maksimal utteling for begge – det fortjener disse to makeløse produksjonene!

Ellers klatrer Slumdog Millionaire kraftig på favorittlistene med tildelingen av kritikerprisene lenger ned i spalten. Allikevel er det kanskje her den største forskjellen på disse og Oscars blir synlig, for Danny Boyles film regnes fortsatt som en smal konkurrent til Hollywoods gigantproduksjoner som ellers dominerer. Men som en kommentator sa her om dagen – i fjor var det ingen Hollywoodfilmer blant de nominerte til beste film, kun uavhengig finansierte produksjoner. Det viser at selv akademiet greier å skygge for den kraftige strålingen fra studioenes massive støttekampanjer.

OPPDATERT!
San Diego Film Critics:

Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire
Runner-up: The Dark Knight
Best Foreign Language Film: Let the Right One In
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Animated Film: WALL-E
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Original Screenplay: Tom McCarthy, The Visitor
Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Production Design: Donald Graham Burt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Editing: Chris Dickens, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Ensemble Performance: Frost/Nixon
Body of Work for 2008: Richard Jenkins for The Visitor, Burn After Reading, Step Brothers, and The Tale of Despereaux

The San Francisco Film Critics Awards:

Best Picture – Milk
Best Director – Gus Van Sant, Milk
Screenplay, original – Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Screenplay, adapted – Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Actor – Sean Penn, Milk and Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Actress – Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress – Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Cinematography – Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight
Documentary – My Winnipeg
Foreign – Let the Right One In South Eastern Film Critics Assosiation:

Best picture (in order)
1. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. WALL-E
4. The Dark Knight
5. The Wrestler
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. The Reader
8. The Visitor
9. Frost/Nixon
10. Revolutionary Road

BEST ACTOR: Sean Penn “Milk”
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke “The Wrestler”

BEST ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway “Rachel Getting Married”
Runner-up: Kate Winslet “The Reader”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger “The Dark Knight”
Runner-up: Robert Downey, Jr. “Tropic Thunder”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Runner-up: Viola Davis “Doubt”

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Gus Van Sant “Milk”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Dustin Lance Black “Milk”
Runner-up: Robert D. Siegel “The Wrestler”

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “Let the Right One In” (Sweden)
Runner-up: “I’ve Loved You So Long” (France)

DOCUMENTARY: “Man on Wire”
Runner-up: “Young@Heart”

ANIMATED FEATURE: “WALL-E”
Runner-up: “Kung Fu Panda”

Phoenix Film Critics Society:

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire

Top Ten Films of 2008 (in alphabetical order)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
In Bruges
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
The Visitor
Wall-E
The Wrestler

Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role
Sean Penn, Milk

Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role
Meryl Streep, Doubt

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Acting Ensemble
The cast of Milk

Best screenplay written directly for the screen
In Bruges

Best screenplay adapted from another medium
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Live Action Family Film
High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Best Overlooked Film
In Bruges

Best Animated Film
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film
Let the Right One In

Best Documentary
Man on Wire

Best Original Song
“The Wrestler” from The Wrestler

Best Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Cinematography
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Film Editing
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Production Design
The Dark Knight

Best Costume Design
The Duchess

Best Visual Effects
The Dark Knight

Best Stunts
The Dark Knight

Breakout on Camera
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

Breakout Behind the Camera
Martin McDonagh, In Bruges

Best Performance by a Youth – Male
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by a Youth – Female
Dakota Fanning, Secret Life of Bees

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics:

Best Film: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Director: Danny Boyle, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
runners-up: David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; Christopher Nolan, THE DARK KNIGHT; Gus Van Sant, MILK; and Ron Howard, FROST/NIXON

Best Actor: Sean Penn, MILK
runners-up: Mickey Rourke, THE WRESTLER; Frank Langella for FROST/NIXON; Brad Pitt, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; and Richard Jenkins, THE VISITOR

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED.
runners-up: Meryl Streep, DOUBT; Sally Hawkins, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY; Kristin Scott Thomas, I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG; and Kate Winslet, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT.
runners-up: Josh Brolin, MILK; Eddie Marsan, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY; Philip Seymour Hoffman, DOUBT; and Robert Downey Jr., TROPIC THUNDER

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, DOUBT.
runners-up: Penelope Cruz for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; Marisa Tomei, THE WRESTLER; Taraji P. Henson, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; and Rosemarie Dewitt, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Best Foreign Language Film: TELL NO ONE
runners-up: WALTZ WITH BASHIR, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG, and GOMORRAH

Best Documentary: MAN ON WIRE
runners-up: WALTZ WITH BASHIR, YOUNG AT HEART, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE, and DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER

Best Animated Film: WALL-E
runner-up: KUNG FU PANDA

Best Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, MILK
runner-up: Simon Beaufoy, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister, THE DARK KNIGHT
runner-up: Claudio Miranda,THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Toronto Film Critics:

BEST PICTURE
“Wendy and Lucy” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up: “Rachel Getting Married” (Mongrel Media), “WALL*E” (Disney/Pixar)

BEST PERFORMANCE, MALE
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler” (Alliance)
Runners-up: Sean Penn, “Milk” (Alliance), Jean-Claude Van Damme, “JCVD” (Peace Arch) BEST PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Michelle Williams, “Wendy and Lucy”
Runners-up: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”, Meryl Streep, “Doubt” (Maple)

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros)
Runners-up: Josh Brolin, “Milk”, Robert Downey, Jr, “Tropic Thunder” (Paramount), Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Rosemarie DeWitt, “Rachel Getting Married”
Runners-up: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Fox Searchlight), Viola Davis, “Doubt”

BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Demme, “Rachel Getting Married”
Runners-up: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Andrew Stanton, “WALL*E”

BEST SCREENPLAY
Jenny Lumet, “Rachel Getting Married”
Runners-up: John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt” (Maple), Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)

BEST FIRST FEATURE
“Ballast”, directed by Lance Hammer (KinoSmith)
Runners-up: “The Band’s Visit”, directed by Eran Kolirin (Mongrel Media), “Frozen River”, directed by Courtney Hunt (Mongrel Media)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“WALL*E” (Disney/Pixar)
Runners-up: “Kung-Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animaton), “Persepolis” (Mongrel Media), “Waltz with Bashir” (E1 Films)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“Let the Right One In” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up: “The Class” (Mongrel Media), “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Mongrel Media), “A Christmas Tale” (E1)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Man on Wire” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up: “Standard Operating Procedure” (Mongrel Media), “Up the Yangtze” (KinoSmith/NFB)