2008 Austin Film Critics Awards Breakdown

Victor Diaz and Cole Dabney discuss the 2008 Austin Film Critics Association Awards. From the Time Warner Studios in Austin, Texas on December 20, 2007.


End of the year awards season is underway and today we'll talk about the 10 ten films of 2008, as voted on by the Austin Film Critics Association.

Cole Dabney of the Austin Film Critics Association sits with News 8's Victor Diaz to talk about the year's best films, chosen by critics. Let's go to the list.

The Dark Knight took the cake at the number one spot. Austin is the first critic group in the country to name Dark Knight as the top film of 2008.




2008 Awards
December 16, 2008 (Austin, TX) -- The Austin Film Critics Association announces its 2008 end-of-the-year awards in 16 categories.

In a city known for its population of over 1 million bats, the Austin Film Critics Association honored the Batman thriller THE DARK KNIGHT with 5 awards, including the top honor, Best Film. Christopher Nolan won for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (with his brother Jonathan) and Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. The film was also honored in the Best Original Score category.

Sean Penn took Best Actor for his performance as gay rights activist Harvey Milk in MILK, and Anne Hathaway won Best Actress as a recovering drug addict in the indie hit RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Taraji P. Henson clinched Best Supporting Actress as the title character's mother in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.

Charlie Kaufman's script for his directorial debut SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK wrapped up Best Original Screenplay, while the critics fell for Colin Watkinson's cinematography in THE FALL.

WALL*E won Best Animated Film, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN won Best Foreign Language Film, and MAN ON WIRE won Best Documentary.

The group chose Danny McBride as their Breakthrough Artist for his comedic roles in PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, THE FOOT FIST WAY and TROPIC THUNDER. Best First Film went to Nacho Vigalondo for the Spanish time-traveling thriller Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes).

CRAWFORD won the award for best film made in the Austin-area or by an Austinite. After making its world premiere in the capital city during the 2008 South by Southwest Film Festival, director David Modigliani chose to distribute the documentary through Hulu.com after being picked up by B-Side Entertainment.
2008 Award Summary

Top 10 Films:
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Synecdoche, New York
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Wrestler
WALL*E
Frost/Nixon
Let the Right One In
Gran Torino


Best Picture:
The Dark Knight

Best Director:
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight

Best Actor:
Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress:
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress:
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Original Screenplay:
Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Dark Knight, Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan

Best Cinematography:
The Fall, Colin Watkinson

Best Original Score:
The Dark Knight, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer

Best Foreign Language Film:
Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) - Sweden

Best Documentary Film:
Man on Wire

Best Animated Feature:
WALL*E

Breakthrough Artist Award:
Danny McBride, Pineapple Express/The Foot Fist Way/Tropic Thunder

Best First Film:
Nacho Vigalondo, Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes)

Best Austin Film:
Crawford, David Modigliani

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

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[CandyKane1]

Josh Brolin won two of the major critics awards. Heath Ledger has not been "sweeping."

[coletv]

okay, okay, Josh Brolin won the NYFCC and NBR, but Heath Ledger has taken:

Austin AWFJ BFCA Boston Chicago Detroit DFW Florida GGlobes Houston Iowa Las Vegas Los Angeles NYOnline Ohio Oklahoma Phoenix San Francisco San Diego SoEast FC St. Louis Toronto Utah WashingtonDC

[surya8181]

Please not the Dark Knight, the most over rated of the year.

[coletv]

most overrated?

[limbride]

Maybe because he was played by Ben Kingsley ?

just maybe.

[notblondeswede]

That list is weird.

A lot of crappy/not special movies on the top and amazing movies like "Let the right one in" on the bottom?

[Baneofyourlife1000]

@surya8181 go fuck yourself!

[Gilch30]

Shows how stupid and ignorant the people of Austin are to give the award to Dark Knight

[nastynas9000]

This movie wasn't even that good. Well overated.

[Googooboo1387]

Well at least one critics group got it right instead of AMPAS...

[dovestones]

The tone of my writing, tone of my writing, not voice, you can't hear me, dear friend.

Literary critique sails right over your head i see.

[limbride]

No the tone of your voice gave you away.

[dovestones]

Sarcasm sails right over your head i see.