indieWIRE CRITICS' POLL '08 | Jason Anderson

This is the latest ballot in indieWIRE's 2008 Critics Poll, continuing the tradition of a national survey of critics by calling attention to the year's best -- and, in many cases, most overlooked -- films, providing a meaningful counterpoint to much of the year-end hoopla. Note that some lists are unranked at the discretion of the critic. For all categories except Best Undistributed Film, eligible feature films had first-run theatrical engagements in the U.S. during 2008. Films without a U.S. distributor, screened anywhere (festival circuit, one-off screenings, etc.), are eligible in the Best Undistributed Film category. The full list of critics poll ballots is available here at indieWIRE and tabulated results are being published by indieWIRE later this month.

Jason Anderson
Eye Weekly, Toronto

Best Film
1 - Let the Right One In
2 - Reprise
3 - Man on Wire
4 - The Wrestler
5 - Still Life
6 - Flight of the Red Balloon
7 - WALL-E
8 - My Winnipeg
9 - JCVD
10 - Wendy and Lucy

Best Performance
1 - Jean Claude Van Damme, JCVD
2 - Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
3 - Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
4 - Juliette Binoche, Flight of the Red Balloon
5 - Catherine Deneuve, A Christmas Tale

Best Supporting Performance
1 - Jane Lynch, Role Models
2 - Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
3 - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
4 - Samantha Morton, Synecdoche New York
5 - Francois Berleand, Transporter 3

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler

Best Screenplay
Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt, Reprise

Best First Feature
Ballast

Best Documentary
Man on Wire

Best Undistributed Film
1 - Tony Manero
2 - Treeless Mountain
3 - Birdsong
4 - The Headless Woman
5 - La Vie moderne
6 - Blind Loves
7 - Liverpool
8 - Pop Skull
9 - When It Was Blue
10 - Who Is KK Downey
Note: NOT RANKED