indieWIRE CRITICS' POLL '08 | Peter Keough

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.

Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Best Film
1 - Waltz With Bashir
2 - Paranoid Park
3 - The Edge of Heaven
4 - Flight of the Red Balloon
5 - Trouble the Water
6 - Funny Games
7 - Happy-Go-Lucky
8 - Encounters at the End of the World
9 - My Winnipeg
10 - Pineapple Express

Best Performance
1 - Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
2 - Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
3 - Josh Brolin, Milk
4 - Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
5 - Juliette Binoche, The Flight of the Red Balloon

Best Supporting Performance
1 - Danny McBride
2 - Ann Savage, My Winnipeg
3 - Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
4 - Josh Brolin, Milk
5 - Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Director
Fatih Akin, The Edge of Heaven

Best Screenplay
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky

Best First Feature
Synecdoche, New York

Best Documentary
Trouble the Water

Best Undistributed Film
1 - The Investigator/A Nyamozo
2 - The Karamazovs
3 - Goliath
Note: NOT RANKED