As awards season hits
fever pitch, it’s time to sound the trumpets for the announcement of the Dublin Film Critics Circle awards for movies released here in 2008.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s magisterial There Will Be Blood swept the board, taking three of the six prizes: best film, director and actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).
Close behind was Hunger, which won for best Irish film and breakthrough achievement (director Steve McQueen), as well as the runner-up places for best film and best actor (Michael Fassbender, who also ranked third in the breakthrough category).
Completing the top 10 films of the year were, from 3rd to 10th, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, No Country for Old Men, Wall-E, Gomorrah, Man on Wire, The Dark Knight, 4 Months, 3 Weeks 2 Days and Lars and the Real Girl.
Lance Daly’s Kisses came a close second to Hunger for best Irish film, with boxing documentary Saviours in third place.
Kristin Scott Thomas (I’ve Loved You So Long) was the runaway winner for best actress, followed by Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go- Lucky), Ellen Page (Juno), Angelina Jolie (Changeling) and Nadine Labaki (Caramel).
Following Day-Lewis and Fassbender on the best actor list were Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Josh Brolin (W.)
