Chicago Gives 'Knight' & 'Robot' Boost

It's been an interesting year for critics. Most of the time critics are spending the holidays making their top ten lists and giving out awards. They are still doing this, but unlike the last several years where indie and obscure films have been topping the lists, the critics are once again embraced Hollywood once more. Oh sure they are still promoting small films like "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire," but when the Chicago Critics announced their nominees for their set of awards, the two movies that topped the nominees have turned out to be "Wall-E" and "The Dark Knight." Andrew Stanton is even up for Best Director. I firmly believe one of these two films will win the top prize, and whoever wins it will likely get a bigger boost in the Oscars.

If "The Dark Knight" wins then it should solidify it as a serious Oscar contender. Should "Wall-E" win it will be one more step to being a surprise nomination come January 22nd. The winners from the Chicago Critics will be announced on December 18th, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results soon. Oh yeah, and as an added bonus Richard Roeper will be one of the presenters. Could this be the place where he also announces the new show he's been working on? We can only hope. Here is the full list of nominees:

BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL*E

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle–Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan–The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton–WALL*E
Gus Van Sant–Milk

BEST ACTOR

Clint Eastwood–Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins–The Visitor
Frank Langella–Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn–Milk
Mickey Rourke–The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway–Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins–Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie–Changeling
Melissa Leo–Frozen River
Meryl Streep–Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Downey Jr.–Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman–Doubt
Bill Irwin–Rachel Getting Married
Heath Ledger–The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon–Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams–Doubt
Penelope Cruz–Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis–Doubt
Rosemarie Dewitt–Rachel Getting Married
Kate Winslet–The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

In Bruges–Martin McDonagh
Milk–Dustin Lance Black
Rachel Getting Married–Jenny Lumet
Synecdoche, N.Y. –Charlie Kaufman
WALL*E–Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Eric Roth
The Dark Knight–Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Doubt–John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon–Peter Morgan
Slumdog Millionaire–Simon Beaufoy

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

The Band’s Visit
Che
A Christmas Tale
I’ve Loved You For So Long
Let the Right One In

BEST DOCUMENTARY

American Teen
Dear Zachary
IOUSA
Man On Wire
Standard Operating Procedure

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda
Tale of Desperaux
WALL*E
Waltz with Bashir

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Australia–Mandy Walker
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight–Wally Pfister
The Fall–Colin Watkinson
Slumdog Millionaire–Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight–Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard
Milk–Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire–A.R. Rahman
WALL*E–Thomas Newman

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER

Russell Brand–Forgetting Sarah Marshall
David Kross–The Reader
Lina Leandersson–Let the Right One In
Dev Patel–Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters–Australia

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER

Tomas Alfredson–Let the Right One In
Lance Hammer–Ballast
Courtney Hunt–Frozen River
Martin McDonagh–In Bruges
Steve McQueen–Hunger