Muriels Retro: 2008

Best Picture:
Synecdoche, New York
Silent Light
The Duchess of Langeais
The Class
In the City of Sylvia
Che
Rachel Getting Married
A Christmas Tale
Chicago 10
The Secret of the Grain

Best Director:
Carlos Reygadas, Silent Light
Jacques Rivette, The Duchess of Langeais
Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York
Jose Luis Guerin, In the City of Sylvia
Steven Soderbergh, Che

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Catherine Deneuve, A Christmas Tale
Naomi Watts, Funny Games
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Michael Shannon, Shotgun Stories
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Guillaume Depardieu, The Duchess of Langeais
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Synecdoche, New York
Benicio Del Toro, Che

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading
Bill Irwin, Rachel Getting Married
Roger Allam, Speed Racer

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Hafsia Herzi, The Secret of the Grain
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Ann Savage, My Winnipeg
Samantha Morton, Synecdoche, New York
Jane Lynch, Role Models

Best Screenplay:
Synecdoche, New York
A Christmas Tale
Rachel Getting Married
The Duchess of Langeais
In Bruges

Best Ensemble Performance:
Rachel Getting Married
A Christmas Tale
The Class
Synecdoche, New York
In Bruges

Best Cinematography:
Silent Light (Alexis Zabe)
Paranoid Park (Christopher Doyle and Kathy Rain Li)
The Man From London (Fred Kelemen)
Che (Peter Andrews [Steven Soderbergh])
The Duchess of Langeais (William Lubtchansky)

Best Music:
WALL*E (Thomas Newman)
Speed Racer (Michael Giacchino)
Cassandra’s Dream (Philip Glass)
My Winnipeg (Jason Staczek et al)
Happy-Go-Lucky (Gary Yershon)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Hafsia Herzi (actor- The Secret of the Grain)
Charlie Kaufman (director- Synecdoche, New York)
Rosemarie DeWitt (actor- Rachel Getting Married)
Martin McDonagh (director/writer- In Bruges)
Danny McBride (actor- The Foot Fist Way)

Best Body of Work:
Darius Khondji (cinematographer- Funny Games, My Blueberry Nights, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait)
Michael Shannon (actor- Shotgun Stories, Revolutionary Road)
Roger Deakins (cinematographer- Revolutionary Road, Doubt; visual consultant- WALL*E)
Samantha Morton (actor- Synecdoche, New York, Mister Lonely)
Richard Jenkins (actor- Burn After Reading, The Visitor, Step Brothers)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Young @ Heart – “Fix You”
Kung Fu Panda – no charge for awesomeness
Woman on the Beach – diagram
Silent Light – bathing the children
In Bruges – tower showdown
Silent Light – sunrise
The Wrestler – Ram at the deli counter (first time)
JCVD – “Hard Times”
The Silence Before Bach – traveling player piano
XXY – sex surprise