Sean Penn, Heath Ledger Win Two More Trophies

It's becoming evident that a few movies and performers have a leg up on their competition in this awards season. Of course, they'd never acknowledge it's a competition, but most of these movies are being released at a specific time of year to compete for little gold statues. That's why they spend so much money promoting them. Why else would I have been shipped 30 DVDs, some of which are for movies that won't even open for two weeks?So here are the names and titles getting the most play: Sean Penn, Heath Ledger, Danny Boyle, Man on Wire, and Wall-E. More often than not, Penn and Ledger win in their acting categories in the recent critics lists, Danny Boyle wins best director for Slumdog Millionaire well over half the time, Man on Wire has a nearly spotless track record in the documentary category, and Wall-E has not lost a Best Animated Film award to my knowledge.In fact, the race that might have the most inconsistency is Best Picture, with Wall-E, Slumdog, Milk, and Benjamin Button sharing it, with Slumdog maybe a turn or two ahead of Button and Milk.Two more critics groups have announced their lists and yep, it's broken record time. First, here's the balloting from the St. Louis Film Critics Association: Best Picture:
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Best Actor:
Sean Penn - Milk Best Actress:
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight Best Supporting Actress:
Viola Davis - Doubt Best Director:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire Best Foreign Language Film:
Slumdog Millionaire (U.K./U.S.A/India) Best Documentary:
Man On Wire Best Animated Film:
Wall-E And now the list from the Southeastern Film Critics Association:Best Picture:
Milk Best Actor:
Sean Penn - Milk Best Actress:
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina BarcelonaBest Original Screenplay:
Dustin Lance Black - Milk Best Adapted Screenplay:
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire Best Director:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire Best Foreign Language Film:
Let the Right One In Best Documentary:
Man On Wire Best Animated Film:
Wall-E The SEFCA also lists its top ten films of the year, so be sure to check that out at Awards Daily.I know that Tuesday morning we'll have the Phoenix Film Critics Association list, since I'm a member of that fraternity. And of course, all of this leads up to one pivotal moment: The Blockbuster Movie Awards.