This year’s award picks by both the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association are in, and while there aren’t any huge shockers to reveal, we think that the subtle differences between the two lists offers an interesting portrait of the coastal divide. Example: As subversive as it might be, can you imagine New Yorkers voting a heartwarming animated flick like Wall-E as Best Picture? Fuggedabouit.
Our stereotype-reinforcing analysis after the jump.
Best Picture: New York picked Milk; Los Angeles picked Wall-E (This one is simple: NYC hearts gays, LA hates fat people.)
Best Director: New York picked Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky; Los Angeles picked Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (Leigh’s theatre background and emphasis on style would appeal to intellectual snobs in New York, while a congenial director like Boyle is more LA’s speed.)
Best Actor: New York picked Sean Penn, Milk; Los Angeles picked Sean Penn, Milk (Even critics who don’t live in California feel really guilty about Prop 8.)
Best Actress: New York picked Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky; Los Angeles picked Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky (As we might have guessed, crushing on Sally Hawkins is not geo-specific — she’s just that adorable.)
Best Supporting Actor: New York picked Josh Brolin, Milk; Los Angeles picked Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (New Yorkers prefer real life monsters to fictional ones. Plus anyone who challenges the safety of “Gotham City” is hitting a little too close to home.)
Best Supporting Actress: New York picked Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Elegy (We all owe Penélope Cruz something after passing her up for Volver. LA obviously felt like they owed her a little more.)
Best Screenplay: New York picked Jenny Lumet, Rachel Getting Married; Los Angeles picked Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky (New Yorkers are crazy. Seriously. Just thinking about watching that movie again gives us a headache. Leigh’s movie feels just as “real” without the annoying dialogue repetition, dead time and chain-smoking Anne Hathaway character.)
Best Documentary: New York picked Man on Wire; Los Angeles picked Man on Wire (Everyone can appreciate a thriller that pays homage to the World Trade Center’s twin towers. Props to LA for not choosing something more predictable (and Hills-like), such as American Teen.)