The Executioner's Gongs!

Ah, it almost seems cruel to name the winners of the executioner's awards for film excellence in 2008 just days before the Oscars - kind of makes the golden guy irrelevant for most people! - but here we are. After much delay this year's recipients of the coveted Golden Axes are:

Best Picture: Waltz With Bashir.

Runner-up: WALL-E

Best Animated Film: Waltz With Bashir.
Runner-up: WALL-E

Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir

Runner-up: I've Loved You So Long

Best Director: Ari Folman, Waltz With Bashir

Runner-up: Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Runner-up: Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Runner-up: Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long

(Special shout-out Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona - the heart of the film and the best Woody-stand-in character yet!)

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Runner-up: Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

(so many overlooked by Oscar: James Franco, Milk; David Kross, The Reader; Mark Strong, Body Of Lies; Sam Rockwell, Frost/Nixon; Aaron Eckhart, The Dark Knight)

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Runner-up: Amy Adams, Doubt

Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Runner-up: Iron Man

Best Sound Design: WALL-E

Runner-up: Iron Man

Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Runner-up: Rachel Getting Married

(special shout-out to WALL-E)

Best Costume Design: Revolutionary Road

Runner-up: Changeling

Best Production Design: The Dark Knight

Runner-up: Revolutionary Road

Best Documentary Feature: Man On Wire

Runner-up: Of Time And The City

(Special shout-outs to Taxi To The Dark Side and My Winnipeg)

Best Make-up: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Runner-up: The Dark Knight

Best music: Revolutionary Road

Runner-up: The Dark Knight

Best Adapted Screenplay: Revolutionary Road

Runner-up: The Dark Knight

Best Original Screenplay: Rachel Getting Married

Runner-up: I've Loved You So Long

And so, there they are. Congratulations to all are winners and runners-up you are the chosen few. There were many great films, efforts and performances this year and i wish so many more could win but this wasn't possible.

Enjoy the second-most prestigious awards on Sunday night and come Monday let's look ahead to next year!