San Diego Film Critics Society’s Best-of-2009 List

It happens every year. After spending the last part of November and the first half of December feverishly watching movies, I sit in a conference room with the other members of the San Diego Film Critics Society and we hammer out, in a fairly democratic fashion, our Best Of list for the year. I’m actually very happy with this year’s selections. Not everything I voted for won, but in almost every one of those cases, the winner was one I could live with. I feel as though we chose several films that most other critic’s groups, and I’m quite pleased that we selected Michelle Monaghan as Best Actress for her role in Trucker. If you agree or disagree with any of the choices, please say so (but remember that these aren’t all my choices, too, especially if you’re, y’know, in disagreement). But enough already. Here it is.

BEST FILM
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Runner-up:A SINGLE MAN (opens in San Diego on Dec. 25)

BEST DIRECTOR
Quentin Tarantino, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Runner-up: James Cameron, AVATAR

BEST ACTRESS
Michelle Monaghan, TRUCKER
Runners-up: Abbie Cornish, BRIGHT STAR, Carey Mulligan, AN EDUCATION

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth, A SINGLE MAN
Runner-up: Viggo Mortensen, THE ROAD

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Samantha Morton, THE MESSENGER
Runner-up: Anna Kendrick, UP IN THE AIR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
Runner-up: Woody Harrelson, THE MESSENGER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Runner-up: Joel & Ethan Coen, A SERIOUS MAN

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson/Noah Baumbach, FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Runner-up: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, UP IN THE AIR

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
IL DIVO
Runner-up: SIN NOMBRE

BEST DOCUMENTARY
THE COVE
Runner-up: ANVIL!: THE STORY OF ANVIL

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Javier Aguirresarobe, THE ROAD
Runner-up: Robert Richardson, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST ANIMATED FILM
UP
Runner-up: FANTASTIC MR. FOX

BEST EDITING
Alan Edward Bell, (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
Runner-up: Sally Menke, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
David Wasco, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Runner-up: Anastasia Masaro, IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS (opens in San Diego on January 8)

BEST SCORE
Abel Korzeniowski, A SINGLE MAN
Runner-up: Michael Giaccone, UP

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Runner-up: A SERIOUS MAN

BODY OF WORK
Woody Harrelson (The Messenger, Zombieland, 2012)