Things seem to be boding well for Danny Boyle’s little ‘Slumdog’ flic, as if you haven’t noticed. The film already won the Golden Globe and has now picked up the coveted Producers Guild (PGA) award for Best Film of the Year – the most accurate bellwether for Oscar.
One might think that winning both awards could only help substantiate an Oscar victory, but the statistics don’t support it. Only two films in the past eight years (“Gladiator” and “LOTR:Return of The King”) won both the Globe and the PGA, and then went on to win the Oscar. We’re not saying it can’t happen again, but we know how the Academy likes to be different. Other winners included the absolute surest bet of the year, “Wall-E” for the animated category, and “Man on Wire” for documentary.
In case you’re unaware, ‘Slumdog’ beat out the three other Oscar Best Picture nominees for the PGA prize, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk” plus “The Dark Knight,” which was nominated for the PGA honor, but obviously did not score an Oscar nod. – Jonathan Helm