White smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Miami Sun-Post offices where Florida Film Critics Circle chairman Dan Hudak compiled member votes, signaling the results of our annual vote for the year's top cinematic accomplishments.

Thankfully, the other 12 members saw it my way, voting Slumdog Millionaire the year's top awards for best film, director (Danny Boyle) and screenplay (Simon Beaufoy). It's also interesting to note that the FFCC choice for best picture has won the Oscar two years running (The Departed, No Country for Old Men).

Mickey Rourke (yay!) was named best actor for The Wrestler, with co-star Marisa Tomei (yay and yum!) voted best supporting actress.

Heath Ledger was an overwhelming choice as best supporting actor for The Dark Knight, which also earned best cinematography honors for Wally Pfister. (I preferred the Kubrickian framing of Let the Right One In, which was named 2008's best foreign language film.)

Melissa Leo was a wonderful choice for best actress, although her terrific performance in Frozen River (which just missed my top-10 list) is likelier to be a Spirit Award winner than at the Oscars.

Wall-E was named best animated flick. Man on Wire was voted best documentary.

The Pauline Kael Breakout Award went to Martin McDonagh, writer/director of In Bruges.

The Golden Orange Award, given for outstanding contribution to film in Florida, went to Dick Morris of the Sarasota Film Society -- an overdue honor -- who, as a Hudak news release stated: "has been a tireless champion of foreign, independent and alternative film and whose efforts have been seen in independent theaters and film festivals all over Florida for decades."