Mike Leigh of “Happy-Go-Lucky” won best director by the narrowest of margins on the fourth ballot, with 31 points, edging out Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) by a single point on the weighted ballot, with David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) coming in third with 26 points. In a year with many very close votes, Boyle led the second ballot by two points, and Fincher led the third ballot by a single point. Boyle was the LA. critics’ choice.