81st Academy Award Nominations

[Miriel]

BEST PICTURE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST DIRECTOR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - David Fincher
FROST/NIXON - Ron Howard
MILK - Gus Van Sant
THE READER - Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - Danny Boyle

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins for THE VISITOR
Frank Langella for FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn for MILK
Brad Pitt for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke for THE WRESTLER

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway for RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie for CHANGELING
Melissa Leo for FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep for DOUBT
Kate Winslet for THE READER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin for MILK
Robert Downey Jr. for TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman for DOUBT
Heath Ledger for THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams for DOUBT
Penelope Cruz for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis for DOUBT
Tarija P. Henson for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei for THE WRESTLER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
AUSTRALIA
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK

BEST FILM EDITING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST SOUND MIXING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

BEST SOUND EDITING
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

BEST MAKEUP
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - "O Saya"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - "Jai Ho"
WALL-E - "Down to Earth"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX - Germany
THE CLASS - France
DEPARTURES - Japan
REVANCHE - Austria
WALTZ WITH BASHIR - Israel

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
THE BETRAYAL
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER

Aside from the Slumdog love and the awesome nod to Robert Downy JR., the nominations list is so boring. Sometimes, I get the feeling that the Academy doesn't even watch the movies that they nominate for these awards. They just nominate the people who they THINK should be nominated, regardless of the quality of movie and/or performances.

That's the only thing that can account for the mind boggling number of nominations for Benjamin Button, a movie that screams "Give me an Oscar!!!" but isn't actually very good at all.

I was bracing myself for a Dark Knight snub in the Best Picture category, but a Christopher Nolan snub?! Didn't see that one coming. Wall.E and Dark Knight both got shafted for the Best Picture category. I dunno how it can even be justified. Dark Knight (94% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and Wall.E (96% on RT) were both two of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of 2008. Compared to the lukewarm reviews given to Benjamin Button (77% on RT) and The Reader (60% on RT).

Whatever. Gonna root for Slumdog Millionaire and hope they include the Bollywood number when they present Jai Ho for best song.

[Bunny]

That list is god awful.

[Madame Adequate]

Query: How do they distinguish between Actor and Supporting Actor? I don't see how Ledger is a Supporting Actor for TDK, given that the entire movie revolved around him and he was one of the three main characters.

Also, what's with this Benjamin Button love?

[Tavrobel]

Is it just me, or has the Academy gotten less, less, and less creative with nominations ever since the third LotR? Despite their "credibility," all they manage to do is nominate the movies from the big studios that are all the same; there's nothing special about them. You've seen one, you've seen them all. Besides that, Hollywood sucks this year. We might as well just give the Dark Knight everything and call it a day.

Query: How do they distinguish between Actor and Supporting Actor? I don't see how Ledger is a Supporting Actor for TDK, given that the entire movie revolved around him and he was one of the three main characters.

I can't be entirely sure, but if you want a half-sarcastic answer, it would be because the title of the movie isn't about him. Therefore, he is not the main.

If you want a real answer, then the only clue I could give you is to think if the character could be replaced, and if the movie would still be the same movie. In the Academy's opinion, the Joker is interchangeable with someone else.

[Miriel]

Query: How do they distinguish between Actor and Supporting Actor? I don't see how Ledger is a Supporting Actor for TDK, given that the entire movie revolved around him and he was one of the three main characters.

Most of the time, common sense is enough to decide between supporting vs. main. But when it's not that obvious, it's usually up to the studio to decide how they want to campaign. If they feel like they'd have a better shot pushing for supporting than main, then they'll do that. Or take the case with Kate Winslet. She was pushed for Best Actress for Revolutionary Road and Supporting Actress for The Reader so that her nominations wouldn't cancel each other out. WB always campaigned for Ledger in the supporting category which is smart of them because in a toe-to-toe match up between Sean Penn for Milk and Ledger for Dark Knight, I think it would have gone to Penn. But in the supporting category, Ledger pretty much has the award locked down.

[Kirobaito]

I've never even HEARD of The Reader.

That said, go Frost/Nixon! Hopefully you'll get something.

[Rocket Edge]

BEST PICTURE
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST DIRECTOR
FROST/NIXON - Ron Howard

BEST ACTOR
Mickey Rourke for THE WRESTLER

BEST ACTRESS
Kate Winslet for THE READER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger for THE DARK KNIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

Thats who I think will win in the main ones. Ledger is a cert anyway.

Think Nolan deserved to be nominated, however TDK in their eyes isn't oscar material. That said I thought TDK was incredably over-rated.

Also, If Anne Hathaway wins I'll scream.

[I Took the Red Pill]

Wall-E is not up for Best Picture? You've got to be smurfing kidding me.

[Bunny]

Also, If Anne Hathaway wins I'll scream.

Good scream or bad scream?

[Shoeberto]

I have had trouble caring about the academy awards for years because of stuff like this. The picks are just always so obvious.

But I guess overall this year didn't really see an onslaught of great movies either, compared to other years. Oh well.

[Rocket Edge]

Also, If Anne Hathaway wins I'll scream.

Good scream or bad scream?

A bad one.

[Miriel]

I heard Anne Hathaway was brilliant in Rachel Getting Married. Why the hate?

[Big D]

! Didn't see that one coming. Wall.E and Dark Knight both got shafted for the Best Picture category. I dunno how it can even be justified. Dark Knight (94% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and Wall.E (96% on RT) were both two of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of 2008. Compared to the lukewarm reviews given to Benjamin Button (77% on RT) and The Reader (60% on RT).

Personally, I'd hate to see the day when movie awards are based on ratings from websites. You let internet geeksites decide what "score" a movie gets, and Rick Astley will end up getting Best Actor every year...

Yes, Heath Ledger was remarkably good in The Dark Knight. But that movie shouldn't automatically win every accolade that's going, simply because of Ledger's unfortunate death.

I'm looking forward to The Reader. I read Der Vorleser a couple of years ago, it's a hard-hitting novel, and both thought-provoking and rather controversial. It's interesting that it's got an English adaptation so soon.

[The Man]

These award selections are smurfing awful; it's as if they're deliberately trying to make themselves as irrelevant as possible by disregarding everything that doesn't fit into their stuffy, antiquated notions of what constitutes cinematic art. The only thing that pleases me about this list is Ledger's nomination for TDK; apart from that, it's a bunch of reactionary crap.

That said, I still haven't seen Slumdog or Frost/Nixon, so maybe they're good, but the fact that cinematic masterpieces like Wall-E and TDK didn't get Best Picture or Best Director nods is just a joke.

[Miriel]

! Didn't see that one coming. Wall.E and Dark Knight both got shafted for the Best Picture category. I dunno how it can even be justified. Dark Knight (94% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and Wall.E (96% on RT) were both two of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of 2008. Compared to the lukewarm reviews given to Benjamin Button (77% on RT) and The Reader (60% on RT).

Personally, I'd hate to see the day when movie awards are based on ratings from websites. You let internet geeksites decide what "score" a movie gets, and Rick Astley will end up getting Best Actor every year...

Rotten Tomatoes is a site that compiles reviews from actual critics. Kenneth Turan from the LA Times, Robert Ebert from the Chicago Sun Times, Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly, etc. The site isn't 100% precise, but it does closely mirror what a lot of critic groups are thinking. Wall.E and Dark Knight both have their share of Best Picture awards given to them by specific critics groups (Boston Society of Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, etc). The Producers Guild nominated Dark Knight for Best Picture and the Directors Guild nominated Christopher Nolan for Best Director.

Critics generally gave The Reader a lukewarm (at best) reception. So the fact that it got in OVER two of the most critically acclaimed and top grossing films of the year is insane.

And Wall.E is proof that never again will an animated feature get into the Best Picture category. Not with the existence of the Best Animated Film category.

That said, I still haven't seen Slumdog or Frost/Nixon, so maybe they're good, but the fact that cinematic masterpieces like Wall-E and TDK didn't get Best Picture or Best Director nods is just a joke.

Slumdog Millionaire has earned its place in my Best Movies EVER list. It was better than both Wall.E and Dark Knight, and every other nominated film this year. I wouldn't say it's a lock for Best Picture, but the chances are good.