Beware, there be shockers here....
Source: Entertainment Weekly Online
BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
THE READER? WHERE IN THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!? I actually liked The Reader, but over the likes of The Dark Knight? REALLY? Overall...not the most exciting lineup. Milk was just "good" and while I really liked Frost/Nixon, I can't bring myself to say that it should be in the Top 5. Benjamin Button was good, but underwhelming...so really the only great nominee here is the one that everyone knew was getting in: Slumdog Millionaire. Why am I beginning to sense that Oscar night is going to present us with some shocking upset a la Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan?
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Gus Van Sant, Milk
It's such a shame that David Fincher got a nomination for one of his weaker movies. And once again, why The Reader's Mr. Daldry over The Dark Knight's Mr. Nolan???? I've tried to hold off on sounding like a rabid "Dark Knight" fan but...but...WHY?
BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Not crazy about Jenkins or Pitt. Everyone else deserves to be there.
BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader
And now, the biggest WHAT THE HELL moment of the list. First, WHY is Kate Winslet up here in LEAD for The Reader, a role which, while significant, is clearly supporting? And second, I knew it was going to happen, but Angelina Jolie over Sally Hawkins? *sigh* On the other hand: CONGRATULATIONS TO MELISSA LEO!!!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
The funniest thing here is that Shannon got in. While Kate and Leo were picking up steam, he had virtually disappeared, and now here he is.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Had Winslet not been put in the WRONG CATEGORY, I would have called these nominees 100%. The only good thing about Winslet's category fraud is that Penelope Cruz's chances just skyrocketed (although, so did Marisa Tomei's).
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter
Now THIS is more like it. The overrated Milk aside, this is a great group of nominees, especially due to the semi-surprise of In Bruges.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy
Yawn.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
HA! I did predict a category perfectly!
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up
BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road
Not the best choices...but ok.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road
...Well at least Australia wasn't left completely in the dust....
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306
BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
BEST MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman
The Academy could have done SO much better here. Milk's score wasn't anything memorable whatsoever.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
''Down to Earth,'' WALL-E
''Jai Ho,'' Slumdog Millionaire
''O Saya,'' Slumdog Millionaire
Why does the Academy sometimes nominate 5 songs (ie: last year), and sometimes only 3? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS. And no nomination for The Wrestler? Bizarre.
BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
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