*Sigh* The Oscar Nominees

Ok, here's the full list of nominees, courtesy of Yahoo. I'll also include how many of my predicted nominees made it

1. Best Picture: " The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," " The Reader ," " Slumdog Millionaire ."

Of these, Curious Case was the best, then Milk, then a very wide gap followed by Frost/Nixon and then an even wider gap followed by the atrocious Slumdog (it would feel redundant to go back and edit my review of Slumdog again, but that ** rating is starting to feel too high for a film that should have gone straight to DVD, which was the studio's original plan). I still refuse to see The Reader. 4 of my 5 predicted nominees made it.


2. Actor: Richard Jenkins , "The Visitor"; Frank Langella , "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Mickey Rourke, " The Wrestler ."

I didn't see The Visitor, but I like Jenkins, so it's nice to see him nominated. Langella was good, but not great in a very mediocre film. Penn and Pitt were both very good and Rourke, who had better win, was fantastic. I'd much rather see Dicaprio (for Revolutionary Road) and the others I mentioned in my other entry than Langella or Pitt. 4/5 made it


3. Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Angelina Jolie, " Changeling "; Melissa Leo , " Frozen River"; Meryl Streep, "Doubt"; Kate Winslet, "The Reader."

I hope Hathaway wins, she was my favorite in this group. Leo is a good underdog story, so it's nice to see her here. Streep just wasn't good at Doubt. Winslet deserved it for Revolutionary Road, but I always thought The Reader was a supporting role for her. I didn't see Changeling, so I won't comment on Jolie. I'm shocked that they snubbed Sally Hawkins, and I'm disapointed that Rebecca Hall didn't sneak in. 2(3?)/5 made it. I don't know if I should count Winslet or not.


4. Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin , "Milk"; Robert Downey Jr ., " Tropic Thunder "; Philip Seymour Hoffman , "Doubt"; Heath Ledger , " The Dark Knight "; Michael Shannon , " Revolutionary Road."

It's great to see Downey on here, and Shannon and Brolin were both great (I'd have picked Franco and Hirsch over Brolin out of the supporting cast of Milk). Ledger should win and I think he will. I love the work of PSH, but Doubt just wasn't that good. 3/5 made it


5. 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."

Well, if I had known that WInslet was being submitted as a lead actress for The Reader, I would have put Adams into the fifth spot, as she is my favorite of these five. Cruz and Henson were both excellent. Davis was very good, but I think people have overrated her performance. Tomei would be my second pick; her performance was brave and heartbreaking, and she made a perfect compliment to Rourke. 4/5 made it


6. Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"; Gus Van Sant , "Milk"; Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"; Danny Boyle , "Slumdog Millionaire."

Fuck Slumdog. It just wasn't a very well-directed film (neither was Frost/Nixon, but Slumdog was much more disapointing) This went as expected, with the exception of The Reader getting it over TDK. 4/5


7. Foreign Film : "The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany; "The Class," France; "Departures," Japan; "Revanche," Austria; " Waltz With Bashir ," Israel.

Of these I've only seen Waltz with Bashir, which was fantastic. I really want to see The Class, but it won't be here for a while.


8. Adapted Screenplay : Eric Roth and Robin Swicord , "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; John Patrick Shanley , "Doubt"; Peter Morgan , "Frost/Nixon"; David Hare, "The Reader"; Simon Beaufoy , "Slumdog Millionaire."

Once again, same as expected except with The Reader instead of TDK. 4/5
9. Original Screenplay: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"; Mike Leigh , "Happy-Go-Lucky"; Martin McDonagh , "In Bruges"; Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"; Andrew Stanton , Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, "WALL-E."

So I guess The Wreslter, Synecdoche and Rachel Getting Married really were just too much for the sensibilites of the academy. In Bruges, Milk and Wall-E were great, and I'm sure the others were good, but really? Nothing for the year's three best original screenplays? 2/5


10. Animated Feature Film : "Bolt"; " Kung Fu Panda "; "WALL-E."

Bolt ahead of Waltz with Bashir? I guess it doesn't matter, since WALL-E has this locked up


11. Art Direction: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Duchess," "Revolutionary Road"

The three I saw all looked fine. It's not like I was expecting The Wreslter or Rachel Getting Married to be nominated here anyway, but Synecdoche had some really fantastic set design


12. Cinematography : "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Curious Case and TDK were good. I'm done talking about Slumdog for now. There were no standouts a la No Country or TWBB this year.


13. Sound Mixing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

Wanted was nominated for more Oscars and Synecdoche New York. The academy should be ashamed


14. Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

Wanted was nominated for more Oscars and Synecdoche New York and Rachel Getting Married combined. The academy should be ashamed


15. 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 .

I hated the music in Slumdog, and the music in TDK was far better than any of the nominees. Otherwise this is ok


16. Original Song: "Down to Earth" from "WALL-E," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; " Jai Ho " from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; "O Saya" from "Slumdog

Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

Two songs from Slumdog, and they ignore Springsteen's song from The Wrestler? I don't give a shit about Springsteen and even I love that song. Now we have to listen to the two songs from Slumdog during the actual ceremony. Great job AMPAS


17. Costume: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Duchess," "Milk," "Revolutionary Road"

I'm ok with this


18. Documentary Feature: "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)," " Encounters at the End of the World ," "The Garden," "Man on Wire," " Trouble the Water."

I loved Encounters and Man On Wire, and I haven't seen the others. Waltz with Bashir really should have been nominated


19. Documentary ( short subject ): "The Conscience of Nhem En," "The Final Inch," "Smile Pinki," "The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306."

I have no idea


20. Film Editing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Nothing special about Slumdog or Frost/nixon, the others were good.


21. Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

I fully support these choices
22. Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes," "Lavatory — Lovestory," "Oktapodi," "Presto," "This Way Up."

No idea


23. Live Action Short Film: "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)," "Manon on the Asphalt," "New Boy," "The Pig," "Spielzeugland (Toyland)."

No idea


24. Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," " Iron Man."

Hellboy had far better effects than the severly overrated Iron Man



I hate the academy. They ignore Synecdoche and give out three total nominations to The Wreslter and Rachel Getting Married. They snub The Dark Knight in the best picture race in favor of The Reader, a film whose basic plot I find so insulting, to both history and the viewer, that I refuse to see it and their outdated rules stopped Let the Right One In from getting a nomination for best foreign film. Worst of all, they continue the needless amount of praise heaped on Slumdog, a film that history will hopefully allow us to forget very soon.
As a side note, the first two episodes of the fifth season of Lost were absolutely perfect, so even all of this can't make me that mad.