And the Nominees Are…

And now for something that doesn’t at all matter in the grand scheme of things, or even in the lesser scheme of things, but is nonetheless fun to talk (and argue) about. The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were released today. The list looks mostly uncontroversial, except that somehow Gran Torino was completely shunned, seemingly in favor of The Strange Case of Benjamin Button. Seems inappropriate to me, as I thought Eastwood put together a great film and delivered a fantastic performance, but I have not seen the latest Brad Pitt effort.

Some predictions (stuff I think should be a given):

• Micky Rourke as Best Actor (for The Wrestler, hands down)
• Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor (for Dark Knight, again, no question on this one)
• WALL-E as Best Animated Feature Film (it’s WALL-E!)

I also like, but am less sure about:

• Man on Wire for Best Documentary (simply amazing film)
• Marisa Tomei for Best Supporting Actress (for The Wrestler, she’s great, although to be fair, I haven’t seen any of her competition)
• Dark Knight for Makeup and Visuals (the Joker, ’nuff said)

I’ve only seen Frost/Nixon of the five movies nominated for Best Picture! I’d like to at least see Milk and Slumdog Millionaire before the awards. Benjamin Button keeps popping up in these everywhere despite warm but not glowing reviews. Now I’ll have to see if just to see if it justifies the fanfare.