Oscar Noms & Adam's Nods

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OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Let's jump right in. The fact that The Dark Knight was not nominated for Best Picture is an absolute travesty. It's not like the Academy Awards haven't recognized blockbusters before. Why not recognize one of the very best. Director Christopher Nolan was also nixed. What a shame. At least Heath Ledger got a nomination.

The biggest surprise was the welcome inclusion of Michael Shannon. He was certainly a highlight in Sam Mendes' depressing falling out of love epic Revolutionary Road. Beyond Shannon, Revolutionary Road was virtually shut out. Also unexpected, Melissa Leo who received a nomination in the Best Actress category for her work in Frozen River. I must confess, I have yet to see that film. It was all the talk at last year's Sundance Film Festival (which, coincidentally, is where I'm at right now).

As for those not nominated? Did I mention The Dark Knight? Oh yeah, I did. Moving on. For whatever reason, Clint Eastwood wasn't nominated for his work in Gran Torino even though many analysts considered him a lock. A good performance in an otherwise sub par film. Also left by wayside was the lovable Sally Hawkins who scored big points with critics for her work in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky. Finally, where's Bruce Springsteen? His tune from The Wrestler should be on the list.

I'm happy as a clam to see Robert Downey Jr. recognized for his work in Tropic Thunder. He was the go to guy in 2008 and while it would have been nice to see some recognition for Iron Man as well, I suppose you can't win em' all. I'm also incredibly pleased to see Richard Jenkins remembered for his subtle, heartbreaking work in The Visitor. Good to see that In Bruges bagged a screenplay nomination.

Not surprisingly, the big four are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, and Milk. The Reader also snuck in there which I didn't expect. Come Feb. 22nd, we'll see who wins as Hugh Jackman hosts the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

On a final note, further props to The Dark Knight for striking a perfect balance of popcorn entertainment and high art. You're the best picture of 2008 in my book.

Here's a list of the nominees;

BEST PICTURE
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
'Frost/Nixon'
'Milk'
'The Reader'
'Slumdog Millionaire'

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Stephen Daldry, 'The Reader'
David Fincher, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Ron Howard, 'Frost/Nixon'
Gus Van Sant, 'Milk'

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'

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, 'Rachel Getting Married'
Angelina Jolie, 'Changeling'
Melissa Leo, 'Frozen River'
Meryl Streep, 'Doubt'
Kate Winslet, 'The Reader'

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, 'Milk'
Robert Downey Jr., 'Tropic Thunder'
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt'
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight'
Michael Shannon, ' Revolutionary Road'

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'

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
'Bolt'
'Kung Fu Panda'
'Wall-E'

BEST FOREIGN FILM
'The Baader Meinhof Complex' (Germany)
'The class' (France)
'Departures'(Japan)
'Revanche' (Austria)
'Waltz With Bashir' (Israel)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, 'Milk'
Courtney Hunt, 'Frozen River'
Mike Leigh, 'Happy-Go-Lucky'
Martin McDonagh, 'In Bruges'
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter, 'WALL-E'

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
John Patrick Shanley, 'Doubt'
Peter Morgan, 'Frost/Nixon'
David Hare, 'The Reader'
Simon Beaufoy, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
'The Betrayal'
'Encounters at the End of the World'
'The Garden'
'Man on Wire'
'Trouble the Water'

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
'Defiance'
'Milk'
'Slumdog Millionaire'
'WALL-E'

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
'Down to Earth,' WALL-E
'Jai Ho,' 'Slumdog Millionaire'
'O Saya,' 'Slumdog Millionaire'

BEST FILM EDITING
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Lee Smith, 'The Dark Knight'
Mike Hill, Dan Hanley, 'Frost/Nixon'
Elliot Graham, 'Milk'
Chris Dickens, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

BEST DOCUMENTARY - SHORT SUBJECT
'The Conscience of Nhem En,' Steven Okazaki
'The Final Inch,' Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant
'Smile Pinki,' Megan Mylan
'The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306,' Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tom Stern, 'Changeling'
Claudio Miranda, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Wally Pfister, 'The Dark Knight'
Chris Menges, Roger Deakins, 'The Reader'
Anthony Dod Mantle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Catherine Martin, 'Australia'
Jacqueline West, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Michael O'Connor, 'The Duchess'
Danny Glicker, 'Milk'
Albert Wolsky, 'Revolutionary Road'

BEST SOUND MIXING
David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick, 'The Dark Knight'
Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty, 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt, 'WALL-E'
Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt, 'Wanted'

BEST SOUND EDITING
Richard King, 'The Dark Knight'
Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes, 'Iron Man'
Tom Sayers, 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood, 'WALL-E'
Wylie Stateman, 'Wanted'

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
'Auf der Strecke (On the Line),' Reto Caffi
'Manon on the Asphalt,' Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont
'New Boy,' Steph Green, Tamara Anghie
'The Pig,' Tivi Magnusson, Dorte Høgh
'Spielzeugland (Toyland),' Jochen Alexander Freydank

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
'La Maison de Petits Cubes,' Kunio Kato
'Lavatory - Lovestory,' Konstantin Bronzit
'Oktapodi,' Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand
'Presto,' Doug Sweetland
'This Way Up,' Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

BEST MAKEUP
Greg Cannom, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
John Caglione, Jr., Conor O'Sullivan, 'The Dark Knight'
Mike Elizalde, Thom Flout, 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'

BEST ART DIRECTION
James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis, 'Changeling'
Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando, 'The Dark Knight'
Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway, 'The Duchess'
Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt, 'Revolutionary Road'

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin, 'The Dark Knight'
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan, 'Iron Man'