81st Academy Award Nominees

The Academy Award nominees have finally been announced, so lets take a look at who made the cut. Leading the way with 13 nominations is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, followed by rags-to-riches tale Slumdog Millionaire. Though generally a weak year for films, 2008 still had it's share of successes. Frost/Nixon returned Ron Howard to the Best Director category and Sean Penn once again is up for Best Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk. Then there's the surprising inclusion of The Reader, by director Stephen Daldry. We'll have to wait until Feb. 22 to see which films really stood out for academy voters.

Best Picture:

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Milk
4. The Reader
5. Slumdog Millionaire

I hate to admit this, but I actually haven't seen any of these films. My hope is to see at least 4 of the 5 before the big night, and I bet you can guess which one will probably be left out. Like a lot of people I think The Dark Knight should have gotten the nod over The Reader, and I've even heard people suggest that Wall-E could have been a suitable replacement. As with most years, the Academy rarely gets it completely right.

Best Director:

1. David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
2. Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
3. Gus Van Sant (Milk)
4. Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
5. Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Not a surprise that the 5 nominated directors are all attached to the 5 nominated films for Best Picture. In my opinion, Ron Howard is the clear favorite, with David Fincher and Gus Van Sant also having an outside chance. It would have been nice to see Christopher Nolan get a nomination here, but it just didn't happen.

Best Actor:

1. Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
2. Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
3. Sean Penn (Milk)
4. Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
5. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Once again we see the fruits of portraying famous figures of the past as Frank Langella (as Richard Nixon) and Sean Penn (as Harvey Milk) both get Oscar nominations. Mickey Rourke is a nice addition to this group and Brad Pitt gets his first nomination since his 1995 supporting actor nomination for Twelve Monkeys.

Best Actress:

1. Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
2. Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
3. Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
4. Meryl Streep (Doubt)
5. Kate Winslet (The Reader)

This looks to be a competitive category this year with several good performances. Meryl Streep must always be considered a favorite, but Kate Winslet and Angelina Jolie should also get serious consideration. Especially Jolie, who's emotional portrayal in Clint Eastwood's Changeling really carried that film.

Best Supporting Actor:

1. Josh Brolin (Milk)
2. Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
4. Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
5. Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

The supporting actor category has quite the assortment of characters this year. From Oscar titan Philip Seymour Hoffman with his 3rd Oscar nomination in 4 years, to Robert Downey Jr. and his hilarious portrayal of an actor portraying an African-American soldier in Tropic Thunder, to Josh Brolin with his first Oscar nomination, and finally Heath Ledger, who stole the show in The Dark Knight but tragically passed away of an unintentional drug overdose. This category is wide open.

Best Supporting Actress:

1. Amy Adams (Doubt)
2. Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
3. Viola Davis (Doubt)
4. Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
5. Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

With such a diverse group of actresses, the Oscar is truly up for grabs. For Marisa Tomei, this is her 3rd Oscar nomination and first since In The Bedroom (2001). For Amy Adams and Penelope Cruz, this is their 2nd nomination each and both are looking for their first Oscar. But with the widespread success of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Taraji P. Henson should not be overlooked in this category.

In the next few weeks I hope to see as many of these films and performances as possible and bring you my reviews before the big day. For a complete list of the Academy Award nominations, you can visit the official Oscar website at Oscar.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the nominations, so feel free to leave a comment.