http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39851
Oscars 2009: The nominees

Here is the shortlist for the 81st Academy Awards, which are being held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on 22 February.

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

Phillip 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 Film

BOLT

KUNG FU PANDA

WALL-E


Best Art Direction

Changeling - James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

The Dark Knight - Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

The Duchess - Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

Revolutionary Road - Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt


Best Cinematography

Changeling - Tom Stern

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda

The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister

The Reader - Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle


Best Costume Design

Australia - Catherine Martin

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jacqueline West

The Duchess - Michael O'Connor

Milk - Danny Glicker

Revolutionary Road - Albert Wolsky


Best Director

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher

Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard

Milk - Gus Van Sant

The Reader - Stephen Daldry

Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle


Best Feature Documentary

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) - Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

Encounters at the End of the World - Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser

The Garden - Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Man on Wire - James Marsh, Simon Chinn

Trouble the Water - Tia Lessin, Carl Deal


Best Documentary Short Film

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 Editing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

The Dark Knight - Lee Smith

Frost/Nixon - Mike Hill, Dan Hanley

Milk - Elliot Graham

Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens


Best Foreign Language Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany

The Class - France

Departures - Japan

Austria - Revanche

Waltz with Bashir - Israel


Best Makeup

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Greg Cannom

The Dark Knight - John Caglione, Jr., Conor O'Sullivan

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz


Best Music (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


Best Original Song

WALL-E - "Down to Earth"

Slumdog Millionaire - "Jai Ho"

Slumdog Millionaire - "O Saya"


BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire


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 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 Sound Editing

The Dark Knight - Richard King

Iron Man - Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes

Slumdog Millionaire - Tom Sayers

WALL-E - Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood

Wanted - Wylie Stateman


Best Sound Mixing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

The Dark Knight - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

Slumdog Millionaire - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

WALL-E - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

Wanted - Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt


Best Visual Effects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

The Dark Knight - Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin

Iron Man - John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan


Best Adapted Screenplay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth, Robin Swicord

Doubt - John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan

The Reader - David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy


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

so whaddya think?

edited with full list of nominees
[Edited 1/22/09 6:43am]
[Edited 1/22/09 6:45am]

You're all sticky, Jamie.

CarrieMpls said:

Good for Penelope!
Sad that Kristin Scott Thomas was left out as best actress
Should be happy for Milk, but it really left me cold
Happy that The Dark Knight was left out
A Ron Howard film nominated again? Really?

I look forward to seeing Slumdog Millionaire but that list of nominees is not
exciting in the least. It just shows what a crappy year for cinema 2008 was.

i'm surprised benjamin button ran away with the most nominations. it was a fine film, but it wasn't THAT fantastic, was it?

as for ron howard being nominated, i think this time he actually DESERVES the nod, though i really want gus van sant to win it.

and i want mickey rourke to win best actor again just so we get to enjoy another trainwrecky acceptance speech.

Anxiety said:

I've not seen it yet but have heard it described as an arty Forest Gump ?

I'm not seen the noms for best costume etc yet either

I've only seen Benjamin Button.




I'm really behind the last few years. I just don't go to movies any more.

I was able to get a good head start this year. I've already seen the following nominated films:

Australia
Changeling
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Duchess
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wanted
The Wrestler

I'll definitely see Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road, Waltz With Bashir and The Class before the awards.

CarrieMpls said:

I go by myself. Fortunately I have an art house theater in walking distance from my apartment. Movies are $6.50 all day Tuesdays and Thursdays.

CarrieMpls said:

[insert Rocky IV joke HERE]

I'll say Brad Pitt for Best Actor - For Benjamin Button
and Meryl Streep for Best Actress - Doubt

These two below are excellent actresses, but I think Marisa may take it for Best Supporting Actress

Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
[Edited 1/22/09 9:04am]

sextonseven said:

which theater? i used to love going by myself to the quad and cinema village when i lived in new york.

HamsterHuey said:

yeah, yeah.

Anxiety said:

I saw Happy-Go-Lucky at the Quad.

I can't afford to live in Manhattan--not by myself anyway. I live near the Kew Gardens movie theater in Queens. Half the movies on my list I've seen there. And Waltz With Bashir and The Class will be coming there soon. Shame on me for only taking advantage of the place in the last year or so even though I've lived in the area for over a decade now.

garganta said:

I thought I've Loved You So Long was a better film than Doubt, The Changeling and even The Reader and those all got multiple nominations.

CarrieMpls said:

But you saw Let The Right One In!

sextonseven said:

Indeed I did.

I have to remember to call my friend Les more often cause generally when I DO go out and see movies it's cause he calls me to go. He's the one who got the free tix to the premiere of that (though I was planning to go anyway) AND he's the one who called me to go see Cadillac Records.

CarrieMpls said:

Go, cranky Carrie! GO!

I would have loved to see Clint Eastwood, in the best actor category!

The only one I care bout is Peter Gabriel getting best song. Surprised that bruce got shut out.

I saw Benjamin Button too and cannot believe that I did not like it! I love all of Brad Pitts movies, but I swear that kind of gave me the creeps.

sextonseven said:

of course! but we´re talking about a foreign film and not a very commercial one. the oscars are for American films mainly or at least spoken in English. I need to see Slumdog Millionaire. That one is promising.

I'm glad that The Dark Knight was left out, I do understand that Ledger is nominated!

Happy for Frost/Nixon, excellent movie!
Can't wait to see Benjamin Button.
Happy for Brad and Angelina.
I really hope WALL-E wins over Panda and Bolt.
Eventhough I haven't seen it yet, I feel that Eastwood has been overlooked for his role in Gran Torino....

In general it looks like a fair list, I'm glad that Kate Winslet did not get a double nomination!

Very happy about 'Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex'!!!

abierman said:

I am not a HUGE Eastwood fan but I feel like he was snubbed, that movie was great and I loved the "cranky ole racist man" character and the growth that occured during the movie.

I still have to see most of these movies, My heart is with Milk and Slumdog Millionaire. Anyone seen the Wrestler?

Anx are you about the Grey Gardens movie?

i think the only movies i've seen on that list is : wall-e, kung fu panda, & the dark knight.

butterfli25 said:

I saw it on Tuesday. I thought the acting by Rourke and Tomei was very strong. I have no problem with them being nominated.

Ivy said she hated it though. She always sees movies she hates.

garganta said:

Too bad France chose to submit The Class instead of Kristin's movie for the best foreign film category.

abierman said:

I can't see WALL-E not winning that category.

sextonseven said:

I think The Class won the main prize at Cannes last year and has had the best reviews here in Spain. So maybe it´s fair that France submitted it after all.

garganta said:

I'll see The Class next month when it comes to the theater near me. The previews look interesting.