The night is here. It's time to see if the Academy has chosen well. I fell a bit short of my goal to watch every film nominated, but I did manage 38 of the 50, with all the major categories completely covered. The documentary, foreign film and documentary shorts are hard to get a hold of. None the less I'm looking forward to watching this year's awards more than any others. Most years I complain that the pretentious Academy has only nominated small art films that no one likes. While it's true most people haven't seen most of the nominated films most do deserve their nominations and were quality films. I'm happy that the awards has exposed me to these films which I ordinarily would not have bothered to watch. Here are my picks for the 81st Academy Awards. My personal favorite picks are in blue, the choice that I think will win is in bold and films that I haven't seen are in red.

Best Picture
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* The Reader
* Slumdog Millionaire
Thoughts: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button should not have been nominated and is the on the list where I would be upset if it one. The other films were very good and deserving of the nomination. I still would have liked to see The Wrestler, WALL-E, Rachel Getting Married or the Dark Knight get nominated, but given the choices Slumdog is the clear choice and is the choice I think the academy will go with.

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
Thoughts: I'm still disappointed that Christopher Nolan didn't get nominated, but given the choices of what I've seen, the award has to go to Boyle. Van Sant has a strong case, but I think Boye is most deserving over all and the academy will recognize this.

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
Thoughts: This is the award I care most about. I'd be very disappointed if Rourke did not win this. Penn gave a fantastic performance, but this is Rourke's year.

Best Actress
* Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
* Angelina Jolie – Changeling
* Melissa Leo – Frozen River
* Meryl Streep – Doubt
* Kate Winslet – The Reader
Thoughts: Winslet gave a really great performance and I have no problem with her winning tonight as she probably will. I'm going with Hathaway though since she surprised me the most and I enjoyed her role. I also feel Rachel Getting Married deserves a win and this one makes the most sense. Again, I think Leo shouldn't have been nominated, I think there were more deserving actresses this year.

Best Supporting Actor
* Josh Brolin – Milk
* Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder
* Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
* Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
* Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
Thoughts: I hope people don't think Ledger winning isn't just because of his death. He deserves this award.

Best Supporting Actress
* Amy Adams – Doubt
* Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
* Viola Davis – Doubt
* Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Thoughts: I'm torn between Cruz and Henson, both gave great performances. That being said I'm picking Cruz since she meant the most to the film she was in. Viola Davis will probably win, but it's a mystery to me why. She was in her film for about five minutes. Amy Adam's perofrmance was annoying.

Best Original Screenplay
* WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter
* Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh
* Frozen River - Courtney Hunt
* In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
* Milk - Dustin Lance Black
Thoughts: So many good films nominated in this category it's hard to pick just one. I don't think Milk will win best picture so I think it will get this as a consolation prize. My favorite is In Bruges, but given the competition it has next to no chance to win. The only one I don't want to see win Frozen River. It really wasn't all that great of a screen play.

Best Adapted Screenplay
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
* Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan
* The Reader - David Hare
* Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
* Doubt - John Patrick Shanley
Thoughts: It is so hard to pick, but I think Slumdog deserves to win. However, I don't think it will Either the Reader or Doubt will, but I think Doubt will come away on top.

Best Animated Feature
* Bolt – Chris Williams and Byron Howard
* Kung Fu Panda – Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
* WALL-E – Andrew Stanton
Thoughts: Not really much of a competition here.

Best Foreign Language Film
* Revanche (Austria) in German - Götz Spielmann
* The Class (France) in French - Laurent Cantet
* The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany) in German
* Departures (Japan) in Japanese
* Waltz with Bashir (Israel) in Hebrew - Ari Folman
Thoughts: I've only seen two of the nominated films, so it's a bit tough to choose. Both Waltz and Revanche were very good films. Waltz has the momentum from winning the Golden Globes however, so I think it will win. On a personal level I'd like to see Revanche get the win a bit more. The Class is also a strong contender.

Best Animated Short
* La Maison En Petits Cubes - Kunio Kato
* Lavatory - Lovestory - Konstantin Bronzit
* Oktapodi - Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
* Presto - Doug Sweetland
* This Way Up - Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Thoughts: The only short I couldn't get my hands on was La Maison En Petis Cubes. My personal favorites were Oktapodi and Presto. Given the two I give Presto the slight edge. The one I liked the least, 'This Way Up' will probably come away with the award.

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
Thoughts: The best part of Benjamin Button was the art and makeup. Therefore, I'm picking it for most of the art awards.

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
Thoughts: Slumdog was beautifully shot, and the look of it stuck in my mind more than the rest of the nominated films.

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
Thoughts: I hate to pick this film for best costume, since the period films always seem to win this award... but given the subject, its only fitting that this film wins this award.

Best Documentary Feature
* Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)
* Encounters at the End of the World
* The Garden
* Man on Wire
* Trouble the Water
Thoughts: Given that I thought Man on Wire was one of the best films of the year period I feel secure in picking it as best documentary. If any other were to win I hope its Encounters at the End of the World, not only because its the only other one that I saw, but because Herzog is amazing.

Best Documentary Short
* The Conscience of Nhem En – Steven Okazaki
* The Final Inch
* Smile Pinki
* The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306
Thoughts: Unfortunately I couldn't find any of the nominated short documentaries to watch. So my pick is a slightly educated guess.

Best Film Editing
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
* The Dark Knight – Lee Smith
* Frost/Nixon – Mike Hill, Daniel P. Hanley
* Milk – Elliot Graham
* Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens

Best Live Action Short
* On the Line (Auf der Strecke)
* Manon On the Asphalt
* New Boy
* The Pig (Grisen)
* Toyland (Spielzeugland)
Thoughts: I'm excited for this catagory for the first time since starting to watch the awards. Manon On the Asphalt and On the Line were two of my favoites from the list. I think On the Line will win, but my pick is Manon. Toyland is also a strong contender.

Best Makeup
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Greg Cannom
* The Dark Knight – John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
* Hellboy II: The Golden Army – Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Best 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

Best Original Song
* "Down to Earth" from WALL-E – Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics)
* "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (music), Gulzar (lyrics)
* "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman and M.I.A.

Best Sound Editing
* The Dark Knight – Richard King
* Iron Man – Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
* Slumdog Millionaire – Tom Sayers
* WALL-E – Ben Burtt and 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

Australia

Review: Australia is a film that tries to be too big and too grand for it's own good. Attempting to be a sprawling epic, all that the film manages to do is be rambling, corny and nearly painful to watch. There are times when directors make use of slow motion and bombastic music in climatic scenes. Someone needs to take this technique away from Baz Luhrmann as he started using it in what seemed like the first scene and in nearly every scene following. Each scene seemed over produced, over acted and featured dialog not fit for a cheap romance novel. This could be forgiven if there was something to grasp onto in the plot, however it was too all over the place to get anything out of. It could have easily been two completely seperate films with little connection to one another. The first half the film, about cattle driving, is effusively dull. Before that story arch can even come to a reasonable conclusion it is suddenly made completely obsolete by an entirely different story which the first half largely ignored. The one good thing that can be recovered from this mess is that it's pretty to look at. Australia is a beautiful country and it is shot well. The visuals alone are not enough to make this film watchable however. Australia fails at being an epic or any other kind of enjoyable movie.
Rating: 1/5

Award Consideration: Mercifully Australia is only up for best costume design. The costumes were fine, but nothing that special. It shouldn't win this award.

Encounters at the End of the World

Review: This is a Herzog documentary so it goes without saying that it is beautifully shot and conceived. Encounters at the End of the World is more then just a visually pleasing exhibition of "fluffy penguins" (as Herzog puts it), it is an analysis of the people that live on the research bases in Antarctica and what motivates them to endure the frigid conditions. The group that does occupy the frozen continent turn out to be fascinating people. Most are highly educated, and seemingly all of them are world travelers looking for a new adventure. You know you have a peculiar living environment when there are PHDs as dish washers. This is both ,breathtaking to look at and intellectually stimulating. Another altogether well made film by Werner Herzog.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: Despite the fact that this is a very well made documentary and that Herzog is one of my favorite filmmakers, I'm still going to have to go with Man on Wire as the best documentary. It brought more to the table then Encounters, and created a more coheasive story from start to end.

Waltz With Bashir

Review: The Israeli animated documentary, nominated for an academy award for best foreign film, is about the filmmaker's quest to regain his memories about the Lebanon war he fought in twenty years earlier. The use of animation to convey his story is genius since this film is more about memories and how people interpret events of the past than anything else. Much of the filmmaker's, and the people he interview's, memories are skewed and distorted, or blown out of proportion. Animation allows us to witness events how they remember it, or how they felt when they experienced it. The surreal, dreamlike, vignettes are in stark comparison to the brutal events that the filmmaker was fortunate enough to block from his memory. The brutal massacre which is the focal point of the film is a tragic act and leaves no wonder why anyone would want to erase the events from their memory. Waltz with Bashir is a beautiful film with an austere message about war and the nature of our memories.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: Although I enjoyed the film a lot, I'm still going with Revanche in this catagory if for no other reason than to root for the underdog. Both are very good films, and Waltz with Bashir already won the Golden Globe. It would be nice for Revanche to get some recognition.

Revanche

Review: The Austrian film, nominated for an academy award for best foreign film, is a dynamic examination of grief, guilt and revenge. Alex, a petty criminal decides to rob a bank so that he and his lover, a prostitute, can escape together. The consequences of the robbery are an intricate and compelling weave of character plot lines. The film is a great character study, with multiple layers of emotional complexity. This is a fantastic film that should not be over looked.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: So far the best of the nominated foreign films that I've seen. It could win since last year's winner, The Counterfeiters, was also an Austrian film.

Bolt

Review: A Disney film that lacked the magic and timeless charm that so many of it's past works have produced. At best Bolt is a sub-par CG crank out. There is nothing much to the plot, and no profound underlying message. The voice acting by John Travolta was distractingly out of place. The voice did not fit the cute, pint sized dog which is Bolt at all and threw the vibe off kilter each time he spoke. There are some adorable scenes, mostly involving Bolt's ball-of-fury hamster sidekick Rhino, but on a whole its forgettable.
Rating: 2/5

Award Consideration: It was hardly worthy of a nomination. Both WALL-E and Kung Fu Panda are far better films.

Rachel Getting Married

Review: About Kym,a former model who has been in and out of rehab battling substance abuse, coming back home to attend her sister's wedding. Not knowing anything about this film you might think that it's another romantic comedy from the title, but it's so much more than that. The tension and emotion that this film exudes is striking. Kym is a complex character and is played perfectly by Anne Hathaway displaying a mix of angst and tenderness in her performance. Always seeking to be the center of attention, she tries to make every part of the wedding about her, and the frustration of loving her and hating her illness brings her family to the breaking point. The brutally awkward scenes of family fights are offset by equally powerful scenes of a caring family supporting their loved one. Dealing with the complicated matter of a, normal, loving family dealing with the tragedy of drug addiction is no easy task, but this film pulls it off in a way that feels absolutely earnest and manages it without being bleak or depressing.
Rating: 5/5

Award Consideration: Only up for one award, I think it's getting short changed. In addition to getting a nomination for best actress, a best original screen play nod is also deserved. None the less I'm going with Anne Hathaway for best actress. This is a bit of surprise for me since I've never been much of a fan. While her performance may not be any better than some of the others nominated, its also no worse and this film deserves some award.

Happy-Go-Lucky

Review: Sally Hawkins plays an endlessly optimistic, peppy, and all around happy 30 year old, single, elementary school teacher fittingly named Poppy. Throughout the film Poppy is tested in her unwavering joy by the tragedies and hardships that afflict us all in every day life. Normally I find the Poppy's of the world irritating, as do many of the characters Poppy meets in the film, but there is something endearing and charming about the simplicity and naivety in which she lives her life. She isn't mean spirited, jaded or has any ulterior motive for her disposition. Her cheerfulness is just her way of life. The film also doesn't make her out to be a saint, while she is a good person, she does have her flaws. At first her high spirits can be grating, but just like the, grumpy, anti-social driving instructor (brilliantly played by Eddie Marsan), you can't help but fall in love with her quirky aura. This was a refreshing film to watch and reminds us not to take life so seriously. If nothing else, it should leave you in a good mood.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: It's only nominated for best original screen play, and I don't think it will take this award. It was a cute story, but not award worthy. Sally Hawkins had a lot of buzz for her performance and many thought she was snubbed for a best actress nomination. I would have put her in over Melissa Leo, but I don't think she should have won this category even if she had been nominated.

Doubt

Review: For the most part Doubt missed the mark, never going beyond a mediocre drama that seemed to hold the hand of the viewer, forcing emotions rather than guiding. Perhaps it's because it's based on a play, but Doubt felt boxed in and overly controlled, preventing me from connecting with it in any meaningful way. It's not that its a bad film, there is a strong message at its heart, but its not one of the best film of the year. A few of the scenes between Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep are powerful and memorable, but on a whole the film left me wanting more of those scenes and less of the cold, somber drabble that filled most of the rest of the movie.
Rating: 3/5

Award Consideration: Doubt is nominated for five awards, though it shouldn't come away with any wins. Meryl Streep is the most deserving of the nominees, giving another great performance. I, however, wouldn't put it above Kate Winslet's performance in The Reader. Phillip Seymour Hoffman also got a nomination for best supporting actor which seemed like a stretch considering the role seemed more like leading one. However, despite a good performance, this years supporting actor award goes to Heath Ledger.

The final three nominations I think are undeserved. I thought the biggest fault with the film is that it felt too trapped by its play roots, and I think the blame lies in a bad adaptation. Considering this, I think the nomination for best adapted screenplay is unjustified. The two nominations it received for best supporting actress also are a stretch. Viola Davis is in the film for about five mintues, and while she does a fine job, there is nothing overly remarkable about her performance. Amy Adams performance I felt was one of the worst in the film, with her 'innocent nun' role feeling a bit over the top and borderline annoying.

The Reader

Review: About a young, innocent, boy who has an affair with an older woman and the effect that it has on both their lives, The Reader is an impassioned story that challenges the bounds of love. The film almost seemed as if it were two movies, with the tone dramatically changing in the second half. The plot point that causes this shift is provoking and unsettling-- exactly how it was meant to be portrayed. The agony of the love and hurt that Michael Berg, played by Ray Fiennes and David Kross, experiences is palpable. The affair between he and Hanna, played by Kate Winslet, felt authentic and seeing this relationship irreversibly torn is affecting. Although not without its flaws, the brilliant performance by Kate Winslet and the genuine emotions that this film evokes makes it worth the watch.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: While worthy of the best picture nomination, it doesn't beat out Slumdog or even Milk. I didn't feel it brought anything overly special to the table, it was simply a very well made film. Kate Winslet, however, redeemed herself from what I felt was a poor performance in Revolutionary Road, with a great performance here. As of now, I'd put her as the front runner for best actress.

Stephen Daldry is nominated for best director, and is certainly deserving of the nomination, delicately constructing this emotional love story. However, for the same reasons that I don't think it should win for best picture, I don't think Daldry should get the Oscar. Both Boyle and Van Sant do more with their films and had more to manage.

Two other awards I don't feel The Reader should grab which it is nominated for are best cinematography best adapted screenplay. I didn't feel it was an especially pretty film, so the cinematography award doesn't seem to fit. I haven't read the books for any of the films nominated for best adapted screenplay, so all I can go by is how much I enjoyed the film. Therefore, I'm sticking with Slumdog for this award as well.

Milk

Review: An inspiring, yet tragic film about the gay politician Harvey Milk. The great ensemble cast led by a truly remarkable performance by Sean Penn drives this film. The unique characters brought to life by the talented supporting cast draws you in and makes you feel vested in Milk's cause. Gus Van Sant comes through and breaks free from the monotony that biopics tend to fall into and delivers a fine tribute to an inspiring person.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: Milk is nominated for eight awards and should probably take home at least one. Perhaps in any other year I'd pick Sean Penn for best actor, but this year Mickey Rourke's performance is an insurmountable. I also don't think this is the best film of the year. It's a great film, unquestionably, but not the best. Slumdog Millionaire is still the best of the nominated bunch, and I'm going to stick with it for best picture, with Milk coming in at second.

I do think that the best directing award should go to Gus Van Sant. Sant's work is a little all over the place for me. I loved Good Will Hunting and really disliked the critically acclaimed Paranoid Park. In Milk, Sant reined in a potentially messy movie with a big name cast and made it work. Boyle did a great job with Slumdog, but I'd give a slight edge to Sant for best director.

Josh Brolin is a bit of a mystery to me for best supporting actor, since I don't think he was even the best supporting actor in the movie. He was decent, but not all too memorable.

The screenplay for Milk was fine, but I'd have a hard time giving best original screenplay to a biopic. I'm also a bit confused on why its nominated for best costume design. The costumes seemed pretty mundane and by the books. These two nominations seemed more like acclamation padding than anything.

This leaves best editing and score. It takes a lot for me to actually recognize a deserving winner in either of these categories and Milk really didn't stand out for me in either. However I might go with it for best score if for no other reason than Danny Elfman is amazing in general.

The Visitor

Review: Writer/Director Thomas McCarthy's second film, and much like his first, Station Agent, this film is simple, quiet and full of emotion. About a college professor who, lonely and morose after the death of his wife, inadvertently gets dislodged from his monotonous rut when he visits his New York City apartment only to find two illegal immigrants occupying it. Despite the lack of effusive dialog the the film crackles with life by the great acting and hypnotic African drumming. McCarthy has a way of communicating so much while saying so little. The anger and pity this film evokes over the injustice in immigration laws in this country is remarkable.
Rating: 4/5

Award Consideration: Richard Jenkins is up for best actor in the only Oscar this film is nominated for. He is very good, but the role isn't anything too challenging. I would have preferred to see Haaz Sleiman get a nomination for best supporting actor, but It's nice to see Jenkins get nominated if for no other reason than to get this film some deserved recognition. Jenkins won't, and shouldn't, get the win however. There are far more deserving nominees this year.

2009 Academy Awards -- My picks

My goal is to watch every nominated film this year prior the Oscars. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy the show a bit more knowing who actually deserves to win. It's a bit of heady task, but I've got a fairly good start. I at least want to watch all the nominated films in the major categories. I'll update the blog as I watch the remaining films, but my list so far (films I've not seen colored red, my pick in blue):

Best Picture
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* The Reader
* Slumdog Millionaire
Thoughts: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button shouldn't even be on this list where more deserving films like The Wrestler, The Dark Knight and WALL-E could have been. It's a bit tough to call right now since I still need to see two of the nominated films, but right now, Slumdog Millionaire is the clear winner. Frost/Nixon was a very good film, but not worthy of an Oscar.

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
Thoughts: I'm still disappointed that Christopher Nolan didn't get nominated, but given the choices of what I've seen, the award has to go to Boyle. Fincher's direction was the worst thing about Benjamin Button, if he wins its for his past work, not this one. While I liked Frost/Nixon, Howard didn't really do anything all that great-- I feel this was just a token nomination.

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
Thoughts: Rourke should win this hands down. While I have yet to see Penn's Milk, it would take a lot to dethrown Rourke, who I felt gave one of the better performances of the decade.

Best Actress
* Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
* Angelina Jolie – Changeling
* Melissa Leo – Frozen River
* Meryl Streep – Doubt
* Kate Winslet – The Reader
Thoughts: Kind of slim picking here. The most talked about performances I haven't seen yet. That leaves Leo and Jolie. I really didn't like Frozen River all that much and thought Leo's performance was a little forced. Jolie did a decent job, not Oscar worthy, but for now I guess I'm forced to pick her. I'm kind of suprised that Sally Hawkins from Happy-Go-Lucky wasn't nominated, as she had a lot of buzz leading up to the nominations. I haven't seen the film, but she had to have been better than Leo or Jolie.

Best Supporting Actor
* Josh Brolin – Milk
* Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder
* Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
* Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
* Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
Thoughts: While Michael Shannon was the only good thing about Revolionary Road, there is no doubt who this award should go to.

Best Supporting Actress
* Amy Adams – Doubt
* Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
* Viola Davis – Doubt
* Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Thoughts: Of the three performances I've seen they were all good performances, but none really stood out as a clear winner. I'm picking Cruz mostly because I liked film more so than her performance.

Best Original Screenplay
* WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter
* Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh
* Frozen River - Courtney Hunt
* In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
* Milk - Dustin Lance Black
Thoughts: While I loved WALL-E, I think In Bruges was a bit over looked and one of my favorite films of the year. I'd be great to see it win here. That said.. How was Woody Allen not nominated this year? He is always nominated in this category and for once it was actually deserving.

Best Adapted Screenplay
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
* Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan
* The Reader - David Hare
* Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
* Doubt - John Patrick Shanley
Thoughts: Doubt is a strong candidate to over take my choice here.

Best Animated Feature
* Bolt – Chris Williams and Byron Howard
* Kung Fu Panda – Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
* WALL-E – Andrew Stanton
Thoughts: WALL-E should have been nominated for best picture, but it will run away with best animated feature.

Best Foreign Language Film
* Revanche (Austria) in German - Götz Spielmann
* The Class (France) in French - Laurent Cantet
* The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany) in German
* Departures (Japan) in Japanese
* Waltz with Bashir (Israel) in Hebrew - Ari Folman
Thoughts: Still kind of disappointed that "Let the Right one In" wasn't nominated. I have a few of these films lined up to be watched, but until then I can't pick anyhing.

Best Animated Short
* La Maison En Petits Cubes - Kunio Kato
* Lavatory - Lovestory - Konstantin Bronzit
* Oktapodi - Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
* Presto - Doug Sweetland
* This Way Up - Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Thoughts: The only one I've seen... I plan on knocking out a lot of these shorts this weekend. Presto was good as all Pixar shorts are. I want to give the rest a fair viewing though.

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
Thoughts: The best part of Benjamin Button was the art and makeup. Therefore, I'm picking it for most of the art awards.

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
Thoughts: Slumdog was beautifully shot, and the look of it stuck in my mind more than the rest of the nominated films.

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
Thoughts: I hate to pick this film for best costume, since the period films always seem to win this award... but given the subject, its only fitting that this film wins this award.

Best Documentary Feature
* Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)
* Encounters at the End of the World
* The Garden
* Man on Wire
* Trouble the Water
Thoughts: I've only seen one, but given that I thought Man on Wire was one of the best films of the year period I feel secure in picking it as best documentary.

Best Documentary Short
* The Conscience of Nhem En – Steven Okazaki
* The Final Inch
* Smile Pinki
* The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Film Editing
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
* The Dark Knight – Lee Smith
* Frost/Nixon – Mike Hill, Daniel P. Hanley
* Milk – Elliot Graham
* Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens

Best Live Action Short
* On the Line (Auf der Strecke)
* Manon On the Asphalt
* New Boy
* The Pig (Grisen)
* Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Best Makeup
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Greg Cannom
* The Dark Knight – John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
* Hellboy II: The Golden Army – Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Best 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

Best Original Song
* "Down to Earth" from WALL-E – Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (music), Peter Gabriel (lyrics)
* "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (music), Gulzar (lyrics)
* "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman and M.I.A.

Best Sound Editing
* The Dark Knight – Richard King
* Iron Man – Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
* Slumdog Millionaire – Tom Sayers
* WALL-E – Ben Burtt and 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