81st Annual Oscar Nominees

Here are the Official Oscar Nominations for 2008. The awards will be given on 2.22.09. Let the predictions and gambling begin!

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

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
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
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
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 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

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

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

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

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

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,'' WALL-E
''Jai Ho,'' Slumdog Millionaire
''O Saya,'' Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

National Board of Review Awards!

Awards for 2008:

Best Film

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Top Ten Films
(In alphabetical order)

BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DEFIANCE
FROST/NIXON
GRAN TORINO
MILK
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER

Best Foreign Language Film

MONGOL

Top Five Foreign Films

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
ROMAN DE GARE
A SECRET
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

Best Documentary

MAN ON WIRE

Top Five Documentaries

AMERICAN TEEN
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
DEAR ZACHARY
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED

Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order)

FROZEN RIVER
IN BRUGES
IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS
MR. FOE
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
SNOW ANGELS
SON OF RAMBOW
WENDY AND LUCY
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
THE VISITOR

Best Actor

CLINT EASTWOOD, Gran Torino

Best Actress

ANNE HATHAWAY, Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor

JOSH BROLIN, Milk

Best Supporting Actress

PENELOPE CRUZ, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Ensemble Cast

DOUBT

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor

DEV PATEL, Slumdog Millionaire

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress

VIOLA DAVIS, Doubt

Best Director

DAVID FINCHER, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Directorial Debut

COURTNEY HUNT, Frozen River

Best Adapted Screenplay

SIMON BEAUFOY, Slumdog Millionaire and ERIC ROTH, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Spotlight Award

MELISSA LEO, Frozen River and RICHARD JENKINS, The Visitor

Best Original Screenplay

NICK SCHENK, Gran Torino

Best Animated Feature

WALL-E

William K. Everson Award For Film History

MOLLY HASKELL and ANDREW SARRIS

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression

TRUMBO

The films I've highlighted are the ones we at Sean Malloy Productions can't wait for or have deemed the best of 2008 already. What a great beginning push for Slumdog Millionaire, I'm not sure if it is up for Best Picture at the Oscars though doesn't it have to be an American made film to win that? I doubt FOX Searchlight would release a movie with such Oscar potential without covering their bases.

Best Picture Prediction for 12/4/08

Based on these results I'd say: Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, The Dark Knight, Gran Torino and The Wrestler for Best Picture.

Congrats go out to Finch, he's finally knocked it out of the park with his latest brilliant film. Fincher may turn out to be the most revered director of our times. You can look back on his career (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac and now Benjamin Button) and you can tell he is about to enter a period of absolute brilliance, I for one am very excited. David Fincher vs. Paul Thomas Anderson Battle to come.