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81st Academy Awards Nominees Announced!

by
January 22, 2009

The Academy Awards

The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards, the most prestigious award in Hollywood, have been announced today. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement this morning from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. No need to spend any more time introducing this, let's get right down to it! This certainly seems like a very interesting year for the Oscars, with a more typical selection than everyone was initially expecting. I'm a bit happy to see things like Wall-E's screenplay nom and Man on Wire's documentary nom, but what happened to The Dark Knight?! Take a look!

The 81st Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 22nd at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood with a live telecast airing on ABC starting at 8 PM (EST). Read on for the full list of 2009 nominees.

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

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

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

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

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

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon - Wall-E

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

ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
Waltz With Bashir

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard - Defiance
Danny Elfman - Milk
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
Thomas Newman - Wall-E

ORIGINAL SONG
"Down to Earth" from Wall-E
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire

So with this very diverse selection of nominees, it looks like it might be a more interesting year than previously. It's time to start making your predictions. Who will be the big winner this year?

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Related categories: Awards News, Movie News

  • Matt
    YES RICHARD JENKINS GOT A NOM! Where's Lolly, she's the only other person in these comments sections I've seen get excited about this possibility. TDK Snub is unfortunate but expected. Also, Jolie's nom is kind of sucks, mostly because that slot should have went to Kristen Scott Thomas or Sally Hawkins... Best Picture nominations are kind of underwhelming, but let me just say, I REALLY REALLY hope Slumdog Millionaire DOES NOT WIN. Ugh. Most over-hyped over-rated movie in a while. That's right. I said it.
  • Chris Tanski
    No Bruce Springsteen. They are telling me they couldn't nominate 2 more songs. I hate this 3 nominees booshit. What is this the People's Choice Awards? The Dark KNight snub bothers me too. The Reader has a low score on Metacritic and it gets a best picture nomination. UGH! The Dark Knight is in the 80's and the number 2 grossing film of all time. What gives? The academy is so flawed.
  • Darunia
    Called it. I knew TDK and Nolan wouldn't get nominated, political priorities or not, TDK/Nolan didn't really have a spot for them in that list. Sorry fanboys.
  • TJ
    because of no bruce and no Dark Knight, i will once again not watch the oscar's. I love Slumdog & Wrestler, and will root for them, but I cannot believe they snubbed the Dark Knight.
  • WB EXEC
    Dark Knight should have been nominated for alteast one of Best Director Best Picture The acadamy is too scared to be daring and keeps picking these dumb movies no one has ever watched. Well atleast TDK will get respected at the MTV Movie Awards HAHA
  • MW
    Yeah, let me just say before this turns into fanboy bitchfest 2009: The Academy does not check metacritic first of all... And secondly, you should have seen this coming, don't act that shocked. And thirdly, if I had to choose between Downey Jr. getting a supporting nod for wearing blackface and being the man, or TDK getting a best picture nod, I'd choose Downey Jr. Suck it.
  • WB EXEC
    # 6 Heath gave an intense and iconic performance. RDJ's was just comical, nothing special I think a douche like Ashton Kutcher could have done that role. No one can touch Heath in acting, he was just coming into his craft.
  • coolguy
    WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! So happy that Slumdog Millionaire got the noms. It fully deserved them, even happier that the two songs got noms is well...... too bad bruce springsteen couldnt get one is well (the wrestler was a classic).....
  • anish
    hooray...slumdog gets nominated...rehman deserves the 3 nominations and will hopefully win for the song and score...slumdog all the way...far better than overhyped other movies in the category...finally a good movie will win the best picture...dark knight...well it had coming...atleast it got nom for ledger....SLUMDOG & BOYLE RULES
  • Ajax
    C'mon Academy. Why didn't you pick TDK? I know its a comic book film, and it has its flaws, but it is certainly more entertaining than some of the films up there. Besides, you didn't have to give it the award, just nominate it. Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Exorcist all were both comercially successful and were nominated for Best Picture. Why not TDK? Here is another reason it should have been selected: Over the past few years, the ratings for the Oscars have been in a steady decline. Also, it has been shown that over these years, the nominees have been more independent films and were not as popular at the box office. The years with higher ratings were the years Titanic and LOTR: TROTK won. If the Oscars wanted to increase their ratings and relavence to the world, they should have picked TDK. Anyway, its the Oscar's loss. To quote Rod Blagoevich: They "took a [bleeping] golden opprotunity and" they "[bleeping] let it go". My prediction: This year's Oscars will be the lowest rated in the past few decades.
  • disappointed
    AH!!! This sucks!!! I'm not going to watch the Oscars this year and alot of people aren't either. You want to know why because THE READER SUCKS!!! I mean it got terrible reviews(for a movie nominated for best picture) and it didn't even get guild nominations in the producer, director and writer categories unlike the dark knight. OSCAR VOTERS that voted for the Reader instead of The Dark Knight YOU SUCK!!!!!!!! I mean just look at the readers ratings on rotten tomatoes and metacritic compared to the dark knight. It just makes no sense at all. All I'm going to do is see if Heath Ledger won then I'm turning off the T.V.
  • MW
    Kutcher could not have done what Downey Jr. did in that movie you fucking idiot.
  • SLUMDOG
    go watch slumdog before slamming it...a true gem of a movie...dark knight should have been nom for best pic atleast...oh well ledger is nom....well done rehman for the music and song nom
  • MW
    I did watch Slumdog, and I will slam it, over and over again, because it was terrible, manipulative, generic, predictable, and a waste of time.
  • disappointed
    PEOPLE SHOULD BOYCOTT THE OSCARS!!!! and just see if Heath Ledger won by checking online or reading the newspaper. I mean the Oscar voters come on it's time to grow up and CHANGE!!!!! you didn't need to vote for the dark knight to win but just to get nominated instead you chose a lower rated stupid holocaust movie the reader and yes it does have a lot of lower ratings i mean look at its rotten tomatoes score or its metacritic score(no where near as good as schindler's list or the pianist).
  • ethermay
    fuck the academy.
  • slammer
    even if half the population of india watches the oscars, it will still be a hit!!!!.....which it will after the maestro rehman got nominated....this will be more of a global broadcast than local viewers...WHERE THE HELL IS DARK KNIGHT.....atleast a pic nom....seriously a big flaw...DANNY BOYLE gets the director oscar.....
  • slammer
    mw for u a action packed american movie would be better....go watch it with ur girlfriend and eat popcorn...good movies are finally getting appreciated....dark knight OVERHYPED.....LEDGER - OK performance
  • Janet
    Okay so I'm not very clear but for Best Picture do they ever allow more than 5 nominees? I agree that The Dark Knight definitely could have been in the mix but I don't think I could take one of other movies out of the running for TDK. Which one do you guys think shouldn't be there? They are all very deserving in my opinion. I would have loved to see Sally Hawkins get a nomination and I thought she had a shot especially after winning the GG but I guess not.
  • SC
    MW do you even have a fucking heart? Slumdog was a fucking beautiful movie even if it was a tad generic in the way it was done. and WTF happened to TDK!? the academy is seriously fucking losing it. atleast Heath got the nom....if he hadn't then imagine the backlash that would have happened.
  • http://www.skonmovies.com/ Sean Kelly
    If anyone truly expected an action film to get a Best Picture nomination, they really don't know how the academy works. Genre films have traditionally been snubbed at the Oscars (it is amazing when sometimes such films do squeeze thoughts -- such as the Lord of the Rings films)
  • LC
    Okay first of all heath deserves respect because just like one blooger wrote "he was coming into his craft." Second of all, Robert Downey Jr. wasnt all that great of an actor in Iron Man. Iron Man was a good movie because it had Character Development basically. But....RDJ acting in that movie was Horrible. I dont even know if it was acting. It was just him being Comical and With really no Effort on his part. I Think someone else could had play the role of Tony Starks. But dont give RDJ so much created for acting like a fool which like someone said before, "Even Ashton Kutcher could had done this film." It is kind of suck that Chris Nolan didnt even get nominated for Best Director because he does deserve credit to taking Batman to a new level. And, Brad Pitt as best actor? come on.... Brad pitt was basically being Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button. There wasnt really that much acting involve in his part. But the movie was well writing and very good to watch. Sort of reminds of you Forrest Gump.
  • MW
    Slammer, fuck yourself. The only thing I'm really pumped about is Jenkins getting a nom and that's really it, and was really all I cared about. The Visitor was TOTALLY an action packed american movie right? That's what I assume you're referring too, idiot. Slumdog is the type of manipulative trash that sucks you right in with its completely overdone, generic "love conquers all" theme and pulls on your strings to make you believe you're watching some incredible, when you're really watch crap. Give me some goddamn subtlety of fucks sake. The movie is so blatantly obvious and predictable, ugh. So before you go off assuming that just because I don't like Slumdog fucking Millionaire, I must be an inbred retard who only likes Michael Bay films, think with your brain for a minute.
  • MW
    And SC, I do have a heart, but I want to feel like I'm watching something genuine. I want an emotional reaction that is real and legitimate, that's all. Slumdog doesn't do that. It manipulates you, and it really bugs me when a movie does that.
  • adrian
    The Dark Knight did not deserve a nominationg. Speaking completely objectively the films that were picked are far superior. The real snub is that Leo Dicaprio didn't get a nom but Brad Pitt did... WTF?
  • Matt
    Yeah, Revolutionary Road pretty much got screwed. I know that everyone is all pissed about TDK and everything but I kind of saw that coming. But I figured Revolutionary Road was a shoo-in, especially over The Reader. I think you can justify Winslet getting nominated for either film, but no nom for Picture, Mendes, or Leo is kind of disappointing.
  • Brian
    I am done with Hollywood! They try to tell us what is good, and what isn't. The fact that "The Dark Knight" wasn't nominated for (at least) Best Director, shows me that they are out of touch (or just plain don't give a shiz) about the people that go to see their films. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy that Heath got nominated, but the fact that they passed over TDK, for that other bullshiz is absurd! The Dark Knight made almost a billion dollars worldwide, and had the biggest DVD sales ever for a film, and they passed it up!!?!?!! How about Best Screenplay? Best Score? This is a travesty. I'm not watching the Oscar's ever again!!
  • Derek
    Its Bullshit. The Reader which has 60% positive reviews beats out The Dark Knight which has 94%? I mean it makes you question their decision making. A highly praised "superhero" film gets over looked by a mediocre reviewed holocaust film?Not to mention there are other films that deserved to replace The Dark Knight...are they trying to piss people off? Who the hell is voting? Obviously not the millions and millions who saw the film.
  • James
    Why is nobody mentioning the fact that WALL-E was snubbed for Best Picture too? Name one 2008 movie that was as imaginative, as joyful, as beautifully designed, and as all-around great as this one? I can at least take consolation in the fact that it ties with Beauty and the Beast as being the most nominated animated film in history (they each have 6).
  • SlashBeast
    I'm seriously going to boycott the oscars this year. The only thing I'm interested in seeing is Heath's win (yes, he will win). None of the other nominees are anything we didn't expect. I'm supremely disappointed that The Dark Knight was almost totally snubbed. Not even a nomination for it's brilliantly sublime score or Nolan for director, a man who's vision forever changed the entire face of a genre. How does The Reader which received mediocre reviews from most reviewer beat out The Dark Knight which received overwhelmingly positive reviews? Who can seriously say that The Reader is a better film than The Wrestler, The Dark Knight or even WALL-E. Maybe it's because The Reader is pure oscar-bait which the Academy took hook, line and sinker. It's sad because these films are a dime-a-dozen which pop around every year and quickly fade into obscurity whereas The Dark Knight is probably not going to rivaled in cinema for years to come and will be forever remembered. Also, Benjamin Button didn't exactly receive largely positive reviews either, strange. It's good to see Slumdog Millionaire and Mickey Rourke up ther (I hope he wins), but again, nothing we didn't expect.
  • SC
    MW i understand where you are coming from on the front of not actually feeling for Slumdog but what else do you think should have taken its place? and what is your honest opinion of TDK? it was pretty astounding in its own right and deserved a place over The Reader honestly, and not just because of the fucking rating system on metacritic or rottentomatoes.
  • karni
    Disappointing.
  • Mr. Miagugugugug
    DIS BLOWS
  • Timothy
    No Wall-E for Best Picture. Stupid.
  • MW
    SC, I would say Revolutionary Road and TDK in, The Reader and Slumdog out. Even Doubt over either of those I would have preferred, actually. And I really did enjoy TDK, I thought it was very good, but the strongest aspect was Ledger and he did get nominated and that's why I'm not overly upset. I'm not saying TDK didn't deserve it, I'm just saying I'm not surprised. This is the same Academy, after all, that hasn't given best picture wins to Crash and LOTR.
  • MW
    HAS given best picture wins to Crash and LOTR, sorry, I'm retarded.
  • Some Guy
    I'm really not at all surprised that The Dark Knight didn't get noms for the big awards. Seriously, it was a good movie and Nolan is a great director and writer (watch Memento) but expecting it to definately be nominated and especially expecting it to be a front runner shows an extraordinary naivety in relation to the way the Academy votes, in my opinion. It's actually funny though, because I have no doubt that the Awards would get vastly better ratings this year, had The Dark Knight been nominated for best pic. After all, the year of Titanic the Oscars got more than 17 million more viewers than it did the year before and more than 10 million more than it has any year since.
  • Governor
    I don’t care what the anti-TDK people say. It is the best film of the year. Christopher Nolan not getting nominated is an absolute disgrace. This is what film snobbery has created. Bullshit Oscar bait gets recognized not because of merits or brilliance but because of shallow attention seeking disguised as serious subject matter. Nobody is going to remember the film that wins best picture five or ten years from now. Nobody will care. The Academy had a chance to reach for greatness and relevance, but they’ve really outdone themselves this year with their utter contempt for anything good.
  • MW
    ^^^ Win
  • Prototype
    The Dark Knight has been snubbed of best score, best director, best picture and best screenplay nods. There's no exuse for it. Say what you will about the movies potential for Best Picture, but Nolan's achievement on TDK in elevating the comic-book movie should have been recognized. The Academy has decided that they will forever pick films no one cares about (The Reader) over films that were popular and critically acclaimed. The Dark Knight did redefine several genres. It was not a traditional comic book film. It was a crime drama with relevant political themse. It had depth. It was fast paced. Christopher Nolan's directing for The Dark Knight is among the best ever. I'm glad Ledger was nominated, but the film and itself deserved so much more. The Academy has managed to embarrass themselves every year, but this year is going to live in infamy. I will be watching the academy awards this year, but only up until the part where Ledger wins his award. After that, I will be tuning out.
  • MW
    That win was for 37, not 38.
  • Sean Penn hate club
    Looks like another Hollywood festival for Sean Penn front and center. I don;t know why people like this guy after the crap he pulls like going to other dictators countries and talks abouit how America sucks and now the hollywood people praise him for his liberal based movie.
  • adrian
    Wow I'm very surprised about how many people actually thought the Dark Knight had a shot. It was not... I repeat WAS NOT best picture material. It got noms for what it deserved. Supporting actor and many technical noms. It was a perfectly crafted film. But not the best film or even the top five. The other films speak in much broader strokes about morals, love and death, etc, etc. For one thing, they're far more accessible. Far more original and IMO I believe they connect better than the dark knight did.
  • Tyler
    Each year I wonder if the members of the academy actually watch all of the contenders. I have heard they do not and the decisions announced today, make clear that they do not. Frost/ Nixon was a great film, and for a play recreated on screen it was incredible. It did not deserve a Best Picture Nomination. The Reader from what I understand is not a particularly great movie, and really should not be on that list. If the Academy wanted to nominate another more obscure film they should have gone with the Wrestler, and Bruce really should have gotten a nod. I generally like the classic Hollywood fare, but the Dark Knight was undeniably the Best Picture of the year. So much work and effort is required to make a brilliant film that appeals to the masses. Titanic was a good movie, not genius by any means. The Dark Knight was a rare film, that deserves to be rewarded and so does Christopher Nolan. The Academy lets the producer nominate the best picture award, the directors nominate the best director award and so on. Then all the members of the academy vote for the winner- this is why once in a while a film like Crash can win. The interesting thing here is that the producers guild nominated the Dark Knight for best picture, and the Directors guild nominated Christopher Nolan. The Oscars are a great way to help a film earn more at the box office, and I am sure that combined with the fact that if it did win it would really have it all, money, unprecedented critical praise, and the Awards. I believe that those factors are the primary reasons we do not see the Dark Knight on that list today. It is upsetting.
  • Sean Penn hate club vice-president
    Sean Penn molests children, I'm not even making this up, tell everyone.
  • Sean Penn hate club
    Pretty much every year the academy nominates best pictures nods to movies that make you cry the most. dark knight got snubbed because it did not make you cry enough, it wasn;t a slow dramtic movie and it was not liberal byass. Brad Pitt for best actor, what the crap. Kissing all the big names ass if you tel me. watch next year Sean penn will start in a movie where he is transvestite who can;t get a job at wall mart and them marches on the the streets of Washington to protest a Conservative president and it will get nominations in every catetgory
  • Jimbo Slims
    My God. Doesn't the Academy read the posts on Firstshowing.net??!!!!! W. T. F>>!!!!!!! All told, that a Batman film got as many nods as it did is both remarkable and apt, because it was without a doubt one fine film. The REAL snub here is that Frank Langella hasn't been up for a best actor Oscar - I mean the guy played SKELETOR in Dolph Lungren's Universe Masters or whatever it's called for Chrissakes! ;)
  • zetsu
    the dark knight gets 8 oscar nominations,but not for what it fucking deserves (best picture,director & actor).hopefully heath ledger gets his joker role & mickey rourke for the wrestler,also why no nomination for hellboy 2 & hancock in the best fucking visual effects catagory.
  • MagnoliaFan
    Why does it say Clint Eastwood is nominated for Best Director but on other websites like imdb.com it lists Gus Van Sant???? Whos the real nominee???
  • http://www.lekkerleip.nl Rickmeister
    Well-E should get a 'best picture' nomination. And no TDK? Who are these idiots from the Acadamy Awards anyway. Fuck those fat fucks. Though the movies up there are good...
  • thedarkknight
    Oscar for the "dead one"... but, for them who still on this earth?!?! Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman and even the best Batman of all time, Mr. Christian Bale. I agree with WB EXEC about TDK must be in best movie and director... but, is a movie about comic books... you know... In The Academy are too much serious...
  • thejoker
    Oscar... WHY SO SERIOUS?!
  • tyker
    these awards shows are total bullshit! everyone should know this by now so quit bitching about it, I mean how long did it take them to award peter jackson? three fucking movies! thats just stupid, if you have the best than you have the best end of story. I loved the dark knight but all things considered it may not have really deserved a best picture spot. I dont think the reader should have but what the fuck ever. and all this hype about slumdog kinda is getting annoying. it didnt look or sound good at all. Im very sad that the only spot the wrestler showed up at was with mickey as the best actor, which is fine I just would have liked to see his movie get a little more attention. to be honest I am not too thrilled about anything on this list this year, it kinda sounds like a boring year for the academy awards, diverse yes but still boring as shit. #48 hancock was fucking lame in the just general movie catagory and in special effects, they sucked! have you ever seen a good movie in your life? and same goes for hellboy 2 it also sucked in both aspects, there were some nice looking creatures but over all it SUCKED the big one! why was benjamin button not in the special effects one thats what I would like to know. the dark knight was great yes but please everyone think about this, does it really deserve best director or best picture? Im not saying what was nominated does but just really watch the movie and think about what makes a film GREAT, and the dark night might just not be it.
  • LeeMan
    nice to see robert downey jr. getting a nom... how the hell does a movie like TDK, which has made so many top ten lists and has a 94% on the tomatometer not get a nomination. whoever runs this thing is a complete idiot. u see the ratings are slipping, so what better way to pick them back up then to nominate TDK so ppl can tune in to see if it wins. duh.
  • Dave
    Really? People are shocked that TDK didn't get a Best Picture nod? Here's why it didn't...it wasn't one of the best films of the year. Duh. It was a very good film, but not a great film. The fact that Ledger will walk away with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar should thrill fans of TDK. But did you really think it had a shot at Best Picture?
  • thejoker
    It seems to be The Joker will visit The Academy this year... http://www.requiemweb.com.ar/joke.jpg Let's put a smile on their faces.
  • alan
    oh i wanted tdk tdk desrves to be noms for best picture and best director at least nominate it this utterly not fair com on people
  • Darknight
    I dont know which Im more pissed at the TDK getting no respect or the fact Springsteen was screwed in the song department. I hope they do Supporting actor first so I can watch something else afterwards.
  • Jackman
    I am quite disappointed that Revolutionary Road and The Dark Knight are not up in the best picture category. I am pretty surprise that Kate Winslet is not nominated for her incredible performance in Revolutionary Road and even more shock that it didn’t get an adapted screenplay nomination! WFT!?!?
  • Alfredo
    seems to me like they played it really safe this year. It almost looks like the Golden Globes. Everything as expected and not as hoped. I guess Slumdog Millionaire is this year's Juno. Wall-E should've gotten the nom for Best Picture instead.
  • Aravena
    Wow...what a bunch of crap. I thought they wanted people to watch this year, not sign of fon securing more people to not watch next year's or even finish this year's. Once again no has seen the majority of those movies and TDK needs to be taken off many of those lists. I'd tell Heath to go somewhere if he wasn't already. Yes, it was a great apart, but he was far from the only person that could pull that off. Jake G. pulling off Prince of Persia where gamers won't want to hunt him down will be a miracle. Heath playing a psychotic drug addict, well, all he had to do was learn how to act psychotic. What a waste. I stopped watching after they gave Washington an Oscar for Training Day. Give it a few years before they decide to cancel it all together or revamp their ideas of nominations and presentation.
  • Rob
    even though I do think it is ridiculous that TDK is not on there it should not be replacing the reader, it should be replacing Benjamin Button. That was the most overrated movie I've ever seen. The writer clearly took his same ideas from Forrest Gump and tried to duplicate them in a different scenario in Benjamin Button. It was a complete rip off and the academy and every other award voters fell for it. Garbage, and Pitt's performance was mediocre at best, it was the same monotone job as Jesse James and that wasn't much worse. Leonardo Dicaprio deserves the best actor this year for Revolutionary Road, I've seen all those movies and it would be between him and Rourke, I'd have to go with Leo but would be content either way. For him not to even be nominated is just terrible. Get Pitt out of there I don't see the fascination with him and Benjamin Button.
  • Aravena
    And who the heck thinks f*cking Christian Bale is a good Batman is an idiot beyond all comparison. Now he may be the best Bruce Wayne but his Batman makes me want to hang myself including many other true Batman fans. Obviously ya'll are a bunch of movie fans. His voice and acting when he has that suit on is horrible. Or did everyone forget the complaints about Bale in Batman Begins? They better change him or get another surprise supporting actor so people will want to see that instead.
  • Darknight
    How did Clint Eastwood not get nominated for Best Actor, for god's sake he has never won that award yet nic cage has?
  • Sean Penn hate club
    Rob is excatly right about Benkamin button taking the same elements from Forrest Gump. all Brad Pitt does in the movie is stare at the other actors in the movie and says a little slow lines. Benjamin button is ok but not for best picture. Slumdog willl take the prize which it deserves. If Sean Penn wins over Mickey Yourke, This hate club is going full swing taking members
  • Skamps
    seriously people i am about as big of a TDK fan as they come but it makes sense that it didnt get nominated. however the wrestler got fucked by all of these noms
  • Chris Tanski
    Someone said genre films don't get nominated. I remember a time when Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark both got nominated for best picture. The academy has nominated them before.
  • Clamson
    Really disappointed. Where is The Wrestler? Where is Revolutionary Road? Where is Bruce Springsteen. Benjamin Button Sucked. Hard. REALLY hated it. What the frigg Academy? Oh, and the fact that RD Jr. ONLY got a nod to bring in younger viewers? Really pissed.
  • Taylor
    Agreed #66. Where is The Wrestler? IMO Slumdog should take home the award for best picture, but Wrestler should AT LEAST get a nom for picture and director, with the latter being a possible win. TDK, when measured against those two films, just doesn't compare. Perhaps the Academy views TDK and the Wrestler similarly, as only vehicles for two phenomenal performances. If so, they are justified in withholding noms for best picture both both films.
  • Chris C.
    Insanely disappointed that WALL-E and The Dark Knight got snubbed at the Oscars, but the (from what I've heard) overrated Benjamin Button (a movie that has Oscar written all over it) gets 13. How incredibly dull. When did the Academy lose the gall to nominate films that actually deserved it and chose to start nominating movies that are "important art-pieces"?
  • Clamson
    Thank you Skamps! Seriously people? TDK didn't have an ice cube's chance in hell of being nominated. Besides the fact that it's a COMIC BOOK, it doesn't deserve it. Plain and simple. There's a trillion other things you could be pissed at and you choose TDK?!
  • Itri
    Melissa Leo? Awesome!
  • SC
    MW i do believe that Revolutionary Road got snubbed just as bad as TDK in certain places. i mean how did Brad Pitt (respect the man but not my favorite of his performances) get nominated and not Leo? and The Reader was just stupid Oscar fodder. i honestly wish the nominations had gone Milk The Dark Knight (just on sheer principle that it was breathtaking cinema) The Wrestler Revolutionary Road Frost/Nixon I loved The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but i dont think it deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. MW would you have changed anything in any of the other catergories? i would have definatly taken Melissa Leo out and thrown Cate Blanchett in for Best Actress.
  • Clamson
    Honestly, here's my opinion of how it *SHOULD* have turned out for the major categories: Best Picture: Drop 'The Reader' and 'Frost/Nixon' and replace those with TDK and The Wrestler. Best Director: Replace Daldry and Eastwood with Nolan and Aronofsky. Best Actor: No real complaints here. Best Actress: Winslet's performance in 'The Reader' was mediocre, and should have been nominated for Revolutionary Road instead. Also, Jolie's nod wasn't deserved at all. Other notable WTF's: The Wrestler walked away with only 2 nods, notably losing out on Best Picture, Director, and Original Song. The Reader didn't deserve any of it's nods, as it wasn't a film worth seeing let alone praising. Surprised at 0 Gran Torino nods, though I agree with there not being any. In summary, 'The Wrestler' got the hardest snubs.
  • SC
    i agree with your thing about Winslet's performance in The Reader, Clamson, but honestly she is one of my favorite actresses and its always nice to see her nominated. i also agree with your change in Directors and Springsteen for Original Song. i mean what the hell happened there? that song was beautiful and im not ever that big a fan of Springsteen and i think he should have been nominated. also The Wrestler and The Dark Knight got snubbed in the Script department.
  • theotherbluth
    I wasn't expecting a best pic nod for TDK, but best director or screenplay would have been totally deserved. Mr. Nolan took a COMIC book (As so many of you have noted) and turned it into an amazing action-drama. He deserves at least some credit. Also why does the academy hate Leo? he's easily one of the most talented actors of his generation. He turns in great performances one after the other, But even when nominated always loses. just terrible. I think I might actually not watch for the first time.
  • Keith
    No TDK Best Picture nom... that is absolutely unbelievable.
  • Tyler
    Clint Eastwood is not nominated for best director. Gus Van Sant is instead for Milk. The Wrestler reallllly got snubbed. The boss got snubbed. And Eastwood was pretty damn good in Gran Torino, although the movie overall was subpar.
  • Sean Penn hate club
    How can milk get a original screenplay nom when it is based on a true story.
  • Sean Penn hate club vice-president
    Dear SC, Angelina Jolie and Leo out - but Kristen Scott Thomas and Sally Hawkins in. I'm actually super pissed about the fact that Scott Thomas didn't get nominated for I've Loved You For So Long, she's absolutely amazing in it. I'm okay with the Best Actor noms I guess - I'm not a big Sean Penn fan, but I haven't seen Milk so I can't really go into - I'm just really excited about Jenkins nomination. Actually, I'd like to have seen Eastwood take a nod for Gran Torino, but I'm not sure who to take out. And even with all the already old TDK bitching, I do think Nolan truly deserved a director nod...probably over Howard (I loved Frost/Nixon, but its the strength of the acting that carries it, not the direction. Let The Right One In, obviously too, for best foreign feature... That's it for now...
  • MW
    Oh sorry SC. I'm also the vice-president of the Sean Penn hate club.
  • 1-7
    Is the Academy trying to loose viewers? I can't believe Nolan didn't get a nom for best director! Or a Best Picture nom! I thought at MINIMUM it would get a nod for score and director. The Dark Knight reinvigorated a dying superhero franchise (face it, Iron Man's great, but it didn't do anything inventive). The Dark Knight took what's great about the comic book and applied it to the cinema and broke the "popcorniness" of the genre, and cinema for that matter. Solid script with a pertinent terrorist theme, excellent acting, superb cinematography, dynamic directing. For an Academy that claims to award pioneers of the cinema, I don't think I would go out West with them to find only a fool's gold of nominees. Sad though, this could have been a year of change, but instead the Academy decided to play it safe.
  • Adrian
    I'm sorry but anyone who really expected TDK to be nominated for best picture is delusional. Just because you praise a film doesn't mean it is received the same way by everyone.
  • Glass
    How many awesome movies that blow people's minds does Christopher Nolan need to make before he gets recognized? While I am upset that The Dark Knight wasn't nominated for Best Picture, not nominating Christopher Nolan is a travesty.
  • WordSearch
    I will admit, I am one of those people who every year will sit down and watch The Academy Awards regardless of the movies nominated. But this year may be different. When the Academy has the worst ratings ever, like it did last year, and then misses a golden opportunity to bring back many viewers by not nominating The Dark Knight or Christopher Nolan, they may not only lose even more viewers, but they may lose this Oscar fan too. There was no movie, no movie that even came close to what The Dark Knight accomplished both critically and commercially. When a film earns more than $530 million in the U.S. alone and has 94% of the critics say it is a good (even great) movie, the film or at least the director deserves a nomination. Such a disappointment. So Academy, when the ratings don't improve this year, don't come complaining to us. You had your shot to fix this problem, deal with it. The Dark Knight and WALL-E, you were the ones who deserved this the most!
  • Dorochey
    How about GRAN TORINO?! WOW I can't believe it of all movies got snubbed. I demand war!!
  • SlashBeast
    Bruce Springsteen also got screwed over for best original song. The Reader's nomination is still a bad joke.
  • Adrian
    Yes, they should have nominated the dark knight to get ratings... thats a lofty arguement...
  • Governor
    Actually, that argument has strong validity. If the Academy Awards viewership continues to decline and reach all time lows then it is an indication that they no longer have any connection with the general public. If nobody is really watching the Oscars, then what's the point of making such a fuss about them or even having them in the first place? The Dark Knight and WALL-E (which should have been nominated as well) are some of the highest reviewed films of the year and took in large box office earnings. If a movie is successful both critically and commercially to the exten of those films then it could be considered for a nomination with an added bonus of increased viewership. It's a shame though, The Dark Knight or WALL-E didn't even have to win, they could have just been nominatied which alone would have been a monumentous achievement.
  • johnnyl
    Chris Nolan should film the next Batman in Aushwitz or at a 7/11 in India then maybe those braindead hollywood jerkoffs will nominate it
  • Dylan
    Where the hell is The Wrestler for best song and picture.
  • NadaNuff
    Once again the Academy gives us an annual reminder of just how disconnected they are with the American public. An Oscar nomination/win has never meant anything to me and never will. Let the Academy fade into obscurity.
  • Prototype
    The Reader should be replaced by The Dark Knight, WALL-E or The Wrestler. Arronofsky should have also been nominated, I really hope Mickey Rourke wins (excellent comeback). Maybe the amount of nominations should be increased as well, more talent needs to be represented.
  • V Wilson
    The Oscars have started to mimic the world economy. As jobs are lost and opportunities decrease, so will the Oscar's popularity and viewer ship on Oscar night. They cannot continue to be the advocates of art house boredom and continually snub fantastic studio films like The Dark Knight and expect to be taken seriously. Once not too long ago I thought there was hope for them when they respected and honored Titanic and The Lord of the Rings films but ever since then, they have regressed into a pretentious, comical and exasperating bore. I refuse to ever watch the Oscars again as I find it personally insulting that they cannot see the quality and value in TDK and it's bold genre defining greatness. They need to all wake up and smell the coffee. Ignorant and out of touch snobs. Let them sit and rotate on their useless and increasing obscurity.
  • bRINGER
    President Obama may want to make your Union Vote public, but the Academy votes will always be conducted in the mansions of rich activists. TDK and Gran Torino deserve more.
  • 1-7
    The Oscars mean nothing anymore. They've been commandeered by backroom snakes like Weinstein. Movie quality no longer means anything. The only criteria is the movie has to be a slow, plodding snoozefest that no one saw...whether or not it is actually good no longer factors in. Films like "The Reader" are built only to garner Oscars, and somehow sadly over time this has lost all correlation with what the Oscars were meant to represent: quality entertainment. The fact that "The Reader" has in fact received far less than stellar critical praise (Over WALL-E, The Wrestler, The Dark Knight) is proof positive. Build the film to said formula, win an Oscar. That's it.
  • Glass
    Didn't you all know? If an American movie is a wide release, it must suck. Only foreign or independent films that play in maybe a quarter of the states matter! Silly people! I'm rolling my eyes so hard I'm giving myself eye strain. This snubs list proves that Hollywood is not only out of touch with reality, but with the general populace as well. Oh, and the only reason Gran Torino was snubbed? It wasn't PC enough for the people who do the voting. FACT.
  • BookWorm
    I'm shocked "Dark Knight" didn't get the nomination. "The Reader"? Someone has to explain to me how a film that wasn't critically acclaimed (60% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) gets nominated. These so-called Academy voters are way out of touch and there's going to wonder why no one will watch the ceremony on TV in a few months. "Dark Knight" redefined three film gendres - comic book, action, and crime drama. What other film out there now or in the future is going to do that?
  • V Wilson
    All of you ask yourselves this one question. Ten or twenty years from now, which film will you remember most or even own as a dvd, "Slumdog Millionaire" or "The Dark Knight"? Then ask yourself if there is a reason why such a small film that will be forgotten like Shakespeare in Love can possibly be better than a film many continue to watch and buy like "Saving Private Ryan". Lasting power or popular longevity is the true measure of greatness. I don't know of too many who own "Ordinary People", "Terms of Endearment", "Kraemer vs "Kraemer" and "Driving Miss Daisy". But I do know many who own "The Return of The King", "Gladiator", "Titanic", "Ben Hur", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Godfather 1 & 2", "Braveheart" and "Star Wars". It's not that I only love big epic films because I am big fan of Woody Allen, foreign films and and small features. But please tell me, does the current crop of nominees deserve their nomination over "The Dark Knight"? I don't think so. Great films are not defined solely by quality acting. The Academy need to widen their perspective and open their eyes to great and ambition. TDK is as ambitious an undertaking as some of the greatest films ever. It's not just a summer blockbuster and popcorn movie. It's every bit as deserving as the films that made the grade. And in my not so humble opinion, wipes the floor with all of them combined. This is a total disgrace and a conspiracy of poor taste.
  • 1-7
    Gran Torino is also more deserving than The Reader by the way.
  • Sean Penn hate club
    1-7 your brilliant, I want you in our club
  • SlashBeast
    @ #99 I totally agree. The Oscars have a history of passing over truly great films which went on to become enshrined as phenomenal achievements in cinema in favor of the dime-a-dozen films which come around EVERY year. I call on all who appreciate cinema to boycott the Oscars, and if you have to tune in, do it to see Heath win (R.I.P.).
  • Chris
    The Reader nominated for Best Picture over The Dark Knight? WTF Aside from being a very popular movie, The Dark Knight was a masterpiece in an emerging genre. It is now the benchmark upon which all future comic book/superhero movies will be compared. Christopher Nolan crafted a superior film to nearly all released this year and neither will be properly recognized. It is a travesty and reflective of the poor direction in which Hollywood is headed.
  • 1-7
    @ 101 Lol, thanks for the offer, but I have not yet seen Milk so I can't fairly judge it or be a true member of your organization.
  • http://www.entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com
    I totally concure with 85-wordsearch. Couldn't have said it better! chuck
  • Sean Penn hate club
    I think Bill O'Reilley should host the oscars, that would be entertaining
  • SlashBeast
    @ 106 ...and loud.
  • Adrian
    I know that all these people crapping on The Reader probably haven't seen the film. It's a great movie, it deserves the nominationg. The movie that doesn't... Slumdog Millionaire. That's a movie that doesn't deserve a nomination.
  • Sean Penn hate club
    2011 Sean Penn Movie. He plays a gay theology teacher at a private school and has a secret affair witha male guidance counseler. They both get fired and the whole movie is about how it was unfair for them to get fired. They take it to the supreme court against evil conservative judges Sean Penn character cry's the whole movie to try to capture the audiences emotions and the movie wins 18 academy awards
  • SlashBeast
    Lol, The Reader more deserving than Slumdog Millionaire. The Reader is pure oscar-bait, it's probably the definition of it. Slumdog at least has a heart and is one of the films I feel is rightfully deserving of a best picture nomination.
  • troy
    no ones going to watch the oscars anyway since the academy is beyond retarded and blatantly snubs the best films of the year. Not to mention they hired a host who refuses to tell a single joke. on as scale of 1 to suck, the oscars get a double suck this year.
  • bill
    Way too much Benjamin Button love in my opinion. I thought it was a good film, but I don't feel that Pitt deserved a best actor nomination...he gave sort of a lifeless performance in my opinion.
  • bill
    And how the fuck was Gran Torino not nominated for best picture? That was easily the top movie I saw in 2008, followed closely by TDK.
  • Mike
    I know im in the minority, but IMO dark knight did not deserve a best pic nod. It is amazing, but the hype has made it overrated. It did, however, deserve a best director nod. That is the worst category here. The fact that Van Sant and Howard are nominated over Aronofsky and Nolan. Just wrong. Also, I would replace Brolin as supporting actor with viggo mortenson for appaloosa (or even pitt for burn after reading, the only good part of that movie). Dark knight getting snubbed for score was wrong (I think its disqualification was overturned?), and the Wrestler is the greatest movie song of the year. Period. I loved benjamin button, and think it deserves all the praise it's getting. Frost/Nixon's praise is reminiscent of Goodnight and goodluck; both are carried by the acting and themes to be nominated for best pic and director, neither of which is deserved. Should be replaced with the wrestler for both categories. Havent seen the reader or doubt; slumdog deserved some noms for pure originality, but if it wins more than song ill be pissed. Milk is overrated too in my opinion. Richard Jenkins for the Visitor: so happy he got a nom. But its mickey's to lose.
  • Glass
    I too am surprised that Benjamin Button made such a sweep, it hasn't really received loads of stellar reviews from critics.
  • ryan
    The Wrestler. Best Film. Period. The Academy is Archaic and doesn't know a great movie anymore. Do their opinions really matter anymore?
  • Jaf
    Keep in mind that the Academy voters include the actors, directors, et al. themselves
  • andrew_t29
    If In Bruges wins for Best Screenplay that would be great. For Best Picture I think it'll be either Slumdog or Milk.
  • somwerbtwngrnnblu
    TDK fanboys are up at arms!!! Wooh. Anyway the Academy has always been the high-brow end of the award giving bodies, remember what they did to Eddie Murphy just because he released Norbit. So its not really a surprise with regards to TDK being snubbed, remember the hype & love was with the Joker not with Batman himself. In TDK's case, Heath Ledger should & must win, because he deserves it more than the other nominated actors.
  • Sean Penn hate club
    I guarantee you that if Spielberg was the director of the Dark knight, it would have been nominated for best pic and best director,
  • wm
    dead people always win awards...
  • Jess
    @ 85: WORD.
  • Shige
    Cryblock for TDK fanboys. Get real.
  • Tim "Cloverfield"
    Alas the Academy is so chicken shit as usual. They still cannot get over the fact that a Comedy actually has Artistic vslue. thus any snub for "In Bruges" which I think was a Top Ten this past year. No Springsteen....... is just sad. Too many wall-e noms and Hell even "Wanted" has 2 for Sound. I am so afraid "Milk" will have a sweep. What the Hell.....I still enjoyed TDK 4 times at the Cinema like most fans on here, however I will still watch the awards as I always do, and disagree with most of the winners. Thank God the Golden Globes got most of it right!
  • Nikhil Hariharann
    Yup, now i can show it to people when i told them 3 months ago that TDK wont be Best Picture or get a nod. Rest assured i was right, plus if there was one movie id take out from Best Picture to give to TDK it would probably be... either Curious Case or Nixon, leaning towards Curious...
  • Hyacinth
    The politics of the Academy sickens me. Tailor made pieces like The Reader get nominations while unexpected masterpieces like The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Gran Torino and Wall-E get snubbed. They have truly sunk a new low. Ignoring films of such magnitude and artistry should be a crime. They just picked the usual suspects, nothing with the "blow you out of the water" factor. Though some nominations I can bare (an some I am actually proud to support: ex. In Bruges, Wall-E, make up for Hellboy)...there are some snubs that are just too glaring to miss. Kristen Scott Thomas, Sally Hawkins, Darren Aronofsky, Chris Nolan, the Nolan Brothers for screenplay, and the movies I mentioned above for Best Picture etc. etc. The list goes on. I must say, that this upset of nominations makes me appreciate The DGA, WGA and SGA awards so much more.
  • Ajax
    Didn't you hear? The Acadamy introduced a salary cap. Any film that made over 100 million dollars is disqualified from the Best Picture catagorey. Oh, and Vegeta, what does the Scouter say about the suck level of the next Oscars? OVER 9000!!!!!!!
  • henry
    TDK didn't deserve best picture. Mabye best director but not best picture. Best picture nominees are movies that really affect you emotionally. There is nothing TDK did that Batman Begins didn't already do. Also, TDK was ridiculous. I liked the movie, but it was preposturous. How is the joker able to fill two ships with explosives and noboby notices. The Wrestler should replace the reader.
  • Jake
    Gus Van Sant was nominated for Best Director, not Clint Eastwood.
  • Hyacinth
    ^^ Clint deserved it for Gran Torino....and yes, dude, what the hell is up with Gus not being nominated!
  • Darrin
    well that sucks , benjamin button is like a rip off of forest gump, that shouldn't even be nominated
  • RoarSaysAlex
    Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder vs. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight are you fucking kidding me right now. At least give Heath some Dignity and give him some Honest competition. the guy blew everybody away last year and then died. IGN PUT HIM ON THE BEST VILLAINS EVER LIST LIKE A WEEK AFTER THE MOVIE! HE IS COMPARABLE TO DARTH VADER. DARTH FUCKING VADER!!! now there's no doubt hes going to win the Oscar.... unless the Academy wants to face a Lynch mob....I know you'll all be there with me... but no reason to make a mockery of one of the most remember able performance's we have seen in the last 5 years. lamest oscar's ever. and sorry for the rant I'm stoned =D P.S.- Grand Turino was over rated and if you didn't see the ending coming then you don't know diddly about modern film... directing was decent and honestly it was just Clint Eastwood being a Raciest Clint Eastwood the man stopped honestly playing "characters" years ago. The Wrestler- Typical Fox Searchlight camera Angles making the directing something seen many times before. with Mickey Rourke playing a normal fuckin dude... a completely normal dude, if anything hes being nominated for showing us that after all the fame and Glitz of Hollywood you can still act like us everyday folk... that's not acting, that's being normal. And last Brad Pit is getting nominated for playing a Digital face... FOR LIKE 60% OF THE MOVIE HE DIDN'T EVEN ACT HE JUST MADE FACES AND TALKED IN A FUNNY VOICE!!! this is serious bull shit
  • Milind
    Hurrey.....tdk is a bullshit exept for Heath.... they got it perfectly right...... the curious case.....gt 13 nominations, shockd slumdog deserve wht it gt
  • http://bwacksfilmspot.blogspot.com/ Betterchill
    You must be stoned RoarSaysAlex because your opinions are fucking retarded. You and the rest of The Dark Knight fans boys should go cry with each other about how it hardly got any nominations! You know what? The Academy knows more about film than anyone on this website and for you to say that they dont know what they are talking about makes you look stupid! Why, you may ask? Because they are our countries experts in film. You don't know shit about film in comparison to at least 99% of the people involved in the voting. Also, I hate all of you fifteen year old kids who think that one movie is better than another because of their Metacritic or Rotten Tomatos score! That is an absolutely preposterous way of thinking. Think for yourself and watch a movie without reading the reviews first, and base your own opinion on how you felt about it. What do you mean by typical Fox Searchlight camera angles? The Wrestler was not produced by Fox Searchlight idiot it was bought by them after it was made! If you think Mickey Rourkes performance was just playing a normal dude then you should not even be talking, because Mickey Rourke for example is a better actor than Heath Ledger would have ever become. You probably have not even seen The Wrestler or can appreciate a good film or performance. Also, hating on Clint Eastwood is just digging yourself a grave. Clint Eastwood is one of the most iconic figures in all of American film and more talented than Mickey Rourke and Heath Ledger put together. Seriously, Dark Knight fans need to stop being such pussies, and realize that they like film and are enthusiastic about that film but need to look into better more serious films and not superhero movies. I loved The Dark Knight, but when it comes down to a serious dramatic film that has complex characters and themes The Reader beats the shit out of the Dark Knight. For everyone who does not listen to my opinion or at least take it into consideration then fuck you, you Dark Knight fan boys you know nothing about film!
  • http://evilnik.blog.com evilnik
    FLASH NEWS: the Oscar jury is composed of TOM fcking ROTHMAN CLONES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or atleast from his family!)
  • ben
    Glad to see all the TDK fanboys crying and bitching about their pet movie project. Jesus christ STFU once and for all. I'm sure your love for Heath goes well beyond the grave. I begining to think you all wish you had a brokback mountain with heath. Stop making this about yourselves.
  • Governor
    @ 134 Why does everyone think that the only people supporting The Dark Knight are "fanboys" (I dislike the term). When a movie becomes one of the top grossing movies ever, WORLDWIDE, then there must be more people than just fans watching. If a movie can make that much money off of a single fanbase then these "fanboys" are the majority of people. The Reader's nomination is absolutely absurd. A passable drama at best, it stole the fifth slot for Best Picture and Best Director from The Dark Knight and Nolan, and it simply doesn't deserve to be included next to the likes of Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk and Frost/Nixon. The astounding eight nods for The Reader feeds the cynicism that any drama about the Holocaust is guaranteed Academy attention. The only nomination The Reader warrants is Best Actress for the under-appreciated Kate Winslet, who will likely prevail in the three-way tussle with Meryl Streep (Doubt) and Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married). To assert that anyone who had a passion for The Dark Knight knows nothing about film is absolutely ludicrous. The Dark Knight is going to revolutionize movies for years to come. People will no longer think that action/adventures will be successful simply based off their explosions anymore. Character development, cohesion, transition, attention to detail, and a logical plot will be more expected of comic book movies and big-budget sagas like suphero flicks and series like The Terminator. Christopher Nolan, his brother and David Goyer have raised the standard for all movies. This movie was absolutely brilliant and encompassed themes into as realistic as situations will get in films. The Oscars will not influence movies as much in the years to come as so much will this Dark Knight epic. The stubbornness of the academy should remind audiences that art should not be produced for awards, and thus nothing should be produced for extrinsic motivations. Intrinsic motivation always produces a more authentic product. Kudos the producers of this piece of art for going against the grain in this genre and putting the academy in an uncomfortable position. Besides, if one wants to look at this movie getting awards, they need only look at all the other award guilds and award shows outside the Golden Globes and Oscars . . . The Dark Knight is sweeping through them all.
  • Lopretni
    Eh, I never watched them anyway. You don't need a bunch of self absorbed pricks that think they have better taste in movies than everyone else telling everyone that a movie is good. I mean, a few members of a guild or whatever say TDK sucked, or didn't deserve best picture, but what does that say about the billions who saw it (and continue to see it on DVD and the re-release) and were blown away, yet might fall asleep during this 'Reader' film? They're full of shit, always have been, always will. Including anyone who listens to them.
  • NadaNuff
    "Best picture nominees are movies that really affect you emotionally." Garbage. Affect WHO emotionally? Me? You? The Academy? Who decided that that's what makes a movie deserving of Best Picture? In other words, where are you getting this crap from? "There is nothing TDK did that Batman Begins didn't already do." Laughable. "The Academy knows more about film than anyone on this website and for you to say that they dont know what they are talking about makes you look stupid! Why, you may ask? Because they are our countries experts in film. You don't know shit about film in comparison to at least 99% of the people involved in the voting." Complete garbage. Those statements alone make you look like a complete idiot, and the rest of your rant does no better. I wonder if you're simultaneously dating Clint Eastwood and a member of the Academy.
  • 1-7
    See it not for the hype, not for the cause. See it not for the academy, nor for the fans. See it not for the music, not for Heath Ledger’s groundbreaking performance. See it not with a bias for or against. The Dark Knight is this year’s most tragic, and untimely unique power play about morality and reason. It is one of the many new classics produced since 2000, its impact on cinema and how we view not just a hero, but a villain as well. This is a victory for smarter, surgical like precision action films that will not just entertain an audience, but enchant, enthrall, and force an audience to think. Bravo.
  • BookWorm
    Hell, maybe if Batman took place during the holocaust and he was homosexual with an R rating, and a budget of $24 and grossing less than 20 million it would have gotten more attention.
  • Chris
    #141, that is hilarious and so true
  • Rob G
    Eventually the Academy Awards are just going to strictly nominated all the movies that (practically) no one has ever seen. And they whine about waning interest in the awards ceremony XD
  • Lana
    I'm so conflicted now. While I LOVE that RDJr got nominated for Tropic Thunder, he's up against Ledger. And I really think Ledger deserves that posthumous Oscar for his Joker. Watch as NEITHER of this get it. Ugh.
  • V Wilson
    The Oscars are on a dark isolated road towards obscurity and irrelevance. They will be losing their viewers and ratings as well, they like the Golden Globes will cease to be of any concern to film goers. Perhaps they can rent out a dinner Hall for the industry snobs who still want a free dinner and bag full of take home crap. As for me and many others, I stopped watching them when they chose "Shakespeare in Love" over "Saving Private Ryan". What a conspiracy travesty of justice that was. They won me back when they allowed Peter Jackson to clean up with the "ROTK", but ever since then, they have slid into the abyss of mediocrity and lowered expectation. To Hell with them and their pretensions. Some need to learn humility the hard way.
  • Timothy
    The oscars are fine and not going anywhere. Their viewership might drop, but it will rise again! Their films may get more and more obscure, but they will champion populist art once again! Long live the Oscars!
  • V Wilson
    Because a movie is small and hasn't been seen by many doesn't make it a bad or unworthy movie. But then a movie that makes over 500 million dollars and is seen by everyone doesn't mean that it's a bad or undeserving movie either. Why such a snub to the comic book genre? "Spiderman", "Spiderman 2", "Batman Begins", "Sin City", "300", "Iron Man" and "the Dark Knight" are all films that were worthy of a lot more respect than they have received. All successful and all critically acclaimed. So what the Frak is the problem? It took forever to reward the Oscar to a fantasy film and before that a disaster picture. When is Science Fiction and comics going to get their due? ACADEMY, stop thumbing your nose down at the core majority of your audience, you stuck up and out of touch and tasteless morons. I surely expect the same kind of snub next year for "Watchmen", which I am sure will be fantastic.
  • V Wilson
    146; The Oscars are about as fine as our economy.
  • http://movies.iconocritic.com/ peloquin
    What the hell?! No Gran Torino...I mean the academy could have least thrown a nod Clint's way for best original song... Oh well...I guess it'll be nice to see some younger film makers have a chance at their first.
  • D-9
    in peloquin we trust
  • dexter
    one question to the academy, What do you have against Leonardo Di Caprio? The guys has been delivering 10/10 each year as an actor each year. I don't have to name them, cos anyone can name them out without a pause. Not getting even a nom this year for Revolutionary Road is not acceptable at all and giving it to Brad Pitt for Benjamin Button??? WTF, for most of the part we did not even get to see his whole body, it was all his head with some fancy 'age decaying make up' that covers his emotions and you can just see his lips moving. and for this he got BEST ACTING!!! even my granpa can do better than that, and that too without any makeup.
  • Nut-Meg
    Nice touch Dex! U2 Peloquin, I agree with you. Although as a chick, I am still pissed TDK get's dissed. And 139 you really don't know that do you. Rumor is many in the industry come in here and other sites to get some feed back posing as unassuming fans. And I know one in here already. He has been in the business some 30 years or so. Careful 139. That is a pretty weak statement on your part.
  • NadaNuff
    I guess people in the industry coming to websites to get feedback is a pretty good thing, though I've always expected that it happens. And I stand by my statements, too. I don't know if I buy someone being an "expert" critic. Liking or disliking a film means nothing to anyone but yourself. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If a film entertains or touches a great number of people, perhaps it can be said that they have done their job well. Receiving (or not receiving, in the case of Oscar snubs) an award does nothing to change that. So when I hear people say that the Academy "knows more about film" and are "experts on film", I can't help but to laugh. What does that even mean? Their opinion doesn't make or break the experience for us.
  • http://bwacksfilmspot.blogspot.com/ Betterchill
    NadaNuff I would have to agree with what you say for the most part. If you loved The Dark Knight that's great! Film is wonderful! But when it comes to the Academy and selecting their films they are much more experienced in the field of film and picking movies that they feel are extraordinary for the year. Unfortunately, for most of the people on this site (not including me) they feel destroyed by this snubbing of The Dark Knight. I mean come on did you really think it would get Best Picture or Director? I never thought it stood a chance. Don't get me wrong I loved The Dark Knight, but it is by no means in my mind or quite a few others worthy of any major Oscars (and I have been a serious fan of Batman since I was about 3 or 4 years old). Everyone says oh the Oscars snubbed The Dark Knight because it is a comic book movie and I think that argument is completely irrelevant. If it is a good enough movie out of the many great films that come out each year it would have gotten nominated for bigger awards, and it didn't not because it was a comic book movie but because they feel other films and directors were better. It doesn't matter how much a movie makes, that is not what is going to get it nominated, and their Rotten Tomatos and Metacritic scores do not mean anything either. That is also not a way of showing how great it is. For the example, The Fall is one of the most beautiful films I have seen in a while and that did not make any money nor get any nominations.
  • NadaNuff
    I understand what you're saying, but it still comes down to opinion to me. I really don't care whether TDK (or any other movie) gets a nom or not.
  • SlashBeast
    It's perfectly reasonable to believe that The Dark Knight would get nods for Best Picture, Director etc. Instead The Reader took it's place. I think TDK was the frontrunner for the final placement. The Wrestler and Gran Torino never really had Best Picture buzz going for them and WALL-E was a far more unlikely candidate because it was animated. So, The Dark Knight was an expected nominee and it did have a fair chance.
  • 1-7
    A lot of the stuff that comes pouring out of Hollywood is an insult to our intellects. It's all so formulaic and retarded. Finally a summer block-buster worth going to see, not just big explosions, but some actual depth of story and character. A movie that appeals to the masses with out pandering to our simpler side. I go to movies to be entertained and with some of the better movies I actually end up thinking about an issue. The Dark Knight delivered on both fronts and this is how Hollywood repays it's own? Lame. I won't be watching and you can take that to the bank.
  • sylseven
    Hi there!! I'm from France,and here's my comment about this ridiculous (for change) list of nominees,and also ,here's why I would not watch the ceremony once again this year...for me the perfect list of winner sould be: - Best picture: "Revolutionary Road"; - Best actor: Clint Eastood in "Gran Torino"; - Best actress : Kate Winslet in "Revolutionary Road"; - Best Director: Chris Nolan for "The dark Knight" - Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger in "The dark knight"; - Best supporting actress: Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler"...I think it's more than enough for justify my choice to not watch,isn't t ?? lol
  • Ryan
    Oscars...come on. If America can elect a dark president we should be able to elect the dark knight.
  • Johnny
    I think the snub of Leonardo DiCaprio is a travesty. I cannot believe that a dull, dim -witted perfomance by Brad Pitt took a nomination that should have gone to DiCaprio. DiCaprio has more talent in his little finger than Pitt has in his whole body. The movie RR was an amazing piece of art. DiCaprio was amazing and ground-breaking in RR. I certainly will not be watching the Oscars this year.
  • Kroe
    I agree with allot of you guys The Dark Knigh should have been nominated for at least the following: 1. Best Picture 2. Best Director 3. Costume Design 4. Original Score. The movie broke the most movie records second only to Titanic (which is a love story flat out). It even bested Star Wars (not counting inflation), and they didn't pick best picture shows a poor choice of taste. Not to mention the only PG-13 (cleaner movie) is The Curoius Case of Benjamen Button. It also has more philosophical and artistic (not to mention plot) value then Milk of Frost/Nixon which Milk favors Gays (as if its right which can be proven otherwise) and Frost/Nixon about a president we already know screwed up. So why favor them when The Dark Knight CAN HAPPEN. If you don't believe me consider how easily the Joker pull off his tricks, that can happen NOW. His barely even used technology and still got away (watch the news to see how easy people have do it). And as for the DNA and so forth if someone is never recorded from birth (vary rural or well hidden) they can do what the Joker did. He's very smart and that was enough to wreck havoc and escape, all five nominated for Best Picture can't pack that much brains and be flawless doing it. If someone has a problem with what I have said they are NOT paying attention to life.
  • wHO cARES
    Don't you people get it yet? Hollywood is run and filled with anti-American communists, and the academy loves to give awards to anti-American actors who make the same kind of statements in their personal life, as well as in movies, (such as Sean Penn, etc.). The academy doesn't care about ratings and the viewers, or AMERICA! Most of Hollywood...producers, directors, established actors etc. have already made billions off the American people, and could give a rats arse now about us now. I personally wish Hollywood would move to another country, and see how far another country will let them create their propaganda films, especially in the country they are in. Only in America, could they get away with it, and have. Still though, they hate America. I cannot believe I even watched the Oscars tonight. I have not watched it in years, out of disgust, nor do I watch much t.v. at all. I saw a few movies this year that were nominated, and therefore decided to see who won. Once again, I am disgusted at the unfairness of the whole industry, and once again, I have decided to boycott it all, by never watching again. I'd rather read a good book. Then, I came across this board, and cannot believe how upset most of you are. Instead of crying about it...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...BOYCOTT HOLLYWOOD FROM NOW ON! Surely, you can live without them, and find better forms of entertainment to occupy you??? Sheesh.
  • wHO cARES
    By the way, the whole narcissism of the movie, music, etc. awards is sickening. The real HERO"s who deserve awards are the common folk, who save lives, build, repair, and keep this country running. They get NOTHING! Actually, they get something much better and more valuable then a stupid Oscar...they get satisfaction, and self respect!
  • Ekpo
    Someone asked if they had no problem nominating movies that were the most popular of their year(the likes of THE EXORCIST, STAR WARS, RAIDERS,ET etc) what happened here with a movie that had PGA,DGA and WGA nominations? Or even with WALL-E for that matter? The thing is (which I believe started when ET failed to win the top prizes it was the odds-on favourite for back in the day) there has been a desperate backlash against the sort of movies that were making the BIG dollars at the box-office. Suddenly, in the 80s, the realisation dawned that the days of dramas(small-scale and epic) and musicals(which, of course would come again), their favourite genres which they had over-rewarded in the past, being as popular as they once were was dissapearing. Now the movies making money were sci-fi, comedy, action films etc all genres that had been treated with disdain by the older membership who remembered the times when such movies were looked down upon. Kid's stuff as it were. Here was a Hollywood who was happy to greenlight countless slasher films but wasn't really proud of the popullist stuff they were starting to make(the boring, middlebrow Academy Award nominations of the 1980s expressed this). To them if it meant genre it only appealed to children, not adults, so spent their time ignoring such movies (which meant ultimately they also ignored the ones that were actually deserved). Yes sometimes they eventually had no choice as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS winning Best Picture in 1992 and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST being nominated for the same award primarily because 1991 had proven to be a weak year for mainstream, Hollywood films and the eventual Oscars heaped on the last instalment of the LOTR trilogy. But the latter's Oscar wins, though deserved, always reeked of an organisation over-rewarding something with the idea that people would shut up about their prejudices and biases so they could go back to nominating their 'prestige' preferences. Given the fact that apparently Clint Eastwood was criticised by some parties for going on and on (during his rival campaign for MYSTIC RIVER the year ROTK won) about how the studios wouldn't touch the film, initially, because they apparently only wanted to make comic-book movies, stuff to appeal only to 14-year old boys. So you unfortanately have a core membership who think that rewarding SLUMDOG and nominating THER READER over the Nolan and Stanton efforts because their subjects are 'uncommercial' and deemed 'riskier'. When all it shows is that they're still not as open minded as a general audience that can embrace both TDK AND SLUMDOG.
  • Norma Jean & Eddie
    The Dark Knight as Heath Ledger we consider for best pictures & sound editing
  • Kore
    #164 thank you for showing us how genre favs of the academy are acting, which the funny thing is adults are acting more like kids now adays and think the deserve respect they don't give. In the past 28 years only 4 comic book adapted movies have ever won Oscars (Superman 1979-Visual Effects, Batman 1989-Art Direction, Spider-man 2 2004-Visual Effects, The Dark Knight 2008-Best Supporting Actor and Sound Editing) with The Dark Knight with 2 out of 8 nominations (a rip). The Hugh Jackmon made a comment in his song 'why isn't 1 billion dollars enough!' becuase The Dark Knight is only comic book adapted movie to earn that much in theaters alone (not counting DVD sales) and is the second most box-office gross in history (Titanic in 1st with that as its only record now). Straight to the point comic book adapted movies are outcast to the Oscars while they kick most other genres in records (TDK, Spider-man 3, Iron Man), merchandice (millions including DVD's) and cinema in general (they actually are one of the few with franchises, TV series, ect.). They also are older then most of cinema (they came out in the 40's or earlier). They are cheated out of hard won respect and are actually much more difficult to produce and make then a majority of movies. (LOTR is novel not graphic novel, effects and story boarding is harder due to believability).
  • Prototype
    Here's the reason that the Academy has refused to reward audience pleasers over the past few cycles. About 5 years ago the Academy decided to expand its voting membership to include a slew of younger and "hipper" voters (almost all of them actors) in order to give a boost to deserving "indie" flair that was going unnoticed by the old guard. The effect of this wasn't immediately obvious because the high grossing LotR movies (which were based a piece of classic English literature) were regarded as "highbrow" enough to warrant consideration for major awards. However, once the Tolkien movies were finished the problems started. The newly franchised hipsters (who believe that the Oscars should only reward art house flicks and view box office success as a net negative) formed an unofficial coalition with the greybeards who had no problem rewarding hit films but regard animated movies and genre films as inherently unworthy of recognition. This has lead to record low ratings for the presentation (this years will be even worse that last years) and less regard for the Oscar brand by the public. Oh, and it's also why crap like The Reader can nominated for Best Picture while two of the three best reviewed feature films of the year (The Dark Knight and WALL-E) got shafted. (The Wrestler was the other and it should have been nominated as well)
  • http://monimovies.com MoniMovies
    to Timothy you right !
  • Arcanus
    Timothy, MoniMovies think of 2008's movies. A rare once a decade comes along and gets sideshowed by two love conquers all movies. One from Bollywood and the other relatable to "Forrest Gump" with time as the disadvantage. "Forrest Gump" has stood the test of time, so Benjimen Button has to prove itself in time to compete with "Forrest Gump". And here a movie that not only kicked records but made a new ones. And to top things off accuratly remade a legendary villian, one of the top villians in cinema history. The Joker is not a character to play spin the dart with. This is black mark in the Academy Awards history, one of many. Star Wars (original 1977) is still a feat in and of itself. Argue, bicker, fight, who cares. But the Academy Awards are letting down the movies who had to earn thier place (love movies rarely need to). So if you got a problem with this take it the Academy.
  • technology
    I agree with allot of you guys The Dark Knigh should have been nominated for at least the following: 1. Best Picture 2. Best Director 3. Costume Design 4. Original Score. The movie broke the most movie records second only to Titanic (which is a love story flat out). It even bested Star Wars (not counting inflation), and they didn't pick best picture shows a poor choice of taste. Read more: http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/22/81st-academy-awards-nominees-announced/#ixzz0nMXtwe5S

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