Key: Bold = Nominee; Italics = Title of Film. Not everything will be linked in this post in order to make it easier to follow as a statistical reference material.

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) [Produced by Christian Colson.] – This is the first nomination for Christian Colson.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount and Warner Bros.) [Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin.] – This is the sixth nomination in this category for Kathleen Kennedy. Her previous nominations were for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), The Sixth Sense (1999), Seabiscuit (2003) and Munich (2005).

This is the fifth nomination in this category for Frank Marshall. His previous nominations were for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981),
The Color Purple (1985), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Seabiscuit (2003). • This is the first nomination for Ceán Chaffin.

Frost/Nixon (Universal) [Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner.] – This is Brian Grazer’s fourth nomination and the third in this category. His other Best Picture nominations were for Apollo 13 (1995) and the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind (2001). He received a writing nomination for Splash (1984).

This is Ron Howard’s fourth nomination and the second in this category. He won Best Picture and Directing Oscars® for A Beautiful Mind (2001). He is also nominated in the Directing category this year. • This is the third nomination in this category for Eric Fellner, who was previously nominated for Elizabeth (1998) and Atonement (2007).

Milk (Focus Features) [Produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.] – This is the second nomination for both Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, who won the Best Picture Oscar in 1999 for American Beauty.

The Reader (The Weinstein Company) [Nominees to be determined.]

Achievement in Directing:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire – Danny Boyle – This is his first nomination.

Milk – Gus Van Sant – This is his second nomination in this category. His previous nomination was for Good Will Hunting (1997).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Fincher – This is his first nomination.

Frost/Nixon – Ron Howard – This is his fourth nomination and the second in this category. He won Best Picture and Directing Oscars for A Beautiful Mind (2001). He is also nominated in the Best Picture category this year.

The Reader – Stephen Daldry – This is his third nomination in this category. His other nominations were for Billy Elliot (2000) and The Hours (2002).

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Predicted Winner: Mickey Rourke (Randy in The Wrestler) – This is his first nomination.

Richard Jenkins (Walter in The Visitor) – This is his first nomination.

Frank Langella (Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon) – This is his first nomination.

Sean Penn (Harvey Milk in Milk) – This is his fifth nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and I Am Sam (2001), and won the award in 2003 for his performance in Mystic River.

Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He was nominated in the supporting category for his performance in 12 Monkeys (1995).

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Predicted Winner: Heath Ledger (Joker in The Dark Knight) – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He was nominated for his leading role in Brokeback Mountain (2005). This nomination is posthumous, as he died January 22, 2008.

Josh Brolin (Dan White in Milk) – This is his first nomination.

Robert Downey Jr. (Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder) – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He was nominated for his leading role in Chaplin (1992).

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Father Brendan Flynn in Doubt) – This is his third nomination and the second in this category. He won an Oscar for his leading role in Capote (2005) and was nominated last year for his supporting role in Charlie Wilson’s War.

Michael Shannon (John Givings in Revolutionary Road) – This is his first nomination.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

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Predicted Winner: Angelina Jolie (Christine Collins in Changeling) – This is her second nomination and the first in this category. She won an Oscar for her supporting role in Girl, Interrupted (1999).

Anne Hathaway (Kym in Rachel Getting Married) – This is her first nomination.

Melissa Leo (Ray Eddy in Frozen River) – This is her first nomination.

Meryl Streep (Sister Aloysius Beauvier in Doubt) – This is her fifteenth Academy Award nomination and the twelfth in this category. Her other leading role nominations were for The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), Sophie’s Choice (1982), for which she won the Oscar, Silkwood (1983), Out of Africa (1985), Ironweed (1987), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), One True Thing (1998), Music of the Heart (1999) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Her supporting role nominations were for The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), for which she took home the Oscar, and Adaptation (2002).

Kate Winslet (Hanna Schmitz in The Reader) – This is her sixth nomination and the fourth in this category. Her other leading role nominations were for Titanic (1997), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Little Children (2006). Her supporting role nominations were for Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Iris (2001).

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Predicted Winner: Marisa Tomei (Cassidy in The Wrestler) – This is her third nomination in this category. Her previous nominations were for My Cousin Vinny (1992), for which she won the Oscar, and In the Bedroom (2001).

Amy Adams (Sister James in Doubt) – This is her second nomination in this category. She was previously nominated for Junebug (2005).

Penélope Cruz (Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona) – This is her second nomination and the first in this category. She was nominated for her leading role in Volver (2006).

Viola Davis (Mrs. Miller in Doubt) – This is her first nomination.

Taraji P. Henson (Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) – This is her first nomination.

Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire – Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy (based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup). – This is his second nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for The Full Monty (1997).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Screenplay by Eric Roth. Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord (from the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald). – This is the fourth nomination for Eric Roth in this category. He won the Oscar in 1994 for writing Forrest Gump. He was also nominated for The Insider (1999) and Munich (2005). This is the first nomination for Robin Swicord.

Doubt – Written by John Patrick Shanley (based on his play). – This is his second nomination in this category. He won the Oscar for his original screenplay for Moonstruck (1987).

Frost/Nixon – Screenplay by Peter Morgan (based on his stage play). – This is his second nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for The Queen (2006).

The Reader – Screenplay by David Hare (based on the book Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink). – This is his second nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for The Hours (2002).

Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay):

Predicted Winner: Milk – Written by Dustin Lance Black. – This is his first nomination.

Frozen River – Written by Courtney Hunt. – This is her first nomination.

Happy-Go-Lucky – Written by Mike Leigh. – This is his sixth nomination and the fourth in this category. He was nominated for his original screenplays for Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999) and Vera Drake (2004). He was also nominated for directing Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake.

In Bruges – Written by Martin McDonagh. – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He won the Oscar in the Live Action Short Film category for Six Shooter (2005).

WALL-E – Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon. Story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter. – This is the fifth nomination for Andrew Stanton and the third in this category. He won the Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category for Finding Nemo (2003) and was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and Finding Nemo. He is also nominated in the Animated Feature Film. • This is the first nomination for Jim Reardon. • This is the fourth nomination for Pete Docter. He was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995), the Animated Feature Film category for Monsters, Inc. (2001), and the Animated Short Film category for Mike’s New Car (2002).

Best Foreign Language Film:

Predicted Winner: Departures (Japan) [Directed by Yojiro Takita.] – This is twelfth nomination for Japan. Previous nominations were for Harp of Burma (1956), Immortal Love (1961), Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963), Woman in the Dunes (1964), Kwaidan (1965), Portrait of Chieko (1967), Dodes’ka-Den (1971), Sandakan No. 8 (1975), Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) (1980), Muddy River (1981) and The Twilight Samurai (2003). Additionally, Japan received three Special/Honorary Awards prior to the establishment of Foreign Language Film as a regular category in 1956: Rashomon (1951), Gate of Hell (1954) and Samurai, The Legend of Musashi (1955).

Waltz with Bashir (Israel) [Directed by Ari Folman.] – This is the eighth nomination for Israel. Previous nominations were for Sallah (1964), The Policeman (1971), I Love You Rosa (1972), The House on Chelouche Street (1973), Operation Thunderbolt (1977), Beyond the Walls (1984) and Beaufort (2007).

The Class (France) [Directed by Laurent Cantet.] – This is the thirty-fifth nomination for France, the record in the category (Italy is second with twenty-seven nominations). It has taken home nine Oscars for My Uncle (1958), Black Orpheus (1959), Sundays and Cybele (1962), A Man and a Woman (1966), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), Day for Night (1973), Madame Rosa (1977), Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978) and Indochine (1992). Additionally, France received three Special/Honorary Awards prior to the establishment of Foreign Language Film as a regular category in 1956: Monsieur Vincent (1948), The Walls of Malapaga (1950) [shared with Italy] and Forbidden Games (1952). Other nominations were for Gervaise (1956), Gates of Paris (1957), La Vérité (1960), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Live for Life (1967), Stolen Kisses (1968), My Night at Maud’s (1969), Hoa-Binh (1970), Lacombe, Lucien (1974), Cousin, Cousine (1976), A Simple Story (1979), The Last Metro (1980), Coup de Torchon (“Clean Slate”) (1982), Entre Nous (1983), Three Men and a Cradle (1985), Betty Blue (1986), Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) (1987), Camille Claudel (1989), Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), Ridicule (1996), East-West (1999), The Taste of Others (2000), Amélie (2001), The Chorus (Les Choristes) (2004) and Joyeux Noël (2005).

The Baader Meinh of Complex (Germany) [Directed by Uli Edel.] – This is the eighth nomination for Germany. Previous nominations were for The Nasty Girl (1990), Schtonk! (1992), Beyond Silence (1997), Nowhere in Africa (2002) which won the Oscar, Downfall (2004), Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005) and The Lives of Others, which won the Oscar in 2006. Prior to reunification in 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany received a total of eight Academy Award nominations. They were The Captain of Kopenick (1956), The Devil Came at Night (1957), Arms and the Man (1958), The Bridge (1959), The Pedestrian (1973), The Glass Cell (1978), The Tin Drum (1979) which won the Oscar, and Angry Harvest (1985). Also prior to reunification, the German Democratic Republic received one Academy Award nomination: Jacob, the Liar (1976).

Revanche (Austria) [Directed by Götz Spielmann.] – This is the third nomination for Austria. Previous nominations were for “38” (1986) and The Counterfeiters, which won the award last year.

Best Animated Feature Film:

Predicted Winner: WALL-E (Walt Disney) – Andrew Stanton – This is his fifth nomination and the second in this category. He won the Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category for Finding Nemo (2003) and was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and Finding Nemo. He is also nominated in the Original Screenplay category this year.

Bolt (Walt Disney) – Chris Williams and Byron Howard – This is the first nomination for both.

Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) – John Stevenson and Mark Osborne – This is the first nomination for John Stevenson. This is the second nomination for Mark Osborne and the first in this category. He was nominated in the Animated Short Film category for More (1998).

Best Costume Design:

Predicted Winner: The Duchess
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Revolutionary Road

Best Documentary Feature:

Predicted Winner: Man on a Wire
The Betrayal
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short:

Predicted Winner: Smile Pinki
The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch

Best Film Editing:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk

Best Makeup:

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

Best Sound Editing:

Predicted Winner: The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Best Sound Mixing:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
WALL-E
Wanted

Best Visual Effects:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Best Original Score:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Defiance
Milk
WALL-E

Best Original Song:

Predicted Winner: Jai Ho (From Slumdog Millionaire)
Down to Earth (from WALL-E)
O Saya (From Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Art Direction:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Best Cinematography:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling
The Dark Knight
The Reader

Best Short Film, Live Action:

Predicted Winner: Spelzeugland (Toyland)
Auf De Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig

Short Film, Animated:

Predicted Winner: Presto
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory – Lovestory
Oktapodi
This Way Up

I hope you enjoyed this walk down the red carpet and the insight view into the winners. I’m crossing my fingers. My winners list will be just that, a list. I’ll give you my score and I’m interested in yours also. I’ve been hosting Oscar parties for some 19 years and the ballot/scorecard point system has been perfected since not every category is of equal value. Please email me and let me know how you do.

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Download your own Oscar Party Kit from the Academy Awards website. Download everything from appetizers to dessert recipes plus plenty of trivia to keep your party going. Even if you’re just going to play at home by yourself, do not forget to download your own ballot so you can easily keep track of the action. And if you’re really home alone you can go for the Oscar Crossword Puzzle.
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All information used under license of the CC agreement and permission with the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. Academy Awards and the name Oscar are registered trademarks and are used in reference only.

Les Quatre Cents Coups. 1959. Directed by François Truffaut. Written by François Truffaut and Marcel Moussy. Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy, Patric Auffay. Oscars: Nominated for Best Original Screenplay François Truffaut and Marcel Moussy. Cannes: Best Director, OCIC, Nominated Golden Palm. Best Foreign Language Film by New York Film Critics Circle and Best Film by French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

A 13-year-old Parisian boy, Antoine Doinel, neglected by his derelict parents, spends his days skipping school and sneaking into lots of movies. His life is on somewhat of a downward spiral as teen angst catches up with him and he begins to be seen as only a trouble maker by the adults in his life. Antoine runs away from home, is a failed thief and suffers through believing he is in the right as he continues to do wrong. Living in between arcades, abandoned factories and Paris flats he sees the city as opportunity and hope, but his vision is still only that of a child.

The films most analyzed shots involve Antoine after he has run away from the detention home and ends up on the beach. Truffaut ends the film on a freeze frame with Antoine looking into the camera. He has finally made it to the sea for the first time in his young life and he is seemingly caught between past and future.

This will not be the only time Leaud will play Antoine as he and Truffaut will have a long collaboration. Leaud will play the onscreen youthful biographical Truffaut through four more films. The most notable is Stolen Kisses. However, none of the films come close to this first feature of Truffaut. This film was his release and breakthrough of the French New Wave.

The film is simple movie making, while at the same time showing layers of feeling and longing for something more. Jean-Pierre Leaud is stunning in his role and his innocence breathes right on the screen. The film, at times, almost takes on a feeling of documentary because of the vividly personal scenes. The story is told with deliberate measure.

François Truffaut and his alter ego, Jean Pierre Leaud as Antoine Dolnel.

At the beginning Antoine is living with his mother and stepfather in a elbow-room-only flat. They are literally stepping over one another. The mother (Claire Maurier) is attractive beyond her means while the stepfather (Albert Remy) is doing is best in a bad situation. Both struggle in their own way to keep everything together but nothing keeps Antoine’s trouble from their doorstep and their over the top reactions.

Once Antoine has hit the streets adult hope fades to the mercy of the social services. While on the streets Antoine hovers around trouble and close to disaster. He goes to the movies a lot which is clearly a force that he uses to stave off the tragedies that come his way. There are times when he is genuinely happy but the cold chill is always there threatening to break through his jacket with turned up collar – his shield against the bad over his shoulder.

This film is François Truffaut’s savior from himself. His ability to bring his wild child story to the screen with such feeling and honesty has made him a directing legend and started the New Wave movement from classic to modern French cinema. Like Antoine, Truffaut was saved by movies and once this first and legendary film was made by the time he was 27 years old, he would never have to look back on that bad kid except through a lens. 10/10*

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Jean-Pierre Leaud in three stages of life.

* Poster is designed by Boris Grinsson (designed everything from James Bond to Batman, French) and was first shown in Cannes in 1959. The lines are simple and elegant and represent the film very well. The colors are well crafted. The only complaint I have is that the poster is too hopeful and does not give a sense of the poverty in the film. The poster is highly collectible and often copied. The last sale of an original that I know of sold for around $800.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ I also really like his design of Grinsson’s 1966 Batman poster. That is also a poster you don’t see every day.

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