I actually did love Frost/Nixon; it was the best movie I saw last year.  How Michael Sheen keeps getting passed over is beyond my realm of understanding.  I agree that Slumdog seems to have the momentum, and I won't be disappointed if it wins.  I wasn't blown away by it, but I did really, really like it.

As for the others, Benjamin Button seems to be one of those love-it-or-be-severely-annoyed-by-it sort of movies.  I fall into the "severely annoyed by it" category.  I haven't seen Milk yet, but I've heard good things about it.  And then, there are a number of films I would have put in over The Reader (Wall-E, In Bruges, The Dark Knight, even Revolutionary Road, to name a few).

The real letdown for me is the lack of Best Picture nomination for Wall-E.  It deserves more than just Best Animated Feature.  Still, so long as either Frost/Nixon or Slumdog Millionaire come out on top on Oscar night, I'll be satisfied.

The Dark Knight was the best film of last year. It's a crime drama, no more, no less. However, as it wasn't nominated, I say the award should go to Slumdog Millionaire. The Reader? Seriously, The Reader? And worse yet, the great Kate Winslet will win for that instead of the picture that should have been nominated for BP and her best actress role - Revolutionary Road. I mean, c'mon, it would be like Shakespeare in Love winning over Saving Pri -- oh, wait, nevermind.  

I felt the Reader was a beautiful film. I saw all the films nominated and most of them, but I walked away from The Reader and felt it had touched me with its story and the acting was phenomenal.

I know it doesn't have much of a backing behind it, but Rachel Getting Married was arguably my favorite film of 2008. The cast is phenomenal, and Jonathan Demme really creates a personal atmosphere with his handheld, documentary-like direction. I'm glad that Anne Hathaway got nominated for Best Actress, but sadly she's getting overshadowed by the overly dramatic Kate Winslet and the perennially boring Meryl Streep. It's unfortunate.

My mind, too, is boggled by the fact that the Academy can't get past the fact that films made outside a certain medium can still be really great.  WALL-E was a great movie.  Ratatouille (sorry if it's misspelled), The Incredibles, and (regardless of what apparently everyone else in the world thinks) Meet the Robinsons were really great movies.  No disrespect to Beauty and the Beast, which came out just before I became too cool for cartoons, but there have been several animated films since that were just better.  I have, though, outgrown my teenage revulsion of animation, and I wish the Academy would do the same.

Until they do, I guess we'll have to sweat over who will win out between WALL-E and Kung Fu Panda.

I agree -- my favorite movies of the year were "WALL-E" and "The Dark Knight," and I honestly think they are both well-crafted, thought-provoking, beautifully produced films that deserve best picture nominations.  As for the films actually nominated, as usual, I couldn't care less about any of them, except maybe "Button," which I sadly missed in theaters.

I saw The Reader and was impressed by Kate Winslet's performance but thought the movie overall was good but not Oscar-worthy.  The Dark Knight should have been nominated, but doesn't this happen every year, that a great early-in-the-year movie gets forgotten in the rush of last-minute Oscar bait?

On a side note, I'm thrilled to see Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) nominated.  Both movies were wonderful, and it's good to see character actors rewarded even if they don't have a chance of winning.

As usual, Hollywood nominates movies that they hope will show they can make 'serious' 'films'. Never mind that no one wanted to see them. The last time they got Best Picture right was when ROTK swept the awards. That year was the only one where it seemed quality beat out pretentiousness and it was a movie people actually wanted to see, and did. I've quit watching the Oscars because I just don't care anymore. I vote with my pocketbook and nothing I enjoyed was nominated.

"Benjamin Button" was the best movie I saw all last year!  Even though I knew it would have a sad ending (I read the original story, after all), I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I was surprised that it got all the acclaim it did, I thought at most it would get nods for best makeup, effects, and adapted screenplay.  But if it wins the top categories, I'm all for it.  Plus, it's WAY better than the original story.  The original story has a constant recurring theme of rejection and very little love, while the movie is the exact opposite.

I didn't like "The Dark Knight" much, so I don't care that it got shut out of the top categories.  Heath Ledger should definitely win, though.  "Iron Man" and "Wall-Eye" were great too, but "Benjamin Button" was just tops all the way.  I was eager to see it again in theaters, but now I'll have to wait for DVD.  At least there I'll have the advantage of closed captioning to understand some of the dialogue.

I'm rooting for Sean Penn and Josh Brolin in "Milk"

And if Benjamin Button wins best adapted screenplay, i think i am going to scream. I know the movie is 'inspired' by F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, but they absolutely murdered it.

What happened to Gran Torino? That was awesome...

I don't watch Oprah, but I think you are in the wrong profession if you think this was a lousy year for movies. I have seen 6 films since Jan 1 and they were some of the most memorable, thought provoking films I have seen in years. It was refreshing to leave a theater and actually have something to talkk about and discuss with friends. Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road blew me away. Frost Nixon gave me the chills. Slumdog left me breathless, haunted and inspired. With the exception of Benjamin Button, I think all the films nominated deserve the nod for BP. BB was a beautiful film, but nothing about it was that special that it warranted as nomination for BP. Dark Kiight would have been a much better choice

I hope that "Frost/Nixon" beats "Slumdog Millionaire" for Best Picture, Ron Howard gets a bookend for his Oscar as Best Director, and that Frank Langella wins Best Actor.

All the awards and the shows they spawn are a total waste of time.  Who really cares?  If you say you do then you're a sad, sad person that really needs to do something productive with their life.  Stop feeding the celebrity ego and filling the studio bank accounts with your hard earned money.  Want entertainment?  Read a book or play with your kids or take a walk in a park.  Either way, at the end of the day, I don't give a rats azz who wins what and neither should you.

Really, who cares?  If you like a movie, recommend it to your family and friends.  If you didn't, same thing.  Awards mean nothing and the shows are a boring waste of time.  Do you really, really give a damn what these people are wearing?  

"As usual, Hollywood nominates movies that they hope will show they can make 'serious' 'films'. Never mind that no one wanted to see them."
Well, I would!  I go to very few movies because most are such mindless drivel geared to a 12 year old mentality.  If Hollywood wonders why it is mostly teenagers going to movies all they need to do is look at the movies they produce.  In our small town, the theatres tend to just show the teenybopper fare.
I haven't seen "The Dark Knight" so I really can't judge, but, I did not go to it because "Holey holes in a doughnut, it's Batman"! Batman and best picture just don't go together in my book.
Where was "Gran Torino"?  That was the best movie I have seen in a very long time.

Of course we care what everybody is wearing.  Hello! That's the only reason to watch the Awards.  To critique the fashions and the hair! Geez, c'mon people!

Frankly, it is my belief that movies have become more about the people who make them than the people who watch them.  Movies are made to satisfy the arrogance and pretentiousness of Hollywood insiders.  Honestly, the average moviegoer could care less about most of the movies made these days, and especially the ones nominated for awards.  The only reason that the movie industry isn’t going under is because of the few break out hits like Iron Man and Dark Knight.  If they did not have blockbusters that made hundreds of millions they would not be able to make the pretentious, depressing and frankly uninspiring movies like “The Reader”, “Changeling”, “Revolutionary Road” , “Doubt” and the list goes on.
When I go and see a movie I want to be entertained.  I want to see something fun and uplifting.  I want to leave the theater feeling better than I did when I went in.  Things are hard enough in today’s world why do we need to be inundated with sad, depressing and disturbing movies.  I am fine with a few here and there, but it just seems that with each passing year we get less entertainment and creativity and more depression and remakes.
I find that I don’t bother going to the movies much at all anymore.  I used to be a person that would see 2 or 3 movies a month, but now if I see one a month it is a miracle.  I read the paper, watch the news etc… I see enough sadness around me for free, why should I pay my hard earned money to watch it in a theater.
 

Please get a life!!! All movies suck for the price we have to pay to go and watch them. Most are being filmed in a way to fit on your t.v. and have poor stories at best. The Oscars are just a back slapping affair for the overpaid actors and actresses. We are in finacial ruin, and we have to watch these millionaires walk around on a red carpet and blow smoke during their sorry speaches. Who really cares about Hollywood anyways, it's all fake and so are the people.

I've only seen two of the best picture nominees ("Frost/Nixon" and "Milk"), and while I really enjoyed both, I'm not sure either feels like a best picture. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with "Frost/Nixon."

I personally didn't think "Dark Knight" was THAT good. Heath Ledger was phenomenal, and the movie was the most entertaining of the year, but without Ledger, it wouldn't have been memorable for me. It was pretty standard stuff if you take away that performance.

Wall-e was crap it was boring beyond belief.  The dark knight was by far the best movie this year.  But it was not nominated so the oscar will go to Button

I use movie reviews and award shows this way---whatever critics Love, means very bad movie-- whatever critics Hate, means very awsome movie.  I could review better than the bought-out critics out there.

I really liked the Dark Nigh, it was so action-packed and exciting!  I wished I could go back to see it a 2nd time at the theatre before it "left."
I wan't to get it on DVD and enjoy it all the time!
Thankyou Heath Ledger for player the part of the evil Joker, you did it so well!

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