Oscar Nominees!

The Oscar nominees were announced today. Since I did an exhaustive post predicting the nominees, I'll go over what I thought were the biggest surprises and snubs:

Surprises

1. Best Picture: The Reader. I'm not a big fan of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon or The Dark Knight, so going into the nominees I was hoping one would be knocked out in a surprise upset. Thankfully I got my wish as The Reader, not a top favorite, but a worthy movie, knocked the caped crusader from the list.

2. Best Actor: Richard Jenkins, The Visitor. I was crossing my fingers he'd get in and he did. If you haven't seen it, this is a great movie, and Jenkins is fantastic in it.

3. Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader. It's no surprise Kate Winslet got a best actress nomination, but most people were expecting it would happen for Revolutionary Road, due to her studio pushing her for supporting actress for The Reader in an effort to keep her from competing with herself. The Academy saw through this ploy and honored her work in the lead category it deserves. And frankly, while she was amazing in both movies, I'm glad she got in for this one.

4. Best Actress: Melissa Leo, Frozen River. After Sally Hawkins won the comedy/musical globe, I was sure she'd have the best shot of landing a nomination from a smaller film, but instead it's Leo, which I'm very happy with, as I loved Frozen River. I was pleased the film got a screenplay nod too.

5. Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road. The buzz was that Dev Patel would be in the "fifth" slot, and while I really liked him a lot in Slumdog Millionaire, I'm glad Shannon got recognized, as he was excellent.

6. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Doubt. With Winslet's The Reader out of the running, Amy Adams is the winner, joining her co-star Viola Davis in the category.

Snubs

1. Gran Torino. This was one of my favorite films of last year, and it didn't get a single nomination.

2. Best Picture: The Dark Knight. It's not a snub I'm upset about, but a lot of people were hoping it would happen.

3. Best Actor: Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino. He was amazing in this film, which he's indicated will be his last major role. He should have been in there instead of Brad.

4. Best Actress: Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long. Thomas has been in the limelight much since her best actress nomination in 1997 for The English Patient, but this was a really great role for her, and it should have been recognized. I haven't seen Changeling, but is Angelina really more deserving? (Brangelina made out well today, to my chagrin).

5. Original Screenplay: Vicky Christina Barcelona. Woody Allen usually does well in this category, and I expected he'd show up again.

Other observations:

Doubt received four acting nominations but not a best picture nomination, which hasn't happened before in my lifetime. Several films have had three acting nominations without a best picture nod: Iris, Adaptation, Bullets Over Broadway, Victor Victoria, and Only When I Laugh