2008 Oscar Nominations Announced What Do You Think

2008 Oscar Nominations Announced - What Do You Think?

By David Chen/Jan. 22, 2009 6:08 am EST

The Academy Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences announced the 81st Annual Oscar Nominations this morning. Some VERY quick observations:

Hit the jump for the full list.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)

• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)

• Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)

• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)

• Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)

• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)

• Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)

• Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)

• Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)

• Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)

• Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)

• Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)

• Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard

• “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

• “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando

• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway

• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

• “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister

• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins

Achievement in costume design

• “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West

• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor

• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker

• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in directing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher

• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard

• “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant

• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry

Best documentary feature

• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath

• “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser

• “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy

• “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn

• “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

• “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki

• “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant

• “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan

• “The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith

• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley

• “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham

Best foreign language film of the year

• “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany

• “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France

• “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan

• “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria

• “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in makeup

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan

• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat

• “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard

• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman

• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel

Best motion picture of the year

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers

• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers

• “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers

• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined

Best animated short film

• “La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato

• “Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit

• “Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand

• “Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland

• “This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

• “Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi

• “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont

• “New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie

• “The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh

• “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King

• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes

• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood

• “Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick

• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt

• “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin

• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Adapted screenplay

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord

• “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley

• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan

• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare

Original screenplay

• “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt

• “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh

• “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh

• “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black

• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter