The Academy Award nominees have been announced. Here are my reactions.

Best Actor:

Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) – This nomination really surprised me. I’ve always thought he was a fun, recognizable character actor, but I hadn’t realized that he had finally been given a starring role, and one that would take him to the top of the ballot.

Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) – Another guy I’m surprised to see on the list. I’ve yet to see Frost/Nixon, but it’s up there on my list to watch in the near future. He’s always intrigued me, and looks to be damned good in this film.

Sean Penn (Milk) – Milk was, indeed, a good film, and his performance was certainly a departure from the dour, too-serious roles he’s taken in the past few years.

Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) – This felt like a wasted nomination. He wasn’t that good. In fact, his performance was very similar to Interview with the Vampire: somber, plodding, and monotone. While I like both films, Brad just didn’t deserve a nod. (Now for 12 Monkeys, that nomination was well deserved. He was completely, and awesomely, insane.)

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) – If there is any justice in the Academy, Mickey will take it this year. This was the best performance by an actor I’ve seen in any film of 2008. I thought his face might be a bit on the distracting side, but he managed to overcome everything and draw me directly into the movie.

Best Actress:

Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) – Love her. She can be fun, spunky, serious, all the while maintaining a bit of class and grace. She’s sort of a…Natalie Wood of this generation.

Angelina Jolie (Changeling) – Seriously? She’d better be thanking Clint Eastwood for being an amazing director, because she would have been pretty craptacular on her own. He was sadly skipped in almost every category for Gran Turino, and that was a crime; it deserved far more credit.

Melissa Leo (Frozen River) – No comment, as I’ve yet to see this film.

Meryl Streep (Doubt) – She is an American classic, and this nomination is entirely deserved. Instead of portraying Sister Aloysius as a hell-bent villain, she enriches the character with layers of guilt, suspicion, and regretful determination, rendering her utterly human.

Kate Winslet (The Reader) – I like her, but I think people are giving her too much credit by calling her “underrated.” She’ll win an Oscar one of these years, but I’m not sure it should be this year.

Supporting Actor/Actress:

I’m going to safely call Heath Ledger the winner in the male category. It’s difficult to argue with me, I think, since he is unable to make any more films and he was robbed of his Oscar for Brokeback Mountain. Sometimes it’s about politics, but he was also brilliant and captivating as The Joker.

The actress category is a little tougher, as there were some outstanding performances. I am going to guess that Marissa Tomei might be a worthy contender, considering she would actually earn this Oscar for an, indeed, stellar performance, as opposed to her crackpot win for My Cousin Vinny.

Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Why is this on the nomination list at all? It’s a long-ass movie with horrible CGI and some very wooden acting by Brad Pitt. Some of the supporting characters are laughable. If anyone should be recognized for anything it’s Cate Blanchett for looking drop dead gorgeous throughout.

Frost/Nixon – Have yet to see it, but Ron Howard usually directs some compelling films. Might be a contender.

Milk – Good film, and a biopic, which usually adds to the probability of a win. I just don’t think it’s had nearly the impact that it claims.

The Reader – A slow burn. I really liked this film, but it is not considered the best of the list by most.

Slumdog Millionaire – Critics of this film (citizens of Mumbai, Salman Rushdie) claim that it depicts India in an unflattering light, and that it is a bit too far fetched. However, the film is original, well paced, the acting (especially by the children) is fantastic. It is, despite a bleak beginning, a hopeful tale of love and family. I fell in love with this movie, and can certainly see it taking home Best Picture.