The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards are in. This year's best picture will be The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Milk, or Slumdog Millionaire. If you were to ask me, I'd say that Synecdoche, NY was the best film of the year. Of course, no one (in the Academy or otherwise) is asking me, and it's not in the running. Beyond that, there are a number of films that, at least at one point or another, were part of the best picture discussion-The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Doubt, The Wrestler-that aren't in the final five. While I realize that Wall-E did get a nod for best animated film, I thought it was more compelling than either Slumdog or Milk (both of which were fine; neither of which was truly excellent).That's just my humble opinion. And the measure of great art (or entertainment) is not the award it takes home; it's the impact the film has on its viewers-which, from my wholly unscientific and anecdotal, personal experience, leads me to believe Slumdog will win. Regardless, there are a bunch of films nominated in other categories that I haven't seen-like Waltz with Bashir and Man on Wire-that I've been really eager to check out. If nothing else, this list makes for a good reminder to actually see them.What was your favorite film of 2008? Which films (or actors) got snubbed? Which films or actors will win big? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.(Image via this awesome NYTimes slide show.)
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