Oscar Nominations Out; Dark Knight and Others Snubbed?

The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards are out, and while most of them were expected, there are a few surprises. For instance, The Dark Knight got 8 nominations, including Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor, but didn’t get nominations for either Best Picture or Best Director. Mickey Rourke got his expected nomination for Best Actor in The Wrestler, but Clint Eastwood got overlooked for Gran Turino. And possibly most inexplicably, Bruce Springsteen didn’t get nominated for Best Original Song. WTF?

Here’s a partial list of the nominees, for the categories that are actually interesting. You can get the full list of nominees at the Oscars’ official site.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in- Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Melissa Leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best animated feature film of the year
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

Achievement in cinematography
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in directing
David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

Best documentary feature
The Betrayal
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Best motion picture of the year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire