Oscar Nominations Announced!

As I believe I've said before, I love film awards shows, and Oscar night is one of my favorite nights of the year. So, here is the list of the nominees for the 2008 Academy Awards, and here's who I'll be rooting for:

Actor in a Leading Role: Viggo Mortenson, simply because I love him. I wouldn't mind seeing George Clooney or Johnny Depp snag the Oscar either.

Actor in a Supporting Role: I've always had a soft spot for Casey Affleck. I think he's a better actor than his brother and is very underrated. I would not mind at all seeing him take home an Oscar.

Actress in a Leading Role: I'm rooting for Ellen Page, although I doubt they'll give her the Oscar. I always like seeing young folk in the list of Oscar Nominees. You know they must be good to contend with the more seasoned actors. I also like Cate Blanchett and Laura Linney, so I wouldn't mind seeing one of them with an Oscar.

Actress in a Supporting Role: It's highly likely that Cate Blanchett will leave with at least one Oscar this year. I think it's cool that she took on the challenge of playing Bob Dylan. She always picks interesting movies to star in. However, I'm rooting for Saoirse Ronan because she came out of nowhere and blew everyone away with her talent. She's also starring in the movie "The Lovely Bones" which is due to come out soon. Despite the fact that she is somewhat of a newcomer to film, she's being picked for very challenging and interesting roles, which I commend her for.

Animated Feature: As I said before, I'm cheering on "Ratatouille", and I don't think it will have too much trouble winning, although I wasn't expecting to see "Persepolis" in this category.

Art Direction: Not having seen most of these films (I'm slipping this year!), I can't make a definitive statement in this category. However I will say that I don't think "The Golden Compass" deserves to win. It was an okay movie, but I certainly didn't foresee any Oscar Nominations. I don't think it was THAT good.

I'm not going to comment on many of the other categories because I haven't seen the films and, therefore, couldn't tell you who did a better job.

Film Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum" is the only film I've seen out of this category, but I have to say that the film editing in it was spectacular. They did a great job editing to build suspense, and I definitely think it deserves the Oscar.

Makeup: Okay, seriously. "NORBIT" is nominated? Are you kidding me? That movie looked TERRIBLE. I mean, it's Eddie Murphy in a fat suit. No matter how good the makeup was, that movie does not deserve the recognition and honor of being nominated for an Academy Award. I will, of course, be rooting for "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." I'm a sucker for that trilogy.

Music (Score): Out of the films listed, I've only seen "Ratatouille", but I thought that the soundtrack was superb. I won't be broken hearted if it doesn't win, though.

Music (Song): "Falling Slowly" should win, hands down. "Once" was a fantastic movie, and that song was absolutely wonderful. I could listen to it over and over again. I'm glad that "Once" was recognized in at least one category.

Sound Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum" definitely has my vote. Just like with the film editing, the sound editing did a superb job of enhancing the tension in the movie. That entire trilogy is fantastic.

Visual Effects: I'm definitely thinking that "Pirates of the Caribbean" has this one all wrapped up. I just can't see "The Golden Compass" or "Transformers" winning an Oscar. I think that this is probably a similar case to the one we had in 2006, where "Dead Man's Chest" was up against "Poseidon" and "Superman Returns." Neither of those movies were of Oscar caliber, but there had been a lack of special effects-heavy movies that year, and they needed some fillers.

I wish I could comment on the other categories, but I haven't seen most of the movies nominated due to a lack of time and funds. However, this was a very good year for movies. A lot of interesting looking films came out, and I will catch up on them just as soon as the DVDs come in at the library.