It’s no real surprise that Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button each received eight nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Critics’ Choice Awards this morning. But the shocking news in their announcement is the complete shut-out of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming drama Revolutionary Road. Not only did it not make the BFCA’s top 10, but it failed to earn nods for Winslet, DiCaprio, costar Michael Shannon, or director Sam Mendes. After being overlooked by the National Board of Review last week, are its Oscar chances now dead? I also find it interesting that Clint Eastwood scored a Best Actor nomination for Gran Torino while the film was left off the top 10 as well. And though Doubt earned six nods (including one for Best Ensemble Cast), Amy Adams didn’t make it into the Best Supporting Actress category. Here’s the complete list of nominees; take a close look at the five nominees for Best Director…those five movies may just be this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Picture.
Best Picture
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler
Best Actor
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress
Kate Beckinsale, Nothing But the Truth
Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
James Franco, Milk
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Vera Farmiga, Nothing But the Truth
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Acting Ensemble
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Best Writer (Original or Adapted Screenplay)
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Best Animated Feature
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir
Best Young Actor/Actress
Dakota Fanning, The Secret Life of Bees
David Kross, The Reader
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters, Australia
Best Action Movie
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum of Solace
Wanted
Best Comedy Movie
Burn After Reading
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Role Models
Tropic Thunder
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Picture Made for Television
John Adams
Recount
Coco Chanel
Best Foreign Language Film
A Christmas Tale
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You So Long
Let the Right One In
Mongol
Waltz With Bashir
Best Documentary Film
I.O.U.S.A.
Man On Wire
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Standard Operating Procedure
Young At Heart
Best Song
“Another Way to Die” (Jack White and Alicia Keys), Quantum of Solace
“Down to Earth” (Peter Gabriel), Wall-E
“I Thought I Lost You” (Miley Cyrus and John Travolta), Bolt
“Jaiho” (A.R. Rahman), Slumdog Millionaire
“The Wrestler” (Bruce Springsteen), The Wrestler
Best Composer
Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood, Changeling
Danny Elfman, Milk
Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard, The Dark Knight
A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
wow
no Revolutionary Road to be seen
Note to Dave Karger: Kate Winslet got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Also, “Another Way to Die”: REALLY? This must have been a bad year for movie music.
Ames –
Winslet was nominated for “The Reader,” not for “Revolutionary Road.”
Even NBR had enough sense to nominated THE EDGE OF HEAVEN for Best Foreign Language Film. What’s the matter with Broadcast Critics? This was one of the best films of the year. Yes, it was better than THE VISITOR and THE DARK KNIGHT
I too feel that the list of director nominees here is also going to be the Oscar Best Picture nominees list as well. Which makes me very happy, because once again The Dark Knight is on this list! Also very happy to see Heath Ledger and RDJ get supporting nods, as well as Slumdog and Dev Patel getting recognition.
I am really surprised, though, that Revolutionary Road got shut out completely in all categories. Weird. But at least Kate Winslet scored a nod for The Reader. Here’s hoping that no matter what she gets nominated for, she will still FINALLY win an Oscar.
There shouldnt even be competition in the Supporting Actor catatgory. Heath should win that without a second thought. Im not just saying that because hes gone- bless his soul, but because to leave us with that ground breaking role deserves an Oscar level of attention.
GREAT to see Kate Beckinsale get recognition for her fantastic performance. Hopefully this gains her some momentum.
What the heck- Horton Hears a who didnt make it to the best animated catagory? Or arnt these final decisions.
MILK all the way! This is the best pic of the year and it’s timely message will carry it through award season. Penn was spectacular!
I am proud of The Dark Knight.
If MILK wins best picture over DARK KNIGHT or BENJAMIN BUTTON it will be a travesty.
I have no prob with the nominees except where is Kristen Scott Thomas for Ive love you so long. that’s a big ommission
I’m not so sure if the BFCA’s nomination picks hold much influence on The Motion Picture Academy when it comes time for them to nominate actors/actresses, films, et.al. for Oscars. And I wouldn’t put Ron Howard in the BFCA Best Director category. I’d replace Mr. Howard with the director who directed “Slumdog Millionaire” or Darren Aronofsky who directed”The Wrestler.”
Ooops!! I didn’t realize that Danny Boyle was
nominated for a BFCA. Sorry.
Where is the nomination for Michael Sheen. He was a brillant protagonist as David Frost. Give him some recognitin, people!