I don’t know if a dead actor ever earned an Oscar nomination before, but Heath Ledger scored respect from the Academy early this morning when the Oscar roster was announced. Ledger is up for Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Since he largely dominated the movie, one can only wonder about the line dividing the supporting cast from the stars.
Otherwise, the Academy reverted to its old habit of ignoring action and fantasy. The Dark Knight was not mentioned for Best Picture and Christopher Nolan was snubbed in the director category. WALL-E, which deserved at least a nod for Best Picture, was relegated to Best Animated Feature Film.
Slumdog Millionaire is 2008’s little movie made big, a film that almost crashed before release from studio and financial roadblocks. It has earned a Best Picture nomination and Best Director for Danny Boyle. It will be up against strong competition from Milk as well as ‘08’s most overrated movie, the technically impressive but wind-baggy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, leading the pack with 13 nominations.
