[justindew]

First, none of the five Best Picture nominees this year are as good as the top two films from last year, There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is pretty good, but is a little bit of a rip-off of Forrest Gump. Were it not for that, I might give it more consideration for my top pick. But the similarities are so obvious that they disqualify the film. Which is too bad because it's a really good movie. The main character is very likable and Brad Pitt does a great job. Were it not for the length of the film and the aforementioned similarities to Forrest Gump, I would call it a must-see. But it's about 45 minutes too long for no real reason. So I'll call it "watchable" instead of a must-see.

The Reader is decent but not really worth seeing. It reminds me a lot of Atonement from last year.

Milk was an interesting story. Sean Penn was believable in the lead role. But there is nothing special at all about this film. See it only if you are interested in Penn's performance, or if you care about a slightly-significant historical figure. If you never see it, trust me, you aren't missing anything.

Frost/Nixon was very good. It's not an "edge of your seat" type movie, but it definitely keeps your interest the entire time. It is a definite must-see from an entertainment stand point, not necessarily a cinematic stand point, if that makes sense. In fact, if you only see one of the five, I might urge you to see Frost/Nixon. Very cool story. Good acting. Highly entertaining.

However, if the award for Best Picture is supposed to go to the best overall cinematic "accomplishment" or production, I would have to give it to Slumdog Millionaire. It's a neat story that is well-told in a very original way with good acting. There are a couple scenes that aren't totally believable, and I never like it when not-believable things happen in movies that don't require you to suspend disbelief as a rule for enjoying the film in the first place. For instance, the entire premise behind The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is ridicuous. But that's OK. That's what the movie is. But a few of the scenes in Slumdog Millionaire semed a tad, well, hard to swallow.

Nevertheless, my vote for Best Picture would go to Slumdog Millionaire since I think it was the best "piece of art", if you will. But if you only see one of them, see Frost/Nixon.

As for the award for Best Actor, I think it should go to Brad Pitt. But it will probably go to Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke. My guess is Penn wins it. And he's not undeserving. I just think Pitt was better. I did not see The Visitor, so I can't comment on Richard Jenkins' performance.

I would also like to add that I think The Wrestler should have been nominated instead of The Reader.