Boy am I behind ...

OK, I am 10-11 movies behind again (and even further behind on my viewing thanks to my parents getting us a Nintendo Wii for Christmas). First, however, here are my Oscar thoughts. For the changes portion of it, I'm not counting some of the foreign films ("4 Months ...," "The Band's Visit," "The Counterfeiters") because I'm not sure about eligibility.

Best Picture
Haven't seen: "Frost/Nixon" (will remedy tomorrow) and "Milk" (Not in the Q-C yet)
Should win (of those seen): "Slumdog Millionaire"
Changes? Definitely "WALL-E" for "The Reader," also "The Dark Knight" for "Benjamin Button"

Best Director
Haven't seen: See above
Should win: Boyle squeaking past Fincher
Changes? See above, although Fincher might be more deserving than his movie.

Best Actor
Haven't seen: Rourke, Penn, Langella (you know, the ones that might actually win)
Should win: Jenkins (nice job nominating him)
Changes? Replace Pitt with Colin Farrell for "In Bruges"

Best Actress
Haven't seen: Hathaway, Leo (how cool is this nomination? Go "Homicide" alums), Jolie
Should win: Winslet, hands down
Changes: Replace Streep with Kate Beckinsale in "Snow Angels" (I can't believe I just wrote that either.)

Best Supporting Actor
Haven't seen: Shannon, Brolin
Should win: Ummm ... I saw "The Dark Knight." What do you think?
Changes: If you're going to reward comedy with Downey Jr., why not go all the way and give James Franco the nomination for "Pineapple Express" over Hoffmann. Both are smaller co-lead roles, and Franco was probably more consistant.

Best Supporting Actress
Haven't seen: Tomei
Should win: Ummm ... can I say Tomei without having seen the performance? Adams and Cruz are somewhat uneven. Henson is solid, but not terribly memorable. Eh, we'll have Davis Dench her way to a win. Hers was the only performance in "Doubt" that lived up to the hype.
Changes: Ummm ... I guess maybe Hiam Abbas of "The Visitor" replacing Adams. Man is this category depressing this year. Hopefully Tomei knocks my socks off.

Best Original Screenplay
Haven't seen: Hunt, Lee and Black
Should win: Have you been paying attention to this blog?
Changes? Nope. The two I've seen are both deserving. Just glad not to see "Vicky Christina Barcelona" here

Best Adapted Screenplay
Haven't seen: Morgan
Should win: Simon Beaufoy by a mile
Changes? Can we add in "The Dark Knight" and just leave it as a two-movie category until I see a few of the others? "Benjamin Button's" story feels lacking, "The Reader" is an amazing performance in an otherwise mediocre film, and while it might have worked on stage, "Doubt's" dialogue sounds too forced and obvious on film. Not even three of the best actors working today can sell some of it.