It’s Oscar time again. The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were released today. I’ve decided to give my predictions for most categories. Keep in mind, these are my predictions and not what I would personally choose. My favorite film of 2008 was Milk, and although I deeply believe Sean Penn deserves Best Actor, I’m afaird he will get the shaft. I notably have changed my prediction of Heath Ledger’s win. It is not truly deserved and I would hope the Academy has the couarge to defy public opinion (oh wait…they do that all the time). One final note……Hugh Jackman?

Best motion picture of the year
“Milk” (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax) Keep Reading»

At the beginning of the year, I was uncertain how many movies I would be able to fit into the following 365 days. I did however decide to keep track of which movies I saw, when I saw them, and the format they were in. As the months progressed, I was able to identify a goal of 250 movies. Sadly, I came up half a movie short. I didn’t finish “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” and therefore ended the year with 249 movies watched. I had seen some of the movies on the following list before, and some, like Juno, appear multiple times. Will I be able to see this many films or more in 2009? I have no idea. I do hope to get to the theater more, but my dvd collection still contains many to be watched for the first time. Happy New Year, and enjoy 2009, “The Year of Even More Movies.”

Highlights of the year: Meeting director at advance Sarah Marshall screening, Seeing Juno numerous times in theaters, Dark Knight on IMAX, and McLovin at sneak preview of Role Models. Keep Reading»