
Ty Burr says ...
This year’s dark horse has become the odds-on favorite because it's actually the most old-fashioned feel-good Hollywood movie of the year. The wave of awards-season triumphs should crest in either Oscar glory or one serious upset. Meanwhile, the awe-inspiring craft of “WALL-E” makes the fuzzy Nazi moralizing of “The Reader” look shameful.
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Will win
Slumdog Millionaire -
Should win
Slumdog Millionaire
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Shouldn't be here
The Reader -
Was robbed
WALL-E

Wesley Morris says ...
The most flaccid batch of nominees since “Braveheart” trampled “Babe” and “Apollo 13.” This year, the conflation of Indian indigence and Hollywood redemption makes “Slumdog Millionaire” an obvious winner. But surely of 5,000 or so voters, a significant number will see “Milk” as an even more self-congratulatory choice — for its political topicality instead of its artistic ingenuity. It’s almost too good for this year’s show.
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Will win
Milk -
Should win
Milk
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Shouldn't be here
The Reader -
Was robbed
WALL-E
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Starring
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson

Director
David Fincher


Frost/Nixon
Starring
Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon

Director
Ron Howard


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