BEST PICTURE

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

• "Frost/Nixon"

• "Milk"

• "The Reader"

• "Slumdog Millionaire"

Notes: It's hard to quibble with "Millionaire," "Frost/Nixon" or "Milk." "Milk" was the most complete film of the three, but the others were outstanding as well. "Button" — the most-nominated film of the year — and "The Reader" just aren't in the same class.

BEST DIRECTOR

• Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

• David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

• Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"

• Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"

• Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

Notes: While Howard managed to make "Frost/Nixon" thrilling and Van Sant balanced import with entertainment in "Milk," Boyle was an alchemist with "Millionaire," turning despair into joy.

BEST ACTOR

• Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"

• Frank Langella, "Frost /Nixon"

• Sean Penn, "Milk"

• Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

• Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Notes: Rourke wouldn't be a letdown. Pitt's role was too passive; all he did was react (and didn't do much of that, really). Penn was fantastic, but Langella fully embodied the disgraced former president, making him both fascinating and more than a little pathetic.

BEST ACTRESS

• Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"

• Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"

• Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

• Meryl Streep, "Doubt"

• Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Notes: It may be payback time for the oft-nominated Winslet, but Hathaway and Leo were better. Hathaway's performance as a recovering addict was searing. And Leo brought a desperate dignity to a poor mother who must stoop to human smuggling to make ends meet, and then just barely. Shattering.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Josh Brolin, "Milk"

• Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

• Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"

• Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"

• Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

Notes: Ledger is surely the surest bet of the bunch. All of these performances were outstanding — it's a great category this year, with a hilarious Downey and unhinged Shannon especially good — but Ledger's was stunning and so much fun to watch. It's impossible not to recall his tragic death, but this isn't pity. This is well-deserved.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams, "Doubt"

• Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

• Viola Davis, "Doubt"

• Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

• Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

Notes: This is the toughest of all categories to predict. Davis was remarkable in a small role. Too small for Oscar to reward? There's that, plus the fact that Adams is nominated for the same movie. Older voters might swing toward Cruz just to see if Woody Allen shows up to support her (he won't).