SAG Nomination Reactions (In Brief)

My internet is down, so I'm sitting in a nearby coffee shop frantically analyzing the nominations before either I finish my food or the internet stops working at noon. In any case, the film nominees came with several surprises, most notably the absence of two seemingly secure contenders: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road) and Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky). I'm saddened by the omission of Hawkins, and I'm hoping she can get in come Oscar time since, with the exception of maybe Anne Hathaway, she gave the best lead female performance this year. "Milk" is officially back in the game with nominations for Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and its cast. No such luck for Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) or Ralph Fiennes, whose multiple roles probably confused voters about which movie to vote for. Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder) is also thankfully out of the way, though it looks like Robert Downey Jr. will be sticking through this race. This should be a particularly exciting day for new contenders, pictured above: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), and Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Patel and Henson should have a much easier time getting nominated for an Oscar because their respective categories are empty, but I worry that the semi-surprising inclusions of Jenkins and Leo might end here and that they may not in fact be rewarded come Oscar time. There's still a huge chance that Clint Eastwood gets in for "Gran Torino," and Leonardo DiCaprio may not be completely out of the race for "Revolutionary Road." Similarly, Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long) and my beloved Hawkins still have a fighting chance for Best Actress. Regarding the ensemble category, no big surprises. With "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader" seemingly dwindling with mentions only of Kate Winslet, I'm thinking this could be the Oscar Best Picture list.