Oscar nominations are out.

• Dreamgirls not being nominated for Best Picture is very surprising, I must say, along with The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine getting in there. I predict Letters from Iwo Jima.
• Penelope Cruz gets a nomination for Volver. Unfortunately for her, this is Helen Mirren’s year in that category; if Meryl Streep gets it it will be a serious 1977-scale Oscar miscarriage.
• As expected, Martin Scorcese is on track to lose his fifth Oscar in the Best Director category (although with the number of noms The Departed has gained, who knows?) The winner will probably be Eastwood, Inarittu or Greengrass, though.
• Still on the subject of The Departed, Mark Wahlberg’s Supporting Actor nomination is somewhat of a surprise considering how little screen time he actually had (most of it spent swearing entertainingly and, admittedly, memorably.) If you wanted to nominate a BSA from the film, Martin Sheen or even Jack Nicholson would have been a better bet. Eddie Murphy will probably take the category anyway.
• Best Foreign Language Film: Pan’s Labyrinth. Say it.
• Children of Men gets nominated for best cinematography and editing, both of which it deserves completely; and best screenplay, which is wide open (Borat is nominated here, which is a surprise.)
• An Inconvenient Truth is nominated for Best Documentary, which is intriguing.
• Honorary Oscar for Ennio Morricone. At last!

So an intriguing mixed bunch this year, no one film dominating. Interesting night ahead, I think.