PGA nominees announced - The Dark Knight takes on Benji Button

source: incontention.com

The Producers Guild of America has announced their nominees for the best films of the year.

The nominees are:

Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight,
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog and The Dark Knight are primarily produced by Brits, so it could be possible the heavy American contingent could favor one of the other three. Benjamin Button really required effort on the producer's part to get it to the big screen after decades of rewrites and crew changes. But I'll be damned if I use the word 'shoe-in'.

Last year's Best Film nominees included No Country For Old Men, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood and The Diving Bell and Butterfly. With the exception of Diving Bell, those four went on to Best Picture nominations at the Oscars (while all five scored Best Director nominations).

It's not the greatest indicator of Oscar glory. The previous winners include No Country for Old Men, Little Miss Sunshine, Brokeback Mountain, The Aviator, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Chicago, Moulin Rouge and Gladiator. That's only a 50% success rate.

Best Animated Film:

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

OK. WALL-E is a shoe-in.

Best Documentary:

Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
Standard Operating Procedure

I've only seen Man on Wire, so I cannot really judge this one properly. Errol Morris is an American icon, so it's possible his Standard Operating Procedure takes the prize. But while SOP is a condemnation of war, Man on Wire is a celebration of life. Light or dark? Hard to pick.

The winners will be announced January 24, two days after the Oscar nominees are revealed.