Its the biggest awards ceremony of the season for movies… the 81st Annual Academy Awards will be presented this Sunday, February 22, 2009 on ABC (in West Michigan on WOTV 4) at 8pm.

So… ARE YOU READY?   I’m not… I’m still trying to catch up and see as many movies with Oscar nominations as possible.

I’ll have more the rest of this week including my picks, my interview with Oscar Historian Robert Osborne, where you can watch the Oscars with other film buffs, and a poll for you to pick the Best Picture winner.

For starters… here’s a list of the movies that you should see because they are nominated for something and where you’ll have to go to see them (in theaters or on DVD) before Sunday.

Oscar nominated movies in theaters:

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director) – playing at most theaters

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“Slumdog Millionaire” (10 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Score, and Best Song) – playing at most theaters

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“Milk” (8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

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”Doubt” (5 nominations including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

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“Frost/Nixon” (5 nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

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“The Reader” (5 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

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“Revolutionary Road” (3 nominations including Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction) – playing at most theaters 

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“The Wrestler” (2 nominations for Best Actor (Mickey Rourke) and Best Actress (Marisa Tomei)) – playing at a majority of theaters

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“Rachel Getting Married” (1 nomination for Best Actress) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

“Bolt” (1 nomination for Best Animated Picture) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

“Australia” (1 nomination for Best Costume Design) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

“Defiance” (1 nomination for Best Original Score) – playing in many theaters

“Happy-Go-Lucky” (1 nomination for Best Animated Original Screenplay) – playing at select theaters, check for showtimes

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Oscar nominated movies available to rent or buy on DVD:

“The Dark Knight” (8 nominations including Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup)

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“WALL-E” (6 nominations including Best Animated Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Song)

“Changeling” (3 nominations including Best Actress and Best Cinematography)- available beginning Tuesday 2/17

“Frozen River” (2 nominations including Best Actress (Melissa Leo) and Best Original Screenplay)
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“The Duchess” (2 nominations including Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design)

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“Iron Man” (2 nominations including Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing)

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“Wanted” (2 nominations including Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing)

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“The Visitor” (1 nomination for Best Actor)

“Tropic Thunder” (1 nomination for Best Supporting Actor)

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (1 nomination for Best Supporting Actress)

“Kung Fu Panda” (1 nomination for Best Animated Picture)

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (1 nomination for Best Makeup)

“In Bruges” (1 nomination for Best Original Screenplay)

Here’s a list of the oscar nominees:

http://blogs.woodtv.com/2009/01/22/academy-awards-nominees/