More SAG Winners and Losers

Posted by Michael Dance

See the complete list of SAG nominees here, then come back.

BEST ACTOR

Winner: Richard Jenkins got the boost he needed by getting nominated for Best Actor in the indie The Visitor. The film came out in the summer and could have been forgotten by now, but this squarely returns him to the status of a major contender.

Loser: Clint Eastwood got no love from Gran Torino, which is well-reviewed but hasn't received the buzz from critics groups or top ten lists that it needed. Respect from the Academy might possibly hand him a nomination anyway (like they did, somewhat surprisingly, for Million Dollar Baby), but this is not good news for him.

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: Angelina Jolie was nominated for Changeling despite some recent prognosticators counting her out. Unfortunately, she was also nominated by SAG last year for A Mighty Heart but was not nominated for the Oscar.

Winner: Melissa Leo from the tiny Frozen River got a big boost, akin to Jenkins' nomination in the Best Actor category.

Loser: Sally Hawkins, who has enjoyed considerable late-game critical praise for Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky, was left out in favor of Jolie and Leo. One bright side: the Academy bestowed more nominations than expected on Leigh's last film, Vera Drake, so they're fans of the director's work in general.

More Losers: Cate Blanchett for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Kristen Scott Thomas for I've Loved You So Long.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner: Robert Downey, Jr for Tropic Thunder. With a Golden Globe and this, he's all but a lock.

Winner: Dev Patel for Slumdog Millionaire. He's a big surprise on this list, which had four heavyweights and one wildcard spot that he won. (I didn't think he was that good, but apparently that's just me.) This spot could've gone to...

Loser: Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder. Looks like the Golden Globe nomination was just a populist fluke.

More Losers: Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess; James Franco, Milk; Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: Amy Adams, Doubt, as I mentioned before.

Loser: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler, who got a Globe nomination but whose chances go into serious jeopardy now.

Loser: Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married, who could've used the buzz from this very badly. She's now strictly a dark-horse contender.

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