Last week I posted about the problem facing the Academy Awards – the fact that films released later in the year crowd out space for remembering movies that we saw before September. I echoed a previous suggestion by Mr Ebert that the voting period should be cut in two; with films released from January – June being nominated in July; and the July – December films getting their chance in January. Combine the votes, and come up with a list of films that more accurately represent the whole year gone by. That could avoid debacles like ‘Benjamin Button’s acclaim – a film that seems creakier with every passing day; and the fact that Brad’s earlier Jesse James movie (a masterpiece. And I don’t use that word lightly.) was almost completely ignored.

To our instant gratification, just a couple of days ago, Academy President Sid Ganis announced the decision to increase the number of Best Picture nominees to ten; they haven’t divided the year in two, but who knew how interested the Academy’s board of governors had become in the internet’s finest podcast/an excuse for Jett and I to keep watching films?

For what it’s worth, if the rule had been set last year, TFT’s Best Picture nominations would look like this (click on the links for our individual take on the films listed):

Jett:

Che
Australia
Taken
Waltz with Bashir
Gran Torino
Righteous Kill
Hunger
Kung Fu Panda (Gareth’s Dissent)
My Winnipeg
Appaloosa

Gareth:

Gran Torino
Shine a Light
Happy Go Lucky
The Dark Knight
Rachel Getting Married (Jett’s Dissent)
Milk
Heartbeat Detector
Wall-E
The Visitor
Man on Wire