You may have heard that starting next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will nominate a whopping ten films for the Best Picture Oscar. That’s how they did it from 1931-1943, and in that period, there were years when a dozen films got tapped for Oscar’s biggest bauble. Compared to a dozen, ten isn’t so many.

Personally, I think this is a good idea. Why not make the race more interesting by recognizing more films? 

Besides, since the “lifetime achievement” winners are being bumped to an offscreen ceremony and another rule change essentially guarantees that there will only be two nominated songs to perform, the Oscars will probably be short on content. The extra nominees will provide much-needed filler.

Come January, we can argue about the “Big Ten,” making passionate claims about which films barely made the cut and how The Hangover‘s exclusion is even more egregious in such a wide race.

Until then, though, we should debate which films would have been Best Picture nominees if the  Big Ten had existed between 1944 and 2008. 

That’s right! It’s time for The Best Picture Expansion Project! 

Every day this week, I’ll select a recent and identify the five additional films that should have received Best Picture nominations. Once I’ve tossed out my gauntlet, I want to hear your thoughts, reactions, and demands.

I’m beginning with 2008. Let the expansion begin!

2008

Actual Best Picture Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire (winner)
In Retrospect : This was a solid crop. Nothing embarrassing, though I don’t think Slumdog will look so terrific in five years and The Reader‘s nominations should have stopped in the acting and directing categories.

The Expansion Pack

6. Wall*E
This instant classic is a delightful space romp, a thoughtful religious allegory, and proof that cartoons can evoke deeply human emotions. If Up gets a Best Picture nomination in the expanded 2009 field, it’ll be carrying a torch for many of its Pixar brothers.

7. The Dark Knight 

Do I love this movie? No. And I especially don’t love the endless shrieks of its humorless internet fans, all proclaiming i’s deep and provocative and super-duper-smart. Because… really? 

But The Dark Knight was a cultural touchstone of 2008, and even if I don’t adore it, I can appreciate the many things it does well. It certainly deserves a slot in the top ten.

8. Wendy and Lucy

In my fantasy world, the broader Best Picture race will mean nominations for sterling little indies like this one. On the surface, it’s just a story about a homeless woman and her dog, but that’s what make the film so great. It reveals itself slowly, so that the movie’s over before you realize how much it has said.

9. Happy-Go-Lucky 

I’ve written about this movie 5,000 times. I love it, and I still say that despite its screenplay nomination, it was the great Oscar shut-out of 2008. Sally Hawkins deserves some kind of apology. With chocolates and a bubble bath. 

10. Rachel Getting Married

Hmm… maybe this is the great Oscar shut-out of 2008. The screenplay! The directing! The ensemble cast! They all add up to Best Picture material. 

The Snubs

Even with a ten-pack, I still can’t get behind Doubt for Best Picture. The four acting nominations (and the screenplay nod) were enough. 

I can almost give the hook-up to Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Frozen River. They’re both awesome. But even with ten slots, something has to get cut.