Good movies evoke a certain emotion, be it happiness, sadness, joy. After I saw Babe (1995), which was nominated for a best picture Oscar in 1996, I swore off eating animals, but that phase only lasted one week.

Great movies transcend simple emotion, and become a life experience, unforgettable and sometimes life-altering. The Dark Knight (2008) is one of those unforgettable films that will be talked about for years to come, and not just for Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, but for the smart script and complex story that make the viewer think long after leaving the theater.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gives out the Academy Awards, or Oscars, annually. The Academy chooses the best picture from a list of five nominees of what are supposed to be the best films of the year.

This year, as usual, the Oscar nominations produced the usual surprises and slights. However, the televised Jan. 22 announcements revealed that the Academy members who vote may have made more than a slight by not nominating The Dark Knight for best picture. It may well be the Academy's biggest blunder.

The Dark Knight is the second-highest grossing film in U.S. history, earning over $530 million at the box office. Titanic (1997) leads with $600 million. Worldwide, The Dark Knight is close to becoming the fourth film to earn $1 billion, after Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006).

Of these films, the poorly reviewed Dead Man's Chest was not nominated for best picture. The other two won the award. The reason Titanic and Return of the King won was not just because of their earnings, but because they were well received by critics and the film-going public alike, and among other things, well made, well written and well acted.

The same goes with The Dark Knight, on most reviewers' lists of the top films of 2008. Instead, the Holocaust-related and tepidly received The Reader was the surprise nominee for best picture.

Chicago Sun-Times reviewer Roger Ebert on Jan. 22 summed up the best picture nominees this way:

"There had been rumbling of unease in the Hollywood establishment that a younger and more indie-minded Academy membership was tilting the Oscars away from its traditional lean toward good but anticipated mainstream films. This year's nominees seem to confirm that trend."

Sadly, none of the nominated films has been released in Japan yet and only The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) will be shown in theaters before the Academy Awards show Feb. 22.

Here's hoping the late Ledger receives the best supporting actor award for his work in The Dark Knight. The reception the crowd will give is just one of the reasons to watch the Oscars this year. The moving tributes to Ledger, Paul Newman, Sydney Pollack and others who died in 2008 are another. And here's hoping the Academy realizes in the future that great movies, no matter what genre, need to be honored.

E-mail: yung@ml.japantimes.co.jp