Let’s face it: There are generally just a few months out of the year when Oscar-caliber films are released, and Academy members look almost exclusively at those months. But a half-year of some quality movies have been released since the last Academy Awards ceremony--and even though they may not be much of a factor come February 2009, we take a look back and wonder: What if the Oscars were handed out today…?

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The nominees are:
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor
Wall-E
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: The Dark Knight
As slow as the year started out, this summer produced some high-quality films--the delightful Wall-E, Woody Allen’s return to comedy, Spanish-style, with Vicky Cristina-- and of course, the usually overlooked comic-book movies. But The Dark Knight truly stands out as a stellar combination of great performances, dramatic themes, deep thoughts--and pulse-pounding action. Look, if Gladiator could win Best Picture, Dark Knight has just as much of a chance. OK, maybe not, but we like to dream.
Photo(s) by Warner Bros.- © 2008- All Rights Reserved