If you don’t already know, Oscar nominations were released today.

For the most part, I wasn’t surprised. There’s still a lot of films I have to see (including Milk, which I know is supposed to be great, but I just have no desire to see it.) so I can’t give final verdicts yet.

BUT

I was beyond thrilled to see that Richard Jenkins has been nominated for Lead Actor for his performance as Walter Vale in The Visitor!

For those who are unfamiliar with the name, Jenkins is best known as playing Nathaniel Fisher Sr. in Six Feet Under. He was also the owner of the gym in Burn After Reading, though I wouldn’t count that among his best roles.

I saw The Visitor a few weeks ago. I’d wanted to see it for awhile, and it was one of those movies far down the line on my Netflix queue. After hearing an interview with Jenkins on Fresh Air, I moved it up. I am so glad I did.

The Visitor is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a quiet little film (the best kind, really). It didn’t go where I expected it to. It didn’t try too hard, and hit all the right notes. And Jenkins is incredible in it. I’ve liked him since day one on Six Feet Under, but was blown away by his performance. (Even though I knew he could do it; everyone on SFU had serious acting chops.)

I was disappointed that Jenkins didn’t even merit a nomination at the Golden Globes. So now I am thrilled. (Have I said that already?)

Normally, when I have a favorite in an award category, I am crushed when they don’t win. (I mean, not forever, usually for a few minutes, until the next award is given out) But this time, I really don’t care if Jenkins wins. It’d be great if he did; mostly I’m just happy he was recognized. It’s so deserving. And we all know Mickey Rourke is going to (also deservedly) win anyway.

If you haven’t already, check out The Visitor. It’s a really beautiful film. And if you don’t weep at the last shot like I did, well, you may be made of stone.