For those keeping tabs on the Foreign Language nominees, the newly announced list of nine potential nominees has caused some head scratching and consternation.  Not nominated are Four Months, Three Days, and Two Hours, the top prize winner at Cannes last May, nor the acclaimed animated film, Persopolis. My own favorite film of the year, Exiled, by Hong Kong’s Johnny To failed to make the cut as well. The nominees currently are: Austria, “The Counterfeiters,” Stefan Ruzowitzky, director; Brazil, “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation,” Cao Hamburger, director; Canada, “Days of Darkness,” Denys Arcand, director; Israel, “Beaufort,” Joseph Cedar, director; Italy, “The Unknown Woman,” Giuseppe Tornatore, director; Kazakhstan, “Mongol,” Sergei Bodrov, director; Poland, “Katyn,” Andrzej Wajda, director; Russia, “12,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director; Serbia, “The Trap,” Srdan Golubovic, director. The nine films were selected from 63 entries.  The final five will be selected on January 20 following special screenings for Academy members.   Wajda was a past honorary Oscar winner, while Tornatore won for Cinema Paradiso and Mikhalkov won for Burnt by the Sun. Arcand’s Barbarian Invasions was a past winner as well. Based on advanced word, The Counterfeiters may be the best of the nominees.