The nominees in bold are my predicted winners. The paragraph following the categories is my justification and maybe my personal favorite. Feel free to tell me I’m an idiot. The “academy” seems to dislike movies as a whole, so I tend to be off the mark.
It’s about that time again. We’re only a few short weeks from the big show and I figure I’m due to weigh in. Of the categories listed (the ones I think are important enough to throw in here), I’ve seen all but two films, Elizabeth: the golden age (because it looks terrible) and the assassination of jesse james (because it’s hard as hell to find). There is very little thought and almost no analysis associated with this post and the statements therein (just my opinion as a cinephile).
Best Cinematography:
Assassination of Jesse James
Atonement
No Country for Old Men
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
There Will Be Blood
Purely for the brilliant angles and gorgeous use of lighting, focus, and perspective that made this film watchable, Diving Bell should dominate this category. The possible trump is No Country, but that’ll win in other categories. The movie was intentionally slow, but visually stunning.
Best Writing, adaptation:
Atonement
Away from Her
Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
I had trouble with this one. Diving Bell was a great adaptation and No Country was pretty spot on to the theme, tone, and what I imagined from the book. I haven’t read Oil! (because it’s old and long), but it’s an awesome movie, so I’m handing it to them. I’m about as confident in this category as I would be in predicting the next election or the sex of your next child. Take it as you will.
Best Writing, original:
Juno
Lars and the Real Girlfriend
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Juno has the big push, because Diablo was a stripper and she’s new and hip and all that. The movie was hilarious (I just watched it again this morning) and the characters were solid, but overall, I think Savages was a heavier movie. The dialog was smart and the characters were impressive. They had more depth. Lars was good, but stretched the “he’s dating a doll” jokes about as thin as could possibly be spread.
Best Directing:
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood
Ethan, Joel Coen – No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman – Juno
Julian Schnabel – Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The film was solid. The Coen brothers nailed it and deserve the statue. At this point, there will be blood winning would be an upset. Julian, solid show, but not this year. Juno could probably win an m.t.v. movie award.
Best Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Ruby Dee – American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
My personal favorite is Amy Ryan, but she’s not getting any credit this year. Her role was difficult, her character was enigmatic, and her portrayal stole the screen. Cate’s always solid, so this is almost a given because I don’t think they’ll give Ruby the award like the S.A.G.s did. Can someone tell me why Saoirse is nominated?
Best Supporting Actor:
Casey Affleck – Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook – Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
Dear Tom, any other year you would take this award by mail. You could tape all your acceptance speeches and mail them as needed. Alas, this is the wrong year. Even against the younger Affleck and Holbrook you could have skated through the entire awards season. Please be appreciative of your nomination and kindly hand your statue to Bardem. Thank you.
Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away from Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney – The Savages
Ellen Page – Juno
Page could have had this one as much as Linney could have, but neither can stand up to the powerhouse that is Christie. She’s rocked through the awards season just like Bardem has. In a sea of locks, she’s the lockiest. Her performance was haunting. I doubt she’ll find a role as solid as this again.
Best Actor:
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones – In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortenson – Eastern Promises
I get it, Depp sings in his role, Clooney’s the cool asshole in his and Viggo attempts a Russian accent in his. They should be nominated and all that. Jones was solid in an underrated movie. But, Day-Lewis is just too good. The character, the intensity, the gravitation. Unreal.
and…
Best Picture:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
I know, I know, No Country should have this one. They probably will, but I’m holding out for a crash-esque upset at the last minute. Clayton is awesome, but slightly harder to follow. Atonement had a terrible ending. Juno is a comedy. They’re all factored out. The remaining two are awesome. They both, along with the un-nominated Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, depict the fallibility and corruption of man. They’re both impressively depressing. They both have stellar acting and a strong message. So, I guess what I’m saying is that they’re both alike in a lot of ways, but Blood does it better.
The rest of the categories aren’t that interesting, but what happened with blood not being nominated for best original score? The music was incredible. Assholes.