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Oscar’s list not too shabby … I’ll take ‘No Country’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well Oscar voters sure hopped on the little miss “Juno” bandwagon, didn’t they?
I don’t know how much more love Hollywood can bestow upon what appears to be 2007’s only comedy. Tuesday’s Oscar nominations lifted not only actress Ellen Page and former stripper/blogger/scribe Diablo Cody to front-and-center red carpet status, but dragged along director Jason Reitman and the film itself.
“No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” may have collected the most Oscar nods — each got eight — but “Juno” stands now before us with the most box-office ($87.12 million) of all the best picture nominees.
Am I happy about the nominations? Sure. I’ll accept any of the best picture nominees — the other two competing are “Atonement” and “Michael Clayton” — as the winner. But I’ve also seen “No Country for Old Men” three times. It holds up very well.
Oh, and what about the films most moviegoers actually go see? “Ratatouille” is up for four Oscars, including best animated feature. “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Transformers,” “Surf’s Up,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Enchanted” are competing in various minor categories.
What makes me really smile: acting nods for Casey Affleck (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”), Tommy Lee Jones (“In the Valley of Elah”) and Amy Ryan (‘Gone Baby Gone”).
Here’s who and what got dumped: “American Gangster,” including Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling (“Lars and the Real Girl”), Angelina Jolie (“A Mighty Heart”), “Atonement” stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightley and its director Joe Wright, “Bee Movie” (thank you very much) and Amy Adams (“Enchanted”).
Among the nicest surprises are nominations not only for Jones (“Valley of Elah”), but for Ruby Dee (“American Gangster”), Hal Holbrook (“Into the Wild”) and Laura Linney (“The Savages”). Oh, and Sarah Polley (“Away From Her”), too, who got a well-deserved screenplay nod.
Whether the writers strike upends the Feb. 24 ceremony or not, there will be winners. Here’s how the major races stack up:
BEST PICTURE: Just like I wanted, the leaders are “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood.” But the race is tight and any of the five nominees could emerge the victor. “Juno” has the momentum. “Atonement” has the British accents. “Michael Clayton” has the in-depth smarts. Right now, I’m still going with “No Country.”
BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”) will win. Bank on it. Bet on it. Game over. The other nominees: George Clooney (“Michael Clayton”), Johnny Depp (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”), Tommy Lee Jones (“In the Valley of Elah”) and Viggo Mortensen (“Eastern Promises”).
BEST ACTRESS: Everybody says Julie Christie (“Away From Her”) or Marion Cotillard (“La Vie En Rose”) will win. And one of them should. But don’t count out Ellen Page (“Juno”) yet. Her film’s best picture nomination gives her extra cache. The other nominees include Laura Linney (“The Savages”) and Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: This category contains a strong group of fellas. I want Casey Affleck (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) to win. The voters will likely choose Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”). Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Charlie Wilson’s War”) is the best thing in that otherwise tired movie. Hal Holbrook (“Into the Wild”) and Tom Wilkinson (“Michael Clayton”) appear to be worthy also-rans.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”) should win. Cate Blanchett (as Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There”) probably will win. At least Blanchett is better at playing Dylan than she was at imitating Katharine Hepburn. The other nominees: Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton”), Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement”) and Ruby Dee (“American Gangster”). And, remember, sometimes Oscar is a lifetime achievement award. And few are as deserving of such an honor as the remarkable Ruby Dee.
BEST DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman (“Juno”) snuck into this category and I’m not quite sure he deserves it. Joel and Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men”) may well win. Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”) and Tony Gilroy (“Michael Clayton”) sure made good movies. But Julian Schnabel (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) should win. He won’t. But he should.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Alan Smithee
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By nypeach
January 22, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
I am so disappointed to see that Will Smith didn’t get nominated for “I am Legend.” Stop laughing…I’m serious.
By Josh
January 22, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this
I think the thing that makes me the most angry about these nominations is that Tim Burton didn’t get nominated for Best Director…How much skill does it take as a director to make a comedy? Burton should have replaced Reitman. The other thing is Cate Blanchett who is a terrific actress but did they really need to nominate her again for the same role? No they didn’t….Keira Knightley or Helena Bonham Carter should’ve taken her place. For me the two best films of the year (besides of course No Country Alan) was Atonement and Sweeney Todd and they got snubbed out of some major categories big time.
By Ole Man Bourbon
January 22, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this
No Helena Bonham Carter? She performs circles around Depp in Todd, yet he gets nominated for Best Actor and she can’t get nominated for Supporting (which she should not only be nominated for, but win).
I agree that the Blanchett nomination is pointless and a waste—not only is it somewhat redundant, it’s rewarding a decent performance in a very forgettable film.
“Ratatouille” deserved a more substantial nomination: it is strong in terms of writing, direction, art direction, and overall picture. It’s a children’s movie, but why punish it for that when it’s clearly one of the strongest films of the year? Because it causes others who attempted to make sophisticated adult films and failed look foolish? That should be the others’ problem…
By Tom
January 22, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
What, does Johnny Depp just get automatically nominated for everything he does now???
I haven’t seen “There Will Be Blood,” and don’t know if I will before the Oscars. I thought “No Country for Old Men” was great but “TWBB” seems to be on even more best lists and the praise for it seems even more rapturous than “No Country,” which turned a lot of people off with its ending. Did Mr. Smithee just like “No Country” more than “TWBB?”
By Stuart
January 22, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
I was also glad to see Tommy Lee Jones getting nominated for ‘In the Valley of Elah,’ but what surprised me was that both the Globes and the Oscars overlooked Charlize Theron’s performance in that film. I definitely thought she deserved a nod, and I’m not even a fan of her work, really.
By George
January 23, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this
Julian Schnabel definitely deserves to win Best Director, hands down and no questions asked. It is the directorial achievement of the year.