Oscar Nominations Announced

Here are the nominees!


Best Picture

• Atonement
• Juno
• Michael Clayton
  
• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

My score: 4/5 - I picked The Diving Bell and the Butterfly instead of There Will Be Blood.

Apparently the voters have strong stomachs. Overall I'm pleased, though I would have preferred to see Diving Bell on this list in place of Atonement.


Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Ellen Page, Juno
• Julie Christie, Away from Her
• Laura Linney, The Savages
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

My score: 4/5 - I missed Cate, picking Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart instead.

The Academy's Cate fixation knows no bounds. Too bad for Angelina, who deserved recognition for her mature, heartfelt performance.


Best Actor

• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

My score: 3/5 - I picked Frank Langella and Ryan Gosling instead of Jones and Mortensen.

Perhaps the voters were feeling guilty about not making room for TLJ in the supporting category for No Country, so they threw him a bone here. Reviews of his work in Elah were mixed; personally, I think he was aiming for stoic and overshot, hitting mannequin instead. Surprised and glad to see Mortensen instead of Gosling. And hooray for Johnny Depp!


Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
• Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
• Ruby Dee, American Gangster
• Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

My score: 3/5 - Missed Dee and Ronan; I picked Catherine Keener and Vanessa Redgrave.

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, to see child actor Saoirse Ronan get this bid instead of her magnificent elder co-star, Redgrave. Yes, Ronan gave a solid, believable performance, but nothing spectacular. Also upset about the snub of Keener, who turned a blah part into something memorable as well as integral to the film (Into the Wild) as a whole.


Best Supporting Actor

• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
• Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
• Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

My score: 5/5 - Hooray for me!

These are all solid nominations, though the Academy missed a chance to recognize a truly amazing performance by a child actor: Ahmad Khan Mahmizada as the loyal, forgiving Hassan in The Kite Runner.


Best Director

• Jason Reitman, Juno
• Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
  

My score: 3/5 - I picked Sean Penn and Joe Wright instead of Reitman and Gilroy.

Into the Wild was overlooked in so many categories, but this one hurts the most. Penn's clear-eyed focus and restraint are evident throughout this wonderful film. Given the Academy's tradition of celebrating actors-turned-directors (Redford, Costner, Eastwood), it's surprising that they didn't jump on this opportunity.


Best Original Screenplay

• Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Ratatouille
• Diablo Cody, Juno
• Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
• Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
• Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton

My score: 4/5 - I had Kelly McDonald (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) over Oliver.

Three female nominees in this category--wow! I'm so glad to see Tamara Jenkins in particular.


Best Adapted Screenplay

• Christopher Hampton, Atonement
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Sarah Polley, Away from Her
  

My score: 4/5 - Missed Sarah Polley; I picked Sean Penn.

Another snub for Into the Wild, but I'm thrilled to see this recognition for Sarah Polley! This will be an interesting category to watch. The Coens are the presumptive favorite, but fellow Oscar winner Harwood could pull an upset for writing the screenplay that everyone said would be impossible to create.

My overall score: 30/40. Not too bad.