And the nominees are…
This year’s Oscar nominees were announced on January 23rd. Best Picture, Actor, Actress, and Director are always the most popular and influential categories - learn about them below, along with my predictions for front runners.
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
The two biggest surprises here are Atonement and Michael Clayton, neither of which garnered the kind of universally positive reviews that the others did. However, No Country, Blood, and Juno are still the top contenders, which should come as a surprise to no one.
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Interestingly, this is one of the Academy’s few nods to Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd. Clearly it’s meant to honor the actor more than the film, but Daniel Day-Lewis is the most likely candidate here (especially if Blood takes Best Picture).
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
Only one of these films (Juno) was widely seen before the nominations. Best Actor/Actress nominations can honor either the performer, or the particular performance - when the list is filled with obscure films, like this year, one suspects that the Academy is just trying to keep up appearances. Ellen Page might actually walk away with this one, since she is the most commercial.
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Yet another nod to Michael Clayton, and finally an acknowledgment of the indie hit The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. P.T. Anderson is still the most likely candidate - again, particularly if the film wins.
See the complete list of nominees here, and let me know what you think about them all - especially if something you enjoyed was unfairly snubbed.
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Nice analysis.
Best movie I saw last year was Old Men, by far.
Day-Lewis gets on my nerves. There will be boredom.
Good to see Viggo get a nom, that character had huge presence in a believable way.