Pre-Oscars: Coulda 'n' Shoulda

The 80th Annual Academy Awards take place this Sunday, a time for the Hollywood lot to don their best frocks and give one another congratulatory handjobs. The writer's strike ended almost two weeks ago and since then, some poor fools have been slaving away at an attempt to bring the lulz to Sunday's ceremony. We need the lulz...our 5 nominations for best picture include a romantic tragedy, a depressing law thriller, a teen pregnancy crisis, an oilman's mental torture, and a mournful reflection of our once-elegant-world-now-turned-playground-for-Javier Bardem. Though funnily enough, this is the most pleased I've been with the picks for a good long time now. Bleak is the new black. Best Picture Atonement Juno Michael Clayton No Country For Old Men There Will Be Blood I'm honestly surprised to find Michael Clayton amongst this lot. I'd always wanted to check it out when it hit cinemas back in October, but I never got the chance as it only stuck around for a week. I managed to watch a rental copy of it tonight and I've gotta say, it's quite fantastic. Best Picture material? I can think of some better ones this year, but if Juno's in here, then Clayton definitely deserves a spot. Which brings me onto Juno. While I did, for the most part, get swept up in Juno's saga of being "fo shiz up the spout", some small niggling flaws, and the fact that it just isn't that awesome prevent it from being Best Picture in my eyes. Gone Baby Gone, Zodiac or Jesse James could have easily taken this spot, but I understand that with the sheer amount of depressing films plaguing the awards this year, Juno was a welcome, jovial insertion. As long as it doesn't win, I smile. Atonement possesses a remarkable story pieced together with Joe Wright's assured technical vision. It's a step up from Juno, but it still doesn't touch the league that No Country and TWBB rest in. As fond as I am of Atonement, you have to admit, it is quite self-indulgent. No Country For Old Men on the other hand, is technically masterful without being too loud about it, each scene crafted expertly by cinematographer Roger Deakins as part of a collection of qualities that lift the film above its company in this category; the performances by all three leading actors, the direction and lack of sound effective in building tension in what is ostensibly a chase movie, but at its core a moral tale to analyse over and over. God knows I have. I fully expect No Country to win, but one mustn't forget the praise heaped on Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, the tale of an oil man by the name of Daniel Plainview, played by none other than the Mac Daddy Daniel Day Lewis to the point of possession, rather than just mere lines from a script. No Country is built upon a continuous external struggle shared between its cast of charactes, whereas Blood operates a conflict on the surface far, far superseded by that which is internal and fit to burst. Both films succeed incredibly well in their vision, and I can honestly say that they are truly in a league of their own here. There is no question, no doubt in my mind that either of these two deserve the Best Picture Oscar. Hell, I want them to share it. But there can only be one winner and I honestly don't mind which one - as long as they split evenly the rest of the Oscars, can't have one film hogging 'em all =) Could Win: No Country For Old Men Should Win: No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood Best Director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men) Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) Jason Reitman (Juno) Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) I have unfortunately yet to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I should have seen it this week, but people seem to have a general fear of films that either contain subtitles, or don't have a car chase. Other than that, this is almost the same as the Best Picture category, and again I have to give this one to either No Country or Blood. I'm sorry if that sounds predictable, but the Coens have been at this for well over 20 years and are showing no signs of slowing down. Likewise, Paul Thomas Anderson is still going strong, still in his mid-30s may I add, and Blood signifies a new sense of maturity in his filmmaking. I can only hope he continues to make features with such integrity as this, and I'm confident he will. Juno's direction didn't stand out as anything special to me, so this nomination is quite puzzling. I won't argue against the nomination of Clayton however - as a directorial debut for successful screenwriter Gilroy, there were little to no missteps in what turned out to be a persuasive and suspenseful crime thriller. I'd be chuffed with a nomination if I was Gilroy, and fortunate to lose to talents such as the Coens or Anderson. Could win: Coen Brothers or Paul Thomas Anderson Should win: Paul Thomas Anderson Best Actor George Clooney (Michael Clayton) Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) Tommy Lee Jones (In The Valley of Elah) Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) Are you kidding me? This doesn't even require a write-up, but, no disrespect to the fellow nominees of course. Could win...will win...and definitely deserves to win for the best American performance I've seen in years: Daniel Day-Lewis Best Actress Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) Julie Christie (Away From Her) Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose (La mome)) Laura Linney (The Savages) Ellen Page (Juno) Ah, my least informed category, of which I have only seen one film. Guess it? That's right, Juno. I have no desire to see Elizabeth: The Golden Age, but I do very much want to see the other three. In fact, I came close to seeing The Savages but it decided to last a singular week in my local indy cinema. I'll give a nod to Ellen Page and admit that she won me over almost right away, but judging from the awards shows and press that have gone down so far, I'm gonna take a sly guess at who I think will take this... Could win: Marion Cotillard Should win: YA MAM Best Supporting Actor Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War) Hal Holbrook (Into The Wild) Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton) Holy maccaroni! This is my most difficult category so far. Damn. They're all actually really good. Hal Holbrook was one of the only decent things about the dreadfully dismal Into The Wild, but I'd probably eliminate him first, as he didn't leave quite the impression on me that the rest of them did. But man, the tear that ran down his face! Ah fuck it Ed, kick that old man out. So we're left with four. Tom Wilkinson was utterly convincing as Arthur Edens, losing his grip on reality through either inane ramblings or hints at a truth unbeknownst to many. Again, a great performance, but compared to the others, it loses out. Eliminated. Philip Seymour Hoffman was, let's face it, one of the only good things about Charlie Wilson's War. Hell, he was even better than Tom Hanks. Every scene he featured in brought comic relief in an otherwise tonally confused funny little thing of a movie. However, it is weaker than the other two remaining films, and Hoffman has had better roles in 2007 (Before The Devi Knows You're Dead), so he's outta this one. Which leaves us with Bardem and Affleck. Bardem's portrayal of a cold-blooded killer will possibly send Anton Chigurh down in history as one of the most memorable movie villains, along with greats such as Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. However, I'm kicking him from this one. Sorry, Bardem. Little Affleck is starting out and could use a boost, plus Jesse James has overall been horrifically overlooked in the grand scheme of the nomination process. He proved to be a capable leading actor in Gone Baby Gone, and here he plays a naive yet potentially threatening young cowboy with 110% of his ability. Go, Casey! Could win: Javier Bardem Should win: Casey Affleck 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) I haven't seen I'm Not There yet (sue me), Ronan was decent...and Ruby Dee shouldn't even have a nomination. With those three put to the side, I'd be obliged to pick Tilda Swinton, but Amy Ryan was just as good, if not better, and hell, Gone Baby Gone needs a little more representation at this here ceremony. Could win: Cate Blanchett Should win: Cate Blanchett...but I wouldn't know, would I? Those are the main ones, so I'll leave you with some small thoughts on the remaining categories. Best Original Screenplay Could win: Fucking Juno... Should win: Michael Clayton or Ratatouille! Best Adapted Screenplay Could win: No Country For Old Men Should win: No Country For Old Men (hey, it stuck with the original message and ran with it well) Best Animated Feature Could win: Ratatouille Should win: Ratatouille Aaaand, The Simpsons Movie doesn't even have a nomination! Why's that? Cause it's fucking terrible, that's why. I'm bored and it's almost 4am (oh for fuck's...), so I'll leave it at that, with one last mention that Roger Deakins should win for Best Cinematography, preferably for the film that has 2 nominations, and not the other one that currently hogs about 8. I'll see you after the Oscars ;)