Oscar noms announced this morning...the envelope please.

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

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney (Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Blood)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney)
Tommy Lee Jones (Elah)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth 2)
Julie Christie (Away)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Laura Linney (Savages)
Ellen Page (Juno)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck (Jesse James)
Javier Bardem (No Country)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie)
Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Tom Wilkinson (Michael)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby)
Tilda Swinton (Michael)

ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

I'm surprised that American Gangster got mostly stiffed. Elizabeth: The Golden Age was one of my biggest disappointments for 2007, and a bomb, but Blanchett was excellent as usual. I figured Sweeney Todd was just too graphic to get many noms. I'm flabbergasted that the mediocre Surf's Up got nominated over the hugely successful (but just OK) Bee Movie.

The only non-animated movie amongst all the nominees (including those nominated just for actors) that I want to see is American Gangster. This is the first time that's ever happened that I can remember. Usually it's about 50/50.

Only winner prediction I have is Ratatouille.

Britney Spears will appear & have a "wardrobe malfunction". America will be HORRIFIED.

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


So far I've seen 3 of the films. I'll catch Michael Clayton on DVD and will see There Will Be Blood this Friday.

My fav is No Country For Old Menfollowed by Juno (though I don't think its a big enough movie to win Best Picture...plays more like a TV movie).

Atonement bored me to death.

Another off year for big pictures (no Titanic or Forrest Gump that tantalizes the masses). They're all kind of dark or grim with the subject matter though Juno ends on an up note.

The only movie I have to root for this year is Ratatouille, my favorite film overall from last year and the only movie besides the horrible Surf's Up that I've actually seen. I realize that a lot of critical darling's from late last year got nominated but none of them seem that interesting to me. Guess the Oscar's and I just had very different tastes in movies last year for the most part. I can see why Amazing Grace and The Last Sin Eater got passed over since those movies don't exactly scream Oscar, but to have Adam Sandler's fantastic performance in Reign Over Me get snubbed just seems wrong to me. I know he's done silly films before like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but he's also done far more serious ones like Punch-Drunk Love and Spanglish. Guess not even Reign Over Me was good enough to make him get noticed. Pity.

Juno is the only movie that the general public would eat up if they see it but I still think it won't win Best Picture.

Even Ellen Page isn't a lock though she carries that movie.

I have seen all the best picture nominations except Atonement. My pick of the nominations would be No Country, my guess is that Atonement will win. I liked Michael Clayton but I would have replaced it with Sweeney Todd and dropped Atonement (because I hated, hated, hated the book) for I'm Not There.

Best Picture - "Atonement"
Actor - Johnny Depp "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Actress - Ellen Page "Juno"
Supporting Actor - Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"
Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Director - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Adapted Screenplay - Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Original Screenplay - Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Animated Feature Film - "Ratatouille"

I have seen none of the films or performances nominated this year, so these are complete guesses based on my admittedly limited perceptions of Hollywood trends.