The Oscars are coming up this Sunday and I always look forward to them. I still have a few movies to catch up on, but in the meantime here are my personal favorite picks:
Best Supporting Actor
- Casey Affleck
- Javier Bardem
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Hal Holbrook
- Tom Wilkinson
I liked Casey Affleck, was underwhelmed by the others, who just weren’t in movies I liked. Expect for Bardem, the creepiest villain I’ve seen in ages. Just his voice scares me to death.
Best Supporting Actress
- Cate Blanchett
- Ruby Dee
- Saoirse Ronan
- Amy Ryan
- Tilda Swinton
Ruby Dee was in the movie for only a few minutes, I liked Amy Ryan, Swinton I though was overrated, while Saoirse Ronan was good in her role. But the best performance has to be Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan.
Best Actor
- George Clooney
- Daniel Day Lewis
- Johnny Depp
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Viggo Mortensen
Haven’t seen There will be blodd yet, but I liked Mortensen and Clooney. Tommy Lee Jones is just on another level for me.
Best Actress
- Cate Blanchett
- Julie Christie
- Marion Cotillard
- Laura Linney
- Ellen Page
I don’t even understand how Blanchett was nominated. Christie was excellent as was Cotillard. However the one that I enjoyed most was Ellen Page.
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Atonement
- Away From Her
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- No Country for Old Men
- There Will Be Blood
Haven’t read any of these books, so I am basing this on the screenplays alone. No Country was fairly simple, I didn’t get Atonement, but I loved the subtleties in Away From Her. Haven’t seen the other two.
Best Original Screenplay
- Juno
- Lars and the Real Girl
- Michael Clayton
- Ratatouille
- The Savages
Haven’t seen Savages or Lars. Liked Ratatouille, Clayton was ok, but Juno was a very strong screenplay.
Best Director
- Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
- Jason Reitman (Juno)
- Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
- Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
- Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Haven’t seen Butterfly. Juno is fun, but a big part of it was the screenplay. I think the Coen brothers should get this one, this is really their vision.
Best Picture
- Atonement
- Juno
- Michael Clayton
- No Country for Old Men
- There Will Be Blood
I think Atonement and Michael Clayton are overrated and don’t belong in this list. I am really torn between Juno and No Country. No Country is technically a masterpiece, the suspense is incredible and the performances are great. However Juno had so much heart, I really had a great time with Juno. In the end that’s what I’ll best remember.
Of course there are some favorites of mine that weren’t nominated: Once, Zodiac, The Namesake.