Best Picture
Nominees: \Atonement,"" ""Juno,"" ""Michael Clayton,"" ""No Country for Old Men,"" ""There Will Be Blood""
Majority opinion
Paul Thomas Anderson's late Western ""There Will Be Blood"" isn't an epic of cowboys and sprawling vistas. It's one of a single man, and the meaningfulness and/or meaninglessness of life, a masterful marriage between retro motifs and post-modern themes. From Daniel Day-Lewis' ferociously unsubtle performance, to the heavy symbolism reflecting the birth of modern America, to the ""Citizen Kane""-style plot structure to Jonny Greenwood's mesmerizing score, ""There Will Be Blood"" stands above all other films this year.
- Dan Wohl
Majority opinion
Paul Thomas Anderson's late Western ""There Will Be Blood"" isn't an epic of cowboys and sprawling vistas. It's one of a single man, and the meaningfulness and/or meaninglessness of life, a masterful marriage between retro motifs and post-modern themes. From Daniel Day-Lewis' ferociously unsubtle performance, to the heavy symbolism reflecting the birth of modern America, to the ""Citizen Kane""-style plot structure to Jonny Greenwood's mesmerizing score, ""There Will Be Blood"" stands above all other films this year.
- Dan Wohl
Minority opinion
I've heard complaints that the Coen Brothers made ""No Country"" without the things that make their films great, like their great music selection and their off-beat humor. I call it diversifying. Joel and Ethan have made an uncompromising, visceral western and a thriller that defies conventions. Though I did love a lot about ""There Will Be Blood,"" Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin's performances, along with the Coen Brothers' great adaptation and direction of a classic book, push ""No Country"" over the top.
Ultimately, I think we'll be discussing ""No Country"" 10 years from now like we discuss ""Fargo"" now.
- Brad Boron
Best Actor
Nominees: Daniel Day-Lewis, Viggo Mortensen, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee Jones
Unanimous decision
""Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching? And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake ... I ... drink ... your ... milkshake!"" There's probably nothing else to say about Day-Lewis' volatile and imposing portrayal of Daniel Plainview.
- Emma Condon
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Casey Affleck, Javier Bardem, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Holbrook, Tom Wilkinson
Majority
In my mind, and most of the panels', it's Bardem's bone-chilling Anton Chigurh and everyone else.
Bardem plays pure evil personified and makes every scene he's in a tense encounter. He made the bob haircut scary again (I never thought I'd be writing that phrase.)
In any lesser year, any of the other four nominees would have a chance, but Bardem carried much of ""No Country,"" and that's worth something to me.
- Brad Boron
Minority
Casey Affleck isn't just Ben's little bro anymore. After starring in the 2007 gem ""Gone Baby Gone,""Affleck's finest feat this year was outshining Brad Pitt as the backstabbing Robert Ford in ""The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.""
Affleck's complex transformation from a sympathetic-though gutless-mouse into a gun-slinging murderer single-handedly lifted this film from good to superb.
Javier Bardem's disturbing performance as a coin-tossing killer may be remembered as this year's best, but if Affleck's character taught us anything, it's that public perception has a way of distorting the truth.
- Ryan Hebel
Best Actress
Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Marion Cotillard, Laura Linney, Ellen Page
Majority
Although some critics pegged Julie Christie to win Best Actress for her role as an Alzheimer's victim in ""Away From Her,"" Ellen Page's performance as a quirky, pregnant teen in ""Juno"" has all eyes on her. Page conveys Juno's youthful sassiness and wit through her mannerisms and snappy speech. Page also adds an endearing quality to her performance that allows audience members to fall in love with her character. A win for Page will probably be the academy's way of acknowledging the film as a whole, since it is highly unlikely ""Juno"" will capture any more awards.
- Eunice Abraham
Minority
In one of the worst decisions of recent Oscar history, Blanchett was snubbed nine-years-ago, having played the same role in ""Elizabeth,"" in favor of Gwyneth Paltrow in ""Shakespeare in Love."" Compare the Best Actor and Actress nominations any year: all five of the actors are always the film, while actresses receive so few major roles that many of them are supporting roles. To pass over the rare larger-than-life historical performance Blanchett gave was a crime then, and it should be rectified now.'""'""'""
- Dan Wohl
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Ruby Dee, Saoirse Ronan, Amy Ryan, Tilda Swinton
Majority
From Charlize Theron to Hilary Swank, the Academy tends to award actresses who take on less ... ""feminine"" roles. Cate Blanchett did both in 2007, portraying one of the six Bob Dylans in the ambitious, art-house biopic, ""I'm Not There.""
Frankly, it seemed like Blanchett really wasn't there, morphing into the frizzy haired, sunglass-wearing legend in his most seething and disdainful stage and pulling off a stark realism unmatched by her male counterparts.
Although the film itself is overrated, boring and pessimistic, Blanchett's performance alone gives it shelter from the storm.
- Ryan Hebel
Minority
Amy Ryan may be overlooked for supporting actress award purely because Blanchet's role as Bob Dylan was so shocking. While Ryan was cast as Helene McCready, the unsymapthetic, neglectful, drug-addicted mother of a missing girl, she stole ""Gone Baby Gone."" Ryan's commitment to her character was stunning and her command of the screen terrific.
- Emma Condon
Best Director
Nominees: ""Diving Bell and the Butterfly,"" ""Juno,"" ""Michael Clayton,"" ""No Country for Old Men,"" ""There Will Be Blood""
Majority
No director has been hotter in the last decade than Paul Thomas Anderson. This year, ""There Will Be Blood"" joined his canon of greats - ""Boogie Nights,"" ""Magnolia"" and ""Punch-Drunk Love"" - and seems destined for masterpiece status.
The most striking aspect of PTA's direction is his risk-taking. The first 11 minutes of ""Blood"" contain no dialogue, allowing Daniel Day-Lewis' acting and Jonny Greenwood's score to sparkle. Likewise, ""Blood's"" most ambitious scene, involving a fiery oil derrick, was perfectly shot in just one take.
PTA's calculated blend of morality, horror and humor made ""Blood"" feel ... well ... like Coen Brothers' films once did.
- Ryan Hebel
Minority: Dan's Soapbox
It is my view that the Best Director category is unconstitutional. Unlike an actor, or a screenwriter or a sound effects editor, there is only one thing a director can be judged on: their film as a whole. Nothing distinguishes ""good directing"" beyond how good the film is, and any argument to the contrary, as I see it, fails logically. One might claim a director did a great job despite a lackluster script, making the film not as good; my response would be that it was the director's fault for not firing the screenwriter. Directors should get Oscars, of course, but I believe the category should be tied directly to Best Picture.
- Dan Wohl
Best Documentary
Nominees: ""No End in Sight,"" ""Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience,"" ""Sicko,"" ""Taxi to the Dark Side,"" ""War Dance""
Decision
Three of the nominees concern the ""War on Terror,"" and one film separated itself from the many Iraq projects, fictional and non-fictional, to be released this year: political scientist Charles Ferguson's ""No End in Sight."" Relying not on pundits but on those involved in the War - from ground soldiers to Pentagon insiders - ""No End in Sight"" takes a coldly analytical approach that makes it all the more devastating. It certainly isn't funnier than populist documentaries like ""Sicko,"" but it's probably more necessary.'""
- Dan Wohl
Best Animated Feature
Nominees: ""Persepolis,"" "" Ratatouille,"" ""Surf's Up""
Decision
Three very good films duke it out in the Best Animated Feature category, but only one can stand on top. ""Surf's Up"" is a fun comedy about penguins, but this isn't the first time our waddling friends have invaded the big screen. ""Persepolis"" has a great chance of winning for its social commentary, but ""Ratatouille's"" commercial success is not unmerited. CGI is at its finest as the sights and sounds (and even the smells and tastes) of Paris are recreated and experienced from a rat's point of view. Filled with sharp dialogue, comedy, romance and inspiration, ""Ratatouille"" looks to solidify its five-star status with an Oscar statuette.
- Eunice Abraham
Best Original Screenplay
Nominees: ""Juno,"" ""Lars and the Real Girl,"" ""Michael Clayton,"" ""Ratatouille,"" ""The Savages""
Decision
Although some on the committee disagree with this pick, I don't understand the outright hatred so many people have for ""Juno."" I hear claims like ""It's not real enough."" So a man falling in love with a blow-up doll, like fellow nominee ""Lars and the Real Girl,"" is real enough for you, but a pregnant teenager isn't? Do you really want to make that argument? For my money, ""Juno"" is smart, funny and emotionally resonant, if not entirely ""realistic.""
Whatever the result, there will be some very disappointed people when this winner's announced.
- Brad Boron
Best Cinematograpphy
Nominees: ""The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,"" ""Atonement,"" ""The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,"" ""No Country for Old Men,"" ""There Will Be Blood""
The scope alone of Robert Elswit's expansive cinematography is worthy of the Academy's praise. Elswit translates vast expanses into dynamic and powerful frames. Especially in the first 15 minutes of the film that hang without dialogue, Elswits careful control of framing and composition focuses the plot and grants every scene the detail it requires.
- Emma Condon
