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February 18, 2008 —
We call the Oscars...so you don't have to.
Best Actor
Nominees:
- George Clooney for Michael Clayton
- Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
- Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah
- Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises
Aaron Crossen, editor in chief: I didn't see Jones in In the Valley of Elah, but I still see Day-Lewis taking home the gold for his commanding, volatile performance as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Plainview was so menacing, and Day-Lewis's performance was unforgiving.
Alex Baumgardner, sports editor: I'd like to see this go to Mortensen, simply because he's been doing great work for years, and has yet to be rewarded. His role in Eastern Promises appeared incredibly taxing. However, timing is everything, so I see this going the Day-Lewis, who already has one best actor on his shelf. He has the ability to fill the screen like few actors I've seen.
Matthew C. Easterwood, A&E editor: Day-Lewis will probably take this one home, but Depp could upset since this is his third nomination in the last five years. Personally, I think Mortensen deserves it. He was so subtle in Promises, and the shower sequence was just brutal. Clooney won last year for Supporting Actor, and Jones is only in the category because of his role in Old Men.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:
- Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There
- Ruby Deefor for American Gangster
- Saoirse Ronan for Atonement
- Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
- Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton
Crossen: Since most of the films in the Best Actress category didn't play in this area, we decided to pick this category instead. While I didn't see Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There, I'm going with Tilda Swinton for her role in Michael Clayton, playing a ruthless, but very human corporate executive willing to kill for her company.
Baumgardner: I'm pulling for Blanchett in this category. As a monstrously huge Bob Dylan fan, I was more than ready to love this biopic. You couldn't even tell that was her on the screen, and if the Academy keeps in line with its track record of awarding chameleon-like performances (Reese Witherspoon in Walk The Line), she might get her Oscar.
Easterwood: I think this one belongs to Blanchett. She's nominated for lead actress as well, she didn't win here last year and she played Bob Dylan...!!! Still, I would like to see Ronan win. She was amazing in Atonement. Plus, I don't see that film walking away with too many, if any, other awards.
Best Picture
Nominees:
- Atonement
- Juno
- Michael Clayton
- No Country for Old Men
- There Will Be Blood
Crossen: I really enjoyed every movie in this category. I respect There Will Be Blood for its unrelenting portrait of ambition. Michael Clayton was sublime. Juno was plenty cute. But Atonement captured my heart, and No Country scared me to death. It's a back-and-forth battle between those two for me, with Atonement ultimately emerging victorious.
Baumgardner: This is another case of me wanting one winner, but expecting another. I'd love to see No Country for Old Men win. It was so bleak. The use of digital photography was perfect, and it has one of the best movie villains of all time. However, I think Atonement will win. It's a beautifully put together story, and it's holding an ace card with the Dunkirk scene.
Easterwood: This one has to be No Country for Old Men. Partially as retribution for Fargo's loss to The English Patient 12 years ago, but mostly because Old Men is simply far superior to the other films. Blood was too inhuman, Atonement too self-aware, Juno too one-dimensional and Clayton's been done before, though perhaps not as well.
Best Director
Nominees:
- Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
- Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
- Jason Reitman for Juno
- Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Crossen: I didn't see The Diving Bell, but I'm going with the Coens for their bleak adaption of Cormac McCarthy's novel. They've been very good for a very long time and directed one of my all-time favorite movies, The Big Lebowski. I wouldn't be surprised if Paul Thomas Anderson won for the exquisitely-rendered There Will Be Blood.
Baumgardner: I need to preface this by saying I seriously think Into the Wild was snubbed in this category. Sean Penn put together a wonderful film, and is getting little recognition for it. That being said, I think the brothers Coen are going to come away with the win. Their mark was all over this film, the bleak landscapes, the great characters. This is their best film yet.
Easterwood: Simply because I don't understand how a film can win best picture without winning best director (seriously, how does that make any sort of logical sense?), the Coen brothers are my pick here. Yet, Blood was a great show of growth and clear change of genre for Anderson, so if he were to win it, I wouldn't be all that surprised.