Happy New Year

Happy New Year Fellow Oscar Iglooers!

May the Best of 2007, be the Worst of 2008!

Love You All!!!!

Joey's 25 Best Movies of the Year

Figured I should pop up and let everyone see my list like any good (aspiring) critic

First, some of the movies are placed on the list in odd spots on purpose, to attempt to stimulate responses from you guys (yes, i know it's weird)

Second, these are the honorable mentions for the year:

Across The Universe
The Bucket List
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Fido
The Great Debaters
I'm Not There
Margot at the Wedding
Michael Clayton
Sicko
Waitress


and now......the list!


1. Into the Wild

2. Knocked Up

3. Gone Baby Gone

4. Juno

5. Grindhouse

6. Charlie Wilson's War

7. No Country for Old Men

8. Once

9. The Lookout

10. Superbad

11. Zodiac

12. There Will Be Blood

13. Sweeney Todd

14. 3:10 to Yuma

15. Black Snake Moan

16. Rescue Dawn

17. American Gangster

18. Eastern Promises

19. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

20. Lars and the Real Girl

21. Atonement

22. Death at a Funeral

23. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

24. Hairspray

25. Southland Tales

Episode XVII: Top 9 Results

Since The Year Is Almost Up.....

i'll be posting my top 25 movies of the year in the next week or so.....still need to see Charlie Wilson's War, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood, and The Bucket List......

in the meantime, what movie in 2008 is everyone looking foward to? Are there a lot of Iron Man fans here? Or more in the vein of The Dark Knight? How bout Cloverfield even?

Me, I can't wait for Choke.....if you've read the book, you'll know why lol


Drop in with what you guys are willing to fork over some coin to see in the 08.....

Just for the Record

I'd thought I'd take this opportunity to bring you all up to speed on some viewings during this Christmas break. Not teaching gives me the time to catch up on some films this year I may have missed and some repeated viewings of films I wasn't sure about.

Eastern Promises has dropped from a Four Star effort to a (***1/2) film. A repeated viewing didn't sit as well with me as the first time; the richness of Viggo Mortensen's performance, screenplay of Steven Knight, and direction by David Cronenberg stills holds strong with me. I'm sorry for saying Armin Mueller-Stahl's supporting turn would be the hands down winner this year. We all make mistakes.

No Country for Old Men & The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford have risen to (***1/2) star from (***) films. No Country's ending still holds it from being the film of the year for me but still holds great substance. Jesse James is just a visual masterpiece with great performances by Casey Affleck and the ignored Brad Pitt.

Here are some brief snippets from the reviews of previously seen films. Full reviews will be up on the site when the new year starts.

The Bucket List (***½)

The Bucket List is so inspiring and so beautiful and should be seen by all especially those of earlier generations who feel they never got that chance. When the National Board of Review named this one of the ten best films of the year, heads were scratched across the web. I, too was scratching; on the surface who looks so plain and bland. Watch top notch actors, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman bringing in their most personal and tender roles of their careers. That will change your mind.

I Am Legend (**½)

The first ¾ of the picture are engaging as we follow Smith around the jungle-like New York City and brought into flash backs of the end of days over three years ago. The ending is very sour in taste and unrealistic in actions. I have an imagination as much as the next person, but some things just bother the viewer when we’re watching an event unfold that seems so witless.
Consequently, it’s Will Smith that is the revelation and fantastic to watch. He gives us range, humor, dramatic elements, and something to awe at.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (***)

Burton has created his darkest film of his career with lots of grotesque images and even darker set decorations and mood settings. Depp is as great as can be as Mr. Todd bringing great characterizations not yet seen before by the actor and surprisingly, a very good voice. Even though Sweeney is the one who is wronged, he makes some choices that don't agree with the viewer. You're pulling for Sweeney and feeling the tragedy for the character even though, you know you shouldn't be. That is Depp's greatest achievement from the character.

Gone Baby Gone (****)

Comparisons to Mystic River are all about, being done by the same author how could we expect no less. Gone Baby Gone brings it to a new level. This film is about a society, a society who has lost the importance of innocence and the beauty of life. It focuses on the beauty of children and rest assure, when the film is over, if you're not yearning to be a better parent of embrace a child as a blessing, there is probably emptiness in your chest. This film is marvelous, beautiful and spectacular. A must-see film of the year and a pleasant surprise coming from Ben Affleck.

Into the Wild (****)

Sean Penn's direction is marvelous and Emile Hirsch's performance is breathtaking. This is the best performance by an entire cast of the year. The undeniable beauty of the picture is a major threat for a Best Picture victory.

The Great Debaters (***1/2)

Washington's achievement here is pulling the performances of this new, unknown young actors. Denzel Whitaker as the innocent, curious James Jr. is wonderful in exposition of character and gives the best child performance of the year. At 17, young Whitaker should have no problem coming into his own as a great young leading man in the future. Nate Parker in a momentous breakthrough performance indulges the audience as Henry, the angry young college student dealing with the inequalities of African-Americans in the South. In the end it's the tenacious performance by the beautiful Jurnee Smollett that holds the emotional premise of the film together.

Also, new Oscar Predictions over at my Blog. Check it out on the side under Links.

Academy Idol Episode XVI: SAG Nominations

Overlooked Favorites....

Hi all...something somewhat fun for everyone to chat about....what film or films do you guys consider to be overlooked favorites of the last couple of years?

Mine would be:

All The Real Girls
Looking for Kitty
Elizabethtown
Brick
The Fountain


no real criteria here, just tell me what flicks you feel never got the love they deserved......

Little Itty Bitty Contest!

Let's have a little Christmas, holiday, whatever you want contest for the sake of it.

I have a double DVD of Robocop and Terminator 2 for anyone who can guess my Top 10 of 2007 and the nominees of the Big Eight. Who ever comes the closest will win the DVD shipped to there house free of charge. Just something to pass the time. And.......GO! (This is Clayton by the way)

Utah Film Critics

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Juno

Best Achievement in Directing
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Lead Performance, Male
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Lead Performance, Female
Ellen Page, Juno
Runner-up: Amy Adams, Enchanted

Best Supporting Performance, Female
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There

Best Supporting Performance, Male
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Best Screenplay
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Documentary Feature
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Runner-up: My Kid Could Paint That

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille
Runner-up: The Simpsons Movie

Best Non-English Language Feature
The Host
Runner-up: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Utah Film Critics Association Top 10 Films of 2007 (alphabetical):

3:10 to Yuma
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
No Country for Old Men
I’m Not There
Into the Wild
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Once
There Will Be Blood

Oklahoma Film Critics

Oklahoma Film Critics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top Ten Films
No Country For Old Men
Juno
Zodiac
Atonement
Michael Clayton
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Gone Baby Gone
Once
Eastern Promises

Best Film of 2007
No Country for Old Men

Best Director(s)
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best First Feature
Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone

Best Actress
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Breakout Performance
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Documentary
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Best Foreign Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Animated Film
Ratatouille

Obviously Worst Film
Norbit

Not-So-Obviously Worst Film
Youth Without Youth/Bee Movie (Tie)

Best Wishes

Joey here wishing everyone a horrible holiday season filled with misery....just kidding! We'll let the movies have our misery for us.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the year, and to piggyback a bit on what Clay said, if anyone has any requests or comments or anything along those lines (hell, even to just say hi) feel free to email me at joeymagz@aol.com (also joeymagz is my AIM screen name, so i'm down for that too). I'm always willing to talk to a fan (or a hater for that matter).

Happy Holidays!

Joey

Coming Soon and Holiday Cheers!

Coming Soon to the Igloo:

1. The Igloo critics Top 10 films of the year
2. Reviews for December films (Sweeney Todd, The Bucket List) Remember to check out Chris Shappley's latest review of Charlie Wilson's War at the Main Site.
3. Oscar winner Predictions. Check to see how we did last year here.
4. 2nd Annual Online Community Awards voting as commenced. Remember to vote in all 30 categories.
5. An interview with an overdue technical worker from the year's most entertaining film.

And finally from all of us on The Igloo Staff: We wish all of you a very happy holiday and very safe and prosperous New Year. I, Clayton am on vacation from teaching during this Holiday week and will try to update as frequently as possible. If you guys have any requests for anything please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Check out my profile for that.

Their WILL be Academy Idol this week, don't worry. Voting still goes on!

2nd Online Community Awards: Vote Now!

Here at The Oscar® Igloo, we are always encouraging our readers' participation in all our discussions and when it comes to choosing the best films and performances of the year; we are not making any exceptions... Our 2nd Online Community Awards give you the chance to honor the best of 2007 in 30 different categories.

Eligibility: All films released from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007

To vote, you only need to complete our Official Ballot (see below) with 3-5 nominees for each category and send it to administrator@theoscarigloo.com before January 1st.

Nominees will be announced on January 14!

Thank you for being a part of our community and enjoy the holidays!

2nd OCA Ballot

Best Picture

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Ensemble

Best Cameo/Limited Performance (Male or Female)

Best Child/Young Performance

Breakthrough Performance

Best Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Cinematography

Best Costume Design

Best Art Direction

Best Makeup

Best Sound

Best Visual Effects

Best Score (Original or Pre-Recorded)

Best Song (Original or Pre-Recorded)

Best Animated Film

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Documentary

Popcorn Film of the Year

Best Comedy

Best Comedic Performance

Best Scene

Best Quote

Best Awards Coverage by a Website (We thank your support but we are ineligible)

Best Awards Coverage by a Blog (Personal Site) (We thank your support but we are ineligible)

Vote Now!

Which Idol Are YOU Backing?

Just curious as to what film everyone is backing in Academy Idol....is it one film or a whole bunch? Personally I'm grieving over the loss of Gone Baby Gone but still have Knocked Up and Juno to root for. How bout you guys?

Florida Film Critics

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethan Coen

Best Foreign-Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Julian Schnabel

Best Documentary
No End in Sight by Charles Ferguson

Best Directors
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Animated Film:
Ratatouille by Brad Bird

Best Cinematography:
Roger Deakins, No Country for Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Pauline Kael Breakout Award:
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Original Songs
Once

Episode XV: Top 10 Results

Top 10 Results: here they are

SAG Went "Wild"...

The once (apparently) unstoppable Atonement continues to lose buzz in the American awards-circuit with today's Best Ensemble snub at the SAG Awards. The acclaimed euro-production has been a very weak presence at the precursor awards (the Golden Globes don't really count since its membership is composed of mostly european "journalists") and this morning’s shutout confirms its lack of support in Hollywood.

Does the SAG snub means Atonement won't win Best Picture? Probably, Yes. Does it mean it won't be nominated? Not really (the film could still benefit from the artistic and tech guilds’ votes).

Both Atonement and the other two notorious snubs: Sweeney Todd and Juno can still bounce back from this misstep with a PGA nomination. Atonement and The Demon Barber have the right elements to make an impact with the producers guild although they could still be overlooked in favor of equally well-crafted projects like 3:10 to Yuma, Eastern Promises or American Gangster (the latter, very likely at this point).

Knightley, MacAvoy, Adams, Depp and Ronan are now in huge trouble... While I don't expect the SAG nominees to match Oscars' 100%, I don't think the Academy will be as Atonement crazy as everyone was predicted a few weeks ago and for that matter, not that Broadway crazy either.

Surprisingly: Mortensen, Keener, Gosling and Hirsch are looking more and more likely to receive nominations; just like Blanchett is likely to earn 2 more in one year...

Two things are clear after the SAG nominations (combined with the meaningful BFCA nods), No Country for Old Men is now the one to beat and Into the Wild is here to stay...

Stay tuned for our Best Picture update

SAG Nominations

14th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS



THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Daniel Plainview – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage)
RYAN GOSLING / Lars Lindstrom – “Lars And The Real Girl” (Sidney Kimmel Entertainment)
EMILE HIRSCH / Christopher McCandless– “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Nikolai – “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Queen Elizabeth I – “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal Pictures)
JULIE CHRISTIE / Fiona – “Away From Her” (Lionsgate)
MARION COTILLARD / Edith Piaf – “La Vie En Rose” (Picturehouse)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Mariane Pearl – “A Mighty Heart” (Paramount Vantage)
ELLEN PAGE / Juno MacGuff – “Juno” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

CASEY AFFLECK / Robert Ford – “The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)
HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz – “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)
TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)
TOM WILKINSON / Arthur Edens – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Jude – “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas – “American Gangster” (Universal Pictures)
CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres – “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)
AMY RYAN / Helene McCready – “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax Films)
TILDA SWINTON / Karen Crowder – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)

CHRISTIAN BALE / Dan Evans
RUSSELL CROWE / Ben Wade
PETER FONDA / Byron McElroy
GRETCHEN MOL / Alice Evans
DALLAS ROBERTS / Grayson Butterfield
VINESSA SHAW / Emmy Roberts
BEN FOSTER / Charlie Prince
ALAN TUDYK / Doc Potter
LOGAN LERMAN / Will Evans


AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)

ARMAND ASSANTE / Dominic Cattano
JOSH BROLIN / Detective Trupo
RUSSELL CROWE / Richie Roberts
RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR / Huey Lucas
IDRIS ELBA / Tango
CUBA GOODING, JR. / Nicky Barnes
CARLA GUGINO / Laurie Roberts
JOHN HAWKES / Freddie Spearman
TED LEVINE / Lou Toback
JOE MORTON / Charlie Williams
LYMARI NADAL / Eva
JOHN ORTIZ / Javier J. Rivera
RZA / Moses Jones
YUL VAZQUEZ / Alfonse Abruzzo
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Frank Lucas


HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)

NIKKI BLONSKY / Tracy Turnblad
AMANDA BYNES / Penny Pingleton
PAUL DOOLEY / Mr. Spritzer
ZAC EFRON / Link Larkin
ALLISON JANNEY / Prudy Pingleton
ELIJAH KELLEY / Seaweed
JAMES MARSDEN / Corny Collins
MICHELLE PFEIFFER / Velma Von Tussle
QUEEN LATIFAH / Motormouth Maybelle
BRITTANY SNOW / Amber Von Tussle
JERRY STILLER / Mr. French
JOHN TRAVOLTA / Edna Turnblad
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN / Wilbur Turnblad


INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)

BRIAN DIERKER / Rainey
MARCIA GAY HARDEN / Billie McCandless
EMILE HIRSCH / Chris McCandless
HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz
WILLIAM HURT / Walt McCandless
CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres
JENA MALONE / Carine McCandless
KRISTEN STEWART / Tracy Tatro
VINCE VAUGHN / Wayne Westerberg


NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)

JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh
JOSH BROLIN / Llewelyn Moss
GARRET DILLAHUNT / Wendell
TESS HARPER / Loretta Bell
WOODY HARRELSON / Carson Wells
TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell
KELLY MACDONALD / Carla Jean Moss

SAG Predictions: The Cast

No commentary, just the predictions:

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Atonement
3. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
4. Juno
5. The Assassination of Jesse James...
6. Sweeney Todd
7. There Will Be Blood
8. Michael Clayton
9. American Gangster
10. Charlie Wilson's War

San Diego Winners

Best Film: No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethan Coen

Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Julian Schnabel

Best Documentary (tie): Crazy Love by Dan Klores and Fisher Stevens, and Deep Water by Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away from Her

Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Ensemble: No Country for Old Men

Best Animated Film: Ratatouille by Brad Bird

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, No Country for Old Men

Best Editing: Paul Tothill, Atonement

Best Score: Jonny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood

Best Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Body of Work: Christian Bale, 3:10 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn and I’m Not There

Austin Film Critics

The complete list of 2007 AFCA winners:

Top Ten:

There Will Be Blood
No Country for Old men
Juno
Into the Wild
3:10 to Yuma
Knocked Up
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Atonement
American Gangster
Eastern Promises

Best Film:
There Will Be Blood

Best Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Actress:
Ellen Page, 'Juno'

Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem, 'No Country For Old Men'

Best Supporting Actress:
Allison Janney, Juno

Best Foreign Film:
Black Book

Best Documentary:
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Best Animated Film:
Ratatouille

Best First Film:
Ben Affleck, 'Gone Baby Gone'

Best Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, 'Juno'

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Ethan & Joel Coen, 'No Country For Old Men'

Best Cinematography:
Robert Elswit, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Original Score:
Jonny Greenwood, 'There Will Be Blood'

Breakthrough Artist:
Michael Cera, 'Superbad,' 'Juno

Austin Film Award:
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, 'Grindhouse'

Detroit Film Critics Nominations

Best film
"No Country for Old Men"
"Juno"
"Into the Wild"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"There Will Be Blood"

Best director
Joel & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Sean Penn, "Into the Wild"
Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"

Best actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild"
Tommy Lee Jones, "No Country for Old Men"
Mathieu Amalric, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

Best actress
Ellen Page, "Juno"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"

Best supporting actor
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"
Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"
Paul Dano, "There Will Be Blood"
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

Best supporting actress
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Catherine Keener, "Into the Wild"
Emily Mortimer, "Lars and the Real Girl"

Best ensemble
"Juno"
"Lars and the Real Girl"
"Waitress"
"Zodiac"
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"

Best newcomer
Sarah Polley, writer-director, "Away From Her"
Michael Cera, actor, "Juno" and "Superbad"
Diablo Cody, writer, "Juno"
Adrienne Shelley, director-writer-actor, "Waitress"
Nikki Blonsky, actor, "Hairspray"

St. Louis Gateway Nominations

The 2007 nominees for the St. Louis Gateway Film Awards are:
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
2007 Annual Awards Nominations

BEST PICTURE
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into The Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
No Country For Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Atonement
Michael Clayton
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Don Cheadle - Talk To Me
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Ryan Gosling - Lars And The Real Girl
Tommy Lee Jones - In The Valley Of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Katherine Heigl - Knocked Up
Taraji P. Henson - Talk To Me
Saorise Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck - The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country For Old Men
Josh Brolin - No Country For Old Men
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country For Old Men
Michael Sheen - Music Within
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Ethan and Joel Coen - No Country For Old Men
Mike Nichols - Charlie Wilson’s War
Sean Penn - Into The Wild
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford - Roger Deakins
Atonement - Seamus McGarvey
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - Janusz Kaminski
Into The Wild - Eric Gautier
The Kite Runner - Roberto Schaefer
No Country For Old Men - Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood - Robert Elswit

BEST SCRIPT (Original or Adapted)
Atonement - Ian McEwan and Christopher Hampton
Into The Wild - Sean Penn and Jon Krakauer
Juno - Diablo Cody
Lars And The Real Girl - Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
No Country For Old Men - Ethan and Joel Coen, Cormac McCarthy
Persepolis - Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
The Host
The Kite Runner
La Vie En Rose
Lust, Caution
Persepolis

BEST DOCUMENTARY
In The Shadow Of The Moon
King of Kong – A Fist Full of Quarters
Manufactured Landscapes
No End In Sight
Sicko

BEST COMEDY
Juno
Knocked Up
Lars And The Real Girl
The Simpsons Movie
Superbad
Waitress
Walk Hard

BEST ANIMATED OR FAMILY FILM
Bridge To Terabithia
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS (CGI/Special Effects)
300
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
I Am Legend
Stardust
Sweeney Todd

BEST SCORE
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
There Will Be Blood
Juno
La Vie En Rose
Once
Sweeney Todd

MOST ORIGINAL OR INNOVATIVE FILM
Across The Universe
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
I’m Not There
Into Great Silence
Juno
Persepolis

SAG Predictions: Leading Categories

The Leading categories

This has been the SAG’s forte in predicting Oscar’s final five however, they love to throw one beloved performance or even reward one that may not have a shot at winning come Oscar night.

In 2003, they gave Johnny Depp the Best Actor for his comedic turn in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl over favorites Sean Penn and Bill Murray. In that same category they nominated Peter Dinklage for his under the radar yet striking performance in The Station Agent. This is a prime example how SAG will choose the most likely but stay true to what and who they love.

This year, the Best Actor race is tighter than ever with only Daniel Day-Lewis looking like the only lock for his portrayal in There Will Be Blood. Johnny Depp is very likely to be included in the top five for his musical performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He is extremely popular amongst the actor’s guild and is likely to upset Day-Lewis come Oscar night. George Clooney might be the most popular of them all for his political thriller Michael Clayton. Everyone knows that his Syriana win at the 2006 Oscar ceremony was a fluke and not deserved because his shining moments that year were his writing and directing of Good Night, and Good Luck. The SAG’s decided that Giamatti was a better candidate and chose him for Cinderella Man. Clayton is a richer performance and one that they can stand proudly behind. The last two spots are when it gets tricky:

Emile Hirsch and James McAvoy are competing for the newbie spot amongst the actors and all stand strong in Best Picture candidates. Frank Langella’s late surge of buzz as taken quite well but was left off at the Golden Globes. He’s needs this to stay alive in the race for sure. Viggo Mortensen may find some sentiment after being left off the list before for A History of Violence and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. His Eastern Promises performance is his best to date and the stars may be in line for him. Ryan Gosling is hot off his nomination last year but his film is rather small in the scheme of things. Tom Hanks is one of the best actors of our generation and if Charlie Wilson’s War decides to make a play than he can make the cut. John Cusack hopes to make this his last hope for a nomination for Grace is Gone however, he hasn’t landed any big nominations yet so his chances are slim.

Predictions Are:

1. Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
2. Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd
3. George Clooney-Michael Clayton
4. Frank Langella-Starting Out in the Evening
5. Viggo Mortensen-Eastern Promises

Alternates:
6. Emile Hirsch-Into the Wild
7. James McAvoy-Atonement
8. Ryan Gosling-Lars and the Real Girl
9. John Cusack-Grace is Gone
10. Tom Hanks-Charlie Wilson’s War

The Best Actress race has been a battle between to early year favorites; Julie Christie’s Alzheimer victim portrayal in Away from Her and Marion Cotillard’s biopic performance in La Vie en Rose. They are your two locks for nominations and should get in there easily. Ellen Page is your younger actress who SAG loves to nominate and should take the next spot. In addition, Juno’s buzz has been straight forward for the past few weeks and making quite an impression. This may be the surge it needs. The final two spots are the tricky parts.

Angelina Jolie is another early year favorite playing a real woman in tragedy-stricken film A Mighty Heart. Amy Adams is an actress who has been living her dream and is the classic sweetheart that SAG can just eat up. What hurts her chances? Enchanted really has nothing more than her performance and music and aside from that, it’s a Cool World meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit? type film and do films like that go rewarded? Maybe. Keira Knightley is in a best picture frontrunner Atonement however; her performance is minimal compared to her co-stars Ronan, Garai, and Redgrave. She really doesn’t stick out in your mind once the film ends. She is definitely vulnerable. Cate Blanchett might be looking to make a double play here for her performance in the god awful Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Her film is so atrocious and does she really need two nominations? We know she’s Cate the Great, just let her battle Ryan in supporting. Helena Bonham Carter has a hurdle to jump for Sweeney Todd but word has it her singing is as awful as Blanchett’s film but her acting is superb. The fact that she’s with director Tim Burton and was miscast might stick out in voter’s minds. The lovely Laura Linney has been ignored all season long for The Savages and is in the most need for this nomination. If she fails at this, her chances diminish and we have to wait for her in her upcoming project to reward her.

What does all this mean? A lot of women trying to fit into five spots with some great ones destined to be left off.

Predictions are:

1. Julie Christie-Away from Her
2. Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
3. Ellen Page-Juno
4. Angelina Jolie-A Mighty Heart
5. Laura Linney-The Savages

Alternates
6. Keira Knightley-Atonement
7. Amy Adams-Enchanted
8. Helena Bonham Carter-Sweeney Todd
9. Cate Blanchett-Elizabeth: The Golden Age
10. Jodie Foster-The Brave One

No Country for any other film?

Hey all...as No Country for Old Men continues to rake em in at the precursors I've begun to think that it is becoming a juggernaut. This isn't to suggest that it's become unbeatable but I'm having trouble seeing where its major competitor is going to come from. I can think of a bunch of films that have a great shot at a nomination, but none really that can trump No Country. I turn it over to you guys (and girls of course). Let me know who can take down No Country at the Oscars. There Will Be Blood? Juno? Charlie Wilson's War? The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? Drop some knowledge on me people...

Golden Satellite Winners

Motion Picture, Drama :

No Country For Old Men
Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical :

Juno
Motion Picture, Foreign Film :

Lust, Caution - Taiwan
Motion Picture, Animated Or Mixed Media :

Ratatouille
Documentary :

Sicko
Best Director :

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen No Country For Old Men
Best Actress, Drama :

Marion Cotillard La Vie En Rose
Best Actor, Drama :

Viggo Mortensen Eastern Promises
Best Actress, Comedy Or Musical :

Ellen Page Juno
Best Actor, Comedy Or Musical :

Ryan Gosling Lars And The Real Girl
Best Actress In A Supporting Role, Drama :

Amy Ryan Gone Baby Gone
Best Actor In A Supporting Role, Drama (tie)
Tom Wilkinson Michael Clayton
Casey Affleck The Assassination Of Jesse James
Original Screenplay :

Diablo Cody - Juno
Adapted Screenplay :

Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Original Score :

Alberto Iglesias - The Kite Runner
Original Song :

« Grace Is Gone» Grace Is Gone
Cinematography :

Janusz Kaminski - The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Visual Effects :

300
Film Editing :

American Gangster
Sound (Mixing & Editing) :

The Bourne Ultimatum
Art Direction & Production Design :

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Costume Design :

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Southeastern Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Atonement
4. Juno
5. Michael Clayton
6. Zodiac
7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
8. Gone Baby Gone
9. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10. Into the Wild

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
* Runner-up: George Clooney - Michael Clayton

BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie - Away from Her
* Runner-up: Ellen Page - Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
* Runner-up: Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward
Robert Ford

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
* Runner-up: Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
* Runner-up: Joe Wright - Atonement

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody - Juno
* Runner-up: Tamara Jenkins - The Savages

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
* Runner-up: Christopher Hampton - Atonement

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France)
* Runner-up: La vie en rose (France)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
No End in Sight
* Runner-up: Sicko

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Ratatouille
* Runner-up: The Simpsons Movie

WYATT AWARD
Waitress
* Runner-up: Black Snake Moan

Dallas Fort Worth Awards

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Juno
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Atonement
5. Michael Clayton
6. Into the Wild
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8. The Kite Runner
9.The Assassination of Jesse James
10. Charlie Wilson's War

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Runners-up included George Clooney for MICHAEL CLAYTON (2), Frank Langella for STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING (3), Tommy Lee Jones for IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (4) and Emile Hirsch for INTO THE WILD (5).

Best Actress: Julie Christie
Next in the voting were Marion Cotillard for LA VIE EN ROSE (2), Ellen Page for JUNO (3), Laura Linney for THE SAVAGES (4) and Angelina Jolie for A MIGHTY HEART (5).

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem
He was followed by Philip Seymour Hoffman for CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2), Casey Affleck for THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (3), Tom Wilkinson for MICHAEL CLAYTON (4) and Hal Holbrook for INTO THE WILD (5).

Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton
Runners-up included Amy Ryan for GONE BABY GONE (2), Cate Blanchett for I'M NOT THERE (3), Saoirse Ronan for ATONEMENT (4) and Jennifer Jason Leigh for MARGOT AT THE WEDDING (5).

Best Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Next in the voting were Paul Thomas Anderson for THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2), Tim Burton for SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (3), Julian Schnabel for THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (4) and Sean Penn for INTO THE WILD (5).

Screenplay: Juno, Diablo Cody
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille
Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Assassination of Jesse James

The association voted ONCE as the winner of the Russell Smith Award, named for the late Dallas Morning News film critic. The honor is given annually to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association consists of 32 broadcast, print and online journalists from throughout North Texas. For more information, visit www.dfwfilmcritics.com.

EDIT: Two more categories from Variety.

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"\
Runners-up
"La Vie En Rose"
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
"Lust, Caution"
"Black Book"

DOCUMENTARY
"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters"
Runners-up:
"Sicko"
"No End In Sight"
"My Kid Could Paint That"
"Crazy Love"

The Dark Knight Trailer

It's here!

http://atasteforthetheatrical.com/deathtrap/default.htm

The "Fantasy" Nominations

Hi all....just wondering what everyone what pick as their dream nominations for the Oscars this year. Either a film or a performance (or a screenplay or director...hell, in any category, it's a free country). Something that at this point and time seems destined to be ignored by the Academy and is something you feel very strong about.

These are some of my dream nominations, and hopefully i get to see at least a few of yours too:

Best Picture-

Black Snake Moan
Gone Baby Gone
Knocked Up
The Lookout
Reign Over Me

Best Actor-

Christian Bale- Rescue Dawn
Joseph Gordon Levitt- The Lookout
Seth Rogen- Knocked Up
Mark Ruffalo- Reservation Road***
Adam Sandler- Reign Over Me

*** I know the movie is poor, and he should be in supporting, but i thought he was tremendous here and this is where he's being campaigned so it is what it is

Best Actress-

Halle Berry- Things We Lost in the Fire
Katherine Heigl- Knocked Up
Nicole Kidman- Margot at the Wedding
Christina Ricci- Black Snake Moan
Keri Russell- Waitress


you guys can give the supporting categories a shot if you want...but here ya go, have at it!

THE DAVIS BLOG

I've received several e-mails from the Igloo's loyal readers asking why I haven't I updated my blog, The Davis Blog? Managing the Blog for the Igloo is a full-time commitment. I have updated with some reviews and predictions. Check it out!

http://davisandoscar.blogspot.com/

Top 15 Visual Effects Nominees

"Beowulf"
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"Evan Almighty"
"The Golden Compass"
"Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix"
"I Am Legend"
"Live Free Or Die Hard"
"National Treasure: Book Of Secrets"
"Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End"
"Ratatouille,"
"Spider-Man 3"
"Sunshine"
"300"
"Transformers"
"The Water Horse"

They will then go down to three...Who will it be?

AFI Top Ten List

• AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
  
  BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
  THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
  INTO THE WILD
  JUNO
  KNOCKED UP
  MICHAEL CLAYTON
  NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
  RATATOUILLE
  THE SAVAGES
  THERE WILL BE BLOOD

SAG Predictions: The Supporting Categories

The coveted Screen Actors Guild Awards, a wonderful honor bestowed upon someone by his or her peers have become in the past years the deciding factor or momentum gainer a person or a film needed for recognition.

Last year, SAG opted for conventional choices with the Leading Actor and Supporting Actress category matching up 5 for 5 with AMPAS. The supporting actor race went with Leonardo DiCaprio for The Departed but in the end went AMPAS went with Mark Wahlberg from the same film. The Best Performance by a Cast Ensemble category has always been a wild race. Equivalent to AMPAS Best Picture category in SAG perspective, they’re rewarding the performances rather than the overall filmmaking aspect. 2007 they chose The Departed, Babel, and Little Miss Sunshine which would all go on to be nominated for Best Picture. Dreamgirls was the snub that no one saw coming and Bobby was an actor’s film with 22 extraordinary actors working together; SAG couldn’t resist.

What could this year hold for us? They’re seems to be very few locks at this point in the race as oppose to last season when Best Actress was sewed up for months and the others just fell into place. In the Supporting Actress category, Cate Blanchett and Amy Ryan seem to be looking to go head to head on Oscar night for the trophy at this point. Saoirse Ronan, the naïve and bewildered young performer from Atonement seems good for a nomination. SAG loves to nominate at least one child performer going with left-field choices like Keisha Castle-Hughes for Whale Rider or Freddie Highmore for Finding Neverland. If Ronan fails to pick up this easy get, than her Oscar chances will be in jeopardy. Ronan may split votes with fellow cast members Vanessa Redgrave and Romola Garai who all give extraordinary performances. Tilda Swinton also seems ripe for the picking for Michael Clayton and with leading man George Clooney likely to get nominated, he may pull her in with him. Ruby Dee, Marisa Tomei, Kelly MacDonald, and Catherine Keener will all be looking to nab that fifth spot for much needed momentum to make it to the Kodak Theatre. If Julia Roberts pulls off another surprise like her Golden Globe nod, than it will be safe to say she is in for Charlie Wilson‘s War. As of now:

1. Cate Blanchett-I’m Not There
2. Amy Ryan-Gone Baby Gone
3. Saoirse Ronan-Atonement
4. Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton
5. Catherine Keener-Into the Wild
6. Vanessa Redgrave-Atonement
7. Ruby Dee-American Gangster
8. Kelly MacDonald-No Country for Old Men
9. Marisa Tomei-Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10. Julia Roberts-Charlie Wilson’s War

The Supporting Actor race is a little more clear but still wild in choosing a fifth spot. Javier Bardem is all but assured a win for his haunting portrayal in No Country for Old Men. Casey Affleck has two great performances this year and should not go unnoticed. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is his signature role and should land him in top five. Tom Wilkinson seems safe with his performance in Michael Clayton but can all three actors from one film get in with the film struggling to get a Best Picture nod. Does anyone remember Iris? It is possible but Swinton seems the most vulnerable. Hal Holbrook needs this to make a serious threat for Javier Bardem for his six minutes of bliss in Into the Wild. If he misses this than this might be the end for him and people will be looking for a surprise come Oscar nomination morning. What about that fifth spot? Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson’s War, John Travolta for Hairspray, Ben Foster for 3:10 to Yuma, Paul Dano for There Will Be Blood, Max Von Sydow for The Diving Bell and Butterfly, Armin Mueller-Stahl for Eastern Promises, and Ethan Hawke for Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead are all battling for that last spot. Any one of them, for numerous reasons, can capture a spot in this race. A curveball can come and two men can edge out a contender we may have foresaw as safe. The not so confident predictions are:

1. Javier Bardem-No Country for Old Men
2. Casey Affleck-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. Tom Wilkinson-Michael Clayton
4. Max Von Sydow-The Diving Bell and Butterfly
5. Ben Foster-3:10 to Yuma
6. Hal Holbrook-Into the Wild
7. Philip Seymour Hoffman-Charlie Wilson’s War
8. John Travolta-Hairspray
9. Armin Mueller-Stahl-Eastern Promises
10. Paul Dano-There Will Be Blood
    
    NEXT UP: The Leading Categories

What are you predicting for the Supporting categories for the Screen Actors Guild Awards? Share your comments.

Episode XIIII: Golden Globe Nominations

The Top 10 films remaining in Academy Idol. It's getting tough and the competition is getting stiff. We thought we'd allow some extra days to vote because it really is coming down to a film squeaking by, by one or two votes. Vote as much as you'd like. Ensure your film stays in the competition. Golden Globe Nominations may have changed your mind about a certain film, just keep clicking.

Also, comment on any changes you would like to see to Academy Idol. Do you like it? How are the videos? Help us improve your experience here at the Igloo Blog. Take care and see you at the movies. Voting ends Thursday!

More Knights Ahead...

Two new, The Dark Knight posters. Can't wait to see Heath Ledger in action as The Joker.

HFPA Strikes Again!

The Golden Globe Awards are always full of surprises and their controversial choices usually get tons of criticism from the critics and movie-lovers alike. I'm probably with the minority here but I wasn't particularly dissapointed or upset by this year's nominations, I was amused...

Yes, it would have been nice to see the indie musical Once get some recognition but seriously, can anyone really blame the HFPA for overlooking it? Julie Taymor's Across the Universe, while very divisive, was simply an easier sell (and a great chance to have a picture taken with Bono or Evan Rachel Wood) and so were the other Comedy/Musical nominees.

I'm the first to pan the Golden Globe Awards but I'm also the first to acknowledge the fact that they are only a fun, popular precursor to talk about and not really a strong Oscar barometer at all; at least not anymore.

The HFPA hasn't evolved like AMPAS has. The Departed, Crash, Million Dollar Baby won Best Picture but failed at the Globes. Lately, Urban, "modern" themes have dominated the rejuvenating AMPAS while the still old-fashioned HFPA has revealed a tendency to go for the more epic, traditional or conceptually romantic projects (or simply put, the safest bets).

Sure, the Golden Globes can cause you headaches when people like Laura Linney or Emile Hirsch get snubbed but honestly, is it really a surprise? The HFPA is crazy for very big celebrities: from JRo to Brangelina, all the A-list of Hollywood will be attending its big party and it's a commonly accepted assumption that HFPA likes that just fine.

Do not forget the Guilds are still coming and they, unlikely the 70 or 80 Hollywood-obsessed foreigners that get to vote in the Golden Globes, will define this year's Oscar race...

Episode XIII: Top 11 Results

Here it is, one more down, ten more to go. Remember to vote again next week...

Chicago Film Critics Winners

BEST PICTURE

"No Country for Old Men"

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

"4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days"

BEST DIRECTOR

Joel & Ethan Coen for "No Country for Old Men"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Diablo Cody for" Juno"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Joel & Ethan Coen for "No Country for Old Men"

BEST ACTOR

Daniel Day Lewis for "There Will Be Blood"

BEST ACTRESS

Ellen Page for "Juno"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Javier Bardem for "No Country for Old Men"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett for "I'm Not There"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova for "Once"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Roger Deakins for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

BEST DOCUMENTARY

"Sicko"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

"Ratatouille"

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER

Michael Cera for "Juno" and "Superbad"

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER

Ben Affleck for "Gone Baby Gone"

Golden Globe Nominations!

Lots of love for Charlie Wilson's War!

Official Motion Picture Nominees

DRAMATIC PICTURE

"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"Eastern Promises"
"The Great Debaters"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country For Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE

"Across the Universe"
"Charlie Wilson's War"
"Hairspray"
"Juno"
"Sweeney Todd"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE

"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania)
"The Diving Bell & the Butterfly" (France/USA)
"The Kite Runner" (USA)
"Lust, "Caution" (Taiwan)
"Persepolis" (France)

BEST DIRECTOR

Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "Diving Bell & the Butterfly"
Ridley Scott, "American Gangster"
Joe Wright, "Atonement"

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR

George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
James McAvoy, "Atonement"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Denzel Washington, "American Gangster"

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Jodie Foster, "The Brave One"
Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
Keira Knightley, "Atonement"

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Tom Hanks, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Ryan Gosling, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Savages"
John C. Reilly, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
Nikki Blonsky, "Hairspray"
Helena Bonham Carter, "Sweeney Todd"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck, "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
John Travolta, "Hairspray"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Julia Roberts, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

ANIMATED FILM

"Bee Movie"
"Ratatouille"
"The Simpsons Movie"

SCREENPLAY

Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell & the Butterfly"
Aaron Sorkin, "Charlie Wilson's War"

ORIGINAL SCORE

Dario Marianelli, "Atonement"
Howard Shore, "Eastern Promises"
Clint Eastwood, "Grace is Gone"
Michael Brook, "Into the Wild"
Alberto Iglesias, "The Kite Runner"

ORIGINAL SONG

"Despedida" from "Love in the Time of Cholera"
"Grace Is Gone" from "Grace Is Gone"
"Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"
"Walk Hard" from "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."

Click here to read what we predicted and don't forget to share your reactions!

Golden Globe Final Predictions

Hello all,

Clayton here again. I know I put up my predictions in an earlier post but being Blog Owner gives you privileges, like changing your mind. Without the commentary, I'm posting them again. The only changes worth mentioning is Jack Nicholson is my alternate for The Bucket List in the Musical/Comedy category and I dropped Ridley Scott as a top five nominee for Best Director in place of Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and Butterfly.

Please make sure to read on the Main Site the previews of some of the other writers such as Josh Kirschenbaum and Joey Magidson. Also, Joey, Tom Houseman, and myself made a trip to the movies to see Juno. A night out with the New York guys as we like to call it. Make sure to read our reactions to the film here. Tomorrow some dust may clear with the Golden Globe Nominations or it may cause some havoc on Oscar sites across America, either way it is a big day. See you tomorrow with the results.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Alternate: Michael Clayton

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Charlie Wilson’s War
Hairspray
Juno
Once
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Alternate: The Savages

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture - Drama

George Clooney-Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch-Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen-Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington-American Gangster

Alternate: James McAvoy-Atonement

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Don Cheadle-Talk to Me
Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling-Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks-Charlie Wilson’s War
Philip Seymour Hoffman-The Savages

Alternate: Jack Nicholson-The Bucket List

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture - Drama

Halle Berry-Things We Lost in the Fire
Cate Blanchett-Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie-Away from Her
Angelina Jolie-A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley-Atonement

Alternate: Jodie Foster-The Brave One

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams-Enchanted
Helena Bonham Carter-Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney-The Savages
Ellen Page-Juno

Alternate: Nikki Blonsky-Hairspray

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Casey Affleck-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem-No Country for Old Men
Ben Foster-3:10 to Yuma
John Travolta-Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson-Michael Clayton

Alternate: Hal Holbrook-Into the Wild

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Cate Blanchett-I’m Not There
Jennifer Garner-Juno
Saoirse Ronan-Atonement
Amy Ryan-Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton

Alternate: Kelly MacDonald-No Country for Old Men

Best Director - Motion Picture

Tim Burton-Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen-No Country for Old Men
Marc Foster-The Kite Runner
Julian Schanbel-The Diving Bell and Butterfly
Joe Wright-Atonement

Alternate: Ridley Scott-American Gangster

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Atonement
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men

Alternate: Ratatouille

Best Original Score

Atonement
Beowulf
Into the Wild
Lust, Caution
Ratatouille

Alternate: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Original Song

American Gangster
Enchanted
Into the Wild
Hairspray
Once

Alternate: Beowulf

Best Animated Feature

Beowulf
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Alternate: Persepolis

Best Foreign Language Film

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
The Diving Bell and Butterfly
Lust, Caution
The Kite Runner
Persepolis

Alternate: The Counterfeiters

Previewing the Golden Globes

In less than 24 hours, the nominees for the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be revealed. There will be surprises, there will be shocking snubs and probably; there will be blood... lots of blood.

Click here to read Josh Kirschenbaum's preview for the Drama categories and then, click here to read Joey Magidson's take on the rarely strong Comedy/Musical race.

If you still want more Golden Globes coverage, make sure to read Kirschenbaum's Supporting Actor & Actress Preview too.

And comeback tomorrow for our staff's reactions and updated predictions (later this week).

Academy Official Song List

Some of these films will be nominated for Best Original Song!

“Do You Feel Me” from “American Gangster”
“At the Edge of the World” from “Arctic Tale”
“Someday” from “August Rush”
“This Time” from “August Rush”
“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”
“Break” from “August Rush”
“Nothing’s There” from “Badland”
“The Devil’s Lonely Fire” from “Badland”
“A Hero Comes Home” from “Beowulf”
“The Stars of Orion” from “Berkeley”
“Say” from “The Bucket List”
“To Be Surprised” from “Dan in Real Life”
“My Hands Are Shaking” from “Dan in Real Life”
“I’ll Be OK” from “Dan in Real Life”
“December Boys” from “December Boys”
“So Close” from “Enchanted”
“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”
“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”
“Atkozott Egy Elet” from “56 Drops of Blood”
“O, Atyam!” from “56 Drops of Blood”
“Eleg!” from “56 Drops of Blood”
“A Dream” from “Freedom Writers”
“Lyra” from “The Golden Compass”
“Good Luck Chuck” from “Good Luck Chuck”
“Shut Me Out” from “Good Luck Chuck”
“I Was Zapped by the Lucky Super Rainbow” from “Good Luck Chuck”
“Grace Is Gone” from “Grace Is Gone”
“Lullabye for Wyatt” from “Grace Is Gone”
“Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)” from “Hairspray”
“The Tale of the Horny Frog” from “The Heartbreak Kid”
“China Doll” from “Honeydripper”
“It Will Stay With Us” from “The Hottest State”
“Never See You” from “The Hottest State”
“Society” from “Into the Wild”
“Guaranteed” from “Into the Wild”
“Rise” from “Into the Wild”
“First Amendment Blues” from “Larry Flynt: The Right To Be Left Alone”
“Hello (I Love You)” from “The Last Mimzy”
“Despedida” from “Love in the Time of Cholera”
“Huck’s Tune” from “Lucky You”
“Little Wonders” from “Meet the Robinsons”
“Another Believer” from “Meet the Robinsons”
“Way Back into Love” from “Music and Lyrics”
“PoP! Goes My Heart” from “Music and Lyrics”
“Ordinary People” from “Music Within”
“Pretty Much Amazing” from “Nancy Drew”
“Falling Slowly” from “Once”
“If You Want Me” from “Once”
“Le Festin” from “Ratatouille”
“Land of Quiet Poems” from “Resurrecting the Champ”
“Love Will Still Be There” from “September Dawn”
“Royal Pain” from “Shrek the Third”
“Rule the World” from “Stardust”
“Before It’s Too Late (Sam and Mikaela’s Theme)” from “Transformers”
“Baby Don’t You Cry” from “Waitress”
“Beautiful Ride” from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”
“Walk Hard” from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”
“Let’s Duet” from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”
“Back Where You Belong” from “The Water Horse”

Academy Idol Episode XII: The Precursor Season Kick Off

Here it is, Academy Idol Episode 12. Please vote for your favorites and don't vote just once. Vote as many times as you can. Enjoy

BFCA: The One that Matters...

There are many awards given out during this season but Oscar-wise, very few are significantly relevant. The Critics' Choice Awards is part of this selected group of precursors.

My reactions to today's nominations:

Into the Wild has received a huge boost, if it takes this award (likely, with 7 nods); expect the Sean Penn indie hit to turn into a Best Picture nominee. If the HFPA also nominate the film in the Drama category, then it's on its way to the Kodak!

Emile Hirsch, Viggo Mortensen and mostly, Amy Adams benefit a lot from their respective nominations. The BFCA nominees in the leading categories usually match with Oscar's.

Jolie, Cotillard and Christie are looking more and more likely to become Best Actress nominees... Sadly, things are not looking that great for Laura Linney or Keira Knightley.

Vanessa Redgrave and Catherine Keener could become Best Supporting Nominees as well (but the same cannot be said about Romola Garai and Julia Roberts).

Johnny Depp finally makes a Best Actor lineup but the race has turned now into a Day-Lewis vs. Clooney showdown!

Michael Cera and Nikki Blonsky will probably take the Young Actor/Actress awards.

Expect a complete Predictions Update after the Golden Globe nominations are announced...

Your thoughts on the BFCA noms?

San Francisco chooses Jesse James

2007 San Francisco Critics:

Picture:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Director:
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen-No Country for Old Men

Actor:
George Clooney-Michael Clayton

Actress:
Julie Christie-Away from Her

Supporting Actress:
Amy Ryan-Gone Baby Gone

Supporting Actor:
Casey Affleck-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Foreign Language:
The Diving Bell and Butterfly

Documentary:
No End in Sight

Screenplay:
The Savages

Adapted Screenplay:
Away From Her

Into the Wild LEADS the BFCA's

BFCA Nominees

Best Picture
American Gangster
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS:
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page - Juno

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

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Catherine Keener - Into the Wild
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Best Acting Ensemble
Hairspray
Juno
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Gone Baby Gone
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Best Director
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Sidney Lumet - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement

Best Writer
Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War

Best Animated Feature
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Best Young Actor
Michael Cera - Juno
Michael Cera - Superbad
Freddie Highmore - August Rush
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner
Edward Sanders - Sweeney Todd

Best Young Actress
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Dakota Blue Richards - The Golden Compass
AnnaSophia Robb - Bridge to Terabithia
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

Best Comedy Movie
Dan in Real Life
Hairspray
Juno
Knocked Up
Superbad

Best Family Film
August Rush
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Hairspray
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Best Picture Made for Television
The Company
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Tin Man
The War

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
La Vie en Rose
Lust, Caution
The Orphanage

Best Song
"Come So Far", Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley - Hairspray
"Do You Feel Me", Anthony Hamilton - American Gangster
"Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Jesse L. Martin and Cast - Once
"That's How You Know", Amy Adams - Enchanted

Best Composer
Marco Beltrami - 3:10 to Yuma
Alexandre Desplat - Lust, Caution
Clint Eastwood - Grace Is Gone
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
James Horner - The New World
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Alan Menken - Enchanted

Best Documentary
Darfur Now
In the Shadow of the Moon
The King of Kong
No End In Sight
Sharkwater

Davis Golden Globe Predictions

Johnny Alba put up the Golden Globe Predictions. I, Clayton Davis, thought I'd put up some predictions of my own. It's such a weird week....

Best Picture – Drama
1. No Country for Old Men
-It seems locked and loaded after the NBR win.
2. Atonement
-This year's Cold Mountain?
3. Into the Wild
-Penn's a star turned director which Hollywood would like to recognize.
4. There Will Be Blood
-The Los Angeles win only confirmed its status in the race.
5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
-They always throw one curveball. (Bobby, Nicholas Nickelby)

6. Michael Clayton
7. American Gangster
8. Eastern Promises
9. 3:10 to Yuma
10. Gone Baby Gone

Best Picture – Musical or Comedy
1. Sweeney Todd
-This is their opportunity to reward Burton and Depp in the same night.
2. Juno
-Surely to be a critical favorite this season.
3. Hairspray
-The return of musicals should be a nice addition to the evening
4. Once
-Early release date, but beloved film. Too small?
5. Charlie Wilson's War
-Starring Globe legends (Hanks, Roberts, Hoffman) but could be easily left off.

6. The Savages
7. Knocked Up
8. Enchanted
9. Margot at the Wedding
10. Lars and the Real Girl

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Drama
1. Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
-He may be the film's only chances if it keeps taking all these blows.
2. George Clooney-Michael Clayton
-The NBR has brought him to the forefront.
3. Viggo Mortensen-Eastern Promises
-Left off too often and finally got a role to sink his teeth into.
4. Emile Hirsch-Into the Wild
-They like the newbies. Him or McAvoy?
5. Denzel Washington-American Gangster
-The film and Denzel are falling off rather quickly

6. James McAvoy-Atonement
7. Tommy Lee Jones-In the Valley of Elah
8. John Cusack-Grace is Gone
9. Brad Pitt-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
10. Josh Brolin-No Country for Old Men

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy
1. Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd
-Due for a Golden Globe, they will love to see him on stage finally.
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman-The Savages
-Three roles this year and this is the category to recognize him.
3. Ryan Gosling-Lars and the Real Girl
-HFPA loves their young ones.
4. Tom Hanks-Charlie Wilson's War
-Hollywood royalty which keeps him in contention with the Globes at least.
5. Don Cheadle-Talk to Me
-Early year critically acclaimed film and they love Cheadle

6. Glen Hansard-Once
7. Seth Rogan-Knocked Up
8. Sam Riley-Control
9. James Marsden-Enchanted
10. Greg Kinnear-Feast of Love

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Drama
1. Julie Christie-Away from Her
-NBR's woman will make it with this weak category.
2. Angelina Jolie-A Mighty Heart
-Could we have both her and Mr. Pitt there as nominees?
3. Keira Knightley-Atonement
-Her film is a frontrunner and they love their stars.
4. Cate Blanchett-Elizabeth: The Golden Age
-The film sucked, but she surely didn't.
5. Halle Berry-Things We Lost in the Fire
-It's Berry or Foster for the 5th spot.

6. Jodie Foster-The Brave One
7. Tang Wei-Lust, Caution
8. Naomi Watts-Eastern Promises
9. Reese Witherspoon-Rendition
10. Ashley Judd-Bug

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy
1. Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
-Seems like the one to beat for the big prize.
2. Laura Linney-The Savages
-The Indies forgot about her but the Globes remember her often.
3. Ellen Page-Juno
-Breakout year for a breakout performer.
4. Amy Adams-Enchanted
-Audience favorite and any of the ladies 1 through 4 can win.
5. Helena Bonham Carter-Sweeney Todd
-Carter of Blonsky for the Musical Lady spot.

6. Nikki Blonsky-Hairspray
7. Keri Russell-Waitress
8. Nicole Kidman-Margot at the Wedding
9. Anne Hathaway-Becoming Jane
10. Evan Rachel Wood-Across the Universe

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
1. Javier Bardem-No Country for Old Men
-Could be the 1 st of many wins to come for him.
2. Casey Affleck-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
-Along with Gone Baby Gone, this has been his year.
3. John Travolta-Hairspray
-He needs this to stay somewhat in the race.
4. Tom Wilkinson-Michael Clayton
-Clayton, (no not Davis LOL) could do well with all these great performances plus they owe him one.
5. Ben Foster-3:10 to Yuma
-Young star and they nominate some weird one's in this category. (Will Ferrell?)

6. Hal Holbrook-Into the Wild
7. Paul Dano-There Will Be Blood
8. Russell Crowe-American Gangster
9. Steve Zahn-Rescue Dawn
10. Philip Bosco-The Savages

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
1. Amy Ryan-Gone Baby Gone
-The NBR gives all their ladies some boosts.
2. Cate Blanchett-I'm Not There
-Locked in this category, we need to see if she can win too.
3. Saoirse Ronan-Atonement
-They forget the young one's a lot. She's vulnerable along with ALL the Atonement ladies.
4. Jennifer Garner-Juno
-“Star-effers” that the HFPA are, they to nominate married couples but Affleck looks likely to be left off.
5. Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton
-It could be anyone for these spots. Such a ridiculous year for this category.

6. Kelly MacDonald-No Country for Old Men
7. Ruby Dee-American Gangster
8. Vanessa Redgrave-Atonement
9. Jennifer Jason Leigh-Margot at the Wedding
10. Marisa Tomei-Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Best Director - Motion Picture
1. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen-No Country for Old Men
-Have they ever nominated two directors before? There's a first time for everything.
2. Joe Wright-Atonement
-Frontrunner film and still has love from Pride and Prejudice.
3. Tim Burton-Sweeney Todd
-He will be a beloved one to add to the race especially for the Globes.
4. Marc Foster-The Kite Runner
-Since the film is ineligible for the Best Picture race they may want to reward it in other places. This year's Babel?
5. Ridley Scott-American Gangster
-He's overdue like Scorsese was. They may want to include him.

6. Julian Schnabel-The Diving Bell and Butterfly
7. Sean Penn-Into the Wild
8. Ben Affleck-Gone Baby Gone
9. Paul Thomas Anderson-There Will Be Blood
10. David Cronenberg-Eastern Promises

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
1. No Country for Old Men
-The Coen brothers are a favorite especially in this category.
2. Atonement
-No Country's competition. The HFPA will eat it up most likely.
3. Juno
-Diablo Cody is fairytale dream and this is Juno's most likely mention of them all.
4. The Kite Runner
-Just a hunch. Who knows?
5. Into the Wild
-If Penn is left off the director's mention, they can easily include him here.

6. Ratatouille
7. Knocked Up
8. There Will Be Blood
9. I'm Not There
10. Lars and the Real Girl

Best Original Score
1. Atonement
-Marianelli is golden when teamed up with Wright.
2. Ratatouille
-One of the best aspects of the picture.
3. Beowulf
-curveball, nothing more.
4. Lust, Caution
-Desplat is one of the most overdue composers out right now. He also has The Golden Compass.
5. Into the Wild
-Gustavo Santaolla is two for two with Oscar but 0 for 2 with HFPA. (with the exception of his original song win)

6. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
7. Charlie Wilson’s War
8. The Golden Compass
9. Elizabeth: The Golden Age
10. The Diving Bell and Butterfly

Best Original Song
1. Into the Wild – Guaranteed
2. Once – Falling Slowly
3. American Gangster – Do You Feel Me?
4. Hairspray – Come So Far
5. Hairspray – Ladies Choice
6. Once - ???
7. Enchanted – So Close
8. Into the Wild – Society
9. Beowulf – A Hero Comes Home
10. Enchanted – Ever Ever After

Best Animated Feature
1. Ratatouille
2. The Simpsons Movie
3. Persepolis
4. Beowulf
5. Surf's Up

Best Foreign Language
1. The Diving Bell and Butterfly
2. The Kite Runner
3. Persepolis
4. 4 Month, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5. Lust, Caution

What would be some left field choices? Comment and make some predictions that no one sees coming!

Chicago Critics Nominees

Best Picture
Into the Wild
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Once
There Will Be Blood

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
David Fincher, "Zodiac"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"

Best Actor
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Ryan Gosling, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Frank Langella, "Starting Out in the Evening"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"

Best Actress
Julie Christie, "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchet, "I'm Not There"
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Margot at the Wedding"
Leslie Mann, "Knocked Up"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Atonement"
"Into the Wild"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Zodiac"

Best Original Screenplay
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"Ratatouille"
"The Savages"

Best Cinematography
"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"

Best Score
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
"Atonement"
"Lust, Caution"
"Once"
"There Will Be Blood"

Best Animated Feature
"Beowulf"
"Meet the Robinsons"
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"The Simpsons Movie"

Best Foreign Film
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"La Vie en Rose"
"Lust, Caution"
"The Orphanage"

Best Documentary
"Darfur Now"
"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters"
"Lake of Fire"
"No End in Sight"
"Sicko"

Promising Director
Ben Affleck, "Gone Baby Gone"
John Carney, "Once"
Craig Gillespie, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"

Promising Performer
Nikki Blonsky, "Hairspray"
Michael Cera, "Juno"/"Superbad"
Glen Hansard, "Once"
Carice van Houten, "Black Book"
Tang Wei, "Lust, Caution"

New York Film Critics Awards

BEST FILM

No Country for Old Men

BEST DIRECTORS

Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

BEST ACTOR

Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

BEST ACTRESS

Julie Christie (Away From Her)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

No End in Sight

BEST FOREIGN FILM

The Lives of Others

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Persepolis

BEST FIRST FILM

Sarah Polley (Away from Her)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Sidney Lumet

SPECIAL CRITICS' AWARD

Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep)

What a Day! - Critics Revisited

What did the 1st of many awards tell us?:

1. There Will Be Blood has a lot of support still and is still in the race in every category.
2. No Country for Old Men is locked and loaded still. Nabbing Boston and Washington makes it still a viable threat.
3. Where O' Where is Atonement? Reviews are good, not great and its Rotten Tomato score has dropped to 85%. Who can replace it as the one to beat.
4. Juno stays strong and the favorite for Original Screenplay. Ellen Page also captures a bunch of Breakthrough Awards which keeps her in the spotlight.
5. Is The Diving Bell and Butterfly the Best Picture contender/frontrunner we didn't see coming. (Maybe I just didn't see it.)
6. Ratatouille locks in its Animated Feature nomination. Persepolis could be in but as the Foreign Language selection, the Academy may reserve to just one category.
7. Amy Ryan, Amy Ryan, Amy Ryan, what a wonderful surprise. Her performance in Gone Baby Gone is among the best of the year. Blanchett loses a lot of steam even with one win from NYFCO.
8. Javier Bardem remains the frontrunner but Hal Holbrook's runner up at LAFCA keeps him as the one most likely to upset.
9. Who's going to win Documentary Feature? It's spread out everywhere.
10. Marion Cotillard & Julie Christie look to battling it out for the Best Actress statue. This is getting pretty bloody.
11. Is Frank Langella in your top five? I had him at ten, but if is nominated, watch out for him to unseat both Day-Lewis and Depp.
12. Where is The Kite Runner & American Gangster? There buzz has been quiet today.
13. Anamaria Marinca for 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days as a Best Actress nominee. How do you feel about that?
14. Tamara Jenkins keeps herself afloat in the screenplay race for The Savages.
15. I have no idea who's winning anything anymore.

Washington D.C. Announces Too!

More love for No Country for Old Men! The fog is clearing.

BEST PICTURE
Winner: No Country for Old Men
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Ethan and Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
BEST ACTOR
Winner: George Clooney - Michael Clayton
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Julie Christie - Away from Her
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone & Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Diablo Cody - Juno
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War
BEST ENSEMBLE
Winner: No Country for Old Men
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Ratatouille
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner: Sicko
BEST ART DIRECTION
Winner: Sweeney Todd
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Winner: Ellen Page - Juno

NYFCO goes for BLOOD & a BUTTERFLY

New York Film Critics Online Awards announce their winners:

Picture -
(tie) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly & There Will Be Blood

Actor -
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood

Actress -
Julie Christie - Away from Her

Director -
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

Supporting Actor -
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Supporting Actress -
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There

Breakthrough Performer -
Ellen Page - Juno

Debut Director -
Sarah Polley - Away from Her

Ensemble Cast -
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Screenplay -
The Darjeeling Limited written by: Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola

Documentary -
Sicko

Foreign Language -
(tie) Lives of Others & Persepolis

Animated -
Persepolis

Cinematography -
There Will Be Blood - Robert Elswit
Film Music - There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood)

Top Ten Films:
1 Atonement (Focus Features)
2 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (THINKFilm)
3 The Darjeeling Limited (Fox Searchlight)
4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Miramax)
5 I'm Not There (The Weinstein Company)
6 Juno (Fox Searchlight)
7 Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)
8 No Country for Old Men (Miramax)
9 Persepolis (Sony Pictures Classics)
10 Sweeney Todd (DreamWorks) & There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)

LAFCA goes Apeshit for There Will Be Blood

Best Picture:
There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Actress:
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Runner-up: Anamaria Marinca, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days

Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Frank Langella, Starting Out In The Evening

Screenplay:
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Supporting actress:
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone & Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

Supporting actor:
Vlad Ivanov for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Runner-up: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Foreign language film:
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
Runner-up: The Diving Bell and Butterfly

Documentary/Non-fiction film:
No End in Sight directed by Charles Ferguson
Runner-up: Sicko, directed by Michael Moore

Production design:
Jack Fisk, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Dante Ferreti, Sweeney Todd

Animation:
Persepolis & Ratatouille (tie)

Music:
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Once
Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood

Cinematography:
Janusz Kaminski, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Runner-up: Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood

New generation: Sarah Polley, Away from Her

Douglas Edwards Indie Award:
Colossal Youth directed by Pedro Costa

Career Achievement:
Sidney Lumet

Boston Chooses No Country for Old Men

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men
Best Actor
Frank Langella for Starting Out in the Evening
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose
Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
Best Director
Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Screenplay
Brad Bird for Ratatouille
Best Cinematography
Janusz Kaminski for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Documentary
Crazy Love
Best Foreign-Language Film
The Diving Bell and Butterfly
Best New Filmmaker
Ben Affleck for Gone Baby Gone
Runner Up: Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Best Ensemble Cast
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Broadcast Film Critics Announcement

Marisa Tomei announces the nominees LIVE at 8:30am Eastern Time on VH1 on Tuesday!

Los Angeles Critics Preview

Los Angeles Film Critics Preview

As precursor season as lifted off we will be seeing who will become our critical darlings and who is becoming bona-fide contenders. Los Angeles doesn’t have the best track record with picking Oscar winners dating back to 1993’s Schlinder’s List. However, 7 of the last 10 Best Picture winners have been nominated for Best Picture. Last year they went with Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima which would go on to be nominated for Best Picture despite the bumps in the road

New York is another story, 5 of 10 of their Best Picture winners have gone on to be nominated for Oscar. The last time they picked a winner was also in 1993 for Schlinder’s List. The tend to get more artsy and more independent. What I love about New York, they’re not afraid to give other critics the finger and pick their favorites.

So who will win these two big awards? There is no set method or way to predict but you can narrow them down pretty easily. Los Angeles could go the way of big Hollywood such as No Country for Old Men or Atonement, or go completely obscured as they did in 02’ and 03’ respectively (About Schmidt, American Splendor). What would be considered obscured? Once, Hairspray, The Diving Bell and Butterfly? God, I have no idea.

The acting awards are even worse; Philip Seymour Hoffman could gather the body of work for his two champion performances in The Savages and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Emile Hirsch is a safe pick for his breakout performance in Into the Wild. I’ll play the John Cusack card again for Grace is Gone but no one is really talking too much about him. Daniel Day-Lewis could start the car on his Oscar campaign for There Will Be Blood if he’s named Best Actor. Maybe even Johnny Depp, who knows?

The ladies have some options but there are safe choices like Julie Christie in Away from Her or Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose, Ellen Page would lock herself in for great performance in Juno but she may be a little young for their liking. I can’t recall the last time they went with a youngling in this category. Keira Knightley is in the Oscar frontrunner Atonement, so she has a shot but her buzz is dying out rather quickly and needs some CPR. I’ll stand with a left field choice such as Laura Linney for The Savages. No real reason rather than I’m predicting her in the #2 spot in the Best Actress race and this would confirm that.

Director’s choices tend to be in correlation with Oscar nominations, especially the lone director spots. They’ve chosen David Lynch for Mulholland Dr., Pedro Almodovar for Hable con Ella; they even gone with the future winners like Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain. So who will Los Angeles like this year? Sweeney Todd could gain more momentum if director Tim Burton won another critics award, he would surely be the most beneficial. Sean Penn for Into the Wild or Joe Wright for Atonement are likely choices as well but I’m going with the beginning of a close director race between three directors; Atonement's Joe Wright and Joel & Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men. I think this will be the Coens brothers to lose come Oscar time if the film keeps performing as well as it is thus far.

Los Angeles Film Critics Predictions

Best Picture

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Atonement
3. The Diving Bell and Butterfly

Best Director

1. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen-No Country for Old Men
2. Joe Wright-Atonement
3. Sean Penn-Into the Wild

Best Actor

1. Philip Seymour Hoffman-The Savages & Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
2. Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
3. John Cusack-Grace is Gone

Best Actress

1. Laura Linney-The Savages
2. Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
3. Julie Christie-Away from Her

Best Supporting Actor

1. Javier Bardem-No Country for Old Men
2. Hal Holbrook-Into the Wild
3. John Travolta-Hairspray

Best Supporting Actress

1. Cate Blanchett-I’m Not There
2. Catherine Keener-Into the Wild
3. Ruby Dee-American Gangster

Best Original Screenplay

1. Juno
2. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
3. Michael Clayton

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Into the Wild
3. Gone Baby Gone

Best Cinematography

1. Atonement
2. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. The Kite Runner

Best Original Score

1. Atonement
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Ratatouille

Best Documentary

1. Sicko
2. Body of War
3. No End in Sight

Best Foreign Language Film

1. The Diving Bell and Butterfly
2. Persepolis
3. The Orphanage

Best Animated Feature

1. Ratatouille
2. Persepolis
3. The Simpsons Movie

New Generation Award

1. Emile Hirsch
2. Glen Hansard
3. Ellen Page

Is Ugly Really Sexy for Oscar?

Hey all...just a bit on the curious side in regard to the whole idea of de-glam for an actor. I know for an actress it can do a world of good (Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, etc)in regard to getting a film noticed and their due praise. When it comes to men, it's a bit trickier. I'm sort of at a loss for a good example of a dude going the ugly route and getting recognized (if anyone has good examples, be sure to post them) but since "Grace is Gone" has just opened and John Cusack has sort of de-glammed himself for the part, my curiousity was piqued. What do you guys think....does Cusack stand to benefit from not playing Lloyd Dobbler in "Grace is Gone" or does the de-glam issue only work for the ladies?

Here is the trailer if you want a decent idea of what he looks like in the flick:

Some more Globe Placement

-Not that it matters since the film bombed, but Robert Redford, Tom Cruise, and Meryl Streep are all going supporting at the Globes for Lions for Lambs. No SHOT! (Wait a minute, can Streep be nominated?................Nah!)

-Michael Cera is going Lead Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Juno. I can't see it happen, the category is pretty full.

-Tommy Lee Jones is Supporting for No Country for Old Men and Josh Brolin is Lead (I think people know that already)

-I like the Rails & Ties poster, but it has nothing to do with this post. LOL

Episode XI: Top 12 Results

Here are the results! Sorry for the delay...

What has the NBR done to the race?

1. Atonement got a Top 10 mention which saved it but other than that, no big change. No Country may be jumping in front of it at this point or at least for the moment.
2. It's a huge boost for No Country for Old Men in nearly every category. Picture, Director, and Screenplay. It's going to be close and I think its safe to say the "L" word. It's a LOCK!
3. There Will Be Blood, Charlie Wilson's War, (not that anyone is surprised) and American Gangster take some blows in the race. No Top 10 mentions hurts them alot.
4. Amy Ryan may have just locked in her place along with Cate Blanchett for her stunning performance in Gone Baby Gone. The film itself did well, especially for director Ben Affleck.
5. Casey Affleck is looking good for The Assassination of Jesse James but there are a lot of veterans trying to jump into the Supporting Actor race which makes him a bit vulnerable. (I personally think he'll make it)
6. The Bucket List and The Bourne Ultimatium help bring attention to Jack Nicholson and the latter's stunning editing, cinematography, and sound. It may have been just a mention at best.
7. Can Ryan Gosling get nominated? Or the film's screenplay? For a film that isn't getting screeners, it sure is doing well thus far.
8. How happy are Tim Burton fans for him right now? I'm ecstactic but this doesn't lock him in by any means. He's still got a hill to climb as well as the film, Sweeney Todd.
9. George Clooney and Julie Christie are looking likely at this point. Clooney needs Washington to fall off, (which he is at the moment) and Christie might be 1st or 2nd lock in her competitive race. (Cotillard is nearly locked in)
10. Is The Kite Runner getting nominated for Best Picture? I sure wish I knew.

National Board of Review thinks there's "No Country for Old Men"

Best Film: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Director: TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd

Best Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton

Best Actress: JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor: CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress: AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone

Best Foreign Film: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best Documentary: BODY OF WAR

Best Animated Feature: RATATOUILLE

Best Ensemble Cast: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: ELLEN PAGE, Juno

Best Directorial Debut: BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone

Best Original Screenplay (tie):DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Adapted Screenplay: JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Top Ten Films:(In alphabetical order)

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

ATONEMENT

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

THE BUCKET LIST

INTO THE WILD

JUNO

THE KITE RUNNER

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

MICHAEL CLAYTON

SWEENEY TODD

Top Five Foreign Films:(In alphabetical order)

4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS

THE BAND’S VISIT

THE COUNTERFEITERS

LA VIE EN ROSE

LUST, CAUTION

Top Five Documentary Films(In alphabetical order)

DARFUR NOW

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON

NANKING

TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE

TOOTS

Top Independent Films(In alphabetical order)

AWAY FROM HER

GREAT WORLD OF SOUND

HONEYDRIPPER

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH

A MIGHTY HEART

THE NAMESAKE

ONCE

THE SAVAGES

STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING

WAITRESS

Career Achievement – MICHAEL DOUGLAS

William K. Everson Film History Award – ROBERT OSBORNE

Career Achievement in Cinematography – ROGER DEAKINS

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression – THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS

Episode X: The Top 12 Poster Week

It's Poster Week on Academy Idol. Some films you'll see just one poster, some you'll see 10 posters. Vote for your favorites.

The Dark Knight Poster

Here it is, I can't wait. Heath Ledger is going to be one to watch. Not for an Oscar, just in general.

National Board of Review: Predictions Time!

Are you ready for the first precursor that truly matters? Share your National Board of Review predictions!

Discuss them with our readers!

What film will win Best Picture?

Read our preview here

The Year of the Unlikely

Is American Gangster too common? Is Atonement too Brit? Is No Country for Old Men too dark?

On his latest article, Rob Cameron discusses the state of the Best Picture race as of December:

"There once was a time when things always seemed inevitable, the true contenders for nominations fairly obvious. Those times have vanished in the wake of Brokeback Mountain's infamous loss to Crash in '05, and more importantly Dreamgirls' failure to garner a nomination for Best Picture last year..."

Read the full article here

And share your current Best Picture predictions with our readers in our forum!

Episode IX: Results Show - Formation of Top 12

Here it is. The Results!

Are you surprised by the results?! Tell us about it. Comment the post.