There Will Be Oscar
The 2007 Academy Awards nominees were announced this morning, and for the first time in years, I like all five films nominated for Best Picture. In order of my preference at this moment in time, they are:
1. There Will Be Blood - I finally saw this last Friday and can't stop thinking about it. I had two very minor quibbles with it not worth fussing about. At the moment, it's my favorite, or at least tied with the next two.
2. No Country for Old Men - The only one of the five that had me convinced I was watching a masterpiece during the first half. Then the irritating 555 phone number appearances and the abrupt ending... I don't know, it's still pretty great.
3. Juno - Certainly the most entertaining of the five, the only one I could recommend in general to just about anybody.
4. Michael Clayton - George Clooney does a great job in yet another overlooked movie. Truth to tell, I saw this very late at night (about the only time I'm allowed away from family) and nodded off a few times... I will have to see it again one day, especially if it wins (highly unlikely).
5. Atonement - I love lots and lots of period British dramas, but this one I just like, not love. As with numbers 1 and 2 above, I felt a little let down by its ending.
Nominations that make me happy: Julie Christie as Best Actress in Away from Her, the Coen Brothers for Best Director for No Country for Old Men, "Falling Slowly" for Best Original Song from Once, and Ratatouille for Best Animated Feature Film.
Nomination that makes me happiest: Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor in There Will Be Blood. The dude has been in one great film after another for the past 22 years, including The Unbearable Lightness of Being, My Left Foot, The Last of the Mohicans ("I will find you!"), In the Name of the Father, The Age of Innocence, The Crucible, The Boxer, Gangs of New York, and The Ballad of Jack and Rose. Oh, and let's not forget the first role that made him famous -- portraying one Cecil Vyse in the 1986 British period dramedy A Room With a View.
( Not Wilfred Pennington )
2 comments:
Daniel Day Lewis, Ratatouille, No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers, and that song from Once all won tonight. I'm very happy.... and am ready to close the books on 2007: The Year in Movies.
Just watched Gandhi for the first time ever, and was surprised to see a young Daniel Day-Lewis in a bit part near the beginning. His one full line: "Get off the pavement, you bloody coon!" Nice.
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