For quite a while now I have been planning to run down my top 10 films of the year. It is looking like we, the faculty and staff here at peppermintfatty, will have that done for you sometime in the next week. Until then however, the academy has given us the 2007 Oscar nominations about which to bloviate. I will give you all a quick rundown of the major categories and my immediate thoughts.

BEST ACTOR -

• George Clooney - Michael Clayton

• Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

• Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

• Tommy Lee Jones - In The Valley Of Elah

• Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises

I have to preface my statements by admitting not having seen Eastern Promises. Johnny Depp suffers, in my mind, from turning in such consistently inspired, almost possessed, performances that such amazing work as he turned in on Sweeney Todd tends to be overlooked by many looking for that one standout performance. Tommy Lee Jones had a transcendent year with both Valley Of Elah and No Country For Old Men. George Clooney was solid as usual in what was a great little film that too many people overlooked. I worry that the image of Michael Clayton as yet another bleeding heart lawyer vs. the giant corporate Satan might lessen his chances at an Oscar in much teh same way it hurt the films chances at the box office. All of that being said, this one is academic folks - If I say Daniel Day-Lewis has proven that he is arguably the greatest actor of his generation, I think you'll agree. His turn as silver miner turned oil man Daniel Plainview is beyond compare not just in 2007 but likely for quite a number of years to come. From each step to the inflection and nuance put into every word he says, Day-Lewis is beyond compare. Unlike most years, a win for any other actor would be a travesty.

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

You want a fight? This one will be a slug fest of epic proportions. When I saw Casey Affleck in Jesse James I was blown away by what I considered a star making performance...and while both Hal Holbrook and Tom Wilkenson did magnificent jobs, they, along with Affleck simply fade into the shadows cast by Javier Bardem and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman, much like Tommy Lee Jones is having yet another stand out year with him stealing the show in the slightly overrated Charlie Wilson's War, as well as his magnificent performance alongside Laura Linney in The Savages. Charlie Wilson's War is a solid and enjoyable film that in many years would be a serious contender for quite a number of awards. Unfortunately 2007 was one of the strongest in memory, leaving films like Charlie Wilson as unwitting casualties come Oscar time. The lone exception though was Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a crude, witty, and unexpected CIA intelligence officer. My knee jerk reaction here is that having won best actor last year and due in part to the slightly comedic nature of his role, this might not be Hoffman's year. Instead, my choice for best supporting actor goes to Javier Bardem's chilling portrayal of psychotic hitman-run-amok Anton Chigurh. From the opening minutes of the film when Chigurh "escapes" police custody, Bardem solidifies his place in movie history in one of the most subtlety chilling moments in recent memory- all with nothing more than the look on his face. From that moment on Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are playing catch up, turning in the performances of their lives, to keep Bardem from completely stealing the show.

Best Actress

·         Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

·         Julie Christie - Away From Her

·         Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose

·         Laura Linney - The Savages

·         Ellen Page - Juno

As much as I love Laura Linney finally getting some major recognition, her nomination was a bit of a surprise for many and will likely be as much as she will be rewarded with this year. I unfortunately missed La Vie En Rose, but trust the overwhelming chorus of critics and fans alike who rave at Marion Cotillard's "earth shattering" performance. Julie Christy's nomination seems to have been more of a sympathy vote than anything, and Cate Blanchette will unfortunately be dragged down by a movie that was generally panned by critics. This leaves Ellen Page in Juno. Page made her mark on Hollywood this year embodying Juno's title character like no other actress could have. I would love to see her recognized with an Oscar, and think she deserves it, but I also know that the Academy is no fan of comedies, especially those embraced by the general public. My choice would be Ellen Page, but I am thinking the voters choice will be Marion Cotillard.

Best Supporting Actress

·         Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There

·         Rudy Dee - American Gangster

·         Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

·         Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

·         Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

It is a bit of a shame that Catherine Keener did not get nominated for Into The Wild, but overall this is a solid group of nominees. Ryan certainly deserved her first nomination, and Tilda Swinton is likely to be a strong candidate for victory based more on her body of work than for her, albeit strong, work in Michael Clayton. Saoirse Ronan beat out Vanessa Redgrave for the nomination from Atonement and fills the young up and comer archetype to a tee, as does Ruby Dee as the wily old veteran. Alas, this is yet another category that will not illicit much discussion. Entertainment critics of all shapes, sizes, and persuasions seem to be in perpetual heat over all things Bob Dylan, with this year being no different, as they have been simply soiling themselves at the opportunity to hand this statue to Cate Blanchett. For some reason the Bob Dylan adoration gets under my skin a bit so I will be hoping for an upset from the young Ronan.

Best Animated Feature

·         Persepolis

·         Ratatouille

·         Surf's Up

I would have liked to have seen Paprika nominated here, but alas it is down to these three. I intentionally avoided Surf's Up, leaving Ratatouille and Persepolis. Ratatouille is the obvious viewer choice, and was a strong film overall. I personally thought it was very good, but ultimately forgettable. I think the critics will be itching to against the mainstream and Persepolis just might pull off the upset. I really have no personal favorite here, so I will just root for the underdog in Persepolis.

Best Director

·         Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

·         Jason Reitman - Juno

·         Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton

·         Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country For Old Men

·         Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

I have, quite unfortunately, missed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly... and while it seems from previews to be a magnificent and beautiful film, Julian Schnabel's nomination this year looks to be an exercise in futility. For years instead of naming favorite movies I have frequently just listed a small group of favorite directors: Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson. This year marks the first addition to that list in quite some time - Jason Reitman. Last year's Thank You For Smoking was one of the most welcome cinematic surprises in years, especially for a first time director, no matter his pedigree. For him to follow that up with so heartfelt an effort as Juno has me hooked, plain and simple. As great as Junomay be, and as impressive a director as Jason Reitman is turning out to be, he find himself this year in the ring with heavyweights. The winner this year will deservedly come from either Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood, or Joel & Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men. There has been a war raging within me for days over who deserves this award more, and in the end I have to go with the Coen brothers. There Will Be Blood was an epic masterpiece and Daniel Day-Lewis simply otherworldly, but when all is said and done No Country For Old Men was, for me, a more concise, even work that I will come back to watch time and time again. Either one could win, and I would have no problem with either winning, but after being robbed of recognition for Fargo and O Brother Where Art Thou?, I think it is the Joel and Ethan Coen's time to shine.

Original Screenplay

·         Juno

·         Lars and the Real Girl

·         Michael Clayton

·         Ratatouille

·         The Savages

Lars and the Real Girl bombed with critics and is likely dead on arrival in this category. Ratatouille was solid, yet for me uninspired. Michael Clayton was a solid piece of writing but in no way original or earth shaking. For me this leaves two great films and great scripts in The Savages and Juno. Juno has in general, and scribe Diablo Cody in particular, been media darlings all year. All this adulation is due to pay off in at least one category, and for this type of film that category is usually best original screenplay. My pick for screenplay, for its freshness and originality, as well as my prediction for the actual award are both Juno.

Adapted Screenplay

·         Atonement

·         Away From Her

·         The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

·         No Country For Old Men

·         There Will Be Blood

Yet again, this is a two pony race. No Country For Old Men is my clear favorite not only for best adapted screenplay of 2007 but quite likely the best of all time. The only competition I see is that critics might reward Paul Thomas Anderson for the scope of change made in his adaptation of Upton Sinclair's muckraking classic Oil!. For me, the mark of a great adaptation is taking a writers vision and accurately taking it to the big screen making only those changes absolutely necessary. And while I do not wish to take away from the amazing job Anderson did in taking a novel like Oil! And turning it into a stirring feature film, I feel that what the Coen's did was just a little more exceptional. In the end it comes down to one's view of the process of adapting a film to screen. This is one of the rare times that I fall on the side of convention and the side of No Country For Old Men. I will say though that as of this moment, There Will Be Blood has all the momentum. I think one of these two films will dominate the other come Oscar night and for whichever is on the wrong side of that coin, it will be a true and enduring shame.

Best Picture

·         Atonement

·         Juno

·         Michael Clayton

·         No Country For Old Men

·         There Will Be Blood

You know, at this point I am starting to wonder if No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood will eat up all the votes, or will split the same voters leaving an opening for a smaller film like Juno or Atonement to sneak in. If one does I hope it is Juno, but in the end, that would be a crime. No Country and Blood are like Foreman and Ali; Two all time greats who have the unfortunate luck of coming into their primes at the same time. Both deserve the title, but one has to lose. My pick for best picture is No Country For Old Men. My prediction is that the win will go to There Will Be Blood.