Best Picture
(producers' names are in parentheses)
"Atonement" (Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Paul Webster): On a summer's day in 1935, a series of events and the ways in which they are misinterpreted change the lives of sisters Briony and Cecilia Tallis and their housekeeper's son, Robbie. An overseen interchange between Cecilia and Robbie, a careless mistake, and an act of violence provoke an escalating tragedy of misunderstandings that center on thirteen-year-old Briony and her imperfect grasp of the adult world.
"Juno" (Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick, and Russell Smith): When Juno, a smart, outspoken sixteen-year-old, finds herself pregnant, she decides to give the baby up for adoption. As her pregnancy progresses, she spends time with the baby's prospective adoptive parents, Mark and Vanessa Loring, until her growing bond with Mark begins to take a turn that could throw everyone's plans into chaos.
"Michael Clayton" (Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, and Kerry Orent): When one of the star attorneys at a powerful corporate law firm suffers a guilt-fueled breakdown that threatens to derail a planned merger, the firm's fixer, Michael Clayton, is called in to take care of the situation. As he delves into the facts behind the multimillion dollar lawsuit at the center of the conflict, Michael finds himself making moral and ethical decisions that will place his life in danger. Pollack previously took Director and Best Picture honors in 1986 for "Out of Africa."
"No Country for Old Men" (Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen): When Llewellyn Moss comes upon a corpse-strewn drug-deal-gone-wrong in the middle of the barren West Texas range, he takes the bag of cash he finds at the scene and soon draws the attention of the county sheriff investigating the crime. Sheriff Bell will become Llewellyn's best hope for survival, however, when he finds himself the object of a relentless pursuit by hired killer Anton Chigurh, a murderous sociopath.
"There Will Be Blood" (JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Daniel Lupi): In his ruthless pursuit of wealth, misanthropic oilman Daniel Plainview tricks a local farmer into signing away his valuable drilling rights and rejects his own son, H.W., when the boy loses his hearing in an accident. As he becomes increasingly isolated and unstable, Daniel places his trust in a vagrant claiming to be his half-brother, and finds his position unsettled by H.W.'s return and the growing popularity of the farmer's son, now an evangelical preacher.
(producers' names are in parentheses)
"Atonement" (Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Paul Webster): On a summer's day in 1935, a series of events and the ways in which they are misinterpreted change the lives of sisters Briony and Cecilia Tallis and their housekeeper's son, Robbie. An overseen interchange between Cecilia and Robbie, a careless mistake, and an act of violence provoke an escalating tragedy of misunderstandings that center on thirteen-year-old Briony and her imperfect grasp of the adult world.
"Juno" (Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick, and Russell Smith): When Juno, a smart, outspoken sixteen-year-old, finds herself pregnant, she decides to give the baby up for adoption. As her pregnancy progresses, she spends time with the baby's prospective adoptive parents, Mark and Vanessa Loring, until her growing bond with Mark begins to take a turn that could throw everyone's plans into chaos.
"Michael Clayton" (Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, and Kerry Orent): When one of the star attorneys at a powerful corporate law firm suffers a guilt-fueled breakdown that threatens to derail a planned merger, the firm's fixer, Michael Clayton, is called in to take care of the situation. As he delves into the facts behind the multimillion dollar lawsuit at the center of the conflict, Michael finds himself making moral and ethical decisions that will place his life in danger. Pollack previously took Director and Best Picture honors in 1986 for "Out of Africa."
"No Country for Old Men" (Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen): When Llewellyn Moss comes upon a corpse-strewn drug-deal-gone-wrong in the middle of the barren West Texas range, he takes the bag of cash he finds at the scene and soon draws the attention of the county sheriff investigating the crime. Sheriff Bell will become Llewellyn's best hope for survival, however, when he finds himself the object of a relentless pursuit by hired killer Anton Chigurh, a murderous sociopath.
"There Will Be Blood" (JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Daniel Lupi): In his ruthless pursuit of wealth, misanthropic oilman Daniel Plainview tricks a local farmer into signing away his valuable drilling rights and rejects his own son, H.W., when the boy loses his hearing in an accident. As he becomes increasingly isolated and unstable, Daniel places his trust in a vagrant claiming to be his half-brother, and finds his position unsettled by H.W.'s return and the growing popularity of the farmer's son, now an evangelical preacher.
My Predictions
Now that you're all set, there's only one more bit of business to take care of: Who do I think will exit stage left of the Kodak Theatre with the biggest prize in all of entertainment: Last year I got four out of six (missed the mark on Supporting Actor and Best Picture), here are my picks:
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem
Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Actress: Julie Christie
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen ("No Country for Old Men")
Best Picture: Well, "Atonement" took top honors at the Golden Globes (Motion Picture-Drama) and BAFTA awards, while "No Country for Old Men" picked up the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture...the very same award that led to "Crash" taking Best Picture two years ago! Of those two, when the dust is settled, it will be "No Country" that will rule Oscar night.
We'll see what happens when the Academy Awards will be handed out for the 80th time with Jon Stewart at host this Sunday night; and even though it'll be live at 5:00 on the West Coast, that doesn't pertain to Alaska as the big show will still be on good ol' tape delay at 7:00 (6:00 if you're in Hawaii), meaning we'll find out who already won while watching the awards.
And of course, I'll have my complete recap on Monday, so so long and stay strong!
Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Actress: Julie Christie
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen ("No Country for Old Men")
Best Picture: Well, "Atonement" took top honors at the Golden Globes (Motion Picture-Drama) and BAFTA awards, while "No Country for Old Men" picked up the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture...the very same award that led to "Crash" taking Best Picture two years ago! Of those two, when the dust is settled, it will be "No Country" that will rule Oscar night.
We'll see what happens when the Academy Awards will be handed out for the 80th time with Jon Stewart at host this Sunday night; and even though it'll be live at 5:00 on the West Coast, that doesn't pertain to Alaska as the big show will still be on good ol' tape delay at 7:00 (6:00 if you're in Hawaii), meaning we'll find out who already won while watching the awards.
And of course, I'll have my complete recap on Monday, so so long and stay strong!
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