2007

Best Picture Nominees:

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men *
There Will Be Blood
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Atonement - A WWII story about how the accusations of a young girl change the lives of those around her and whether later in life she can atone for her earlier mistake.  Well-deserved Supporting Actress nomination for 13 year-old Saoirse Ronan.

Juno - The story of a quirky pregnant teenager, Juno, portrayed by 20 year-old Ellen Page, nominated for Best Actress.  Kind of a weird movie, just the kind of comedy that gets nominated for Best Picture by the Academy.

Michael Clayton - A George Clooney vehicle and thriller about Mr. Clooney as a fixer, who is tracking down a co-worker who has had a change of heart in a class action lawsuit.  Tilda Swinton, not of the mainstream movie crowd, receives a nomination and wins Best Supporting Actress for this movie.  She should have previously won for Orlando, but it was not mainstream enough.

No Country for Old Men - A weird, Cormac McCarthy book-based film about tracking down of a psychopath (Javier Bardem) by cop Tommy Lee Jones.  Bardem is pretty amazing and wins Best Supporting Actor.  The film suffers from a weird undramatic ending.

There Will Be Blood - Lots of great acting and storytelling in the adaptation of Upton Sinclair's Oil!  Usually, I don't like Daniel Day-Lewis, but he is very strong in his role as an unrelenting oil tycoon.  He won Best Actor. 

***

My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:

1.  There Will Be Blood
2.  No Country for Old Men
3.  Juno
4.  Michael Clayton
5.  Atonement