SAG Award Winners!

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Daniel Plainview – There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JULIE CHRISTIE / Fiona – Away From Her (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh – No Country For Old Men (Miramax Films)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas – American Gangster (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
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

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
KEVIN KLINE / Jacques – As You Like It (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
QUEEN LATIFAH / Ana – Life Support (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano – The Sopranos (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano – The Sopranos (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – 30 Rock (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – 30 Rock (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
THE SOPRANOS (HBO)

GREGORY ANTONACCI / Butch DeConcini LORRAINE BRACCO / Dr. Jennifer Melfi EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano DAN GRIMALDI / Patsy Parisi ROBERT ILER / Anthony Soprano, Jr. MICHAEL IMPERIOLI / Christopher Moltisanti ARTHUR NASCARELLA / Carlo Gervasi

STEVEN R. SCHIRRIPA / Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri MATT SERVITTO / Agent Dwight Harris JAMIE-LYNN SIGLER / Meadow Soprano TONY SIRICO / Paulie “Walnuts” Gaultieri AIDA TURTURRO / Janice Soprano STEVEN VAN ZANDT / Silvio Dante FRANK VINCENT / Phil Leotardo

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE OFFICE (NBC)

LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone CREED BRATTON / Creed STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott JENNA FISCHER / Pam Beesly KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer MELORA HARDIN / Jan Levinson ED HELMS / Andrew Bernard

MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez PHYLLIS SMITH / Phyllis Lapin RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Universal)

Evangelos Grecos* Jeff Imada* Miguel Pedregosa* Gary Powell* Darrin Prescott* Scott Rogers* My Rachid Abbad Don Abbatiello George Aguilar Brian Keith Allen Guimoar Alonso William Anagnos Roy T. Anderson Scott Armstrong Luis Miguel Arranz Chris Barnes Randy Beckman Said Belaamim Nikki Berwick Michael Bornhütter David Bosch Tim Buchanan Paul Bucossi Peter Bucossi	Mike Burke Bruce Cain Chris Cenatiempo John Cenatiempo Nick Chopping Bob Colletti Chris Colombo George Colucci, Jr. Gil Combs Aris Comninos Ben Cooke Benito Benitez Crespo Eugenio Jimenez Cubillo J. Patrick Daily Juan Carlos Delgado Kelly Dent Jacob Dewitt Miguel Diaz-Aboitiz George R. Doering Iii Levan Doran Norman Douglass Geoffrey Dowell Ben Dimmock Georg Ebina	Rick English Peter Epstein Jonathan Eusebio Roy Farfel Adil Farsi John Favre Victor Fernandez Frank Ferrara Stephanie Finochio Dean Forster Glenn Foster Tanner Foust Marvin Francis Jeremy Fry Tim Gallin David Garrick Andy Godbould Eduardo Gomez Mohamed Gouyd James Grogan Tarik Hadouch R.D. Hansen Eugene Harrison Franklin Henson
Adolfo Heredia Rob Herring Cort Hessler Iii Donald J. Hewitt Don Hewitt, Sr. Jery Hewitt Jorge Huergo Jason Hunjan Rob Hunt Rob Inch Rowly Irlam Martin Ivanov Victor Ivanov Keone Kim Adam Kirley Mike Lambert Joanne Lamstein Abdelghani Lasfer Derek Lea Maurice Lee David Leitch Antonio Lemos Samir Machtioui John E. Mack Steve Mack Guillermo Maestre Stephen Mann Paul Marini Erik Martin Boris Martinez Santiago Martinez Anna Mastroianni Darren Maynard	Nick Mckinless Jeffrey Medeiros Erol Mehmet Andy Merchant Milesy (Peter) Miles Lee Millham Gareth Milne Lee Morrison Mark Mottram Dino Muccio Ray Nicholas Brian Sonny Nickels James O’dee Chris O’hara Shawn O’neil Mick O’rourke Oscar Outerino Janet Paparazzo Jesus Silva Pascasio Peter Pedrero David Pope Greg Powell Dominic Preece Susan Purkhiser Eva Raboso Markus Ranglack Buster Reeves John Roney Markos Rounthwaite Allison Ryan Johan Saentz Ignacio Garcia J. Sanchis Lutz Schleisner	Kevin Scott Gordon Seed Terry Serpico Diz Sharpe Matt Sherren Nicola Short Dave Shumbris Keith Siglinger Craig “Frosty” Silva Jorge Silva Tony Van Silva Peter B. Simpson Brian Smyj Mark Southworth Marvin Stewart-Campbell Matt Stirling John Street Gary Tacon Alberto Zapata Tatje Roy Taylor Shawnna Thibodeau Arran Topham Mustapha Touki Greg Tracy Manuel Valle Aaron Vexler Vincent Wang Dave Ware Dean Watt Reg Wayment Ronny Wechselberger Donna C. Williams Jose Zorrilla *Stunt Coordinators

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
24 (FOX)

Jeff Cadiente* Terri Cadiente Troy Gilbert

Tracy Hite Dustin Meier Erik Stabenau

Justin Sundquist *Stunt Coordinators

Screen Actors Guild Awards 44th Annual Life Achievement Award
Charles Durning

Source: www.sagawards.org

Can "No Country" be Upset for Best Picture?

As we come closer to this year's Oscar awards show, there are so many question marks that this may be the most exciting Oscar show in history. However most believe the Best Picture category is not one of these, that "No Country for Old Men" is a lock to win and there are really no threats to take it down. While I believe "No Country" is the best film of the year, I definitely do not believe it is a lock to win by any means.
Out of the other four nominees I believe everyone one of them has a chance to upset come Oscar night, but some have a better chance than others. The most likely upset is "There Will Be Blood" which is the only other film with many wins in the Best Picture category throughout the precursor's and it also seems to have the most momentum right now. This could be a "Crash" situation where "No Country" could have peaked too early and "Blood" is the hot film at the moment and steals a victory. Next, is "Atonement" which has extreme backing from select critics and that could help it take away the gold. "Atonement" was considered the front-runner earlier in the year but faded as it seemed like more Europeans loved it than Americans did. However, it did get nominated which shows there is defintely some love for this film out there, and it also beat "No Country" for Best Picture in the Golden Globes. This film could have more support than we realized and take a surprise win home Oscar night.
While I believe those are the most likely upsets "Michael Clayton" and "Juno" also have there chance to shock some people. "Michael Clayton" is the smartest and classiest film nominated and the Academy loves this type of film. This intricate and detailed masterpiece has been doing the most advertising for the Oscars than the other films. With commercials and banners all over the place as well as a re-releasing of the film, the film is certainly doing everything it can to win the prize. "Juno" really isn't a deep enough film to win Best Picture and I believe the backlash of critics and film connoisseurs would be rather harsh if it were to win. However, Juno has a following that really, really loves this film and it will get some votes to win; no doubt about it.
So while I believe it would be a shame if "No Country for Old Men" does not win come Oscar night as it is truly the best film of the year, it's the boring choice, the one that always wins and people get tired of seeing the same thing repeated. But the Oscar is the ultimate and the one award everyone cares about, and while it would be fun if another film takes home the award, "No Country" deserves it the most and most likely will win it in the end.

And the nominees are...wait, who now?

The 80th annual Oscar nominees were announced today, and while 95% of the nominations were not that strange there were a few big surprises thrown in, as well as some strange choices. The biggest surprise to me is Jason Reitman for Best Director in "Juno". He has received almost no precursors nominations and it really shows how much the Academy loved "Juno". They ate that buzz up hook, line and sinker. Like I said, "Juno" was a great film, just not Best Picture quality. Other surprises included Tommy Lee Jones for "In the Valley of Elah" which was a real shocker. When this film came out there was real Oscar buzz for him in this role, but after the precursors that all faded away. However, it looks like the Academy didn't forget his part, or at least a certain amount of people really loved him. Seeing as the votes are ranked and it is statistically better to be number one on some peoples sheets than number five on most peoples sheets (if you didn't know that).
As for the lack of surprises but strange decisions, there were a few as well. I really don't understand why Cate Blanchett was nominated for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and "I'm Not There" when "Elizabeth" was hated by so many as a film. Angelina Jolie was fantastic in "A Mighty Heart" and was snubbed because of this. A positive surprise was Laura Linney getting nominated for "The Savages" but she was really supposed to be in the race for the final slot with Amy Adams and Cate Blanchett, instead Jolie was knocked off.
Two things were clear, they love "Juno" and didn't like "Into the Wild" as much as everyone thought they would. But the picks make things extra interesting, and no one should feel like they have a win coming to them by any means.

Oscar Nominees Announced!

Performance by an actor in a leading role
	George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
	Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
	Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
	Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
	Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
	Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
	Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
	Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
	Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
	Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
	Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
	Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
	Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
	Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
	Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
	Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
	Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
	Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
	Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
	Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Best animated feature film of the year
	“Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics) Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Brad Bird
	“Surf's Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
Achievement in art direction
	“American Gangster” (Universal) Art Direction: Arthur Max Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
	“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Art Direction: Dennis Gassner Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
	“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Art Direction: Dante Ferretti Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Art Direction: Jack Fisk Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Achievement in cinematography
	“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.) Roger Deakins
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Seamus McGarvey
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Janusz Kaminski
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roger Deakins
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Robert Elswit
Achievement in costume design
	“Across the Universe” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
	“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
	“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Marit Allen
	“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood
Achievement in directing
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Julian Schnabel
	“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Jason Reitman
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Tony Gilroy
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Paul Thomas Anderson
Best documentary feature
	“No End in Sight” (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
	“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production Richard E. Robbins
	“Sicko” (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara
	“Taxi to the Dark Side” (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
	“War/Dance” (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine
Best documentary short subject
	“Freeheld” A Lieutenant Films Production Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
	“La Corona (The Crown)” A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
	“Salim Baba” A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
	“Sari’s Mother” (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production James Longley
Achievement in film editing
	“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Christopher Rouse
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Juliette Welfling
	“Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment) Jay Cassidy
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Dylan Tichenor
Best foreign language film of the year
	“Beaufort” A Metro Communications, Movie Plus Production Israel
	“The Counterfeiters” An Aichholzer Filmproduktion, Magnolia Filmproduktion Production Austria
	“Katyń” An Akson Studio Production Poland
	“Mongol” A Eurasia Film Production Kazakhstan
	“12” A Three T Production Russia
Achievement in makeup
	“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
	“Norbit” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount) Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) Ve Neill and Martin Samuel
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
	“The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
	“3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
	“Falling Slowly” from “Once” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
	“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
	“Raise It Up” from “August Rush” (Warner Bros.) Nominees to be determined
	“So Close” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
	“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
Best motion picture of the year
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) A Working Title Production Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
	“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers
Best animated short film
	“I Met the Walrus” A Kids & Explosions Production Josh Raskin
	“Madame Tutli-Putli” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
	“Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
	“My Love (Moya Lyubov)” (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov
	“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman
Best live action short film
	“At Night” A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
	“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production Andrea Jublin
	“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (Premium Films) A Karé Production Philippe Pollet-Villard
	“Tanghi Argentini” (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
	“The Tonto Woman” A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown
Achievement in sound editing
	“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Matthew Wood
	“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins
Achievement in sound mixing
	“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
	“3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
	“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin
Achievement in visual effects
	“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
	“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier
Adapted screenplay
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
	“Away from Her” (Lionsgate) Written by Sarah Polley
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
Original screenplay
	“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Diablo Cody
	“Lars and the Real Girl” (MGM) Written by Nancy Oliver
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Written by Tony Gilroy
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Brad Bird Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
	“The Savages” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Tamara Jenkins *Information received from Oscars.org*

FINAL: Oscar Predictions - Major Categories

Best Picture
1) No Country for Old Men (Lock)
2) There Will Be Blood (Lock)
3) Michael Clayton (98% chance)
4) Into the Wild (95% chance)
5) Atonement (75% chance - a shot in the dark here but I think it will make it)

Alternates: Juno, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Director
1) Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men (Lock)
2) Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood (Lock)
3) Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Lock)
4) Sean Penn - Into the Wild (95% chance)
5) Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd (75% chance)

Alternate: Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton

Best Actor
1) Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood (Lock)
2) George Clooney - Michael Clayton (Lock)
3) Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd (Lock)
4) Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises (95% chance)
5) Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild (80% chance)

Alternate: Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl

Best Actress
1) Julie Christie - Away From Her (Lock)
2) Marion Cotillard - La Vi En Rose (Lock)
3) Ellen Page - Juno (Lock)
4) Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart (Lock)
5) Amy Adams - Enchanted (60 % chance)

Alternates: Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Laura Linney - The Savages

Best Supporting Actor
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) Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
5) Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War

Alternate: Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men

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

Alternates: Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

Best Original Screenplay
1) Michael Clayton
2) Juno
3) The Savages
4) Lars and the Real Girl
5) Ratatouille

Alternate: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Best Adapted Screenplay
1) No Country for Old Men
2) There Will Be Blood
3) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4) Zodiac
5) Into the Wild

Alternate: Atonement

So those are my final predictions before the announcement Tuesday morning. There certainly will be some surprises, but I believe these are the most likely nominations. I'm most uneasy about Atonement for Best Picture and Amy Adams for Best Actress. For Atonement, it is loved by many and not liked too much by others, but I believe the love will carry it through. As for Adams, I don't think Cate Blanchett will be nominated twice, especially when Elizabeth was loathed by so many as a film, and Adams is a nice change of pace for the lot. Tuesday morning can't come soon enough and I can't wait to see the actual nominees for this year's Oscar race.

REVIEW: Cloverfield (no spoilers)

After leaving the theater and walking out to my car I noticed a sensation in my body, like I needed to run or scream, anything to release this high amount of adrenaline that was still pumping through my body after watching Cloverfield. This is one of the most interesting and unique films that has ever been released and while it is not perfect, everyone should definitely be going to theaters to see it.
Cloverfield is about Manhattan coming under attack from something huge that is destroying the city and it's inhabitants. The view point is entirely from one of the main characters video camera and we only see and know what the camera sees and knows. The viewpoint can be disorienting at times, but for the most part it just adds to the immersion and experience.
This is a film that could never have been made in year's past, the amount of technology necessary to create this experience is amazing and really takes your breath away. This is defintely a thinking persons horror movie, to truly understand as much as you need to, you need to concentrate and study what is happening. This seems to be the way the film-makers intended the audience to watch.
I only have minor complaints for the film, including the slightly disorienting camera. The film is short (80 minutes), however I'm not sure how much longer is could have been but 15 more minutes may have dome some good. Lastly, there are a few cheesy lines thrown in the film, which whether they are meant to be or not, might trigger a laughing reflex.
Cloverfield is a film people must see in theaters to fully get the experience, I really don't see how this film would translate to your home even with the best home theater systems. If you want a refreshing, truly never-been-done film that makes you think and keeps you amped up, Cloverfield is your film. (SCORE: 9.4)

An End to the Writer's Strike?

According to latimes.com the DGA (Director's Guild of America) has reached a deal with the producers that gives them more than the deal offered to the writers during the settlement talks. However, now that the DGA has signed, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the writer's to sign as well. The writer's now have a precedent for what people in the industry find to be fair, and they won't likely get more than that.
Now the writers need to make a decision, do they continue to hold onto their hard line and demand to get exactly what they ask, or do they negotiate the same deal as the directors have. I believe in the coming weeks the writer's will do the latter and the strike will be over. I believe this because they don't have much bargaining power any more and because it's the smart thing to do. The producers want this to end and will likely agree to the same deal as the directors at this point. But, if given time to contemplate the contracts the producers may decide the directors deserve more and will use that as a platform to go lower than. This would not bode well for the writers as once this happens I do not believe there is any turning back. The second reason to settle is because many writers will feel like they now should, and if the union continues to fight and keep people out of work, the union will fall apart. This is most likely exactly what the producers would like to happen, and it will if they hold out now.
I was hoping for the writers to get what they were asking for, but they have lost their bargaining chip; they can hope that the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) will strike in the summer and maybe that will help them again or they can do the more realistic thing and negotiate the same deal as the DGA. This way the writer's contracts improve and the strike ends, hopefully before too many more writers lose their contracts where they were employed.

Top Ten Films of the Year!

I was going to put my final Oscar predictions today but instead (to make people sweat longer...and the fact that I can't decide) I will post my top ten films of the year. I will also do my top ten performances as well. My top ten films are:

Top Ten Films
1) No Country for Old Men
2) Zodiac
3) There Will Be Blood
4) Michael Clayton
5) Atonement
6) The Lookout
7) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
8) Into the Wild
9) Ratatouille
10) Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Honorable Mention
1) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2) Eastern Promises
3) Charlie Wilson's War

Top Ten Performances
1) Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
2) Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3) George Clooney - Michael Clayton
4) Virgo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
5) Marion Cotillard - La Vi En Rose
6) Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
7) Julie Christie - Away From Her
8) Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
9) Ellen Page - Juno
10) Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Honorable Mention
1) Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
2) Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
3) Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There

FINAL: Artistic and Technical nomination predictions

Before I give my final predictions for the major categories tomorrow, here are my predictions for the Artistic and Technical categories. These are very difficult to predict, but since this year's Oscar race has been so tough it seems fitting. My predictions are:

Editing
1) No Country for Old Men
2) Atonement
3) Michael Clayton
4) Into the Wild
5) There Will Be Blood

Art Direction
1) Sweeney Todd
2) Atonement
3) The Golden Compass
4) Hairspray
5) Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Cinematography
1) No Country for Old Men
2) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3) There Will Be Blood
4) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5) Atonement

Costume Design
1) Hairspray
2) Atonement
3) Elizabeth: The Golden Age
4) Sweeney Todd
5) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Makeup
1) La Vi En Rose
2) Sweeney Todd
3) 300
4) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (If there are more than 3)

Original Score
1) Atonement
2) Into the Wild
3) Eastern Promises
4) Ratatouille
5) There Will Be Blood

Original Song
1) Into the Wild
2) Once
3) Enchanted
4) Walk Hard
5) Hairspray

Sound Editing
1) Transformers
2) Ratatouille
3) Beowulf
4) Spider Man 3
5) Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End

Sound Mixing
1) Transformers
2) No Country for Old Men
3) 300
4) 3:10 to Yuma
5) The Bourne Ultimatum

Visual Effects
1) Transformers
2) 300
3) The Golden Compass
4) I am Legend (If there are more than 3)
5) Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End (If there are more than 3)

PGA nominations announced

The last big precursor of the year announced it's nominees this year, and it has done nothing to help clear up the confusion. The only thing that is a sure thing now is that Zodiac is done, apparently every precursor has forgotten it. Otherwise, they have made the predictions very difficult for Best Picture, with the only real boosts going to Michael Clayton and Juno. So here are the PGA nominees:

THE DARRYL F. ZANUCK PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax)
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight)
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax/Paramount Vantage)
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage/Miramax)

THE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN ANIMATED THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
"Bee Movie" (Dreamworks Animation)
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation)
"The Simpsons Movie" (20th Century FOX)

What the Golden Globes winners mean for the Oscars

The Golden Globes were announced today and while they were not televised and the spectacle was not made as usual, the impact on the Oscar's was very real. There were quite a few surprises tonight and some that may have big effects on Oscar chances.
First, Juno was hurt big time today, real big. Ellen Page losing Best Actress in comedy/musical to Marion Cotillard was not only unexpected but really sealed the deal for Julie Christie come Oscar night. However, Juno losing to Sweeney Todd in the Best Picture for comedy/musical was a huge hit. It was expected to walk away with this one easily and it didn't. This hurts Juno's chances for Best Picture and puts it as a real borderline contender now. It needs a PGA nomination tomorrow morning or it's done. Michael Clayton also did not win any of it's nominations, the difference being that it was not expected to and it's in a much more competitive category. I believe Michael Clayton is in better shape for Best Picture, but it also really could use a PGA nomination tomorrow.
Second, Atonement got a huge, huge boost today with the win over No Country for Old Men. Atonement has been so beloved by Europe but not as much by America and it was considered to be hanging by a thread to even get nominated for Best Picture. The win pretty much locks it up to get nominated, but does it give it a chance to win like it once was thought to have? Probably not, as No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood will probably have the best chance (although watch out for Into the Wild if it is nominated).
Last, the biggest surprise was Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly winning Best Director over Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men. The Coen brothers have pretty much swept the precursors (with the occasional win for Paul T. Anderson, who was not nominated ironically) so this was a big surprise. However, the Foreign Press really likes this film and it does not shock me that he won, I believe the American Press will feel differently.
So, as the PGA nominations come tomorrow we are that close to all the precursor's to the Oscar nominations. We were hoping that after tomorrow things would be much clearer as to what the Oscar nominations will be, but that does not look like the case. If anything, January 22nd may be the most exciting Oscar nominations ever announced and I truly can't wait for that day.

Golden Globes Winners!

Film Awards
Best Picture for Drama - Atonement
Best Picture for Comedy/Musical - Sweeney Todd
Best Director - Julian Schanbel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Actor in Drama (film) - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress in Drama (film) - Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Actress in Comedy/Musical (film) - Marion Cotillard, La Vi En Rose
Best Actor in Comedy/Musical (film) - Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Supporting Actress (film) - Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Best Supporting Actor (film) - Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Animated Film - Ratatouille

Television Awards
Best TV Drama - Mad Men
Best TV Comedy - Extras
Best Actor (TV Drama) - Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Best Actress (TV Drama) - Glenn Close, Damages
Best Actor (TV Comedy) - David Duchovny, Californication
Best Actress (TV Comedy) - Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Best Actress (TV Miniseries or Movie) - Queen Latifah, Life Support
Best Supporting Actor (TV) - Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Best Supporting Actress (TV) - Samantha Morton, Longford

What do the WGA nominations mean for the Oscars?

After today's nominations of the WGA awards, there is only one major award nomination to be announced and that is the PGA awards on Monday. That being said the WGA has helped some films and hurt others.
First off Zodiac got a needed nomination if it wants to stay in the race at all, it really needed a DGA, WGA and PGA to have a shot, but since it did not receive a DGA nomination it desperately needs a PGA nomination now. If it does in fact get that nomination, it still has a shot at being a surprise Best Picture nomination. Juno also got a slight boost for it's Best Picture hopes, although everyone expected it to get this nomination. It deserves a screenplay nomination, just not a Best Picture nomination and I am still one of the few who does not believe it will get one. Although, I said Dreamgirls wouldn't get one last year and I looked like a genius later so, who knows. Strangely enough I believe Laura Linney got a little boost today because The Savages got a nomination and any press for this film helps her out. Lastly, Michael Clayton got a another big boost after Tuesday's DGA nomination and it is looking like more of a realistic possibility then ever.
There were also several films that took a huge hit today. Atonement was crushed again with no mention at all. If it does not get a PGA nomination it's dead; if it wasn't already. Sweeney Todd also took a big blow and is in the same situation as Atonement but has less of a shot. Looks like this year's Oscar race is narrowing down some, but it is still crowded and insanely difficult to predict. It will be quite exciting when the nominees are announced!