BEST DIRECTOR
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
How badly Dre screwed the pooch: 4 out of 5 correct
No Sean Penn directing nod, huh? Okay, Penn, if you’re out there, watch out. I’m the lion in this flat of land and you are my zebra and so help me if you walk across this plain. Yes, once again Into the Wild wrongs me. I got one supporting actress, one actor and one director nod wrong and in every case, it was because I picked an Into the Wild candidate. I know Penn is getting a divorce, but that is no excuse for him to do me like this.
I predicted Atonement would be nominated Best Picture but not director. But I have to say, I don’t quite understand it. If they had done that with Juno (which they didn’t), I would have at least understood where they were coming from. But this I don’t get. Joe Wright made what could have been a very boring film a fairly swift, beautiful and technically brilliant one.
But bravo to all the nominees here, including Reitman who can now tell Diablo Cody to suck his balls. The Coens, Schnabel and P.T. Anderson were obvious choices but they deserved it. Gilroy I wasn’t 100% on but I trusted them DGA folk. Good show m’boys!
Andrew Dominick and David Fincher nominations would have been rockin’ but once again, this was a fool’s dream.
The rest of the nominees I didn’t bother predicting but here’s my thoughts on some of them.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
I would have loved it if Once, Reign Over Me and Black Snake Moan had gotten some love but I knew these were long shots to varying degrees. I didn’t see Lars happening but I love that Ratatouille nom. Juno and Clayton were the no-brainers.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Atonement
Away From Her
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
First of all, I love the strong showing There Will Be Blood had this morning. The only entry here that really took me by surprise was Sarah Polley’s Away From Her nomination. I haven’t seen the movie yet, it’s sitting here on my coffee table, but I like Polley so more power to her.
But where the hell is Steven Zaillian’s great American Gangster screenplay? Where is Aaron Sorkin’s Charlie Wilson’s War recognition? Did Julia Roberts kill that movie that badly? If I were Hanks, Sorkin and Nichols, I’d consider suing her and get that salary back. I would have dropped Diving Bell, Away From Her and Atonement and give the last spot to Jess James.
I’m going to skip over a lot of categories here now because I either don’t find them interesting or haven’t seen a lot of the entries (I’m looking at you Best Foreign Film).
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf’s Up
Surf’s Up? Wow. I would have slotted in Beowulf which was a lot more interesting and exciting piece of filmmaking but whatever. It will be interesting to see if Persepolis has the stuff to upset Pixar, but I doubt it.
