It's that time of year again and for my first post I will pick my favorites for the year.
Best Picture Nominees
No Country For Old Men
Juno
Micheal Clayton
There Will Be Blood
Atonement

Should Win: Solely on reviews and other prediction sites, I hear No Country is boring and the ending stunk. There Will Be Blood is too dark for the Academy and Michael Clayton is too conventional. Also Atonement had mixed reviews critics either loved it or hated it.I absolutely adored Juno and was my personal favorite of the year.

Will Win: All hints lead to No Country but I will still be routing for a Juno upset.
Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominees:
Julie Christie: Away From Her
Ellen Page: Juno
Laura Linney: The Savages
Cate Blanchett: Elisabeth The Golden Age
Marion Cotilard: La Vie En Rose

Should Win: Ellen Page made the whole movie theater want to laugh and cry at the same time. Not bad for a 20 year old. Cate Blanchett was good but a little boring and dull in her reprise roll of Queen Elisabeth the first. Julie Christie was also very good but she bored me and I thought her opposite Gordon Pinsent was better in Away From Her. Laura Linney was a surprise to be nominated but well deserved. Marion Cotilard is a few major critics choices but voters may not vote for her solely because the movie was subtitled.

Will Win: All hints again lead to Julie Christie (the academy likes old folks see last years winner Helen Mirren) But I will root for an Ellen Page upset in this category.
Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
George Clooney: Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis: There Will Be Blood
Viggo Mortensen: Eastern Promises
Johnny Depp: Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones: In the Valley of Elah

Should win: apparently DDL is bone chilling in TWBB and won all of the previous awards and many websites are calling for his win. But Johnny Depp could get a deserved award too.

Will win: Do I have to say it? Daniel Day Lewis has this locked up.

Best Director nominees:
Coen Brothers: No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy: Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman: Juno
Julian Schnabel: The Diving Bell and Butterfly
Paul Thomas Anderson: There Will Be Blood

Should and Will win: The Coen brothers are long due for their hugely critcally acclaimed NCFOM. But again I will pray for a Juno upset with Jason Reitman.

Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Ruby Dee: American Gangster
Tilda Swinton: Michael Clayton
Cate Blanchett: I'm Not There
Amy Ryan: Gone Baby Gone
Saoirse Ronan: Atonement

Should Win: It's a real horse race such an open category gonna say all should and can win.

Will win: Well let's see critics say Tilda Swinton gave a physically and emotionally great performance, Amy Ryan has been getting alot of buzz and Ruby Dee could get a win for her career background and Saoirse Ronan is a little young (14!) But it wouldn't be the first time an oscar has gone to a young person. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say Cate Blancett.

Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Javier Bardem: No Country for Old Men
Phillip Seymour Hoffman: Charlie Wilson's War
Casey Affleck: The Assassination of Jesse James...
Tom Wilkinson: Michael Clayton
Hal Holbrook: Into the Wild

Should and Will win: Again Javier has the lock on this one but I wouldn't mind a Casey Affleck upset

Other Categories in next post!