Oscar Picks for 2007

Matching up my Oscar picks with the list released last night, I made some good calls, but was surprised with a few picks as well as snubs.

Surprising picks -
Tommy Lee Jones - Best Actor. Wow, this wasn't even his best performance of the year.
Juno - Best Picture. I liked it, and considered it, but didn't think it had the momentum.
Jason Reitman - Best Director. Granted, the film was good, but it was a witty dramedy, not a whole lot of direction necessary.
Ruby Dee - Best Supporting Actress. She was in the film for maybe 12 minutes, and wasn't all that impressive. This is a make-up nod for her past body of work.

Snubs-
Sean Penn - Best Director. Simply because Reitman was nominated, it's a shame that Penn wasn't.
Josh Brolin - Best Actor. The star of the best film of the year had a lot to do with it. He deserves Jones' slot. If not Brolin, then Hirsch.

Those are the majors. Looking at minor categories, I am shocked that Jonny Greenwood didn't get a nod for Original Score for There Will Be Blood. Likewise for Eddie Vedder for Guaranteed from Into the Wild. Come on, three nods for Enchanted? It was cute, but not moving in the slightest.

I've said my piece, I'll leave you with this; Transformers deserves the special effects and sound editing awards, hands down. That movie was entertaining and impressive.

My picks are listed first, with my winner in bold. Additional Academy nominations are italicized. Enjoy the show.

Best Picture
• No Country For Old Men
• There Will Be Blood
• Into the Wild
• Atonement
• Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Juno
Michael Clayton

Best Director
• Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country For Old Men
• Sean Penn – Into the Wild
• Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood
• Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
• Sidney Lumet – Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Jason Reitman
Julian Schnabel

Best Actor
• Daniel Day Lewis – There Will Be Blood
• Viggo Mortenson – Eastern Promises
• Josh Brolin – No Country For Old Men
• Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
• George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Johnny Depp
Tommy Lee Jones

Best Actress
• Ellen Page – Juno
• Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
• Keira Knightley – Atonement
• Amy Adams – Enchanted
• Laura Linney – The Savages
Cate Blanchett
Julie Christie
Marion Cotillard

Best Supporting Actor
• Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
• Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
• Josh Brolin – American Gangster
Casey Affleck
Hal Holbrook

Best Supporting Actress
• Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
• Amy Adams – Charlie Wilson’s War
• Amy Ryan – Gone, Baby, Gone
• Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Cate Blanchett
Ruby Dee

Best Adapted Screenplay
• No Country For Old Men
• There Will Be Blood
• Atonement
• Into the Wild
Away From Her
Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Original Screenplay
• Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
• Juno
• Michael Clayton
• Eastern Promises
• The Savages
Lars and the Real Girl
Ratatouille