Who Will Win/Who Should Win/Who Should've Been Nominatinated

BEST PICTURE

WILL: No Country for Old Men- This movie has taken every precursor and critics award that it could. With a phenomenal ensemble, amazing techs, and a constantly engaging storyline this movie has it in the bag.

SHOULD: There Will Be Blood- This movie took is, to me, only slightly better than No Country for Old Men, but it has everything No Country has and the addition of a powerhouse performance that will be remembered for as long as Orson Welles or Marlon Brando, and a supporting role by Paul Dano that more than held its weight against Daniel Day-Lewis. Please Academy, choose the better man.

SHOULD'VE BEEN: Into the Wild- This is the best picture of 2007, not only should it have been nominated but it should have won. With an ensemble cast far superior to any this season and a story that was intelligent, epic, intimate, relevant, and heart wrenching this was the film to beat.

BEST ACTOR
WILL/SHOULD: Daniel Day-Lewis- This was no just a performance it was the birth of an entirely new person, this kind of performance will be remembered with Orson Welles or Marlon Brando.

SHOULD'VE BEEN: Ryan Gosling- Lars and the Real Girl was a story that could've gone haywire in any other hands except Gosling's who saw this story as a tender character study of man terrified of the world, easily one of the best of the year.

BEST ACTRESS
WILL: Julie Christie- Industry respect and a raved role will push her into the win.

SHOULD: Ellen Page- Her situation is similar to Gosling's except she has the chance to win. Juno is a tough role to play and play it with depth and dimension which is exactly what Page does and ever so dutifully.

SHOULD'VE BEEN: Amy Adams- Bringing the Disney princess of Gisele to life is a great feat in and of itself once again showing Adams' range, but perhaps the academy wants to see her really push into a dramatic role and show off her chops there.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WILL: Javier Bardem- Like Day-Lewis this guy is a steamroller of a performance overshadowing the rest of the cast in the opinion of the academy. Bardem creates a monster so horrific and so memorable we are sooner to forget Hannibal Lector than Anton Chigurh

SHOULD: Bardem/Hal Holbrook- I think both should win, yes I know that is a cop out but give me a break, Holbrook shined in a movie full of strong performances and weighty messages, he was the cherry on the top of the Into the Wild sundae. At the same time Bardem deserves the award for the sheer individuality and challenge of his role.

SHOULD'VE BEEN: Paul Dano- In There Will Be Blood Dano proved that he was no teenage miscreant, or meant to live in the shadow of Abigail Breslin, but instead showed that his acting ability is immense and deserving of an award for simply being memorable against Day-Lewis.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
WILL: Cate Blanchett- Her performance is another very memorable performance, she drove a lot of the film I'm Not There, and the academy loves the cross-gendered actor, but she's won in this category recently and perhaps the academy wants a new face (or an old one).

SHOULD: Saoirse Ronan- Thats right folks, no Ruby Dee here or Amy Ryan, no, instead I have chose the young girl from Atonement. She was the jewel on an already beautiful crown and deserves an award for being the most remember of 3 extraordinary performances of the same character and for driving one of the year's most beautiful films.

SHOULD'VE BEEN: TIE: Catherine Keener, Vanessa Redgrave- Two women from two of my favorite films this year, both wonderful in different ways. Keener is simply spectacular in Into the Wild where she way outshines her performance in Capote which she was nominated for, and Redgrave delivers the devastating conclusion to Atonement with so much conviction and presence its hard to believe we only see her for maybe 8 minutes.

BEST DIRECTOR
WILL: The Coen Brothers- Their work in No Country is being called unrivaled and groundbreaking, and I would agree for the most part, they have truly outdone themselves.

SHOULD: Paul Thomas Anderson- Sure, perhaps I am a bit bias. PT Anderson has shown with There Will Be Blood that he isn't simply a brilliant writer, but an artist. I mentioned earlier Dano's performance and how great it was, and then thought about the fact that maybe Dano isn't great alone like DDL is, but neither is Adam Sandler, but PTA managed to yank the most sincere performance of Sandler's career out of him and THAT is true directorial skill.

SHOULD'VE BEEN: Sean Penn- In keeping with the theme of a few of my other categories, I believe Sean Penn stringed together the most beautiful, passionate, perfect film of the year in Into the Wild and deserves his recognition.