2008 Oscar Nominations: Reaction

The Oscar nominations are in which means it's time to debate. In one corner we have Dre Rivas, proud defender of Juno, There Will Be Blood, and Michael Clayton - South Florida's answer to Pete Hammond. Squaring off against him, Laremy Legel, the man who hates everything up to and including unicorns. Enough digression, let's see what the fellas think of the 2008 Academy Award Nominations.

BEST PICTURE

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Dre's Take:
I'm loving this overall. I would have left Atonement off and No Country would have just barely missed so I could make room for Jesse James and Zodiac, but overall I really like all five films.

Come on, Laremy, I know you're boiling that Juno and There Will Be Blood were nominated. How's that taste, huh? Tastes like Dre's victory dance is what it tastes like. Not sure who I'm rooting for at this point. Probably There Will Be Blood, though I know nothing would upset you more if Juno won. That might be too good to pass up.

Laremy's Take:
Yeah, yeah, enjoy yourself, bub. I just ask you this, and I ask it with true curiosity -- how was Juno one of the top five of the year? Top 20, sure. But not top five. As for your critical darling, There Will Be Blood, it wasn't executed well. Was it purty? Sure. Was it interesting? You bet. Was it Paul Thomas Anderson's worst film in ten years? Indeed. I give him high marks for trying something new but low marks for not knocking it out of the park.

I would have put Reign Over Me in here. And I wouldn't have been mad about an Assassination of Jesse James nom. Both of those films were worthy of some love. Awww, heck. We didn't even get to my "Michael Clayton is average" speech. That would have been fun.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Ruby Dee, Amercian Gangster
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement

Dre's Take:
The Ruby Dee nomination really sticks in my craw. This is her entire performance: Surprise, a house! Angry slap to Denzel! Oscar nom! I've said this a thousand times I know, but if they wanted to nominate someone for five minutes of work, you nominate Vanessa Redgrave for Atonement. She did some of the best work of the year in her limited time.

I'm happy Soairse Ronan wasn't ignored though. She was the second best thing in the movie I thought. All the other nominees are A-okay in my book.

Laremy's Take:
Oddly enough we seem almost simpatico here. I'm with you on Ruby Dee. I've already forgotten her performance. You're also spot on with Redgrave, she was aces. My only real gripe is the lack of Kelly Macdonald. She was extremely effective in No Country and deserved better than the shaft.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Dre's Take:
This is another good crop. I don't really care who wins as long as their last name ends in Hoffman, Affleck or Bardem. Bardem, I guess, deserves it though for creating one of the great screen villains. Should I get into my rant on how Affleck was really the lead in that movie? No? Okay. If it were me I would have substituted Holbrook with Adam Sandler for Reign Over Me. Please send hate mail to Laremy. He's the one who made me watch it.

Laremy's Take:
Just to be clear, Michael Clayton had the best acting of the decade, eh? Sheesh. I'm glad you're carrying the Reign Over Me water for me, I feel like a proud parent. I would have taken Crowe or Denzel for American Gangster in this mix, once we figured out who was who was the lead.

Part Two (Best Actress, Actor, Director) Here!

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