Oscar Noms: Best Actor and Best Actress

Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett,
“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Julie Christie, “Away From Her”

Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”
Laura Linney, “The
Savages”
Ellen Page, “Juno”

I’d Bet On: Julie Christie will win this one. 

Dark Horse: Marion Cotillard would have won if it weren’t for that little Canadian film that could.

Filler: Blanchett will go home with Best Supporting. Laura Linney gets a well-deserved nom for her fantastic role in The Savages and Juno is Juno thanks to the wicked tongue performance delivered by  up-and-comer actress Page. 

Where is?: A nom for Keira Knighley in Atonement would have been far from inappropriate and if I had my say the top perf of the year would have been given to Anamaria Marinca‘s incredible standout performance in 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days.

Best Actor:

George Clooney, “Michael Clayton”
Daniel
Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”
Johnny Depp, “Sweeney Todd”

Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises”
Tommy Lee Jones, “In
the Valley of Elah”

I’d Bet On: Daniel
Day-Lewis. Obvious choice.

Dark Horse: Clooney and Michael Clayton have plenty of clout here but is nowhere close.

Filler: Depp and Viggo deserve noms but the nod towards Tommy Lee Jones could have been replaced  by…:

Where is?: Ryan Gosling‘s role in a odd-comedy didn’t win over all critics, Emile Hirsch was great in Into the Wild and Frank Langella was little seen in Starting out in the Evening.