Applause and Guufaws: Reacting to the nominations for the 80th Academy Awards

*- Preference to win **-Prediction to win

Best motion picture of the year:
“Atonement”
“Juno” *
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men” **
“There Will Be Blood”

A solid category all around, but I'd like to see Zodiac here (wishful thinking.) Into the Wild's exclusion is a harbinger of its fate in other categories. (Predictions: 4/5)

Achievement in directing:
Julian Schnabel - “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” *
Jason Reitman - “Juno”
Tony Gilroy - “Michael Clayton”
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - “No Country for Old Men” **
Paul Thomas Anderson - “There Will Be Blood”

Let's hear it for Jason Reitman! That's definatley the best (and most deserved) suprise of the nominations. Still waiting for Burton to be recognized. (3/5)

Actor in a leading role:
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton”
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” * **
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”

No real suprises outside of Jones in a film I'm really excited to see. They sadly shut out Gordon Pinsent for Away from Her. (4/5)

Actress in a leading role:
Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Julie Christie in “Away from Her” **
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”
Laura Linney in “The Savages”
Ellen Page in “Juno” *
Blanchett gets a nod for anything nowadays, but Linney is a wonderful actress, so good for her. (3/5)

Actor in a supporting role:
Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” * **
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”

No suprises here, considering Jones got a nod elsewhere. (4/5)

Actress in a supporting role:
Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” * **
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”

Into the Wild had a weak showing allowing Dee to snag the nod. (4/5)

Best Original Screenplay:
“Juno” * **
“Lars and the Real Girl”
“Michael Clayton”
“Ratatouille”
“The Savages”

Damn, no love for Knocked Up OR Eastern Promises, its a shame. (4/5)

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Atonement"
"Away from Her"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"No Country for Old Men" * **
"There Will be Blood"

Away from Her was very well written, and I'm glad to see it get something outside of actress.
(4/5)