The oil industry, a botched Texas drug deal, teenage pregnancy, a corporate scandal and forbidden love. Welcome to the 80th Annual Academy Awards.
For anyone who fills out an Oscar ballot, official or not, these are subjects explored in the films nominated for best picture at this year's Academy Awards, airing on ABC at 8 p.m. Sunday. In respective order, these best picture nominees include There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Juno, Michael Clayton and Atonement.
The ceremony, which will be hosted by Jon Stewart, venerates the outstanding film achievements of 2007 in 24 categories, as determined by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Director Robert Altman is set to receive an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement.
As for the top contenders nominated, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood are tied with eight nominations, while Atonement bears seven.
No film has won best picture without being nominated for editing since Ordinary People in 1981. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood were both nominated for editing; Michael Clayton, Atonement and Juno were not.
Tune in as our film reporting staff offers their thoughts on the big show.
Dustin's Picks
Credentials: senior-journalism
Favorite Film of 2007: No Country for Old Men
Best Picture
Will Win: No Country for Old Men delivers a long-deserved best picture award to directors Ethan and Joel Coen.
Should Win: There Will Be Blood is equally worthy, but the Coens' reputation will help. Paul Thomas Anderson's film is also a little denser and tougher to unravel, and that challenge might keep voters away. And Juno is to quirky films what The O.C. soundtracks were to independent music, the turning point when a unique aesthetic was swallowed up and regurgitated as just another sub-genre.
Best Actor
Will Win: There Will Be Blood's Daniel Day-Lewis is a lock for the most engaging portrayal of a man driven to madness and loneliness by greed since Citizen Kane.
Should Win: Day-Lewis is deserving, though Viggo Mortensen's nod is a pleasant surprise as the only Academy recognition of Eastern Promises, which deserved nominations for best picture and best director. In a year without a lock like Day-Lewis, Mortensen would be a fine dark horse, but he'll have to settle for the nomination.
Best Actress
Will Win: Away From Her star Julie Christie's Golden Globe win bodes well for Oscar time.
Should Win: Anyone but Ellen Page. A win for her role in the overrated Juno would steer the talented young actress into more self-conscious performances, which could deter a promising career. Page shows Oscar promise, but Juno is too slight a film and too early in her development. And where is the recognition for Laura Dern in Inland Empire?
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Javier Bardem made No Country for Old Men antagonist Anton Chigurh the most compelling movie murderer since Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter took the gold in 1992.
Should Win: As with best actor, Bardem is the obvious choice, and the other nominees are just taking up space. Ben Foster's role in 3:10 to Yuma would have made a nice addition.
Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Ruby Dee, riding the win from the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Should Win: Dee's "criminal's mother" role in American Gangster is too generic to honor, and something like Cate Blanchett's role in I'm Not There is far more worthy of consideration.
Best Director
Will Win: The Coens for No Country for Old Men, surpassing even their past accomplishments with Fargo to deliver their finest drama.
Should Win: Anderson has entirely eclipsed his past work with his new film, although the Coens have a much lengthier career to draw upon for voter support. Either choice is worthy.
Mark's Picks
Credentials: junior-journalism
Favorite Film of 2007: There Will Be Blood
Best Picture
Will Win: No Country for Old Men has already won too many awards to not pick up this coveted prize.
Should Win: There Will Be Blood -- Even if it doesn't win, it'll still be remembered as one of the year's finest films. Atonement looks like an Oscar movie, feels like an Oscar movie, but doesn't have the chops to take down two near-masterpieces. Michael Clayton has even less of a chance of winning than Juno, which received a courtesy Little Miss Sunshine nod and will get recognized solely for its original screenplay from Diablo Cody.
Best Actor
Will Win: Day-Lewis is a lock, even if he already won in 1989 for playing a man stricken with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot.
Should Win: Day-Lewis is a careful selector of his roles. He acts in one film every five or so years and puts every fiber of his being into delivering a tour-de-force performance.
Best Actress
Will Win: Christie has won everywhere for playing a woman stricken with Alzheimer's Syndrome. Helen Mirren won last year for The Queen, so if Christie takes it, the qualifications for best actress next year should be: must be a seasoned British actress whose nuanced performance consistently overshadows the film.
Should Win: La Vie en Rose's Marion Cotillard is a serious contender. Page may be the rising star favorite, but it would be foolish to bestow a newcomer with such an ego boost. Hopefully, she won't be as disappointed as Haley Joel Osment was when he lost to Michael Caine in 2000. Try, try again.
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Bardem seems like a lock for his portrayal of a ruthless murderer with frightening and daring conviction. He had a best actor nomination in 2000 for Before Night Falls, but this role will be his launching pad to stardom.
Should Win: This was a strong year for supporting actors. Though he might not deserve a win, Paul Dano's role in There Will Be Blood was very excellent. Philip Seymour Hoffman stole his scenes in Charlie Wilson's War. Nevertheless, this category is between Bardem and Hal Holbrook, whose work in Into the Wild should not go unnoticed.
Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Dee is finally getting respected for a career spanning eight decades. Maybe the Academy regrets not rewarding her for A Raisin in the Sun 46 years ago. This is unlikely, but there must be a good reason why she was praised for her stereotypical bit part in American Gangster.
Should Win: Amy Ryan. The clips of her in Gone Baby Gone as a low-class alcoholic mother with a kidnapped daughter look very passionate. As a tribute to her moving work in The Wire, I'll root for her as an underdog to the refined Miss Dee.
Best Director
Will Win: The Coens. The best picture and best director categories usually go hand-in-hand.
Should Win: The Coens. The Coens and Anderson both warrant awards for their filmmaking in the near future, but the Coens have a more extensive, mature body of work and their time has come.
Vinny's Picks
Credentials: senior-journalism
Favorite Film of 2007: Juno
Best Picture
Will Win:There Will Be Blood will earn an Oscar in this category over No Country For Old Men, but it's going to be a close one.
Should Win: No Country for Old Men is just as deserving in the tight race for best picture. Juno was my personal favorite, but when I look at the nominees objectively, it doesn't appear worthy of the award.
Best Actor
Will Win: With long periods with no dialogue in There Will Be Blood, it would be hard for any actor to keep the audience captivated, but Day-Lewis pulls it off, and will take the award.
Should Win: The only other person worth considering might be Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah, which is his third Oscar nomination.
Best Actress
Will Win: I don't necessarily think Page should even be nominated in this category (even though I love the movie), but because of the independent angle and the popularity of Juno, she'll win.
Should Win: After three nominations and one win in this category (for 1965's Darling), Christie is much more deserving of the Oscar for her portrayal of an Alzheimer's patient in Away From Her.
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Bardem's performance as the killer Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men will win him a shiny gold man and propel him into more leading roles, as well as more nominations.
Should Win: Though Michael Clayton was a slow-to-the-punch crime thriller, Tom Wilkinson's portrayal of a crazed defense attorney gone AWOL was captivating. A long shot, but one to watch for.
Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Dee will take home her first Oscar this year, though it might be for a lifetime of acting. She is completely undeserving for her role in American Gangster. And that's all I have to say about that.
Should Win: Anyone but Dee in this category would be a far better choice.
Best Director
Will Win: The Coen brothers can sit back and wait for their names to be called. After years of great movies and one Oscar win for writing Fargo, they'll finally take home a directing award.
Should Win: The best director and best picture categories are going to be a split between No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, which might deserve an upset in this category.
