Oscar will love ‘No Country For Old Men’

“Michael Clayton”
George Clooney, George Clooney, George Clooney — he’s why “Michael Clayton” was made, he’s the hook for how it was marketed, and he’s certainly the linchpin of the film’s Oscar campaign. But if the Academy’s obvious admiration for the actor-director wasn’t enough to boost the Oscar chances of “Good Night, and Good Luck,” a film that was even more his baby than “Clayton” is, it seems unlikely that voters will be swayed in great enough numbers toward this intelligent thriller.

Warner Bros.

Then again, there’s no discounting the fact that “Michael Clayton” is the only film this year to receive acting nominations in multiple categories. And past Academy Awards seasons have certainly taught us that, if you’re going to have one branch firmly in your corner, you want it to be the actors. They’re a sizable voting bloc that can make or break a movie.

“There Will Be Blood”
Paramount Vantage’s Oscar campaign is stressing the fact that “There Will Be Blood” is a modern classic, a film for the ages, one that will be discussed and contemplated for decades to come. And they’re right. But the Academy rarely notices films like that when they’re new, so Paul Thomas Anderson’s ambitious exploration of greed and corporate chicanery will probably take its place among previous also-rans like “Raging Bull,” “2001,” “Goodfellas” and “Citizen Kane.” Besides, like certain presidential candidates, “Blood” is the kind of film that creates detractors as harsh as its partisans are fervent, which makes winning awards tricky.

Paramount Vantage

On the plus side? Well, it’s a great movie, for what that’s worth. And as the least-seen best picture contender when the nominees were announced, the buzz for “Blood” has only built in the last few months. We’ll know soon enough if its ascension will take it high enough to beat out the competition.

Should have been nominated: “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

Warner Bros.

And no, not just for longest title, either. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik (from the novel by Ron Hansen), “Jesse James” takes a familiar chapter of Wild West lore and turns it into … well, “art,” for lack of a better word. Casey Affleck’s haunting performance as Ford — he received a best supporting actor nod this year, but trust me, it’s a lead — is arresting from start to finish as he inhabits a man who longs to be close to greatness, only to find himself shackled by his mediocrity when he finally gets to rub elbows with his idol Jesse (an equally riveting Brad Pitt).

While the Academy recognized Affleck and cinematographer Roger Deakins with nominations, “Jesse James” was mostly ignored by the viewing public, mainly because distributor Warner Bros. feared its 160-minute running time and its elegiac, poetic tone. But the film was certainly a high point of 2007, deserving of both a best picture nomination and the publicity boost such an honor would have provided.

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