Features







2007-08 Oscar Calendar



[Monday, December 3, 2007]

Official Screen Credits
Forms Due.


[Wednesday, December 26, 2007]

Nominations ballots mailed.


[Saturday, January 12, 2008]

Nominations polls close
5 p.m. PST.


[Tuesday, January 22, 2008]

Nominations announced
5:30 a.m. PST
Samuel Goldwyn Theater


[Wednesday, January 30, 2008]

Final ballots mailed.


[Monday, February 4, 2008]

Nominees Luncheon


[Saturday, February 9, 2008]

Scientific and Technical
Awards Dinner


[Tuesday, February 19, 2008]

Final polls close 5 p.m. PST.


[Sunday, February 24, 2008]

79th Annual
Academy Awards Presentation
Kodak Theatre

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"Juno" (****)

juno1.jpg


Not that Fox Searchlight’s “Juno” needs another champion in the mix, but this film is such a giant leap forward in artistic discipline from director Jason Reitman that I have to say something. And at the risk of drifting into hyperbole, I’ll keep it short.


“Juno” is the best comedy to hit screens in at least five years. I have to go back to “Punch Drunk Love” to find a laugher that is working with an equally impressive arsenal. While trying filmmakers continuously attempt to make the quirky significant (Wes Anderson), and still others strive too hard for stylized realism in their humor (Judd Apatow), Jason Reitman is making it look so easy it’s scary. And he’s doing it under the radar, if you can believe it. Everyone is so caught up in Diablo Cody’s admittedly adorable screenplay that the real story is getting lost in the mix: a filmmaker’s lightning-quick rise to a level of pretension-free control in the span of 18 months.


Everything you’ve read about Ellen Page is real. A star is born; a new and vibrant comedic sketch of a character enters the pantheon, etc. But any dissent you come across regarding the film’s Best Picture hopes is beyond me. When I tossed the film into my predicted five during the Toronto love-fest, it was admittedly sideshow guessing. But sitting there with happy man-tears constantly welling up in my eyes, hearing the unabashed adoration coming from others in the packed screening, it was enough to convince me that “Juno” is Searchlight’s heavy-hitter. Not “The Savages,” not “Once,” it’s all “Juno” – a film with more going for it, I would wager, than “Little Miss Sunshine” a year ago.


I can’t say enough about Page’s beautifully rendered portrayal, Michael Cera’s painfully touching support, Jennifer Garner’s best work to date and Jason Bateman’s convincing plight. Performances from J.K. Simmons and Allison Janey are just gravy on the top. So a SAG ensemble bid is well on its way. The editors will be on board when the ACE dishes out comedy achievements. Golden Globes? Absolutely. And, if it makes money, the PGA will follow suit. It’s a road paved with gold if the studio wants it. That’s all I’m saying.


A huge bravo to all involved. “Juno” is without a doubt one of the very best films of the year.

Comments

That's great to hear! I'm sure it'll be a great film, and seeing this as a best picture nominee seems right to me, but what else could it get nominated for besides Picture, Screenplay, and Actress. Comedies like this never get nominated in editing. And it seems like the film that doesn't get the director nomination.

On a side note, I saw American Gangster tonight. I have to disagree with you. It seems like it's going to be a box office and critical hit. The audience went wild. I'd be VERY surprised if it didn't at least get nominated in Actor and editing.

Four Wedding And a Funeral was nominated for best picture and screenplay and that's it. If they like it...

How much did Fox Searchlight pay you for this?

I think it is the best comedy of the year, hands down, I loved everything about this film, honest to blog.

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2008 Year in Advance Predictions


UPDATED: 2/25/2008





Main Charts | Tech Charts



[Motion Picture]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Revolutionary Road”

“The Soloist”



[Directing]

David Fincher
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard
“Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant
“Milk”

Sam Mendes
“Revolutionary Road”

Joe Wright
“The Soloist”



[Actor in a Leading Role]

Benicio Del Toro
“The Argentine”

Jamie Foxx
“The Soloist”

Frank Langella
“Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn
“Milk”

Brad Pitt
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”



[Actress in a Leading Role]

Vera Farmiga
“Nothing But the Truth”

Angelina Jolie
“Changeling”

Julianne Moore
“Blindness”

Meryl Streep
“Doubt”

Kate Winslet
“Revolutionary Road”



[Actor in a Supporting Role]

Josh Brolin
“Milk”

Russell Crowe
“Body of Lies”

Robert Downey, Jr.
“The Soloist”

Heath Ledger
“The Dark Knight”

Michael Sheen
“Frost/Nixon”



[Actress in a Supporting Role]

Amy Adams
“Doubt”

Kathy Bates
“Revolutionary Road”

Cate Blanchett
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Catherine Keener
“The Soloist”

Carice van Houten
“Body of Lies”



[Writing, Adapted Screenplay]

“Body of Lies”

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Writing, Original Screenplay]

“Changeling”

“Hamlet 2”

“Milk”

“The Soloist”

“WALL·E”



[Art Direction]

“Australia”

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Red Cliff”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Cinematography]

“Australia”

“The Dark Knight”

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Costume Design]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Doubt”

“The Other Boleyn Girl”

“Red Cliff”

“Revolutionary Road”



[Film Editing]

“Body of Lies”

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Defiance”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”



[Makeup]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“The Dark Knight”

“Red Cliff”



[Music, Original Score]

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“The Soloist”

“Revolutionary Road”

“WALL·E”



[Music, Original Song]

coming soon



[Sound Editing]

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Iron Man”

“Speed Racer”

“WALL·E”



[Sound Mixing]

“Defiance”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull”

“Cloverfield”

“The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian”

“WALL·E”



[Visual Effects]

“The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian”

“The Incredible Hulk”

“Iron Man”



[Animated Feature Film]

“9”

“Kung Fu Panda”

“WALL·E”



[Foreign Language Film]

coming soon



[Documentary, Features]

coming soon



[Documentary, Short Subjects]

coming soon



[Short Film, Animated]

coming soon



[Short Film, Live Action]

coming soon