These opening months of 2008 have been the greatest for movies I can remember. Already the list of contenders for movie of the year is swelling. This is reflected in the calibre of movie nominated for Best Picture and so too the fact that there are a number of deserving works that have not made the cut, that in any other lesser year would be a shoe in. I remember Lisa Kudrow in an interview a number of years back was asked was she disappointed that she did not received a nomination for her role in ‘The Opposite of Sex’. Her response was how could she be as she could not imagine replacing any of those who had been nominated. And I in no way wish to undermine the excellent piece of work that ‘Michael Clayton’ is, it absolutely deserves its acting nods however in comparison with the other films it lacks that extra level of production value and that instant depth of achievement. I look at ‘Michael Clayton’ and cannot discern what earned it a nomination as opposed to the similarly themed ‘Breach’ also from last year, an equally taut and astute thriller. Additionally I do begrudge it the place I feel belongs to ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ which in the arrival of a train in its opening minutes heralded the best movie of 2007. ‘Michael Clayton’ is an entirely accessible film, shot tastefully through a marine hazed lense, the film deserves to be seen, never the less it falls at the first hurdle for me.

Now while I gladly recommend ‘Michael Clayton’ and its welcome intelligent treatment  of corporate greed, I cannot bring myself to say the same of ‘Atonement’ or even bring myself to try to reappreciate it in light of what has been otherwise universal praise. I cannot see what the movie achieves that has left people gushing in the aisles. Any respectable Merchant and Ivory production or indeed a number of Sunday night BBC productions has achieved the look and effective recreation of the era of ‘Atonement’ on lesser budgets. The story is hooked on a wafer thin premise, the romance is never given time to capture the audiences empathy and the epic backdrop doesn’t impress or ever help the movie reach the emotional impact you hope for. This movie has been comprehensively praised and my view seems one of a minority, nevertheless in comparison with the achievements in film I have been so impressed with in the past few months ‘Atonement’ doesn’t begin to encroach on the uniqueness marking out the rest of the entries.

‘Juno’ can be very easily labelled this years ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and there is no getting away from it’s distinctly indie roots, soundtrack and medly of dysfunction is American suburbia. Neither is there any getting away from how excellently executed the whole exercise is. The humour darts off the screen as tennis balls from a machine gone awry, importantly this makes the quiter, sombre moments hit you all the more suddenly and resonate all the more effectively. The subtle turn around in how the viewer appreciates Jennifer Garners character is a perfect example of the rounded story telling. The film can’t match the sweeping war torn vistas of ‘Atonement’ but for every inch the reduced scale you have a better developed set of arcs and characters. To think I see most of a comparison between Juno and Atonement may seem odd, but the reality is both movies need to up their game to escape their distinctively genre roots. ‘Juno’ excels in matching every ounce of easy witty banter with difficult wordless moments of hurt, shot in a world just as synthesised as ‘Atonement’ yet made far more real and convincing by its great characters and performances. 

     I believe the battle for Best Picture pits two Westerns against each other. The only likelihood of one not winning lies in the entires splitting the vote. The Coen Brothers and PT Anderson have both reached career highs with ‘No Country for Old Men’ and ‘There Will Be Blood’ respectively. My gut wants me to see ‘No Country’ win. As a mark of the distinctive filmmaking and the diversity on show this year in the nominations and an acknowledgement of the Coens return to form it would be a great achievement. As well as a win deserved out of respect, the film itself is excellent, a beautiful film, the most effective of the slow but welcome return of the thriller and the film is poetic and littered with a great collection of characters only the Coens are capable of filming. ‘There Will Be Blood’ is akin to a magnum opus, encroaching on the type of film respected for its mastery but one I feel audiences may find difficult to gauge and appreciate purely as a piece of entertainment. For all the frivolity of the Oscars, they still are the highest accolade to those excelling in cinematic artistry and ‘There Will Be Blood’ cannot be faulted for the investment its makers have made in it and the outstanding outcome of their work. Slightly torn I call it for ‘There Will Be Blood’.