Did They Get it Right? – Best Director – Oscars 2007

Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)

Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)

Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)

Jason Reitman (Juno)

Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Biggest Snub:

Ben Affleck – Gone Baby Gone

My Overall Thoughts:

This is a great year with 4 nominees who could have taken home the Oscar for BD.

My Rankings:

Directing

5. Tony Gilroy
4. Jason Reitman 
3. Paul Thomas Anderson 
2. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
1. Julian Schnabel

Movies

5. Michael Clayton – Great acting by Clooney, Wilkinson and Swinton which carries this thriller. Not sure if it really should have been nominated for Best Picture tho.
4. Juno – Very interesting perspective on parenthood, teenage pregnancy and looking for true love. Great script with very witty dialogue. Excellent cast that keeps the storyline down to Earth, quirky and fun giving us a very pleasant 100 minutes to spend with this group of people.
3. No Country for Old Men – One of The Coen brothers best movies. Very deserving of Best Picture in 2007. Great cast with some very memorable characters.
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – The first half of this film is amazing because it gives us the perspective of a paralyzed man as we get to see his viewpoint both visually and mentally as he tries to come to terms with his new way of life. The narration is obviously essential to the story but the acting is also beautiful to watch. The second half of the film is almost as poignant as the first and we get to see things from an even more different viewpoint during that part. The direction is amazingly done and Schnabel was very deserving of an Oscar nomination for this work.
1. There Will Be Blood – Such an amazing film mostly due to the superb performance by Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role. We are given such a unique perspective of the oil business and we get to see how things haven’t changed much over the last century when it comes to money and power. The pacing is quite slow, but so much happens that it doesn’t matter because there is so much to absorb as it moves along. The way that this film juggles issues of family, religion, the oil business, success and of course power is so gripping to watch. It unfortunately only managed to win 2 of its 8 Oscar nominations (Actor and Cinematography) despite being perhaps the best of the lot of films in the competition for Best Picture. Anderson proves once again how great a director he can be.

Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Yes and No!  The Coen Brother finally got the Oscar they deserved for over a decade even if this isn’t their best made film.  Schnabel does an amazing job with a very unconventional film which is so unique.  Anderson also manages to dleivered and amazing job.  All three of these films made the race too tight but truthfully any of the trio of films would have been quite deserving.

Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!