There were few surprises when the 2008 Oscar nominations were announced early this morning. Two critically acclaimed films—
There Will Be Blood and
No Country for Old Men—walked away with eight nods each, while
Michael Clayton earned seven.
All three were nominated for Best Picture, along with
Atonement and
Juno. All but
Atonement received Best Director nods as well—
Julian Schnabel, director of
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, joined
Paul Thomas Anderson (
There Will Be Blood),
Joel and
Ethan Coen (
No Country for Old Men),
Tony Gilroy (
Michael Clayton) and
Jason Reitman (
Juno) in earning nominations.
One of the few surprises of the morning came when
Tommy Lee Jones’ name was listed among the nominees for Best Actor (for
In the Valley of Elah). Others receiving Best Actor nods included
George Clooney (
Michael Clayton),
Daniel Day-Lewis (
There Will Be Blood),
Johnny Depp (
Sweeney Todd) and
Viggo Mortensen (
Eastern
Promises).
Daniel Day-Lewis and Director Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of
There Will Be Blood
Laura Linney garnering a nomination for her role in
The Savages also qualified as a bit of a shock, though the same can’t be said for her competitors:
Cate Blanchett (
Elizabeth: The Golden Age),
Julie Christie (
Away From Her),
Marion Cotillard (
La Vie en Rose) and
Ellen Page (
Juno).
Although
Sean Penn’s
Into the Wild failed to earn a Best Picture nomination,
Hal Holbrook was recognized with a Best Supporting Actor nod.
Casey Affleck (
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford),
Javier Bardem (
No Country for Old Men),
Philip Seymour
Hoffman (
Charlie Wilson's War) and
Tom Wilkinson (
Michael Clayton) rounded out the nominees in the category.
Javier Bardem in
No Country for Old Men
Blanchett also earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance in
I'm Not There, with
Ruby Dee (
American Gangster),
Saoirse Ronan (
Atonement),
Amy Ryan (
Gone Baby Gone) and
Tilda Swinton (
Michael Clayton) also earning nods.
Ratatouille topped the list of those in the running for Best Animated Feature, followed by
Persepolis and
Surf's Up.
What wasn’t mentioned during this morning’s announcement: will the Academy Awards ceremony, set for Feb. 24, be televised as planned? Considering how the continuing writers’ strike affected the Golden Globes earlier this month, it would seem to be a valid question, but it wasn’t answered by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President
Sid Ganis.
