If I Were An Academy Voter - 2007 Part I

Best Picture
Academy Winner/My Pick - No Country For Old Men
Commentary - The Academy really got these awards right in 2007 (as you will see below), and their picking of No Country For Old Men showed me that they were not afraid to step outside the box. It didn't hurt that it simply was the best movie of 2007, and it would have easily gotten my vote.

Best Director
Academy Winner/My Pick - Joel and Ethan Coen "No Country For Old Men"
Commentary - The Coens not only deserved this for No Country, but for their incredible careers up to that point, as some of their classics like Fargo, were snubbed in the past.

Best Actor

Academy Winner/My Pick - Daniel Day-Lewis "There Will Be Blood"

Commentary - Daniel Day-Lewis is probably the greatest working actor, and in 2007 he was miles above his other competition in There Will Be Blood. While the movie as a whole was not my favorite, no one can deny the power of his performance.

Best Actress

Academy Winner/My Pick - Marion Cotillard "La Vie En Rose"
Commentary - I was so thrilled when this (at the time) unknown French actress upset her competitors and took home the gold. I love Julie Christie, but Marion Cotillard's devastatingly beautiful performance as Edif Piaf was one of the best performances of the decade. I am so glad that the Academy took notice

Best Supporting Actor
Academy Winner/My Pick - Javier Bardem "No Country For Old Men"
Commentary - Despite the haircut, Javier Bardem's Anton remains one of the greatest movie villains of all time, and all of the credit goes to the actor himself, for giving an hauting portrayal of a mad man with no conscience.

Best Supporting Actress
Academy Winner - Tilda Swinton "Michael Clayton"
My Pick - Amy Ryan "Gone Baby Gone"
Commentary - Tilda Swinton should be an Academy Award winner, but for other movies (like last year's Julia). I liked her in Michael Clayton, but it was definitely not her best performance. My heart wanted me to vote for the great Ruby Dee, but if I had to cast my ballot, it would have gone to the wonderful Amy Ryan, who plays trashy mother to a tee.

Best Animated Feature
Academy Winner/My Pick - Ratatouille
Commentary - Pixar once again struck gold with what today remains one of my favorite Pixar films, Ratatouille. It was miles above its competition.

Best Original Screenplay
Academy Winner - Diablo Cody "Juno"
My Pick - Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, and Jim Capobianco "Ratatouille"
Commentary - This was a tough category, as I loved Juno, but in my heart, I know that I would have cast my vote for the uber-original Ratatouille.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Academy Winner/My Pick - Joel and Ethan Coen "No Country For Old Men"
Commentary - It takes a lot of work to write a script with very little dialogue, and the Coens pulled off a coup with a taut, suspenseful script that never let the audience have even one moment to breath from the terror of Anton, a true feat.

Best Documentary Feature
Academy Winner - Taxi to the Dark Side
My Pick - Sicko
Commentary - I know that Michael Moore can be an ass, but he makes damn good documentaries, and should have won his second Oscar for this look at our healthcare system.

Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Winner/My Pick - The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Commentary - Simply put, a great movie, and the best of the bunch.