The wait is almost over for the 2008 Oscars, which will air on Sunday night. This week, I've been breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. I've already examined There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton, Atonement, and Juno. Today, I'm looking at the final nominee in the category, No Country For Old Read more

Just a few more days before the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night! I've been breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture this week, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. Having examined There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton and Atonement, today's nominee is Juno. This charming, disarming "little" movie climbed all the way up to take a place Read more

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. So far, I've taken a look at There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton. Today's Best Picture nominee is Atonement. Pride and Prejudice director Joe Wright works his magic with another desperately Read more

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. I started off with There Will Be Blood, and today I'm turning my sights to Michael Clayton. The plot description on IMDB is most succinct: "An attorney known as the Fixer in his law firm comes across Read more

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. Today, I'm kicking off the series with a closer look at There Will Be Blood. Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is a stark and stunning look at greed, power, and success viewed through the Read more

All week, I've been breaking down each Best Picture nominee for the 2007 Oscars, which air this Sunday night. Yesterday we looked at The Departed, and today brings the fifth and final nominee, Babel. The sprawling Babel isn't a critical darling; in fact, when the movie first came out, the reviews were decidedly mixed. But when the awards, nominations and spots on "best of" lists started rolling Read more

From now until the 2007 Oscars air this Sunday night, I'll be breaking down each Best Picture nominee and giving you the scoop on why certain movies might win and why others probably don't have a chance. Yesterday, we looked at The Queen, and today's featured movie is The Departed. Upon leaving the theater after seeing this movie, I immediately declared it the surefire Best Picture winner. I've Read more

From now until the 2007 Oscars air this Sunday night, I'll be breaking down each Best Picture nominee and giving you the scoop on why certain movies might win and why others probably don't have a chance. Yesterday, we looked at Little Miss Sunshine, and today's featured movie is The Queen. This docudrama focuses on Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997. Read more

From now until the 2007 Oscars air this Sunday night, I'll be breaking down each Best Picture nominee and giving you the scoop on why certain movies might win and why others probably don't have a chance. Yesterday, we looked at Letters from Iwo Jima, and today's featured movie is Little Miss Sunshine. This film is a classic case of an indie darling that became a surprise mainstream hit. The Read more

From now until the 2007 Oscars air this Sunday night, I'll be breaking down each Best Picture nominee and giving you the scoop on why certain movies might win and why others probably don't have a chance. Today's featured movie is Letters From Iwo Jima, the second part of Clint Eastwood's one-two World War II punch that began with the schlockier Flags of Our Fathers. Both movies tell the story of Read more