ROTTEN TOMATOES: Total Recall: And the Oscar Goes To... Comments

Total Recall: And the Oscar Goes To...

by Alex Vo | February 20, 2008

Summary

Instead of focusing on one hot movie for Total Recall, this week you'll get five. They're a little old now, but I think you'll forgive me -- after all, they're Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. Back to Article

(41-60 of 68 posts) | Reply

jimtrots writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:21 AM

In order; No Country For Old Men, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, and Atonement. Actually, I'd kick out Atonement for The Bourne Ultimatum.

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Elixor writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:26 AM

I also think that Juno and Micheal Clayton have no chance of winning. I see acting value in There Will Be Blood, but the movie itself is far less interesting than the other contenders in my book.

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donwillymo writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:49 AM

The COENS need to take that best pic award. They deserve it after all they've contributed to motion pictures. GO NCFOM!!!!

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donwillymo writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:56 AM

The COENS need to take that best pic award. They deserve it after all they've contributed to motion pictures in general. GO NCOM!!!!

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TheCriticSays writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:57 AM

1. There Will Be Blood (should win the Oscar)
2. Atonement
3. No Country for Old Men
4. Michael Clayton
5. Juno

If any of the top 3 movies win, i'll be fine with it. I thought movies such as 3:10 to Yuma, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Bridge to Terabithia were better than Clayton Juno.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:05 AM

In reply to this comment (#1591076)
It is kinda os a popularity contest, but dont forget how popular EDDIE MURPHY was for dreamgirls- guess what he was snubbed by ALAN ARKIN!

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:08 AM

In reply to this comment (#1591076)
It is kinda os a popularity contest, but dont forget how popular EDDIE MURPHY was for dreamgirls- guess what he was snubbed by ALAN ARKIN! Its clearly not a total pop contest. And how do you put HALLE BERRY in the group of people won because they were popular, she wasnt popular at all at the time. I would say JUNO falls into thqt category.

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THE MANWHORE writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:18 AM

Still have to see Michael Clayton & There Will Be Blood. I enjoyed Juno & No Country For Old Men, but cannot understand the appeal of Atonement. I really can't. As a previous poster stated, "It sucks!"

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THE MANWHORE writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:28 AM

insanemansam5, i'm actually disappointed that Sweeney Todd & Hairspray got snubbed this year. I'm not a fan of musicals usually, but I really enjoyed both of these films.

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ThinPhantom writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:41 AM

In reply to this comment (#1590956)
"Juno is a more respectable work of art that just happens to appeal to a wide audience"

far funnier than any line in juno.

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Jen Yamato writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:05 AM

Um, hello, did anyone here see THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY?? Julian Schnabel deserves to be up there in the Director race as much as PT Anderson and, dare I say it, more so than the Coens.

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Jen Yamato writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:08 AM

And by the way, great article, Alex. It's nice to see users with names like PornAgainChristian and the guy with the bouncing boobs avatar come out of the woodwork to engage in discourse on a topic like this :)

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Tim-A writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:26 AM

Eddie Murphy didn't do **** in Dreamgirls. That was the most baffling nomination ever.

It's like this folks. No Country for Old Men will win, its the best film of 2007 because it was damn near perfect. There Will Be Blood won't win (even though its damn near perfect as well) because it was more actor driven, and not balanced. The film progresses as a result of DDL's acting. Atonement was a very good film but afterwards you don't remember much about it. Juno is a great little comedy, and has been a little too over exposed to the point that its gotten annoying. It'll win Best Original Screenplay, but thats it. Michael Clayton was good but too dialogue driven, and doesn't exceed that much on the level of "films" because it doesn't include everything a great film should have. The only one that does is No Country for Old Men, with There Will Be Blood a few hairs under it.

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HelloSunshine89 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 11:15 AM

I found There Will Be Blood to be an unlikable film, the love it or hate it type that while you admit it was epic and Anderson's Citizen Kane, I just couldn't enjoy it. And the end, it freaked the **** out of everyone I was in the theater with. Daniel Day carried the film, and unless George Clooney pulls an upset, he'll walk away with the Oscar, which he deserves. But the film wasn't enjoyable for me, so I wouldn't check it for the win in my Oscar ballot.

I adored No Country For Old Men, and like the article says, so does everyone else. I want it to win, but I could see an upset, a la Crash beating Brokeback Mountain, coming our way Oscar night. It wouldn't be the same kind of upset, because all of these films are deserving, but like the Patriots, the one on top is the one that is likely to get ousted.

I'm an Atonement fan. The movie was gorgeous. The green dress! Gah. But that's a different argument. Since the film got no acting nominations (poor James McAvoy) I don't see it winning, but you never know.

I'm not a Juno hater. But since it has been labeled as this years Little Miss Sunshine and LMS didn't pull off a win, I don't see it pulling off what LMS couldn't. But I do see a Screenplay award coming its way so the Oscars can seem cool, hip and in with the stripper turned screenwriter.

And that leaves Michael Clayton, which was such a good film after I left and realized it was so character and dialogue driven, with minimal action, yet I did not get bored whatsoever. Michael Clayton does not have very much hype around it, much like Atonement, so I could see the academy deciding to frak with us all and give one of the movies with no hype at the moment the award to be all "Guess what, you were all wrong!"

But I still say No Country for Old Men is the film to beat. Such a kick *** picture.

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dethburger writes:
on Feb 21 2008 11:51 AM

Haven't seem Atonement.

My choice is There Will Be Blood. No Country for Old Men was great as well but TWBB was something else...made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

All in all, a pretty fine year in movies...too many great films to narrow it down to five. Would have liked to see Zodiac, Sweeny Todd and Gone Baby, Gone in the best picture hunt....along with a culinary rat!

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slick rick writes:
on Feb 21 2008 12:59 PM

Juno in my opinion deserves to be the best picture of the year. Juno or No Country for Old Men.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#1591654)
I havent actually seen THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, I heard its great though. But where was TIM BURTON or RIDLEY SCOTT in the BEST DIRECTOR category.

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vader_of_vjun writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:57 PM

I'd be happy with anything winning, apart from the merely OK Juno. I've got a soft spot for Atonement, and it would be my vote for Best Picture, but since Joe Wright was bafflingly snubbed, it has no chance in hell of winning. If I had to put money on it, I'd say No Country.

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Noggy3230 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 02:20 PM

There Will Be Blood should win. The story is epic and involving with beautiful pictures, devilishly likable characters and wonderful acting. Everything in that movie is great, the only dislike is it's length... but I didn't mind. I didn't want the movie to end. No Country was almost as good but I rather watch There Will Be Blood again over No Country.

Juno overrated?.... Michael Clayton is overrated. Juno was atleast original and interesting. Clayton was just re-hashed 70's dialogue/corporate drama. It was way too predictable and the reverse storytelling killed any suspense it could of had. It would be a shame if Clayton won.

Atonement is also overrated. Pride and Prej was a more enjoyable movie. Too many loopholes and assumptions had to be made for Atonement's story to work. It just didn't work as an epic like There Will Be Blood did.

Juno was written by an ex-stripper....not a 40-year old blogger.

I agree about "Once", one of the few Truly original movies in the past decade.

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twinsfan2715 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 04:35 PM

you know what was funny about There Will Be Blood?

there wasn't any. maybe i should've expected something else, but i'm pretty sure i knew what i was getting into. an R-rated movie called "there will be blood" should probably have some ****ing blood.

go No Country For Old Men. if that doesn't win and Juno does, i'll kill someone

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