Dear message board-hopefully this posting will continue to have relevancy on Jan 23rd after the annoucements!
When I first heard that this film was going to be made I was thrilled to know that Harpo Studios would be integral in ushering this film to the screen. Since I am writing from a winter's night of insomnia please forgive any obvious omissions. I would like to applaud Mr. Washington for understanding the very potency of the recalling of such a triumphant tale. I thank the Weinstein Brothers for investment of their "machine" in the distribution of this project. I hope that it will be as financially gainful as the actual theatre experience provides. This is the sort of film that you are to come into with hopes and dreams that your hard earned financial investment will propel you on a cinematic journey. I warn you however, to prepare yourself to experience a litany of thoughts and emotions as so many films that examine the "Jim Crow" era illicit. My personal spectrum included wonderment, elation, sadness, anger, animosity, disappointment in the human condition of that time, pity, tears of shame, tears of happiness, and just an unspecified tear. Poignant is too many scenes to specify for I would want you too, if you have not experienced this film to let the telling of it unfold for yourself. The actors and the actresses are stellar, at the top of their game. I am glad to see Ms. Smollet get another opportunity to display her carefully honed talents. I will not be redundant to sigh "Denzel"-this time it's a deuce. Forest again demonstrates he can command a character with understated finesse. The supportive spouses and the young gentlemen who make up this film are an examination of commitment, even when things appear to have predictable outcomes-they still tower over the realities of that time. Other stars in this film are the costumes, the architecture of the southern clapboard homes, the academic campus backdrops, the shotgun shack, the land and waterscapes. When you leave this film, you can not go without wanting to go somewhere where you are loved, where you want to belong, where you want to sit down for the bounty of a southern style meal! 80th Annual Academy Awards presentation-Hopefully, we can all applaud each and every contributor on this film...and dear God please do not let the powers at be ignore the writers of this and all films....because it really all began with a thought, and a transcription! P.S.-I look forward to the Academy Awards and would love to see this very deserving cast get their time to shine. And just maybe, Ms. Winfrey will be awarded an up close and personal "Oscar" of her very own .

Daniel Day Lewis IS AN ACTOR THAT EXUDES IMMEASURABLE SKILL IN THE TRANSFORMATION FROM A MERE MAN TO A CREATURE WHO CAN MORPH HIMSELF FROM THE REALM OF THIS EARTH THAT WE ALL SHARE, CATAPULTING EACH FIBER OF HIS BEING BEYOND any SCREENWRITER'S PAGE. FROM ONE FILM ROLE TO THE NEXT THIS MAN'S SHEER GAZE WILL RENDER YOU INTO TEMPORARY AMNESIA FROM ONE CHARACTER TO THE NEXT-IF YOU DO NOT SEE ANOTHER FILM THIS YEAR-YOU MUST SEE HIM IN "THERE WILL BE BLOOD". THE GRIT, DETERMINATION, COMPASSION, UNCERTAINTY, AND RAGE OF THIS OIL SPECULATOR TURNED TYCOON WILL CAPTIVATE YOU. HE DISPLAYS A RANGE OF TENDERNESS TOWARDS THE SON HE WILL ADOPT, SHARING HIS LIFE'S PASSION FOR ACQUISITION OF THE LAND RIGHTS THAT HE DEVOURS FROM TOWN TO TOWN ACROSS THE WEST, HE PORTRAYS A MAN MORE VOLATILE THAN THE TNT THAT HE USES TO BLOW INTO HIS OIL WELLS. Paul Dano IS A NAME THAT I SUSPECT WILL HAVE MORE PRESENCE ON THE FILM LANDSCAPE IN 2008 AND BEYOND. AFTER HIS "DUELING" ROLE as the prairie son of man and God HAS AN INTEGRAL PART IN LEADING Day-Lewis's CHARACTER TO THE LAND RIGHTS OF NO RETURN, YOU WILL LOOK AT THIS OIL TALE AS A JARRING DISPLAY OF TALENT SQUARED THAT IS SURE TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE ACADEMY VOTERS. THIS MOVIE AND MOVIES LIKE "THE GREAT DEBATERS" ARE WHAT A FILM EXPERIENCE SHOULD OFFER US FOR OUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS AND CENTS.

THIS PAST SUNDAY WE GOT OURSELVES ON OVER TO OUR LOCAL MOVIE HOUSE TO CHECK OUT "JUNO". ELLEN PAGE-PROVIDES US WITH THE WRY WIT OF A HYBRID TYPE MILLINEAL AS SHE NAVIGATES THROUGH THIS QUIRKY FILM ABOUT UNPLANNED PREGNANCY. I ALSO WAS QUITE CHARMED BY THE PARENTAL FIGURES IN HER WORLD PLAYED BY J.K. SIMMONS AND ALLISON J. THE SCENE WHEN JUNO DISCLOSES HER GESTATIONAL WAY IS QUITE THE RIOT-THESE 2 ACTORS FURTHER DEMONSTRATE THEIR "CHOPS" IN THE MEET WITH THE POTENTIAL ADOPTEE FAMILY FOR J.K. AND THE INFAMOUS ULTRASOUND SCENE WHERE ALLISON UNLOADS IN A STEP-MATERNAL TONGUE LASHING FOR A WELL OPINIONATED U.S. TECH! THESE ARE AMERICA'S BEST ON THE SMALL SCREEN AND THEY DEMONSTRATE THEY CAN TAKE ON THE BIG BOYS AND GIRLS. JENNIFER G. AND JASON B. ALSO PROVIDE US WITH STRONG BUT WELL THOUGHT OUT PERFORMANCES. POST MOVIE HUBBY & WIFE CHAT DID CONCLUDE THAT MR. B. thought IT WAS MORE MRS. B for his liking. Also the closing tune by the Moldy Peaches-"Anyone Else But You", is infectious to the psyche in a good way. I wonder if the song would qualify for "Best Song"?

In "Michael Clayton"; George Clooney delivers a riveting lead actor performance as a clean up man for a high powered law firm. What he does is show us a man who has more than his own share of messes-who the firm's clients rely upon him to come in and make their transgressions disappear. When he is summoned to deal with one of their firms lead attorneys on a major Agri-Conglomerate's Eco litigation-the tables are turned when Tom Wilkinson's character lures him into a harrowing minefield of suspense and intrigue. George proves is not just a pretty face-but a well worked American Master. He executive produces this film with a long list of known accomplices-in this is a tour de force performance. In 2005 it made me cheer aloud for George to win the Best Supporting Actor Award for "Syriana"-considering the life and death saga that went on during and behind the scenes of this film I can say he immersed himself fully into that film.

I loved No Country For Old Men, excellent movie about a ruthless man.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal)
Julie Christie in "Away from Her" (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in "Juno" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Persepolis" (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Brad Bird
"Surf's Up" (Sony Pictures Releasing): Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Best motion picture of the year
"Atonement" (Focus Features) A Working Title Production: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined
"So Close" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined
"So Close" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz