I wonder when they are going to make a sequel to Will Smith and Kevin Kline's "Wild Wild West" movie? I think that it got a bad rap...and I sure as hell don't mean Smith's rollicking fun theme song. Its been 8 years, lets get Kline some more work!

This year I accomplished a goal I had always been interested in achieving: seeing all the Best Picture nominees in the theater before the Oscars. Now, I know it's easier this year; all 5 movies are still in the theaters as we speak. Still, I saw Michael Clayton way back on October 12th so its been a 4 month process for me. Anyway, I thought I'd consider why each movie is (or isn't) deserving of Best Picture, and share some thoughts about why it might (or might not) win.

Atonement - This movie tries to get by on craftsmanship but the plot is pretty weak and uneven. The only one of the four movies I didn't enjoy. The Academy doesn't seem to award UK movies Best Picture often (if ever?) and I doubt that will be changing this year.

Juno - A good story from start to finish, but probably tries a little too hard to be the little indie movie. Not serious enough to win Best Picture, but not funny enough to be one of my favorite comedies of the year.

Michael Clayton - Great acting and well paced with an unusual execution, MC has a chance to win. The bonus of Sydney Pollack may carry some sway with Oscar voters, but probably not with the average viewer. Like most Best Pictures (with the exception of Lord of the Rings: ROTK), there's a lot to talk about when you leave the theater.

No Country For Old Men - The most violent of all the movies, NCFOM ran a little long for me. Its abstract ending may work for the art crowd, but I don't know if it made a strong enough case to cohesively tie together the entire movie ... most of which played out like a suspense thriller. I don't think the Coen brothers have any Oscar wins except for a best screenplay on their mantle, so that may be a factor.

There Will Be Blood - At first, I wasn't sure how much I liked this movie, but as a week passed after I saw it, I kept thinking about it more and more to the point where I almost want to blow another 3 hours to watch it again. There's a good chance the Academy will want to honor the writer/director, film-critic darling PT Anderson and also prove that it still loves Daniel Day-Lewis after the mixed reception of Gangs of New York five years ago.

And the Oscar goes to... my pick is There Will Be Blood, and I think there's a good chance The Academy will agree. But, dumber things have happened (Forrest Gump besting Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption in 1994) so we'll just have to wait and see.