Oscars: The films

18/02/2008

Indie hit of the year Juno is up against the Bafta winner Atonement for the best picture Oscar. We check out the contenders.

:: Atonement

Joe Wright boldly directs a visually stunning adaptation of Ian McEwan's haunting love story set against a backdrop of World War II Europe.

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an excellent cast, but it doesn't quite stir the heart as deeply as it should, falling short of the devastating emotional power of the novel.

:: Juno

Juno: It's hard to imagine a more immaculately conceived or perfectly delivered comedy this year than Juno. Twenty-year-old Canadian actress Ellen Page is deservedly Oscar nominated for her portrayal of a laconic 16-year-old mother-to-be.

Supporting characters are sketched with affection by Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera and correspond with winning, multi-faceted performances.

:: Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton is an incredibly assured first feature for Tony Gilroy, tightly scripted and distinguished by strong performances, not least George Clooney in the title role.

The film holds the audience in a vice-like grip for the full two hours. Clooney is impressive as a soulless, morally corrupt man whose redemption comes at a terrible price.

:: No Country For Old Men

Joel and Ethan Coen are the frontrunners for this year's Oscars with this stylish thriller based on the book by Cormac McCarthy.

Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), one of life's eternal dreamers, thinks he has hit the jackpot when he stumbles on the bloody aftermath of a drugs deal, and a suitcase containing a cool 2.4 million dollars.

Unfortunately, Llewelyn is caught in the act by the dealers and they despatch twisted hit man Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) to kill the thief and return the cash. As Llewelyn and Anton begin a deadly game of cat and mouse across the barren Texan landscape, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) gives chase, following Anton's trail of destruction with an eye to apprehending this most sadistic and merciless of serial killers.

:: There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood is loosely based on the 1927 novel OIL! by Upton Sinclair.

It follows the fortunes of Daniel Plainview, (Daniel Day-Lewis), who discovers oil in his silver mining efforts. But as he becomes rich, Daniel also becomes a shrewd businessman.

He eventually tries to swindle Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) out of his oil and almost meets his match in the straight-talking young man.

© 2008 The Press Association Limited

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