Other Crap

Best picture Oscar nominees: 'Michael Clayton,' 'No Country for Old Men,' 'There Will Be Blood,' 'Atonement' and 'Juno.'

The nomination of Michael Clayton is mystifying. It's the Cider House Rules of 2007. It is rated 45th among the 2007 releases at IMDb. Here is how some of the major films are rated at that site: (the first number represents the ranking among 2007 films)

• 1 There Will Be Blood 9.0
  
• 2 No Country for Old Men 8.7
  
• 5 Juno 8.4
  
• 8 Bourne Ultimatum, The 8.3
  
• 15 American Gangster 8.2
  
• 18 Atonement 8.1
  
• 25 Superbad 8.0
  
• 25 Gone Baby Gone 8.0
  
• 25 Assassination of Jesse James ... 8.0
  
• 25 Lust, Caution 8.0
  
• 30 Zodiac 7.9
  
• 30 Eastern Promises 7.9
  
• 45 Knocked Up 7.8
  
• 45 Michael Clayton 7.8
  

Four unnominated films, Gone Baby Gone, Zodiac, Knocked Up and Bourne Ultimatum, beat Michael Clayton at both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. Three of those four (excluding Gone Baby Gone) also beat Michael Clayton in the international box office receipts.

The most complete screw job: Greengrass not nominated for best director for Bourne Ultimatum. (Editor Christopher Rouse was nominated, as he justly deserved.)

Well deserved, but kind of a surprise: cinematographer Michael Deakins received TWO nominations for best picture. (No Country and Jesse James)

Silliest nomination: try this phrase on for size: "The Oscar-nominated Norbit."