I don’t think I’ve ever done it. I know I’ve not on purpose. But this year I plan on seeing all five films that were up for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Last night we watched Juno (trailer). I liked it a lot. It was kind of quirky, but in a good way. When it was first out in theaters I’d heard it almost glorified teen pregnancy. I really didn’t think it did. I think it actually told some of the hardships associated with teen pregnancy (both social and physical). But the character did take it pretty well. It has some really sharp dialog and good acting. I laughed quite a bit at it. It’s also really thought provoking with out ever being cliche. Allison Janney was great. I’ve always liked her from The West Wing. But Ellen Page, the lead role, was excellent. I think she could be in store for some great roles in the future. I’d also seen her in the movie Hard Candy. It was freaky, but good. I’d say Juno is about an 9.1.

Before that we saw Michael Clayton (trailer). I think George Clooney is one of the better actors currently working. He can do a pretty broad range of characters, from really serious to really silly. This is definitely one of his serious roles. It’s a movie you have to pay close attention to it in order to follow. But Michael Clayton is a a lawyer at a huge firm. His job is to be the “fixer”. He cleans up messes and smooths things over that need smoothing. But he’s run into a huge issue and is being pressed from different sides to fix it while dealing with personal issues. The story telling is not linear. So you gotta pay attention. But if you keep up, it’s a great movie. Michael Clayton is about an 8.8.

And just before that we saw Atonement (trailer). It’s a period piece where everyone seems either really privileged or lower class. The acting from Kiera Knightley and James McAvoy was great. The story is about false accusations stemming from jealousy ruining a life and a love, and the journey attempting to repair that love and find atonement for past wrongs. It’s a good movie. But got a little slow at times. One that will cause you to get really frustrated at the characters. And it is told completely out of order. I followed it, but The Wife kept asking why they didn’t just put it all from start to finish. If you’re looking for a good “pick me up”, then this is not that sort of movie, but it’s got some pretty good cinematography of war that was pretty amazing too. I’d give it a 7.4