With nominees announced, will there be Oscars?

The Academy Award nominations are so good this year, especially in the best picture category, it was even more worth it than usual to drag myself out of bed to watch the live announcement at 5:30 a.m.

The five best picture nominees are all worthy of their recognition and contain many of last year's best cinematic moments.

"Atonement" is about a young girl's mistake and the toll it takes on her life and the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). The expert direction by Joe Wright (wrongly overlooked by the academy), the justly nominated cinematography and original score swept me away until the final frame. If they gave an award for best scene from a movie it would be the one in which Cecilia, in a stunning green dress, watches helplessly as police haul away the wrongly accused Robbie. The look on her face tells us it is not only her lover being taken that night, but her heart as well.

"Michael Clayton" is an unlikely nominee, only because it seems like too much of a thriller to be recognized in this category typically reserved for more artistic fare, but its detailed, whip-smart screenplay and the shady, powerful characters brought to life in this story of corruption by nominees Tilda Swinton (supporting actress), Tom Wilkinson, (supporting actor) and George Clooney, (lead actor) merit its recognition.

"Juno" is another unlikely nominee, and a very welcome one not only because comedies are mostly overlooked by the academy, but because it is the most endearing movie of the year. This offers the all-too-rare experience of not only loving a movie, but falling in love with it. While watching "Juno," I laughed frequently and wholeheartedly, but at some point it became more than just a riotous comedy and began affecting me on a tender, emotional level thanks to Diablo Cody's, nominated screenplay. My eyes welled up near the end and into the final credits, but only out of joy from the experience I just had. Any film that elicits this feeling deserves to be nominated.

"No Country For Old Men" is one of two black-as-pitch movies in the competition and its nominated directors, Joel and Ethan Coen just won the top prize from the Directors Guild of America, which bodes well for them on Oscar night. The Coen brothers perfectly create taut sequences testing nerves and engrossing viewers. Best supporting actor nominee Javier Bardem is unforgettable as Anton Chigurh, an unyielding psychopath blazing a path of destruction on his quest to recover $2 million dollars. Tommy Lee Jones is terrific as a jaded sheriff who's seen more than his fill of violence and tries to put a stop to Chigurh's rampage.

"There Will be Blood" is not my favorite film this year, but it is the most powerful. There are scenes of such strength it can be felt pressing against the audience. Best actor nominee Daniel Day-Lewis gives a performance so fierce and energetic, he becomes the iron-fisted oil man he sets out to portray and seems ready to jump off the screen. The film explores the dark side of people and then turns out the lights, resulting in a frightening, sad and haunting achievement. In a devastating scene, my heart broke for one of the characters, but I was simultaneously too shocked and disturbed by what transpired for the tears to come. There are astonishing images in the film and Paul Thomas Anderson is a wise choice as a best director nominee, even though the unsettling and mesmerizing score was neglected.

I am predicting "No Country For Old Men" will take top honors if the writers' strike doesn't prevent the Oscars from airing Feb. 24, but I'm pulling for either "Atonement" or "Juno." Seeing them were two of my favorite movie experiences last year and I would be happy if either won. The nomination of "Juno" director Jason Reitman gives the movie an advantage and this just may be a year in which a comedy has the last laugh.

Chaz Holmes is the Columbia Basin Herald news assistant. He serves as the newsroom's resident movie critic and is willing to share his opinions with anyone who asks.