the one to beat

The New York Film Critics Circle is fueling the "No Country for Old Men" award fire. Check out the winners:

Best Picture
"No Country for Old Men"

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"

Best Actress
Julie Christie, "Away from Her"

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"

For more click here. I'm really surprised "I'm Not There" isn't getting directing or supporting actress accolades. That film seemed like it would get its greatest attention from the critics awards, especially the knockout performance by La Blanchett. However, I am loving all of this support for "There Will Be Blood" because somehow Paul Thomas Anderson has never been too widely embraced by major American awards. He's made me, and so many of his most loyal fans, wait five long years for his next film and this looks like it could be the film of the year (I hope I don't regret such a hyperbolic statement).

As promised, here are my predictions for Golden Globe nominations. Take into consideration that I've only seen so many films this year but based on critics awards, reviews, and my fervent attention to what kind of films and performances get major award nominations, this is the best I can do:

Best Picture Drama
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
"Atonement"
"Into the Wild"
possible spoiler: "Eastern Promises", "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", or "Michael Clayton"

Best Picture Comedy/Musical:
"Sweeney Todd"
"Knocked Up"
"Ratatouille"
"Juno"
"I'm Not There"
possible spoiler: "Waitress", "Lars and the Real Girl", or "Hairspray"

Best Director
Sidney Lumet, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
Joel and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd"
possible spoiler: Todd Haynes, David Cronenberg, or Sean Penn

Best Actor in a Drama
Denzel Washington, "American Gangster"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild"
Frank Langella, "Starting Out in the Evening"
possible spoiler: Viggo Mortensen, Benecio Del Toro, or James McAvoy

Best Actress in a Drama
Keira Knightley, "Atonement"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
Halle Berry, "Things We Lost in the Fire"

Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical
Ryan Gosling, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Savages"
Steve Carell, "Dan in Real Life"
Seth Rogen, "Knocked Up"

Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
Keri Russell, "Waitress"
Ellen Page, "Juno"
Helena Bonham Carter, "Sweeney Todd"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"

Best Supporting Actor
Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Paul Dano, "There Will Be Blood"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
Marisa Tomei, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Margot at the Wedding"

Best Foreign Film
Ang Lee, "Lust, Caution"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Cristian Mungiu, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi, "Persepolis"
Marc Forester, "The Kite Runner"