‘No Country,’ ‘There Will Be Blood’: top Oscars contenders

Dark and violent themes colored the Oscars nominations Tuesday as crime thriller “No Country for Old Men” and epic oil industry drama “There Will Be Blood” topped the list of contenders for this year’s Academy Awards with eight nods each.

The two films edged out British historical drama “Atonement” and legal thriller “Michael Clayton,” which both scored seven nominations in the much-anticipated shortlist for the marquee film awards on February 24.

“No Country for Old Men” garnered nominations for film-making brothers Joel and Ethan Coen in the best director category, as well as nods for best picture, supporting actor and adapted screenplay.

“There Will Be Blood” also earned a best picture nomination along with quirky comedy “Juno,” “Atonement” and “Michael Clayton.”

The acting categories for this year’s Oscars saw several surprises, with Australian icon Cate Blanchett scoring a double nomination in the actress and best supporting actress columns. Blanchett, an Oscar winner in 2005 for “The Aviator,” was nominated as best actress for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and as best supporting actress for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There.”

The best actress category also includes British veteran Julie Christie for her performance as an Alzheimer’s sufferer in “Away from Her” and French star Marion Cotillard, dazzling as tragic chanteuse Edith Piaf in “La Vie En Rose.” Other best actress nominees were Laura Linney “The Savages” and Ellen Page for “Juno.”

Made for only 2.5 million dollars, hit comedy “Juno” ended up with four nominations, including a best original screenplay nod for stripper-turned-writer Diablo Cody.

In the men’s acting awards, British-born Daniel Day-Lewis is the clear favorite for his towering performance as a tyrannical oil prospector in “There Will be Blood.”

Day-Lewis, who snagged an Oscar in 1990 for “My Left Foot,” faces competition from Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney for “Michael Clayton” and Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd.” The category was completed by two surprise entries — Tommy Lee Jones for “In the Valley of Elah” and Viggo Mortensen for his performance as a Russian mobster in “Eastern Promises.”

This year’s best director award will see “No Country’s” Coen brothers up against “There Will be Blood’s” Paul Thomas Anderson, earning his fifth Oscar nomination. Other contenders are Jason Reitman for “Juno,” Tony Gilroy for “Michael Clayton” and Julian Schnabel for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”

For more on the Oscar nominations, visit Oscar.org.

The Oscars are taking place this year amid deep uncertainty over the Hollywood writer’s strike, which has already forced the cancellation of the Golden Globes earlier this month.

Oscars organisers are adamant that this year’s show, slated on February 24, will go ahead as scheduled, despite fears of the event being picketed by striking writers and possibly boycotted by actors sympathetic to the writers.