No Country For Old Men v There Will Be Blood v Juno v Atonement
Continuing our Oscar season, we look at one of the tightest run-offs for Best Picture in recent years. And we’ve got our pals at The Dark Of The Matinee and M Carter At The Movies to help us out. By help us out, we mean get in our faces and dish out some cans of whoop-ass. Click HERE or the image above to read this epic fourway battle at Metro Film Fight Club.
Ross v Ross 
February 16, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Now that you mention, Boys Ross, I DO have a can of Whoop-Ass at home. No, I’m serious — it’s an actual can of an energy drink manufactured in Washington state called “Whoop-Ass.”
Overall, a great job by everyone. And Ryan, thanks for stealing my top pick … you helped me remember just how great “There Will Be Blood” really is!
February 16, 2010 at 4:18 pm
I’m really happy to have taken part in this. It was actually trickier than I thought it would be since I actually love all four movies – kinda hard to start railing on something you dig.
That said, I had to crack a smile at the fact that both Meredith and I picked on ATONEMENT for being “That C-Word Movie”. Great minds I suppose.
Thanks for thinking of me boys – lemme know if you’d ever like me to percipitate again.
February 16, 2010 at 5:21 pm
This is a tricky one, for me Juno is the winner closely followed by No Country leaving There will be Blood to fight with Atonement for the wooden spoon but Meredith and McG put up the best arguments for the weaker two movies. This is even more impressive from Ross McG because I secretly he agrees with me that Juno is best closely followed by No Country.
I actually really enjoyed all for but I’m sticking with Juno!
BTW, What happened to 1977?
February 16, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I’m with Ross McG all the way. Not one of those films comes close to Atonement. It’s more watchable than Juno, it’s film technique is superior to There Will Be Blood and its tidiness of plot shames No Country For Old Men.
I’m loving the series though.
I’m requesting 1996 or 2001 next (yeah, I’m pretending I have a say in this).
February 16, 2010 at 9:30 pm
They are all shamelessly good, but not great in my opinion. At the end of the day I’d still give it to No Country For Old Men with Juno second, Atonement third, and blood falling in last. But it’s a thin line that separates them all. Just in ten years none of them are going to solidly plant themselves in my mind other than MAYBE NCFOM.
February 16, 2010 at 9:51 pm
I disagree, I think Juno has real lasting appeal, in 10 or 20 years I think it will be looked at the way we now look at (the better) John Hughes movies from the 80’s.
February 16, 2010 at 10:22 pm
“Juno, meanwhile, is merely an entertaining teen drama – nothing more, nothing less.” exactly – a cute film but nothing more and I don’t think that it will be looked back on like the works of John Hughes because those films were inclusive whilst Juno’s hipster thang is very exclusive.
There Will Be Blood, on the other hand, is just sublime filmmaking – no arguments – and is the strongest of the bunch by a long stretch
February 16, 2010 at 10:39 pm
I don’t see it. It had a great central performance but overall I don’t thing it is a great film. I did really enjoy it so this is going to sound harsher than it is; I think in a lot of ways it is Paul Thomas Anderson’s weakest movie.
Although I have been championing Juno I also loved No Country For Old Men.
February 16, 2010 at 10:49 pm
I liked all of them but found Atonement to be the weakest.
February 17, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Tough, tough call! Great arguments by all but I couldn’t be swayed from “There Will Be Blood” being the best of the bunch.
February 17, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Hmmm we seem to have stirred a right hornets nest!
Definitely one of the closest years for Best Picture, anyone want to follow Encore’s lead with some other yearly suggestions?
February 17, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I still contend that we roll the clock bak fifteen years and debate 1994 all over again.
February 17, 2010 at 3:19 pm
When you say 1994 I assume you mean 1994 movies and 1995 Oscars when the nominations (in order of how much they deserved to have won) were:
Pulp Fiction
The Shawshank Redemption
Quiz Show
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Forrest Gump
And Three Colours: Red was criminally overlooked.
We have debated this many times in the comment section of your blog and mine. Once more wouldn’t hurt.
February 21, 2010 at 11:58 am
Juno is the only one of the four that I’ve seen. Because it’s the only one that I ever wanted to see. Surprisingly god movie