Screen Actors Guild Nominations

BEST ENSEMBLE

3:10 to Yuma

American Gangster

Hairspray

Into the Wild

No Country For Old Men

I'm bewildered that Juno missed the cut for Best Ensemble since I believe it's the best cast in any motion picture this year, but it's kind of an uninteresting line-up this year. Can't judge 3:10 to Yuma or American Gangster on account I haven't seen them yet, but Hairspray and Into the Wild are well made movies but seem to compare (at least acting ensemble wise) to the wonderful interplay of actors in Juno or The Savages, or even I'm Not There for it's sure daring in casting. No Country For Old Men is the only film here that truly has the Academy Award nom sewn up.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Ryan Gosling, Lars & the Real Girl

Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild

Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

The Screen Actors Guild clearly is in love is Gosling-- no complaints there, but what I'm most excited about is Mortensen being up there. My only quibble is-- where was the love and support for his amazing performance in A History of Violence, in my opinion, a superior film and one of the perceptive, mind boggling turns by any actor in recent years.

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Julie Christie, Away From Her

Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart

Ellen Page, Juno

It really troubles me that actors acknowledged Blanchett for such a silly movie, and one of her least appealing performances when they could have nominated Laura Linney for her excellent work in The Savages. I have a theory of why Linney is getting the proper attention-- perhaps her work her is so natural and so free of actorly tics (no accent, no period setting, no gimmick) that maybe some dismiss the performance because in fact it's so real it doesn't seem like she's acting at all, but embodying an actual person. Shame on you SAG for going with forced artifice over an full-blooded performance.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James

Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Tommy Lee Jones, No Country For Old Men

Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

This is only catagory I'm actually fairly happy about-- all good choices from good actors, I was happy of the omission of Travolta in drag!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Catherine Keener, Into the Wild

Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

I'm in half support here-- I fully support Keener's inclusion (perhaps a surprise by some) with her "keen" performance in Into the Wild (the film's best), am totally down with Blanchett's Dylan (again proving her Elizabeth nod was all the more undeserving), and Ryan, but where's the love for Kelly MacDonald. I know it's hard to feel sorry for the frontrunning film, but here performance in so strong, why no include?

KIND OF SHOCKING SNUBS: Atonement and Sweeney Todd, which had much Golden Globe love, but none from the actors.