And last but not least, the Extra Chunky PBs...

Most Entertaining Movie

The nominees for Most Entertaining Movie are:

Shoot 'Em Up, Superbad, Hot Fuzz, 300, and Bee Movie

And the PB goes to... Shoot 'Em Up

* * *

Most Original Movie

The nominees for Most Original Movie are:

Once, There Will Be Blood, Beowolf 3-D, and Hostel Part II

And the PB goes to... There Will Be Blood

* * *

Best "Bad" Movie

The nominees for Best "Bad" Movie are:

Transformers, Shoot 'Em Up, and Mr. Brooks

And the PB goes to... Shoot 'Em Up

* * *

Best Ending

The nominees for Best Ending are:

The Lives of Others, Bourne Ultimatum, Hostel Part II, and There Will Be Blood

And the PB goes to... There Will Be Blood

* * *

Breakthrough Performer of the Year

The nominees for Breakthrough Performer of the Year are:

Michael Cera, Josh Brolin, Shia LaBeouf, Jonah Hill, and Justin Timberlake

And the PB goes to... Michael Cera

* * *

Thank you for attending the First Annual PB Awards Show. Stay tuned for our "Best of '07" Movie Lists, which I'm sure will spark plenty of controversy (at least between the two of us).

PB Award Tally: There Will Be Blood - 4 (Screenplay, Actor, Original, Ending); No Country For Old Men - 2 (Director, Supporting Actor); Shoot 'Em Up - 2 (Entertaining, "Bad" Movie); Michael Clayton - 1 (Supporting Actress); Juno - 1 (Actress)

And the Acting PBs go to...

Best Actress
The nominees for Best Actress are: Ellen Page in Juno, Keri Russell in Waitress, Joan Allen in The Bourne Ultimatum, and Naomi Watts in Eastern Promises.

And the PB goes to...

Ellen Page for being hilariously entertaining and emotionally engaging as the "forshizz up the spout" title character in Juno. Page brought the timing and presence of a much older actor/comedian to the role. She undoubtedly has a bright career ahead of her.

Best Actor

The nominees for Best Actor are: Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, Ulrich Muhe in The Lives of Others, Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises, Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum, and Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men.

And the PB goes to...

Daniel Day-Lewis, for a performance as There Will Be Blood's Daniel Plainview that will remembered as one of the best ever. On screen for nearly every second, Day-Lewis carries the film and demonstrates that he has more acting chops in his spittle than most actors have in their whole bodies. His delivery of lines such as "I've abandoned my boy," "bastard in a basket," and "I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!" alone could have won Day-Lewis this award.

Agree? Disagree? Post a comment with your pick.

And the Screenplay and Directing PBs go to...

Best Screenplay

The nominees for Best Screenplay are:

Diablo Cody for Juno, Brad Bird for Ratatouille, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood, Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen for No Country for Old Men, and Stephen Knight for Eastern Promises

And the PB goes to...

Paul Thomas Anderson, for crafting the most gripping cinematic story of the year. Despite intense competition from fellow writer-directors Joel & Ethan Coen and Tony Gilroy, there was no denying Anderson and the strength of his original tale. The screenplay's epic dimensions and heart-wrenching grittiness made There Will Be Blood this year's best.


Best Director

The nominees for Best Director are:

Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood, Ridley Scott for American Gangster, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen for No Country for Old Men, and Paul Greengrass for The Bourne Ultimatum

And the PB goes to...

Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen. They chose ideal backdrops for their story. They struck the perfect balance of drama, suspense, and (occasional) comedy to produce a Western-like morality tale. They inspired award-worthy performances from their actors. And in the end, they shocked and awed the audience.

Agree? Disagree? Post a comment with your pick.

We'll be announcing our final awards today as we countdown to Sunday night's Oscars. Stay tuned for Best Actor and Best Actress coming up next.

And the Supporting PBs go to...

Best Supporting Actress

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are:

Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton, Ruby Dee in American Gangster, and Kelly Macdonald in No Country for Old Men

And the PB goes to...

Tilda Swinton, for simultaneously portraying Michael Clayton's Corporate evil-doer Karen Crowder with surprising humanity and a ruthless lack of compassion.

Best Supporting Actor

The nominees for Best Supporting Actor are:

Robert Downey Jr. in Zodiac, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War, Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men, Dillon Freasier in There Will Be Blood, Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton, Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men, and Woody Harrelson in No Country for Old Men

And the PB goes to...

Javier Bardem, for creating one of the most startlingly original characters in recent film history and for making No Country for Old Men's Anton Chigurh the scariest badass villain since the Terminator. On a side note, how much would you enjoying seeing Javier Bardem accept his (likely) Oscar in character?

"Look at this Oscar. It has been traveling for 80 years to get here. And now
it's here. And it's mine. You can't have it now. That wouldn't be fair. It's
mine. You're gonna let me have it. That is the best deal you're gonna get. I
won't tell you you can save yourselves, because you can't. Call it, friend-0."

Pulls out a silenced shotgun and BLAM!

Agree? Disagree? Post a comment with your pick.

We'll be posting two or more awards a night leading up to Sunday's Oscars. Stay tuned for Best Screenplay and Director coming up next.

PB Award Nominees: The Complete List

B's Nominees

P's Nominees

Our Combined List:

Best Screenplay
Diablo Cody – Juno
Brad Bird – Ratatouille
Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood
Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen – No Country for Old Men
Stephen Knight – Eastern Promises

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen – No Country for Old Men
Paul Greengrass – The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
Ruby Dee – American Gangster
Kelly Macdonald – No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr – Zodiac
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
Tommy Lee Jones – No Country for Old Men
Dillon Freasier – There Will Be Blood
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Woody Harrelson – No Country for Old Men

Best Actress
Ellen Page – Juno
Keri Russell – Waitress
Joan Allen – The Bourne Ultimatum
Naomi Watts – Eastern Promises

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Ulrich Muhe – The Lives of Others
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Matt Damon – The Bourne Ultimatum
Josh Brolin – No Country for Old Men

Most Entertaining Movie
Shoot 'Em Up
Superbad
Hot Fuzz
300
Bee Movie

Most Original Movie
Once
There Will Be Blood
Beowolf 3-D
Hostel Part II

Best "Bad" Movie
Transformers
Shoot 'Em Up
Mr. Brooks

Best Ending
The Lives of Others
Bourne Ultimatum
Hostel Part II
There Will Be Blood

Breakthrough Performer of the Year
Michael Cera
Josh Brolin
Shia LaBeouf
Jonah Hill
Justin Timberlake

And P's Nominees Are...

Best Screenplay

• Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen – No Country for Old Men: While the Tommy Lee Jones monologues may have caught the Academy’s attention, my favorite scenes involved Javier Bardem (as stungun-wielding Anton Chigurh) scaring the s--- out of someone: forcing a gas station clerk to stake his life on a coin flip, and having a heart-to-heart at gunpoint with Woody Harrelson.
  
• Stephen Knight – Eastern Promises: Knight delivers on his promise to illuminate the shady world of Russian ex-pat mobsters, from their biographical tattoos to their sometimes conflicting beliefs in family and honor.

Best Director

• Joel Cohen & Ethan Cohen – No Country for Old Men: The Cohen Bros. have just turned out one of the most tense and intelligent horror (that’s right, horror) movies of all-time. That’s an award-worthy feat in and of itself.
  
• Paul Greengrass – The Bourne Ultimatum: He gives hope to novice directors everywhere with his hand-held camera masterpieces, and Ultimatum is the director’s handycam tour-de-force. Case in point: Bourne’s breathtaking rooftop sprint to save Julia Stiles’ damsel in distress.

Best Supporting Actress

• Kelly Macdonald – No Country for Old Men: Her simple, down-to-earth manner makes her the perfect complement to both the hero and the villain.

Best Supporting Actor

• Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men: Anton Chigurh: most intelligent monster since the original Freddy Krueger, and probably the scariest as well. Oh, and Tommy Lee Jones: he put your coin-flipping psychopath Two Face to shame.
• Woody Harrelson –No Country for Old Men: I love it when the Academy nominates a supporting actor or actress with only minutes of screentime. On that note, my vote goes to Harrelson as the slick bounty hunter who thinks he can talk his way out of any sticky situation. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, but not when “everybody” includes a killer with a silenced shotgun.

Best Actress

• Joan Allen – The Bourne Ultimatum: As B and I discussed, it was kind of a slow year for female acting performances. I’ll give Allen a nod for her third time portraying CIA honcho Pam Landy, if for no other reason than the fact that she’s finally a major player in this installment.
  
• Naomi Watts – Eastern Promises: Watts could have turned in an over-the-top performance, but her restraint is refreshing. She’s definitely a great foil to the stone-faced Viggo Mortensen.

Best Actor

• Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises: Speaking of Viggo, the man’s got this rogue thing down (c.f., The Lord of the Rings, A Perfect Murder). Why he had to be part of a nude shower fight scene, I don’t know…but I’ll forgive Viggy in time.
  
• Matt Damon – The Bourne Ultimatum: Damon doesn’t get the props he deserves for being a believable actor and an unbelievable (in a good way) action star.
  
• Josh Brolin – No Country for Old Men: My No Country love fest rolls on with a nom for the film’s reluctant “hero”. “Solid” is the word B used to describe his performance, and I’ll second that. It’s hard to make a country bumpkin who steals a bag of money from drug runners into a likable character, yet Brolin makes it nearly impossible not to root for the guy.

And last but not least, the original categories...

Most Entertaining Movie

• 300: This is the cinematic equivalent of “World’s Craziest Car Crashes”. Take the 20 coolest gladiator-esque fight sequences you can find, film ‘em in front of a green screen, and queue ‘em up on the IMAX projector/DVD player. Play. Watch. Enjoy.
  
• Bee Movie: I had low expectations, which is why I didn’t see this film until I was on an airplane recently. To my surprise, this movie was amusing and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Its depiction of the hive society was quite creative, and Jerry Seinfeld was gold, solid gold.

Most Original Movie

• Hostel Part II: Can a horror movie sequel qualify for the “Most Original” award? It can if it flips the script, as Part II does by letting the audience tag along with a pair of sadistic Wall Streeters. I may be alone on an island in asserting that Part II surpasses the original, but let me explain. Hostel gave us a rather conventional introduction to the hostel and it’s torture-for-profit operation. Part II gives slasher auteur Eli Roth the opportunity to change our frame of reference.

Best "Bad" Movie

• Mr. Brooks: Forget the casting choices for a second (AHEM…Dane Cook…Demi Moore). The concept is intriguing and the script is smart. And who better to play Mr. Brooks’ serial-killing alter-ego than the ever-creepy William Hurt? Mr. Brooks may not be Patrick Bateman or Dexter Morgan, but he was interesting enough to keep me captivated for two hours. The ending, because it comes out of the blue, feels oddly satisfying.

Best Ending

• Hostel Part II: To quote the tagline of Wayne’s World, “I laughed, I cried, I hurled” (not literally, of course…except for the laughing part). Director Eli Roth knows how to bring the house down (c.f., the Grindhouse faux trailer for “Thanksgiving”).
• There Will Be Blood: A fitting coda for one of the most entertaining (but violent) films of the year.

Breakthrough Performer of the Year

• Shia LaBeouf: It was a Disturbing yet Transformative year for the next Young Indiana Jones. (“I made anutha funny!”) First he gets to make out with a hot chick in a remake of Rear Window. Then he gets to make out with a hot chick in a sweet car that is actually a forty foot-tall alien robot. You’ve come a long way from digging holes, my young apprentice.
  
• Jonah Hill: Overshadowed by his Superbad co-star, Jonah probably doesn’t have a prayer here. Can’t the fat guy with the Jew ‘fro get some love around here? There’s no denying Jonah’s scene-stealing ability; the “bare-ass fart causes pink eye” explanation in Knocked Up was equally hilarious and nausea-inducing. Here’s hoping there are a few more Apatow vehicles for Jonah on the horizon.
  
• Justin Timberlake: Just kidding, though I have to admit he was pretty decent in Alpha Dog.