MICHAEL CLAYTON

Continuing the Sneaky Cheetah's stupendous quest to see every Oscar nominated film before Sunday night!

Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor (George Clooney), Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton), Original Screenplay and Score.

Quick plot summery! Michael Clayton is a fixer for a huge N.Y. law firm that get called in when his friend and colleague seemingly loses his mind while working on a class action law-suit for an evil (?) corporation that is polluting something that's making people sick.

I don't get what everyone sees in Michael Clayton. I will say that the three acting nominations are deserved, because that's all the movie has going for it. It's a slow developing, quiet film that's all performance. Characters in moral dilemmas, or in Wilkinson's case, just losing his mind. Clayton is continually pulled in different direction with conflicting loyalty to his job, his friend, his brother, his son, and a ton of debt that needs to be paid in one week, not to mention the fact that the big corporation his firm defends may actually be guilty of what it's being sued for. But the film itself has no action, no suspense, no thrills, no jokes, no humor, not even a smile. I know some film fanatics that LOVES this film, even say it's the Best Picture of the year. Maybe the DVD I got had the real Michael Clayton replaced by a movie written and starring Jack Black and Mos Def 'cause we must not be watching the same thing!(anyone?...Anyone?... get it?) I think Michael Clayton has an excellent chance of being the big film that gets shutout on Oscar night. Swinton has the best chance to win, or maybe the Score, which was eerie and understated, just like the film itself.

The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B

Producer Sydney Pollack won two Oscars for producing and directing Out of Africa(1985) and was nominated for directing And They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), and producing and directing Tootsie (1982). This is the first nominations for his co-producers Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orrent.

This is writer/director Tony Gilroy's first two Oscar nominations.

George Clooney won Best Supporting Actor for Syriana (2005) and was also nominated for writing the screenplay and directing Good Night, and Good Luck (2005).

Tom Wilkinson was previously nominated for In the Bedroom (2001)

This is Tilda Swinton's first Academy Award nomination.

Composer James Newton Howard has been nominated 6 previous times, for Best Score in The Prince of Tides (1991), The Fugitive (1993), My Best Friends Wedding (1997), and The Village (2004), and Best Song for Junior (1994) and One Fine Day (1996).