The 80th Academy Awards nominations were released this week and leading the pack with 8 nominations: There Will Be Blood. For the record, I would like to jump in early and get my nominations for the 81st Academy Awards laid out there. Of course, with the 10 films that have been released so far this year, the choices are all pretty simple. I mean, seriously, if Norbit could get a nomination, then why not one for First Sunday (Best Actor: Tracy Morgan) or Rambo (Best Actor trying to ressurect a dead carrer: Stallone)? The award for most-vomit-inducing camera work is an easy one. While I actually loved the J.J. Abrams, record-breaking (highest January gross...it seems we have to have sub-categories for early-in-the-year films to make them feel better), titled-with-a-random-name-generator Cloverfield, they really should hand out dramamine as you walk into the theater. I am not sure what category exists for Meet the Spartans other than Best Dear God Not Other Teen/Scary/Epic Movie...

So, in a effot to seamlessly bridge the gap between the Academy's nominations and my predictions, I bring you the best of 2007 PLUS the best films of 2008. So, yes I bring you There Will Be First Blood Part IV. This week we have reviews of two highly reviewed films of 2007 the brilliant Paul Thomas Anderson/Daniel Day Lewis collaboration There Will Be Blood and the enigmatic film by Julian Schnabel The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Had I seen Blood before I made my choices of Top Five Films for 2007, it would have easily ranked up there as number two (I still like Atonement best). It is an intense film, but easily the most monumental work that was released this past year.

We also have a review of the aforementioned, jerky-but-highly-entertaining Cloverfield and a FEATURE ARTICLE by Steve, who took 6+ hours of his life to prepare for the Rambo. One Saturday, Three Rambo films, and a buttload of beer and pizza later, Steve was able to bring us THE RAMBO EXPERINCE, an in-depth look at what happens to the soul of a man who watches all three Rambo movie back-to-back-back. This is the kind of cutting-edge reporting that you can only get here at The Cardinal Review.

Last week, we posted our list of top films from 2007. We have left it up this week so that you can take a look if you happened to miss it. While it is always accessable through our Features page, I left the link to the list is over to the left there for you.

Congratulations to Brian Berkey, the first winner of 2008 in The Cardinal Review Quirk Quiz. This past week, in conjunction with the release of J.J.Abram's wildly successful Cloverfield and the frightening thriller Teeth, we asked you to name the monster that attacked the Nautilus. As any good Jules Verne fan knows, the monster that attacks Captian Nemo's vessel at the end of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is none other than a Giant Squid. Congrats to all of you who got that correct. This week, our quiz question is linked to the release of Sly's newest "career re-boot" Rambo. We have even added a video clip for this one. And yes, this movie is one of my guilty pleasures...

Till next week ,
~Chris

For those of you who might have missed the news: actor Health Ledger was found dead in a New York apartment due to an aparent drug overdose. The loss of Ledger, known for his varied roles ranging from teen hearthrob in 10 Things I Hate About You, to Ennis del Mar in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, to the upcoming psycopathic Joker he adds to Christopher Nolan's new twist to the Batman franchise, is a huge blow to the film industry. We at The Cardinal Review mourn the loss of such a promising actor and salute the incredibly diverse films and roles he championed all before age 30.