Although a few films and actors may have been overlooked, this year’s crop of Oscar nominees is better than usual. For one thing, many of the films are more accessible than Academy Award nominees usually are. The nominees are a varied bunch, from 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan and 20-year-old Ellen Page to seasoned veterans like Hal Holbrook. And with the building mystery over how the Oscars will be presented in the face of the writers strike, this year’s Academy Awards are more exciting than ever. Here are my thoughts on this year’s nominees in some of my favorite categories.

BEST PICTURE

The nominees are “Atonement,” “Juno,” “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood.” The latter two lead the pack with eight nominations each, so they’re probably the frontrunners, although a surprise win from dark horse “Juno,” easily the most popular film of the nominees, would please me greatly.

BEST ACTOR

The nominees are George Clooney for “Michael Clayton,” Daniel Day-Lewis for “There Will Be Blood,” Johnny Depp for “Sweeney Todd,” Tommy Lee Jones for “In the Valley of Elah” and Viggo Mortensen for “Eastern Promises.” Frankly, I was only mildly impressed with Depp’s singing in “Sweeney.” Although Viggo Mortensen was incredible, I’ve got to back Daniel-Day Lewis for “There Will Be Blood.” His performance literally sent chills up my spine and kept me transfixed on the film.

BEST ACTRESS

The nominees are Cate Blanchett for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” Julie Christie for “Away From Her,” Marion Cotillard for “La Vie en Rose,” Laura Linney for “The Savages” and Ellen Page for “Juno.” I want Ellen Page to win so badly! However, the Academy isn’t likely to pick her, so I wouldn’t mind seeing Marion Cotillard or Laura Linney win the Oscar.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

The nominees are Casey Affleck for “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” Javier Bardem for “No Country for Old Men,” Philip Seymour Hoffman for “Charlie Wilson’s War,” Hal Holbrook for “Into the Wild” and Tom Wilkinson for “Michael Clayton.” Bardem should take this, hands down. If he doesn’t walk away with the award, the Oscars are more of a sham than we may have thought. Bardem’s performance was nightmarish and entrancing. Bardem practically deserves a new category of Oscar because he did such a phenomenal job.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The nominees are Cate Blanchett for “I’m Not There,” Ruby Dee for “American Gangster,” Saoirse Ronan for “Atonement,” Amy Ryan for “Gone Baby Gone” and Tilda Swinton for “Michael Clayton.” How adorable would it be to see 13-year-old Ronan win the Oscar? Still, I would put good money on the award going to Cate Blanchett. People have been talking about her performance for some time now, and I don’t think it’s just because she plays a man.

BEST DIRECTOR

The nominees are Paul Thomas Anderson for “There Will Be Blood,” Joel and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men,” Tony Gilroy for “Michael Clayton,” Jason Reitman for “Juno” and Julian Schnabel for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Paul Thomas Anderson has a good shot, as does Jason Reitman. If the Coen brothers don’t get this award, they’ll get Best Adapted Screenplay instead. Although, let’s be honest, they deserve both awards. “No Country For Old Men” is their best work to date. Yes, even better than “Fargo.”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The nominees are Brad Bird for “Ratatouille,” Diablo Cody for “Juno,” Tony Gilroy for “Michael Clayton,” Tamara Jenkins for “The Savages” and Nancy Oliver for “Lars and the Real Girl.” This has become one of my favorite categories in recent years. The acceptance speeches are usually much better because, hey, they’re writers. Brad Bird did a bang-up job with “Ratatouille,” but Diablo Cody better have this one in the bag. The dialogue in “Juno” is the sharpest, smartest and funniest to grace the screen in some time.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The nominees are Paul Thomas Anderson for “There Will Be Blood,” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men,” Christopher Hampton for “Atonement,” Ronald Harwood for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and Sarah Polley for “Away From Her.” Anderson did a magnificent job, but as I said above, this honor should go to the brothers Coen. “No Country For Old Men” made a terrific leap from the page to the screen.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The nominees are “Persepolis,” “Ratatouille,” and “Surf’s Up.” Wow, “Surf’s Up” doesn’t have a prayer. I would have liked to see “Persepolis” get a nod in the Best Foreign Language Film category as well, not only because I hear it deserves it, but so I would feel less bad about desperately hoping “Ratatouille” wins. The charming Pixar film about a rat who has a passion for cooking had a magic and flair that appealed to all ages, in addition to being a beautifully animated picture.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The nominees are “Atonement,” “The Kite Runner,” “Michael Clayton,” “Ratatouille” and “3:10 to Yuma.” It’s a shame that “There Willl Be Blood” was ineligible because of “existing themes.” I’d like to see “Ratatouille” win this one. The music in the film was joyous and jaunty, a Parisian sound that was bursting with energy.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

The nominees are ”Falling Slowly” from “Once,” ”Happy Working Song,” “So Close” and “That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted,” and “Raise It Up” from “August Rush.” I think the biggest snub of this year’s nominees is that neither of the two original songs from “Hairspray” were nominated in this category. That being said, “That’s How You Know” is probably the catchiest of the nominated tunes, but “Falling Slowly” and “Once” have garnered such acclaim that it’s likely to win.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The nominees are “The Golden Compass,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Transformers.” Yeah, that’s right. “Transformers” is nominated for an Oscar, and I hope it wins. Did you see those awesome robots? However, the effects in “Pirates” were the only thing about that film worth paying the ticket price for and “The Golden Compass” had fighting polar bears. Frankly, it’s pretty impressive stuff all around, so this one’s a toss up for me. Let’s make Optimus Prime, Jack Sparrow and a polar bear fight it out.