Moreso this weekend than others, I've wanted to use movies to escape. Here are a few thoughts, perhaps with spoilers, for "Michael Clayton", "No Country for Old Men", and "There Will be Blood".

• Michael Clayton - Tilda Swinton won best supporting actress for her performance in this one. And OK, yeah, she was good, but I wasn't amazed by her performance. Clooney gave a fine performance, but he wasn't competing for best supporting actress, I guess.
  
  I had a hard time with certain pieces of the plot, up to and including the ending. Not a bad movie, but I felt I was working too hard for too little.
  
  
• No Country for Old Men - Javier Bardem won best supporting actor for the creepy killer guy (and really, anybody that points a gun at Woody Harrelson can't be all bad, right?), and the movie walked away with best writing in an adapted screenplay, best directing, and best picture.
  
  I really enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game, and the performances across the board were spot-on. Tommy Lee Jones didn't reach far for his part - I got the feeling that I had seen his character about a dozen times before. I told myself to look up the actress who played Carla Jean, because she looked familiar, and did a fine job - well, yeah, that's Kelly Macdonald, who you've seen in Trainspotting and Gosford Park. Also, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or so says IMDB. I like her.
  
  Thumbs up on this one. Far bloodier and far more action and far more thinking than I expected. I don't mind any of them.
  
  
• There Will be Blood - yes, there will. Daniel Day-Lewis got best leading actor, and the film got best cinematography. I appreciate the job that DDL did in creating his character, but yikes, what a hateful person. Also, what a long movie to spend with such a hateful person.
  
  I guess the cinematography was good. I can't really put my finger on anything that was cinematographed well. That doesn't say much, because bad cinematography is obvious. I don't tend to pay attention to good cinematography, I guess.
  
  I still have questions about various pieces of this movie, but I'm just as happy not spending any more time in that world.