I took in a screening of Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, There Will Be Blood, on Sunday afternoon, and I can't imagine that I'll see a better movie from 2007. I've long contended that Denzel Washington's portrayal of Rubin Carter in The Hurricane was the greatest performance ever captured on film. Now, however, I believe Daniel Day Lewis' Daniel Plainview has surpassed anything that came before it.

I also saw Michael Clayton this weekend, and I was actually surprised by how much I liked it. George Clooney has never played a character like Clayton before, and it's likely he'll take home a best actor Oscar for his performance (assuming the more deserving Lewis doesn't prevail).

After Michael Clayton I watched Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. I really loved this movie. Affleck certainly has the technical skill, and his obvious affection for the neighborhoods and people in the film was a nice touch. Ben's little brother Casey Affleck has really come a long way as an actor since his mumbling early roles, and here he carries off a tough balancing act of compassion and rage. Unfortunately, Michelle Monaghan is a bit wasted in the lead female role, basically just along for the ride until providing an emotional twist at film's end. The real revelation in the film, however, is Amy Ryan as the aimless mother of a kidnapped girl. Previously best known for a small recurring role on HBO's "The Wire," Ryan nearly walks away with the picture. Already winner of several critics awards, Ryan is a virtual lock for a best supporting actress Oscar nomination.

I sat through two new films during the last week, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The less said about these two the better. Walk Hard was the better of the two, but its music was far superior to its comedy. National Treasure? An absolute mess. (On an odd sidenote, Nicolas Cage's sideburns are shaved so high above his ears in Treasure that he looks a bit like a burn victim. Truly bizarre.)