Buzz only thickens Oscar mire

December 11, 2007 Over the last two days, the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. anointed two pictures, "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" as front-runners with their respective best picture nods. Fox Searchlight's pregnancy dramedy "Juno" has gone from an uncertainty to a bona fide contender. Focus' "Atonement" encountered dueling downbeat/upbeat reviews in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times -- overall, RottenTomatoes.com says 86% of its reviews have been positive -- but they don't seem to have slowed its momentum, at least based on descriptions from those at several screenings.

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