Dark and violent themes coloured the Oscars nominations on Tuesday as crime thriller No Country for Old Men and epic oil industry drama There Will Be Blood topped the list of contenders for this year’s Oscars with eight nominations each. The films edged out British historical drama Atonement and legal thriller Michael Clayton, both of which earned seven nominations each.

The nominations were revealed in an early morning ceremony at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in front of several hundred media in Beverly Hills.

No Country for Old Men garnered nominations for brothers Joel and Ethan Coen in the best director category, as well as nods for best picture, supporting actor and adapted screenplay. The film, based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel, tells the story of a drug deal gone wrong. There Will Be Blood also earned a best picture nomination along with quirky comedy Juno, Atonement and Michael Clayton.

The acting categories saw several surprise entries, with Australian icon Cate Blanchett scoring a double nomination in the best actress and best supporting actress columns. Blanchett was nominated as best actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age and as best supporting actress for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. Blanchett’s rivals include British veteran Julie Christie for her performance as an Alzheimer’s sufferer in Away from Her and French star Marion Cotillard, dazzling as tragic chanteuse Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. Other best actress nominees were Laura Linney for The Savages and Ellen Page for Juno.

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