2007 Best Picture: Which would have been 6-10th nominees?

American Gangster. And after that maybe Jesse James.

Nah, it was probably The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Best Director/Adapted Screenplay/Editing/Cinematography nominations).

I think AG had much more support in the Actors branch (telling that The Diving Bell And The Butterfly couldn't get an acting nod), which is the biggest voting bloc for Best Picture, and if you believe in the power of BAFTA, they were probably trying to push it because Ridley Scott is one of their own (it really overperformed at BAFTA, including a Best Picture nod).

Diving Bell also got nothing at SAG, at a time when a SAG ensemble nom was a strong indicator of a potential Best Picture nod ( American Gangster had that SAG ensemble nomination).

I think Diving Bell maxed out it's nominations with the Guilds it got (directing/cinematography/screenplay/ editing etc), but did not have enough broad based support from the Actors branch to be a bigger challenger for Best Picture than American Gangster.

So yeah, I can see the case for Diving Bell, but I think it was still probably American Gangster in 6th.

Interestingly enough, today is the 13th Anniversary of the release of American Gangster. It came out exactly 13 years ago today.

The film is aging remarkably well. Watched it a couple of months ago when it just turned up on TV, and it's absolutely engrossing, and Washington is outstanding. I used to be a bit annoyed at the preponderance of the Crowe stuff, but even that doesn't feel so cumbersome on rewatch. It doesn't really hurt the film as much as I orginally felt when first watching it. A great movie. Maybe the last great Hollywood gangster film.

My one take is, the extended edition is better than the original cinema one because of the ending. I'd always prefer the extended edition ending much more, where Crowe and Washington (or Richie Roberts and Frank Lucas) grab a coffee and run into some young gangsters.

I don't think I've seen it since theaters. Definitely due for a re-watch.

Diving Bell and Butterfly is obvious (and was likely 6th), as is American Gangster.
I don't see Ratatouille not getting in with 10 places, as this is a movie that is pretty much universally liked.
When I look at those noms I'd not see it, but I remember thinking back then that Into the Wild was only close missing it, so I say this was in as well.
The last spot is tough. I could see The Bourne Ultimatum, as I was baffled how much it was actually loved. The other choice is the rather obvious Sweeney Todd, which while not universally liked, has it's share of fans. I'd even give an outisde chance to others on the list, but I'm gonna play it safe and guess Sweeney Todd.