Oscar Nominations

The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and there is much to be excited about. There are many categories so I will only touch on the main eight, which are the only ones anyone really cares about anyway....

Best Adapted Screenplay

• District 9
• An Education
• In the Loop
• Precious
• Up in the Air

I am yet to see "In the Loop", and to be honest I haven't heard anything about it before the awards season, nor have I seen Precious but I hear good things about it.I have seen the rest though and my pick in this category is "Up in the Air", really an incredible movie in every aspect. Some of the best parts in the film are the writing and the dialogue between the characters. The writing style of Jason Reitman really is second to none this year.

Best Original Screenplay

• A Serious Man
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglorious Basterds
• UP
• The Messenger

Fortunately in this category I have seen every movie nominated. I can safely say "The Hurt Locker" will win this award, and rightly so. This is about as perfect of a movie that has been made in a few years. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It makes you feel every imaginable emotion. It truly deserves an award for every category the movie itself is nominated for , and I say that despite my bias and love for "Up in the Air".

Best Supporting Actress

• Penelope Cruz ( Nine)
• Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
• Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
• Mo' Nique (Precious)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal ( Crazy Heart)

Here I would really like to see either the ladies from "Up in the Air" win, however Mo' Nique is almost a guarantee to win here. I am yet to see "Precious" but from what I have heard Mo' Nique does deliver an incredible performance.

Best Supporting Actor

• Matt Damon (Invictus)
• Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
• Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
• Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
• Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

If you have seen Inglorious Basterds then you know who is going to win this award. Christoph Waltz is so very good in this movie, there really is no other choice for Best supporting actor. However on the off chance that someone pulls an upset here I would have to pick Woody Harrelson.

Best Actress

• Sandra Bullock ( The Blind Side)
• Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
• Carey Mulligan ( An Education)
• Gabourey Sidibe ( Precious)
• Meryl Streep ( Julie and Julia)

I have only seen one of these movies ( An Education) and given what I saw Carey Mulligan would be a fine choice as Best Actress. With that being said, Sandra Bullock won the SAG and Golden Globe for her performance in The Blind Side. It is safe to assume Sandra Bullock will be taking home her first Oscar as well.

Best Actor

• Jeff Bridges ( Crazy heart)
• George Clooney ( Up In the Air)
• Colin Firth ( A Single Man)
• Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
• Jeremy Renner ( The Hurt Locker)

This category is going to be one of the most exciting ones to follow and see unfold. Jeff Bridges won the SAG and Golden Globe for his role in Crazy heart. So most of the time one can assume he will win the Oscar as well. There is a twist though. Given his performance in "Up in the Air" and his contributions to the disaster in Haiti, George Clooney is just as likely to win as Jeff Bridges is. The sleeper here may be Jeremy Renner, he was very, very good in "The Hurt Locker". The Academy may have too tough of a time deciding between Clooney and Bridges and give it to Renner. Any of the three are just fine with me.

Best Director

• James Cameron (Avatar)
• Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
• Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds)
• Jason Reitman (Up In The Air)
• Lee Daniels ( Precious)

Other than Lee Daniels (Sorry), any one Director nominated here has a good chance of taking home the Oscar. The real storyline here is James Cameron vs. Kathryn Bigelow. Not only are both of their movies nominated for 9 Oscars each.....they use to be married! Ex vs. Ex.....what a great story. The academy may give it to Cameron due to Avatar's record breaking success throughout the world, and considering the technology Cameron developed for the movie. Now in terms of directorial excellence it turns into a 3 person race between Bigelow, Reitman, and Tarantino. All 3 movies were very well, and all three are very good movies. However, if I were voting I would choose Bigelow as the winner. You have to watch the behind the scenes and interviews and obviously the movie itself to realize how great of a job she did. She put everything she had into this film and very likely will never direct another as good as "The Hurt Locker". Therefore she should and will win.

Best Picture

• Avatar
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglorious Basterds
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• Precious
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up In The Air

Let's be honest here, usually the Best Picture movies go hand in hand with the ones attached to Best Director. That doesn't mean that the other 5 are not great movies because they are. It just means that they are there just to get credit for being some of the best of the year. In reality the only ones with a real shot are Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Up In The Air , Precious, and Inglorious Basterds. I would like to see the award go to Up in the Air, but the more likely winner is The Hurt Locker. Which is not a bad choice at all.