Scene From The Hurt Locker

Really, other than one category this year, the picks are pretty clear to me.

I think it’s a toss up in the Best Actress category between Sandra Bullock for “The Blind Side” and Meryl Streep in “Julie and Julia.“

Here’s the link to the Oscar ballot if you wanna play at home and below are my picks in the major categories. I’ve also included with the nominees, who will win and who I think should win. They’re not always the same.

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker - WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Notes: There is no denying the strength, power and intensity of The Hurt Locker. It may not be the most well known of the nominations, but it stands above them all.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart – WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN
George Clooney for Up in the Air
Colin Firth for A Single Man
Morgan Freeman for Invictus
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

Notes: It was a tough call to rule out George Clooney’s performance of Up In The Air. The story hit home, but Jeff Bridges wins. He literally transformed into his character. Colin Firth went to the bottom of the well, showing how one’s sexual orientation had to be masked in the 1950s.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side WILL WIN
Helen Mirren for The Last Station
Carey Mulligan for An Education
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia SHOULD WIN

Note: This is a hard call. I didn’t really like The Blind Side, but it’s turned out to be a fan favorite. I would have watched a whole movie of Meryl Streep portraying Julia Childs.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon for Invictus
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN

Notes: If not for Christoph Waltz as the bad guy in Inglorious, this would have been a lesser movie. Stanley Tucci also deserves credit in this category, but not for his work in The Lovely Bones. He should have been nominated for playing Julia Childs’ husband in Julie & Julia.

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz for Nine
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN

Notes: Admission of guilt. As of press time, I still haven’t seen Precious. I am solely going on my fellow critics review of her work and the fan outpouring of support she’s received.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN
James Cameron for Avatar
Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

Notes: I giggle that James Cameron will be beat out by his ex-wife. This is a good lesson for Jason (Son of funny movie god – Ivan) Reitman. Get a couple movies under your belt and you’ll have your Oscar soon.

Best Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker: Mark Boal WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN
Inglourious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger: Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman
A Serious Man: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Up: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy

Notes: All of these movies deserve credit for their originality. They all have their own charm and special touch. All are worthy, but I would like to see Quentin Tarantino win sometime soon.

Best Animated Feature
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up – WILL WIN/ SHOULD WIN

Notes: Fantastic and The Princess and the Frog are both great examples of creative animation. Up was simply a better example.

Happy Oscaring!