2010 Oscar Nominations

(Just major categories)

Best Picture

* “Avatar”
* “The Blind Side”
* “District 9”
* “An Education”
* “The Hurt Locker”
* “Inglourious Basterds”
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
* “A Serious Man”
* “Up”
* “Up in the Air”

Actor in a Leading Role

* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
* George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
* Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
* Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
* Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

* Matt Damon in “Invictus”
* Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
* Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
* Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
* Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
* Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
* Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
* Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

* “Coraline”
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
* “The Princess and the Frog”
* “The Secret of Kells”
* “Up”

Directing

* “Avatar” James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

* “Burma VJ”
* “The Cove”
* “Food, Inc.”
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
* “Which Way Home”

Film Editing

* “Avatar”
* “District 9”
* “The Hurt Locker”
* “Inglourious Basterds”
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Foreign Language Film

* “Ajami” Israel
* “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
* “The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
* “Un Prophète” France
* “The White Ribbon” Germany

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “District 9”
* “An Education”
* “In the Loop”
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
* “Up in the Air”

Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “The Hurt Locker”
* “Inglourious Basterds”
* “The Messenger”
* “A Serious Man”
* “Up”

- It seems Best Picture will come down to Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker. In that case, I'm Team Bigelow. By the time you read this, Avatar will have become the highest grossing movie worldwide and domestically. This is mainly due to inflation, but still, Avatar is one of the most overrrated movies of all time. You can make the case every single other Best Picture nominee is better, storywise and acting wise. Avatar is a great technical achievement, but otherwise, it is Dancing with Wolves in Space. With 10 nominations in the Best Picture category this year, it was good to see films like District 9 and The Blind Side pop up.

- Up in the Air, my favorite movie this year, has 5 nominations. Unfortunately, it's only destined to win for screenplay -- one of five it deserves.

- Morgan Freeman and Meryl Streep seem to be nominated because they are Morgan Freeman and Meryl Streep. Sheer politeness.

- When it stuck with the story about a girl and the aftermath her family goes through after her murder, The Lovely Bones was a very good move. Alas, Tucci is the only nomination the movie scored. Saoirse Ronan, who played the radiant young girl, was the heart and soul of the story and shined through the film's minor problems.

- I need to see Precious to understand WHY. If it hadn't been resonating with people so much, I wouldn't have thought twice about seeing it.

- Up! The first Pixar movie to be nomianted for Best Picture!

- Anna Kendrick is a talented babe.

- Crazy Heart seems to be playing out like last year's The Wrestler. The difference is its lead actor will probably win.

- For the most part, I think the Academy gets it right. I still have a lot to see.