Countdown to the 2010 Academy Awards

Well Oscar fans, we now have about a week until the most anticipated movie event of the year. This being my first ever blog, let me just say that I'm an avid movie fan, and I practically live to watch movies and the Oscars. Would you say I'm completely obsessed? Well, not really obsessed. Movies are just a passion of mine. As we creep closer and closer to March 7th, the excitement just keeps building up.

This year's Oscar ceremony will be the 82nd, and the academy is making some good changes, and some bad. Among the good, as you all have probably heard by now, the academy has decided to nominate 10 films for the Best Picture prize, instead of the usual 5. Something like this hasn't been done since the first couple of decades of the Oscars, and it will be very interesting to see how this plays out. This year's ceremony will also welcome not one, but two hosts. And they are non other than the insanely funny comedic pairing of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Since these two are also the most frequent of Saturday Night Live hosts, there's no denying their hilarious talent. One of the major disappointments, however, is the decision to not have the Best Original Song nominees performed. That's a shame, since I would have loved to see Crazy Heart's nominated song "The Weary Kind" be peformed. Oh well, we can't have everything, and with the festivities being 3-4 hours, I'm sure there are some hidden surprises.

All throughout my winter break, my brother and I probably went to the movies 2-3 times a week. Of course being a film fanatic, why wouldn't I? Given nearly five weeks of break (got to love college) I was able to see nine movies, a couple of which I saw twice. Since around this time is when all the award-contender movies are released, I try to catch as many as I can. Every week I would eagerly await for the new weekend schedule to come out online so I could see which of the independent films were finally being released in my area. It was a huge sigh of relief when I found out that Crazy Heart would be playing at my local AMC theater. After hearing so many critical raves about Jeff Bridges' performance, how could I not see it?

Before you ask, the answer is 'yes,' I also saw the big blockbuster movies known as Sherlock Holmes and Avatar. I had a lot of fun at both. Sherlock Holmes was pure, popcorn enjoyment, and Avatar was the most visually-arresting film I've seen since the third Lord of the Rings film. These were also the two films that I saw twice. Sherlock Holmes was worth the second viewing because since I already knew the clues from my first time seeing it, it was fun watching it again and spotting the things that I missed, and putting in place the clues that I remembered. Avatar I couldn't help but see more than once, because who wouldn't want to be absorbed in the world of Pandora?

Back to the Oscars. Since the winners will be announced next Sunday, this will be an excellent opportunity to look at the eight major categories, and decipher who will win, and who should win. Let's get started:


Best Adapted Screenplay: District 9, An Education, In the Loop, Precious, and Up in the Air

Will and Should Win: Up in the Air- Back around when this film was released, it seemed to be the movie-to-beat for Best Picture with its enormous critical praise and outstanding performances. It's almost too perfect how this movie relates to our times. It is a perfect blend of comedy and personal tragedy. Its chances for Best Picture have sadly declined, and this seems to be the only award for which it has a decent shot at winning. After winning screenplay awards at the Broadcast Film Critics Awards and the Golden Globes, I think this movie is a lock in this category.


Best Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, The Messenger, A Serious Man, and Up

Will Win: Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino's funny, edgy, (and really bloody) World War II film is his new masterpiece, and the academy loves a director like him. A story of vengeful Jews hunting down Nazis is crafted in such a way that probably only Tarantino could have accomplished. This will surely be another win for him.

Should Win: The Hurt Locker- Written by Mark Boal, one had to wonder at the fact that this was a War on Terror movie that actually worked. Not since Saving Private Ryan has a film brought the audience horrifically close to the frontlines of war. The movie is a tension-filled story of how addictive war can actually be, with scenes of near heart-stopping suspense that made the experience much more viceral than any other film I've seen this year.


Best Supporting Actor: Matt Damon for Invictus, Woody Harrelson for The Messenger, Christopher Plummer for The Last Station, Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones, and Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds- Waltz has been a wide receiver of awards buzz ever since the film's release. His role as an SS nazi isn't just evil, but also quite funny and original. He has already won at the BFCA, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. It looks like this will be another win for the Basterds.

Should Win: Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones- Being the only Oscar nomination that this film received, I guess you could say that Tucci practically stole the movie; and in a way, he did. Tucci was terrifically creepy in his role as a child killer in a suburban town. Every time he appeared on screen, one couldn't help but squirm and coward in fear at his foreboding presence.


Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz for Nine, Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart, Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air, and Mo'Nique for Precious

Will and Should Win: Mo'Nique for Precious- If there is any sure Oscar winner this year, it's first-time nominee Mo'Nique. Her role of an abusive inner-city mother has left auidences speechless and flim critics raving. It's easy to award a performance for an actor playing a character one can root for. But what Mo'Nique does is simply fearless, and she deserves all the praise that comes her way.


Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, George Clooney for Up in the Air, Colin Firth for A Single Man, Morgan Freeman for Invictus, and Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

Will Win: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart- As any film critic can tell you, this is Jeff Bridges' year. After years of solid work and this being his fifth Oscar nomination, it's about time the academy recognizes him for his excellent work as a country-western singer on a path of redemption. His acting and singing describe a broken-down soul who wants to prove that it's never too late to turn your life around. And he more than succeeds in getting his message across.

Should Win: Morgan Freeman for Invictus- Watching this film was literally like watching history happen, mostly because I couldn't see anyone else playing Nelson Mandela. Freeman takes on the part of one of our world's greatest leaders, and embodies the spirit of a man who achieved the impossible: uniting a racially-torn country through the language of sport. His performance left me awed, breathless, and most importantly, inspired.


Best Actress: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side, Helen Mirren for The Last Station, Carey Mulligan for An Education, Gabourey Sidibe for Precious, and Meryl Streep for Julie and Julia

Will and Should Win: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side- Just as this is Jeff Bridges' year to win, the same can be said for Sandra Bullock. She is probably one of Hollywood's most underrated actresses, partly because she'll turn out great performances in other films such as Crash and The Proposal, but will then star in several bombs, like last Fall's All About Steve, for which she has been nominated for a Razzie, which are mock 'awards' for the year's worst films. The Blind Side happens to be one of her best performances, where she plays an all-American mother who with the help of her family, takes in an abandoned teen and encourages him to play for his high school football team. This movie is an example that shows when Bullock picks a good script, she really can prove herself to be an astounding actress.


Best Director: James Cameron for Avatar, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, Lee Daniels for Precious, and Jason Reitman for Up in the Air

Will and Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker- She has lost the Golden Globe to ex-husband James Cameron, but she has won awards for Best Director from the Producers Guild and Directors Guild of America. If the academy has enough love for her, Bigelow can make Oscar history by being the first female to win Best Director. There have only been three other female Best Director nominees, none of whom won.


Best Picture: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, and Up in the Air

Will and Should Win: The Hurt Locker- About a month ago, I would have said that the only other film that could beat this was Avatar. Now, it's pretty clear who's going to win. It's won nearly every guild award, including Producers, Directors, and Writers, and received the highest of critical acclaim. It had a limited release back in July, and was never given a wide release. Thankfully, it came to my area; and honestly, there aren't many movies that have me rush back and see two more times. For a limited release movie like this to come out during the summer, and still have the academy buzzing about it, this film is not going to leave the voters' minds anytime soon. In my opinion, this is simply one of the best films of 2009. With its unflinching look at the horrors and addiction of war, along with a frightening view of the impacts that fighting a war has on a soldier psychologically and physically, The Hurt Locker is nearly flawless.

There you have it readers, my Oscar thoughts and hopes. I do wish that I'm right for most of my predictions. But no matter the outcome, March 7th will still be a night to celebrate the cinema's highest achievements of 2009. There are sure to be many surprises, because that's how we all love our awards shows. So I hope many of you tune in to watch the 82nd Academy Awards. I'm sure it'll be a great one. On an end note, enjoy the upcoming movies that 2010 has to offer, and be sure to find time to seek out some independent films. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you might find.

*This is my first ever blog. I truly hope that you enjoyed reading it. Please feel free to leave your comments. I'd love to hear what you have to say. I hope to return very soon with film reviews and other movie news. I just hope my college work allows me to.