Good Oscar Nominations 2010 — How Would You Vote

It's that time of year again: The Oscar nominations have been announced and stars all over the world are being awakened from their sleepy hazes with phone calls from PR reps, designers and their mothers. Joy and chagrin are spreading across the nation as teary celebs begin writing their speeches and some, of course, begin composing nasty letters to the Academy. Little DVDs of "what to expect on the day of the Oscars" are being put into envelopes and sent to nominees (seriously). So here they are: The 2010 Oscar Nominations — let's have a look at the seriously good movies and actors who have the honor of being nominated.

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

Tonic asks: How would you vote?

Best Picture is the category that incorporates everything. The lighting, the makeup, the acting, the set, the cinematography, and the way you felt when it was done. For our money, we'd like to see a movie that made the world a better place, just by existing, win (To Kill a Mockingbird would have beat Lawrence of Arabia in 1962 if we were in charge). Movies that made us feel good, or want to be better people included The Blind Side and Precious. We also have a soft spot for Avatar; rarely has a war movie been so pro-environment. It may have brought the concept of eco-responsibility home for a whole new audience.

 

Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight) George Clooney in Up in the Air (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Colin Firth in A Single Man (The Weinstein Company) Morgan Freeman in Invictus (Warner Bros.) Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side (Warner Bros.) Helen Mirren in The Last Station (Sony Pictures Classics) Carey Mulligan in An Education (Sony Pictures Classics) Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate) Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon in Invictus (Warner Bros.) Woody Harrelson in The Messenger (Oscilloscope Laboratories Christopher Plummer in The Last Station (Sony Pictures Classics) Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount) Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

Actress in a Supporting Role

Penélope Cruz in Nine (The Weinstein Company) Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight) Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

Tonic asks: How would you vote?

Acting is an elusive thing to judge. You may think someone's performance was horrible, when, in fact, their performance was in a "style" requested by the director, or the editor cut their reactions to look odd or their pauses too long. Sometimes, music can appear to do the acting for the performer. Basically, a lot of things have to come together to make a great film performance. It can be hard to look objectively at how "good" an actor is, but the Academy has always trended toward real transformations, when there is absolutely no doubt that the actor didn't just roll out of their trailer and say the lines. And, of course, sometimes someone seems to win just because they haven't before and the Academy feels it's their turn. Keep an eye on Sandra Bullock for that one, or for Gabourey Sidibe to have swept them (and us all) off their feet. Our money's on Morgan Freeman for Invictus, for one of those rare instances when actor + role = magic.

 

Thoughts on trends in the nominations

The other Academy Award nominations (which you can find in an easy-to-read format here) tend to favor a few movies: Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, Up and Up in the Air. That's good news to us; each of those films told new, engaging stories. So, tell us below: How would you vote? Which do you think was the best movie, and which movies did you think were "good"? Is goodness an important factor in how much you like (or hate) a movie?

 

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 7th at 8pm and 5pm on ABC.

 

Photo by Alan Light via wikimedia commons.