MY OSCAR BALLOT!!!!

Bigelow and Renner are happy they got my vote.

The moment all 2 of you have been waiting for.

In Documentary, I've only seen Food Inc and The Cove. The Cove gets my vote. In Foreign Language Film, I've seen The White Ribbon. That's it.

I haven't seen the following films from the categories I'm about to "cast my vote" in:


Il Divo
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Invictus
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones
Paris 36
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Sherlock Holmes
A Single Man

VISUAL EFFECTS - AVATAR
When Visual Effects are so strong that they help you in the categories of cinematography and art direction, you know they are great. Avatar is, what?, 99% visual effects. Star Trek is pretty good, but I really love the way District 9 incorporates them into the film. That's the type I would usually vote for. However, Avatar is in a class by itself here.

SOUND EDITING & SOUND MIXING - THE HURT LOCKER
Most people have no clue what separates these two: it is actually pretty easy. Mixing is the overall sound of the film: how dialogue, music, silence and effects are used. Editing is the sound created for the film. In both cases, I prefer The Hurt Locker. Avatar is probably just as worthy in Sound Editing, but the key really is how Hurt Locker uses its silence and how those bullets, explosions and rubble pierce through it. It's sorta like 2007 with Bourne Ultimatum Vs. No Country for Old Men.

MAKEUP - STAR TREK
I hear Il Divo's work is good, but I have no clue why Young Victoria is here? I'm going to credit it to Emily Blunt.

ART DIRECTION - AVATAR
Having not seen 2 of the more stylish noms in this category, that leaves me with Avatar. I'm aware that a lot of the sets in the film were visual effects, but someone had to design them. And it's not like the people who design the sets are the ones that actually build them. Nine feels too much like Chicago 2, and Young Victoria's sets could have come from any film of the time period.

COSTUME DESIGN - BRIGHT STAR
The Nine chicks were lovely, and Blunt looked regal as Victoria. But Bright Star's garb felt very inherent to the film. That's what should give contenders the edge in close race tech categories.

ORIGINAL SCORE - UP
Avatar was a lot of tribal chanting and cliched epic music. I have no clue why it is here. I've heard some of Sherlock's stuff and it is good. Haven't seen it, so can't vote for it. Loved the film Fantastic Mr. Fox, can't remember the score. Hurt lacks a theme, but felt organic. Up has a theme, fit the film, and was whimsical. WINNER.

ORIGINAL SONG - "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)", CRAZY HEART
This is easy. Really easy.

CINEMATOGRAPHY - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
I'd be happy with a Hurt win here, despite a little too much shakey cam. SHAKEY! CAM! Basterds has the most iconic shots - see anything with Melanie Laurent. I like White Ribbon but its B&W work isn't that jaw dropping. Past nominees like Good Night and Good Luck and The Man Who Wasn't There used the format much better. This category, despite being unpredictable, is pretty weak this year.

FILM EDITING - THE HURT LOCKER
Basterds is great with tension. "Hi, Sally!" I'd love to see her win just for the brutal Kill Bill snubbage. But perhaps 1% more intense and thrilling is Locker.

ANIMATED FEATURE - FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Sure, I loved Up. And Coraline. Mr. Fox is just so madly inventive and will be a classic years from now.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - IN THE LOOP
Here's a case where if everyone who votes would see Loop, it would have no trouble winning. Up in the Air will be a solid winner. Both screenplay categories are pretty awesome.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Hurt is a worthy winner any other year. Basterds doesn't just have Tarantino's trademark long scenes of dialogue and instantly iconic characters, it's easily his best job yet at crafting an actual story and propelling it forward. History revision is fun, kiddies!

SUPPORTING ACTOR - CHRISTOPH WALTZ, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Loved Woody, too. But a baddie will take it for the third year in a row.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MO'NIQUE, PRECIOUS
I've seen all of these! I'm lukewarm on Vera here. I really like her and she really deserved a nomination for Nothing But the Truth but that movie got screwed over. I just think her work in Up in the Air is overrated. Kendrick, however, very much deserves the acclaim. Penelope is fun in Nine and plays an actual character, as opposed to most of that movie's extended cameos, errr, I mean cast. However, Cruz is overshadowed by Marion Cotillard, who is nothing short of ethereal. I was really impressed by Maggie in Crazy Heart. After seeing it, I'm surprised she didn't show up anywhere else. It's pretty baity work and a classic supporting turn. Everyone is just in Mo's shadow. Filler so there can be. Go, Mo, go! I still wish one of the Basterds ladies Kruger or Laurent would have showed up here. Oh well.

LEAD ACTOR - JEFF BRIDGES, CRAZY HEART
Jeff is one of my fave actors. He's just barely above Jeremy Renner in this category for me. Bridges is just perfect, like Rourke last year kind of relying on his offscreen persona to sell the character. Great work. Renner's work requires him to be equal parts action movie hero and precise character actor. Great work. Clooney does another of his classic movie star charmy parts and does it well. I wish he was nominated for his earlier and better stuff like Out of Sight or O Brother..

LEAD ACTRESS - CAREY MULLIGAN, AN EDUCATION
I'm tempted to switch to Gabourey, because her speech would be the best ever. Guarenteed. She'd be so excited she would probably pee on stage. I don't particularly LOVE any of the performances here. Meryl is fun, but her other "light" performance in Devil Wears Prada was far more deserving of a third Oscar win for the actress. She had some nice moments in Julie and Julia. Oddly, after watching that film, I didn't want to eat or cook. Usually after watching food movies, I do. Gabourey made me want to steal a bucket of fried chicken. Carey made me want to, well, do something with a banana. Mulligan's work is star-making, perfectly captured. I just wish An Education had been more original or given her that exra oomph. As far Bullock, see Wednesday's post.

DIRECTING - KATHRYN BIGELOW, THE HURT LOCKER
Barely, just barely edging out Tarantino, I give it to Bigelow. It's not just because she'll be the first woman winner and I fully support that. It's because of her control of everything going on in The Hurt Locker and that she did it all with a minimal budget, making it the most gripping, thrilling action film in ages. In total control of all the aspects that go into filmmaking, I'm in awe of her and Tarantino's skills. Reitman is good, knowing when to let his screenplay and actors tell the story. James Cameron really pushed his effects prodigies and that's it. Lee Daniels...well, he has skill with the actors. There's no denying that. But some of his choices in that film were seriosuly WTF?

PICTURE:

Ranked.

10. The Blind Side
LOL Okay. I had some Taco Bell to "celebrate" this movie today. That's about as deep as the movie is. People love Taco Bell. They love The Blind Side. They love being white, being Christian, being like a rejected character from Designing Women who has a very special episode with a young black man.
Oscar party food: Taco Bell.

9. Avatar
Hey, James! You know what a really special effect is: a screenplay. Know another one: skill with actors. Hundreds of millions can't buy that.
Oscar party food: blue cheese.

8. A Serious Man
I felt the same way about this film as I did about Synecdoche, New York. I'm sure I'll see it in 5 years on IFC and totally love it. I'll just leave it at that for now.
Oscar party food: Something kosher.

7. Precious
Incredible acting, a good screenplay, and a bit too much misery porn. I'm black. I wish I was white. I'm overweight. My parents sexually abuse me. My mom makes Joan Crawford look like an angel. I can't read. I have two kids. One is disabled. I have HIV. Tyler Perry produced my movie. Coincidence it was released by the same people who did Saw?
Oscar party food: a stolen bucket of chicken. But not pig's feet. Too hairy.

6. An Education
Great cast, able to elevate a standard story. Pleasant, but forgettable. Mulligan will be big though.
Oscar party food: a banana.

5. Up in the Air
Feels like something that'll be on TNT endless in 3 years, in the Jerry Maguire/Shawshank Redemption vein. Very good acting, very good screenplay. Better than Juno. I think Reitman has yet to make that great film. He's on his way.
Oscar party food: little bottles of liquor and a bag of peanuts.

4. District 9
Here's where I start loving the nominees. Thrilling, fun and yes, I'm aware the symbolism is obvious. Great use of visual effects, well incorporated into the story. (Yes, James Cameron, story. The thing you start with. Then you add the visuals. And don't steal it from Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. Steal it from APARTHEID!)
Oscar party food: prawn. Or cat food.

3. Up
Funny and surprisingly emotional. A fun summer adventure movie.
Oscar party food: Grape soda.

2. The Hurt Locker
Intense. The definitive movie about the Iraq War. It's probably too early to say that, but as of this writing - yes, that.
Oscar party food: Capri suns and cereal.

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
The most audacious film of the year: a tale of the cinema owner, the Jew hunter, the basterds, the German soldier, the actress/undercover spy, the critic, the Bear Jew, the Fuhrer, and the theatre that holds their fates. Long-winded dialogue, instantly iconic characters, pulpy revenge, movie references, badass music. Yes, we're in Tarantino country. In 2009, there was no better place to be. Of the 10 nominees, I believe time will be kindest to this one.
Oscar party food: apple studel (with cream!) and milk. And Schnapps.