OSCAR predictions

Best Picture

will win: The Hurt Locker

should win: Inglourious Basterds

The best picture category has essentially become a two film race between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Avatar won the best drama at the Golden Globes but Hurt Locker has won basically every other best picture award this awards season. As visually stunning as Avatar is, I am hopeful that academy voters will realize that Hurt Locker is a far superior film,

even if it didn't make a hundred billion dollars at the box office. Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds would be my vote for best picture but I will not have any problems with Hurt Locker winning.

Best Director
will win: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

Should win: Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

Again, this is a battle between Avatar and The Hurt Locker.

James Cameron, director of Avatar is the ex-husband of Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow which makes for a very compelling best director race. Cameron will get votes for the sheer enormity of his project but in the end Bigelow will win for creating an incredibly intense, extremely well acted war film in The Hurt Locker. I think Tarantino should win because his movie is the best of 2009 and his attention to detail is impeccable.

Best Actor

Will win: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

Should win: George Clooney (Up in the Air)

Ok, so I didn't see Crazy Heart but Jeff Bridges has won every acting award given out so far this awards season. It is almost a lock that Bridges will win the Oscar giving a performance that many have said is similar to Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. I can't think that Bridges should win because I didn't see the performance but of all the nominees that I saw Clooney gave the best performance. There is no actor in the world that could have played Clooney's character in Up in the Air, besides Clooney.

Best Actress

Will win: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Should win: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Bullock might have some problems beating out Meryl Streep from Julia & Julia but in the end the voters will award Bullock's complete transformation into Leigh Anne Tuohy. Everything from the accent, to the movements, to the hair, was perfect about Bullock's performance. Watching interviews of the actual Leigh Anne Tuohy, I almost couldn't tell the difference between Tuohy and Bullock. Bullock will win, as she should.

Best Supporting Actor

Will win: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

Should Win:

Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

This category is a lock. From the moment Waltz won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival, he has been racking up awards like Tiger racks up chicks. Only Waltz doesn't have to apologize because he has created one of the best villains in movie history. With the help of Tarantino's ingenious dialogue, Waltz frightens, amuses, and shocks the audience, in the most memorable performance of 2009.

Best Supporting Actress

Will win: Mo'Nique (Precious)

Should win: Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)

Like Christoph Waltz, Mo'Nique is also a lock to win her category. Mo'nique gives a really good, nearly over the top performance, in the very difficult to watch Precious. Obviously, Mo'Nique is completely different in Precious then in her comedy movies, and Mo'Nique does as good a job as she could have with her role. But really all she does is yell and throw stuff the whole movie, until the heartbreaking last scene that will win her the Oscar. Vera Farmiga has no chance of winning but her performance, while not nearly as out there as Mo'Nique's, is really, really good. Farmiga has been quietly giving tremendous performances throughout her career and its nice to finally see her getting recognized for her performance.

The other categories:

Animated Feature Film: Up

Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air

Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds

Art Direction: Avatar

Cinematography: The Hurt Locker

Sound Editing: Avatar

Sound Mixing: Avatar

Editing: The Hurt Locker

Visual Effects: Avatar

Makeup: Star Trek

Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon

Costumes: The Young Victoria

Original Score: Up

Original Song: Crazy Heart

Documentary: The Cove