82nd Academy Awards Blogathon: Best Picture
Nominees: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
When the nominees were announced on February 2nd, I was super excited at the diversity in the ten best pictures. Naturally people will grumble that certain films were left out ((500) Days of Summer, Star Trek, Where the Wild Things Are,) and that some shouldn’t have been included (The Blind Side,) but all in all it’s quite exciting.
Here we have two science fiction films nominated for best picture, a handful of films with pulse pounding action, quirky dramas, and a film that completely rewrites history. More than anything, it seems this year the Academy is celebrating the fun that we can have at the theater.
For the first time since Beauty and the Beast in 1991, an animated film has been nominated for Best Picture, (well one and three-fourths if you count Avatar as animated.) Two of the nominated films debuted in 3-D, there’s a number of independent films, big blockbusters, and… The Blind Side…
It’s a shame that these awards are mislabeled, as it’s really all about hype going into awards season. But then, how can you determine the quality of one film compared to another when film as a medium is so subjective anyhow? But, alas, buzz it is going into awards season, which really only leaves two contenders at the forefront: Avatar and The Hurt Locker.
My personal preference is torn between Up and The Hurt Locker, but when I really boil down what kind of things “Best Picture” consists of, there is only one winner: Avatar. It has pushed technology and what audiences can expect from films, it’s entertaining as all hell, and, um, it’s made a trillion times our national debt. Both audiences and critics adore it. It has been seen by nearly everyone in the world. It’s seeped its way into pop culture.
The Hurt Locker, while one of the best crafted films I’ve ever seen, has the support of the people who love the underdog. As much as it shouldn’t matter, it’s directed by a woman, and Kathryn Bigelow has shown she can run with the best of them. But when it’s all said and done, I think The Hurt Locker is far more an exemplary of astounding directing than Best Picture material.
But each of the nominees brings their own unique features to the table. It theoretically should be anyone’s game, but I’d be flabbergasted if Avatar or The Hurt Locker didn’t win. Let’s just enjoy the acknowledgement of wonderful cinema this year.
Prediction: Avatar
Personal Pick(s): The Hurt Locker, Up
Vote
Tags: Academy Awards, Best Picture, Predictions
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