OSCAR RANKINGS

I'm only ranking the stuff I've seen. I'll get through all of it eventually and update this accordingly.

Best Picture:
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. An Education
4. A Serious Man
5. Up
6. District 9
7. Up in the Air
8. Avatar
9. The Blind Side
10.

I like that the Academy decided to expand the Best Picture field to 10. It gives movies normally not considered Academy-friendly to be recognized. With this year's field I felt that the top 7 were all excellent. I gave the top spot to The Hurt Locker because I loved everything about it. The acting was fantastic, the directing was top-notch, and the screenplay was spot-on. I would have put Avatar at the bottom of the list (IT'S NOT A GOOD FILM) but I feel that its technical achievements were amazing enough to put it ahead of the bland Blind Side.

Best Actor:
1. Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
2. Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
3. Morgan Freeman - Invictus
4. George Clooney - Up in the Air
5.


Right now I'm giving this one to Renner but I haven't had the chance to see Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. Not only did Renner do a great job with the role, but the character was expertly written. Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela is spot on but I didn't feel that he had to go to quite the depths that Renner needed to for his role.

Best Supporting Actor
1. Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
2. Matt Damon - Invictus
3.
4.
5.

It doesn't matter what anyone else has done this year. Christoph Waltz gave one of the best supporting actor performances I've ever seen. Put him up there with Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. Also take Matt Damon off this damn list. Just because he lifts weights and has a passable South African accent in a Clint Eastwood film doesn't mean he should get nominated. His spot should have been given to Alfred Molina in An Education. But really it doesn't matter since Waltz destroys everyone else anyway. I also wanted to say that I'm becoming a huge fan of Stanley Tucci. He does such a great job in Julie and Julia and was great in The Devil Wears Prada. I'll try to watch The Lovely Bones sometime this week.

Best Actress
1. Carey Mulligan - An Education
2. Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia
3. Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
4.
5.

I still have a bit left to see in this category but what an excellent job Carey Mulligan did. It hurts my mind that she's dating Shia LeBoeuf. And I know Sandra Bullock has received a lot off buzz but I just got done watching The Blind Side and she's essentially every other southern mother with a son or daughter in a competitive sport. Yes, she played the role well but there was really nothing especially difficult about it. And holy hell Meryl Streep is amazing. She just has this ability to step up into a high-profile role and always do a fantastic job. But I'm still giving this to Carey Mulligan mostly because I believe Streep was limited by the character.

Best Supporting Actress
1. Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
2. Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
4.
5.

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. An Education
2. District 9
3. Up in the Air
4.
5.

Best Original Screenplay
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. The Hurt Locker
3. A Serious Man
4. Up
5.

Quentin Tarantino is simply a master of dialogue. I know Inglourious Basterds received some criticism for being boring but that's only because those viewers didn't appreciate the tension in every scene. The opening scene, the scene in the bar, and the scene in the restaurant all had me on the edge of my seat.

Best Director
1. Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
2. Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
3. James Cameron - Avatar
4. Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
5.

The Hurt Locker was just a complete film with a little bit of everything without seeming like it was too diluted or spread out. The balance was excellent.