Nicole in D.C.

Thankfully, tonight, the 82nd Academy Awards will conclude all the countdowns, year-end wrap-ups, and discussions of film in The Aughts. I actually agreed with the Academy’s choice to raise the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten. Over the past few years, there’ve been some crazy years where one film really dominates the entire landscape of award shows leaving perfectly good great films out of the Best Picture category. Unfortunately for the Academy, 2009 happened to be a year of a bunch of good films that grossed a lot of money, and no actual standouts that achieved (near) perfection of the cinematic arts.

In 2009, I can really only compile a list of movies I enjoyed, but that didn’t necessarily move me. On the enjoyment scale, I’d say the best movies of 2009 were District 9, Zombieland and Where the Wild Things Are. Other than that, only one movie truly moved me, and I didn’t even watch it in 2009.

The night of the Golden Globes, I decided to watch The Hurt Locker. Normally, I’d watch the award show, but I was so disappointed with the films nominated that I couldn’t even watch. I’d seen a good portion of the films nominated except for Avatar and THL and I refuse to pay $13 for a movie, because it’s best viewed in 3-D.

I have to admit, THL is a subtle film about an explosive (literally and figuratively) issue affecting my generation right now. Honestly, whether bomb detonators in Iraq say the film is factually accurate or not doesn’t matter to me. The bombs and the war are secondary characters to Jeremy Renner and the emphasis is placed on the relationships he does and doesn’t build with the people around him. Film isn’t supposed to be reality; instead, they’re supposed to be thought-provoking interpretations of what’s going on in someone’s story. I truly believe THL is the best movie/story of the year.

If I was a voting member of the Academy, these would be my winners of the 2009 (I left a few categories out that I simply do not know enough about or didn’t have time to consider):

Best Picture :: The Hurt Locker
(I think Avatar will win)

Best Actor :: Jeremy Renner
(I think Jeff Bridges will win)

Best Supporting Actor :: Christopher Waltz

Best Actress :: Carey Mulligan
(I think Sandra Bullock will win)

Best Supporting Actress :: Maggie Gyllenhaal
(I think Mo’Nique will win)

Best Animated Film :: Up

Best Art Direction :: Avatar

Best Cinematography :: The Hurt Locker

Best Costumes :: The Young Victoria (period pieces always win this right?)

Best Director :: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
(I would not be upset if Jason Reitman won, I’m a big fan of his)

Best Documentary :: Food, Inc.

Best Writing (Adapted) :: Up in the Air

Best Writing (Original) :: Inglorious Basterds

We’ll see how I do a little later. For now, off to see another movie instead of watching the awards show.