2010 First Half of the Year Awards

Its been a relatively mild year so far at the movies, with alot of solid efforts and only a few truly powerful films being released along with a slate of ok to middling works. Here now is my shot at laying down what I found to be the best of the best so far this year, cutting off after Inception as I viewed it as the summer release that pretty much ends the first half of the year.
So, here now, after a long absence on my part is my first half of the year awards, enjoy.

(*) denotates my choice for Best of each category

Best Picture
- The Ghost Writer
- Inception
- Shutter Island
- Solitary Man
- Toy Story 3 *

Best Director
- Andrea Arnold for Fish Tank
- Julian Jarrold for Red Riding: 1974
- Christopher Nolan for Inception *
- Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
- Martin Scorsese for Shutter Island

Best Actor
- Casey Affleck for The Killer Inside Me
- Leonardo DiCaprio for Inception
- Leonardo DiCaprio for Shutter Island *
- Michael Douglas for Solitary Man
- Andrew Garfield for Red Riding: 1974

Best Actress
- Greta Gerwig for Greenberg
- Rebecca Hall for Red Riding: 1974
- Katie Jarvis for Fish Tank *
- Julianna Margolis for City Island
- Julianne Moore for Chloe

Best supporting Actor
- Pierce Brosnan for The Ghost Writer
- Michael Fassbender for Fish Tank *
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Inception
- Cillian Murphy for Inception
- Mark Ruffalo for Shutter Island

Best Supporting Actress
- Marion Cottilard for Inception *
- Amanda Seyfried for Chloe
- Kierston Wareing for Fish Tank
- Olivia Williams for The Ghost Writer
- Michelle Williams for Shutter Island

Best Adapted Screenplay
- The Ghost Writer
- The Killer Inside Me
- Red Riding: 1974
- Shutter Island
- Toy Story 3 *

Best Original Screenplay
- Chloe
- Fish Tank
- Greenberg
- Inception *
- Solitary Man

Best Film Editing
- The Ghost Writer
- Inception *
- Red Riding: 1974
- Shutter Island
- Solitary Man

Best Cinematography
- The Ghost Writer
- Inception *
- The Killer Inside Me
- Red Riding: 1974
- Shutter Island

Best Art Direction
- Alice In Wonderland
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Inception *
- Red Riding: 1974
- Shutter Island

Best Costume Design
- Alice In Wonderland
- Avatar: The Last Airbender *
- Inception
- The Killer Inside Me
- Shutter Island

Best Make-Up
- Alice In Wonderland *
- Inception
- Shutter Island

Best Visual F/X
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Inception *
- Iron Man 2

Best Original Score
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- The Ghost Writer
- Inception *
- Red Riding: 1974
- Toy Story 3

Best Sound Editing
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Inception *
- Iron Man 2
- Shutter Island
- Toy Story 3

Best Sound Mixing
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Inception *
- Iron Man 2
- Shutter Island
- Toy Story 3

So, basically as you can see movies like Inception, Toy Stor3, Shutter Island and The Ghost Writer have for me, been the best of the year so far. Will they go the distance come the end of the year, or fade away, forgotten amongst the pre Oscar season releases? For my money, I'd venture to say that Inception and Toy Story 3 are sure bets for a bevy of nominations, including Best Picture, but Shutter Island and The Ghost Writer could pop up spmewhere, though it will be a much harder road to the podium.

January 1st through July 17th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
eligibility period

2010: A New Year, A New Decade of Cinematic Experiences

There's a part of me that is glad to see this past Oscar season finished with. After witnessing a "crashing" upset, an overdue auteur recieving his due, two of the decades best squaring off, a rags to riches sweep and the theory of ten taking their places in the pantheon of Oscar history and film lore, the first decade of the aughts is finally over.
After these past 5 years of Oscar Watching, it feels refreshing to think that the cinematic slate has been wiped clean and is beginning afresh. This is mostly in due to the unusual circumstances of the last year. With the 2009-2010 Oscar season came, for myself, a vibe of exciting banality. There was a wealth if excellent films recognized, from Avatar and The Hurt Locker to Inglourious Basterds and A Serious Man and even District 9. While I have no doubt that 2010 featured the best Best Picture nominee class of the past decade, due to the expansion of the category. the past year gave little room for any suprises. Well, at least not any pleasant ones (ahem, The Blind Side). This year was all about Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker, a shame since I felt neither were even in my top 5 of the films that were nominated for Best Picture this year. It was a disapointment to see Up in The Air, District 9 and A Serious Man go home empty handed, and a letdown that Inglourious Basterds took home only one(albeit deserved) Oscar for Christoph Waltz..
However, that is ancient history as we are now at the forefront of a new decade, one filled with oppurtunity and excitement for film lovers. This year alone theatregoers will be able to see potential classics in the making such as Inception, Toy Story 3, Shutter Island and True Grit. And with progress being made in the developments of Martin Scorsese's upcoming Silence and Paul Thomas Anderson's next, The Master, along with efforts from Terrence Malik, The Coen Brothers, David Fincher and Alexander Payne, this decade could be one of the best in terms of film since the 70's.
With a new year comes, of course, year in advanced predictions along with new reviews, features and thoughts from myself on the state of cinema. I am open to any and all criticisms, encouragement and ideas from readers of The Oscar Hut, and you can reach me at tjpratt@bellsouth.net or in the comments section of each and every post. As my creative partner and collaborater Aaron Morales has decided to end his prognostication hobbies following his accident and it's subsequent injuries , I am once again hoping that a fellow film/oscar lover(s) will step up and become a part of The Oscar Hut! Once again, to contact me about joing TOH you can reach me at tjpratt@bellsouth.net.
The official start of this new year for The Oscar Hut will begin sometime in the next week, kicking off with year in adavance predictions, So, heres to a new year and decade of Cinema! May it continue to make our lives extraordinary in every way!

Tyler j. Pratt,
The Oscar Hut

Final Oscar Predictions

Forgive me for the innactivity, I've been sick all winter and its left me with little enthusiasm or energy to put foward into the blog. However this being Oscar Night, the superbowl of movie awards I must admit that I am inclined to put forth my predictions.

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
Best Sup. Actor: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
Best Sup. Actress: Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire
Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in The Air by Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Best Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker by Mark Boal

At this point I am guaranteed to be at least 8/24

Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker
Best Cinematography: The Hurt Locker
Best Art Direction: Avatar
Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria
Best Make-Up: Star Trek
Best Visual F/X: Avatar
Best Sound Editing: Avatar
Best Sound Mixing: Avatar

At this point I'm 14/24 with the possibility of missing at least one of these

Best Original Score: Up by Michael Giacchino
Best Original Song: The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart by T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham

16/24

Best Animated Film: Up
Best Foreign Laguage Film: A Prophet
Best Documentary: The Cove
Best Animated Short: A Matter of Loaf and Death
Best Live Action Short: The Door
Best Documentary Short: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

At this point I say I'll end up 21/24, I'll miss at least one tech award and Foreign Language is up in the air for me. Many insist that the Argentina selection will prevail but a Prophet was too amazing to be passed over. But, hey, what do I know?

The Oscar (Hut) 10: Worst Snubs

Taking a page out of Kris Tapley's book, here's a rundown of the ten snubs from this morning's announcement that disappoints me most for this year.

10. Inglourious Basterds' Art Direction & Costumes Snubbed.
Despite the excellent work here put in here by David Wasco and IB's costume designer, the two were painfully snubbed despite the excellent work on both ends. What replaced them? In the Art Direction category, Basterds most likely lost it's spot to The Young Victoria, which I have yet to see. On the costume side of things Basterds probably was bested by Coco Avant Chanel or The Imaginarium of Docter Parnassus.

9. District 9 for Best Makeup.
It is almost too ridiculous to even imagine that the excellent makeup work on District 9 ended up snubbed, and snubbed in favor of The Young Victoria or Il Divo no less. The last time I checked, powdering faces doesnt qualify as a great achievement in makeup. But then again why honor a film that shocked audiences with the most realistic human to alien metamorphosis I've seen on the screen in my lifetime. Oh well, at least District 9 got a Best Picture.

8. The Informant!'s score by Marvin Hamlisch
Because I to be honest, I have no recollection of The Hurt Locker having a musical score, because to be honest The Informant!'s score was one of the most fun and playful series of compositions I have ever heard.

7. Up in The Air for Best Film Editing
I might be alone on this one but I thought Up in The Air's editing was fantastic. The film's pacing was seriously awsome, and the editing contributed to the overall feeling of the film. Precious had great editing, but I feel like Up in The Air's was way better, just my opinion but whatever.

6. Star Trek for Best Picture
There was a point where I thought Star Trek was really going to make it in. When The Blind Side was called followed by Invictus' not, I thought there was something interesting afoot, but I was wrong. Star Trek may have been an entertaining popcorn flick, it also happened to be one of the best and most exciting films of the year. Directed with intensity and just the right dose of mythology, J.J. Abrams' best film to date was the film that re-invigorated the sci-fi genre, it's succsess at the box office leading to simmilar results for District 9 and Avatar.

5. (500) Days of Summer for Best Original Screenplay
Though it was replaced by a deserving nominee, Oren Moverman's The Messenger, (500) Days of Summer's screenplay was one of a few of the year's seemingly locked nominees along with Waltz, Mo'Nique and The Hurt Locker. It was original, fun, whimsically romantic and inventive, but it wasnt good enough to make the cut for some reason.

4. Melanie Laurent & Diane Kruger for Best Supporting Actress
They were both fantastic and both had a decent to good chance of making the cut due to weak competition other than Mo'nique, farmiga or Kendrick. Cruz shouldnt have gotten the nod for mumbling through the best song of the musical and Gyllenhaal's nomination, while a pleasent suprise, should have went to Laurent.

3. Where The Wild Things Are for Best Cinematography
Lance accord's lensing was inventive, dynamic and wild, too bad the movie didnt catch on at all with anyone, it featured awsome direction, costumes, art direction and a great supporting turn from James Gandolfini. Spike Jonze is 3 for 3, in case you havent been counting.

2. Adam Sandler for Best Actor
I named Sandler's lead performance in Judd Apatow's Funny People as the best of the year and his career in the site's awards, and I did it for a reason. You have never seen Sandler like this before. Putting a spin on his image, Sandler revives his career with one of the year's rawest, most intimate portrayals of an artist. I know this hasn't been a possibility since the summer, but if Tommy Lee Jones could pull one out for a movie nobody saw two years ago, then I felt like Sandler's chances were about the same. Oh well...

1. Anthony Mackie for Best Supporting Actor
Anthony Mackie's performance in The Hurt Locker was one that didn't truly resonate with me. I saw the film when it was released nearly 8 months ago at my local theatre and I enjoyed it thouroughly, but Mackie wasnt the source of that enjoyment. Over time I began to realize what an acomplishment the performance was. Renner may have been the star of the movie, but Mackie's cautious war ravaged worrier was the driving power behind the film's ensemble. Watching it again last week confirmed this and I nervously hoped that he would be remembered but he wasnt, and in favor of Matt Damon and or Christopher Plummer.

2009-2010 Oscar Nominations!

All in all I did pretty fair to decent in each category, only missing when it came to the true shockers like The Blind Side getting a best picture nomination and Maggi Gyllenhaal's surprise supporting actress nod. I'm fairly pleased with the nominees this year and I can see the race for an Oscar in each category getting heated over this month.

Here are the nominees:

Best Picture
“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”

I went 9 out of 10 for this one, predicting Star Trek to reap a well deserved nomination, but alas the box office power and populace favor for The Blind Side prevailed over a film that was better received and more of a cinematic achievement.

Best Director
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
“Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
“Lee Daniels, “Precious”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”

Foolishly, I predicted perennial nominee Lee Daniels to sit this one out in favor of District 9's helmer Neill Blomkamp, despite Daniels' DGA nod and the film's PGA, WGA, Globes and BAFTA's mentions. 4 out of 5 aint bad, but it's frustrating that I could have gotten perfect results on this one had I went with my gut rather than my heart.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”

I scored a perfect 5/5 on this.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”

And this.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Woody Harrelon, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”

While I'm disapointed I only scored 3/5 in this category, it is nice to see Matt Damon with a long time coming second nod, despite the fact that it comes for a minor performance in an underwhelming film. Anthony Mackie's snub stings, especially when the rather boring work from Christopher Plummer recieved a nod.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique, “Precious”

This was the real shocker for me. I never thought that Penelope Cruz could ride her goodwill to another nomination for her work in Nine, and I'm shocked that Maggie Gyllenhaal was able to break into the race displacing Julianne Moore, Samantha Morton and Diane Kruger. Good for her though as she scores her first nod for Crazy Heart. 3/5

Best Adapted Screenplay
“District 9”
“An Education”
“In the Loop”
“Precious”
“Up in the Air”

4/5

Best Original Screenplay
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“The Messenger”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”

4/5 Shocked that (500) Days of Summer was snubbed after making the rounds quite frequently throughout the season. The only reason that this isnt causing more of a fuss around the web is due to The Messenger being the screenplay to displace it, as Oren Moverman's work here truly shines.

Best Animated Feature Film
“Coraline”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“The Secret of Kells”
“Up”

4/5 I never saw the secret of Kells coming, especially when it displaces Ponyo and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Best Foreign Language Film
“Ajami” (Israel)
“The Milk of Sorrow” (Peru)
“A Prophet” (France)
“The Secret in Their Eyes” (Argentina)
“The White Ribbon” (Germany)

3/5

Best Art Direction
“Avatar”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Nine”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“The Young Victoria”

2/5 Ouch, but good for the Imaginarium for keeping itself in the game.

Best Cinematography
“Avatar”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“The Hurt Locker”
“The White Ribbon”

4/5 Sooo happy Half Blood Prince got a big nod like this, Delbono's work deserves it.

Best Costume Design
“Bright Star”
“Coco Before Chanel”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Nine”
“The Young Victoria”

3/5

Best Film Editing
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious”

4/5

Best Makeup
“Il Divo”
“Star Trek”
“The Young Victoria”

1/3

Best Music (Original Score)
“Avatar”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“Up”

4/5 Im suprised by The Hurt Locker's nod here, the last thing I can remember about watching The Hurt Locker was its music, I dont know how anyone could have noticed that yet not nominate Marvin hamlisch's score from The Informant!

Best Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″
“Take it All” from “Nine”
“The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart”

2/5 The Academy's Music Branch is a rather strange group. I hate them, seriously that Bruce Springsteen snub has forever destroyed any respect I had for them.

Best Sound Editing
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“Up”

4/5 I love that Basterds did so well with the techs despite missing a costumes and art direction notice. Strange.

Best Sound Mixing
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

4/5

Best Visual Effects
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“Star Trek”

3/3

Best Documentary Feature
“Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country”
“The Cove”
“Food, Inc.”
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
“Which Way Home”

3/5

Best Documentary Short
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”
“The Last Campaign of Booth Gardener”
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
“Music by Prudence”
“Rabbit a la Berlin”

Best Short Film (Animated)
“French Roast”
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty”
“The Lady and the Reaper”
“Logorama”
“A Matter of Loaf and Death”

Best Short Film (Live Action)
“The Door”
“Instead of Abracadabra”
“Kavi”
“Miracle Fish”
“The New Tenants”

The Oscar Hut's Final Oscar Predictions 2/1/10

Were finally here, after a year of cinema, constant Oscar buzz and baseless chatter, we've made it to the home stretch of the 2009-2010 Oscar season. Looking back , it's funny how much things have changed over the course of the past 12 months. Shutter Island went from being a surefire contender set for an October release to being a mid February release. The Lovely Bones, Nine and Public Enemies fell from their once golden sure lock statuses. And Avatar was still a mystery to most of the film-going public let alone bloggers and critics.

But that's the exciting thing about an Oscar race that proves to be unpredictable. It's always exhilarating to be kept in the dark guessing until the last moment, principally because it gives people like myself, Nathaniel Rogers, Sasha Stone and Kris Tapley things to write about. It also keeps my passion for writing about film strong, which in of itself is all the payment I need to satisfy my love for movies and the Oscars.

Before I move on to my final predictions, I want to make it clear that even now, the night before we find out who will be nominated, nobody knows anything. For all I know, Avatar could end up snubbed like The Dark Knight in favor of a safer film like The Blind Side (though to be honest, that may be stretching it a bit). any actor or actress could come out of nowhere to steal a previously thought to be locked performers nod. Anything can, and possibly will happen tomorrow morning when Anne Hathaway reads off the nominees. Which is another reason why I love years like this and any other.

I have come to think of myself as a respectable prognosticator. Am I on the level of a Ryan Adams or Sasha Stone? No, but I am proud of what I believe to be a honed talent. I love calculating with hopefully strong precision box office numbers and predictions.

Flat out, I love the Oscars, and nights like these are the prime reason for it. I extend out a wish of good luck to the more experienced bloggers and prognosticators, an extensive amount more so than I, and the same goes for people who write down their predictions on pads of paper at home for their own enjoyment.

Moments like this are ours for the taking, and with that, here are my final Oscar nominees predictions, with each category provided one alternate (because, I need some leverage room.)

.

.

.

Best Motion Picture

- Avatar

- District 9

- An Education

- The Hurt Locker

- Inglourious Basterds

- Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

- A Serious Man

- Star Trek

- Up

- Up in The Air

Alt: Invictus

.

Best Director of a Motion Picture

- Katherine Bigelow for The Hurt locker

- Neill Blomkamp for District 9

- James Cameron for Avatar

- Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

- Jason Reitman for Up in The Air

Alt: Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

- Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

- George Clooney for Up in The Air

- Colin Firth for A Single Man

- Morgan Freeman for Invictus

- Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

Alt: Tobey Maguire for Brothers

.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

-Sandra Bullock for The Blind side

- Helen Mirren for The last Station

- Carey Mulligan for An Education

- Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

- Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia

Alt: Nope, this is the 5.

.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

- Matt Damon for Invictus

- Woody Harrelson for The Messenger

- Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles

- Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones

- Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Alt: Anthony Mackie for The Hurt Locker

.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

- Vera Farmiga for Up in The Air

- Anna Kendrick for Up in The Air

- Diane Kruger for Inglourious Basterds

- Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

- Julianne Moore for A Single Man

Alt: Penelope Cruz for Nine

.

Best Adapted Screenplay

- District 9 by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell

- An Education by Nick Hornby

- Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach

- Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire by Geoffrey Fletcher

- Up in The Air by Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

Alt: Crazy Heart

.

Best Original Screenplay

- (500) Days of Summer by Scott Neustatder & Michael H. Weber

- The Hurt Locker by Mark Boal

- Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino

- A Serious Man by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

- Up by Pete Docter, Tom McCarthy and Bob Peterson

Alt: Avatar

.

Best Film Editing

- Avatar

- District 9

- The Hurt Locker

- Inglourious Basterds

- Up in The Air

Alt: Star Trek

.

Best Cinematography

-Avatar

- The Hurt Locker

- Inglourious Basterds

- Nine

- The White Ribbon

Alt: District 9

.

Best Art Directon

- Avatar

- District 9

- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

- Inglourious Basterds

- Sherlock Holmes

Alt: Public Enemies

.

Best Costume Design

- Bright Star

- Inglourious Basterds

- Nine

- Sherlock Holmes

- The Young Victoria

Alt: Coco Avant Chanel

.

Best Make-Up

- District 9

- The Imaginarium of Docter Parnassus

- Star Trek

Alt: Once again, nope, this is the 5.

.

Best Visual F/X

- Avatar

- District 9

- Star Trek

Alt: And yet again, this is the 5.

.

Best Original Score

- Avatar by James Horner

- Fantastic Mr. Fox by Alexandre Desplat

- The Informant! by Marvin Hamlisch

- Sherlock Holmes by Hans Zimmer

- Up by Michael Giacchino

Alt: Star Trek by Michael Giacchino

.

Best Original Song

- "I See You" from Avatar

- "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart

- "(I Want To) Come Home" from Everybody's Fine

- "Cinema Italiano" from Nine

- "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog

Alt: "Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog

.

Best Sound Editing

- Avatar

- District 9

- The Hurt Locker

- Star Trek

- Up

Alt: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

.

Best Sound Mixing

- Avatar

- District 9

- The Hurt Locker

- Star Trek

- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Alt: Up

.

Best Animated Feature

- Coraline

- Fantastic Mr. Fox

- Ponyo

- The Princess and the Frog

- Up

Alt: Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

.

Best Foreign Language Film

- Ajami, Israel

- A Prophet, France

- Samson & Delilah, Australia

- The White Ribbon, Germany

- Winter in Wartime, Netherlands

Alt: The Secret in their Eyes, Argentina

.

Best Documentary Feature

- The Beaches of Agnes

- The Cove

- Every Little Step

- Food Inc.

- Mugabe and the White African

Alt: Burma VJ: Reporting from a closed country

.

.

.

And thats all folks. The Oscar's race for the nominations is over as of 5 AM tomorrow morning, or for those of us in Florida, 8 AM. It's been a great year, as I pointed out in my personal Oscar Hut Awards that happen to be available to read below! But now the ballots are in, the reviews have been read, precursors collected, and box office reciepts sent in. Theres nothing left to do but wait in eager anticipation for tomorrow morning;s announcement. Will I sleep soundly tonight? Probably not, the excitement already energinizes me. Yet I hope all of you can rest assured knowing that in the end, with luck, the right films will be acknowledged with nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts ans Sciences. See you tomorrow Oscar, bright and early.

- Tyler j. Pratt

The Oscar Hut

The 2nd Annual Oscar Hut Awards 2009-2010

I saw over 60 movies in theatres over the last year of the last decade. There were some instant classics, films i loved, movies i enjoyed to an extent and of course cinema that can only be described as downright vile, putrid shit on celluloid. The Oscar Hut Awards, which as of yet have no official nickname (I'm taking suggestions!) are my way of honoring what i felt to be excellence in cinema from January 2009 to January 2010. There were a few titles that ended up passing me by over the year, some that I wish I could have seen in time, but alas, they ended up being ineligible.

So, without further pause, I now present to you, the 2ND Annual Oscar Hut Awards!

Top 10 Films of 2009-2010

10. The Lovely Bones

9. District 9

8. Adventureland

7. Up

6. Star Trek

5. Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

4. Avatar

3. Up in The Air

2. Inglourious Basterds

1. A Serious Man

2009 was an great year for film, I only gave out a few grades for films that were lower than a C, because I truly enjoyed nearly every film I saw over the year in some way, unless that film was Transformers 2, New Moon or The Final Destination 3D. The best film I saw last year though was undoubtedly what I feel is the Coen Brother's masterpiece, A Serious Man. It left me stunned and with questions that plagued my mind for weeks until I came up with the ultimate solution to these queries: A Serious Man is THE BEST film of 2009.

Best Director

5. Jason Reitman for Up in The Air

4. Katherine Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

3. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen for A Serious Man

2. Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

1. James Cameron for Avatar

Each and every director listed here undoubtedly left their mark on cinema in 2009. Jason Reitman made the year's most socially relevant movie. Katherine Bigelow handed down the most kinetically charged. The Coen Brothers gave us the year's most thought provoking work. Quentin Tarantino delivered the most intelligently playful film. The winner here is a man whose previous seminal work, Titanic, is a film I have never been overly into to. However, with Avatar, James Cameron cements himself as the world's greatest living showman. Avatar is the most visually fantastic film of 2009. It changed the landscape of cinematic technology and revolutionized motion captured performance art. All of this was due to the decades worth of effort layed onto the screen by James Cameron, a master of his craft.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

5. Johnny Depp for Public Enemies

4. Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

3. Sharlto Copley for District 9

2. George Clooney for Up in The Air

1. Adam Sandler for Funny People

2009 was also a year for great leading men performances. I limit myself to the five best in my opinion, leaving off great work from people like Tobey Maguire, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Matt Damon. As for my top 5, it was extremely difficult to peg down my number one. In the end I went Adam Sandler's performance in Judd Apatow's Funny People, which happens to be his best yet. The best way express my feelings about Sandler's work here is to simply tell you to watch the bedroom breakdown scene halfway through the movie. It is angry, raw and painfully realistic to point that I feel uncomfortable just watching it. Sandler definitely left his mark on the screen in Funny People by shedding the shtick that made him a household name in favor of nuance and raw emotional honesty.

Best Actress in A Leading Role

5. Maya Rudolph for Away We Go

4. Meryl Streep for It's Complicated

3. Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones

2. Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

1. Carey Mulligan for An Education

I must admit, I felt 2009 was a rather weak year for leading women. There were great performances, there can be no mistaking that, but those great performances were few and far between. I feel like my top 5, however, is a fantastic representation of 2009. We have the two big breakouts, A solid lead turn from a yong actress better known for her supporting roles, yet another fantastic piece of work from Meryl Streep as if thats suprising these days, and a suprising portrayal from Maya Rudolph, better known for her days spent as a minor cast member on SNL. The best performance by an actress this year was delivered by Carey Mulligan in a "star is born" type performance in An education. She perfectly captures the transformation of her character Jenny from being just another teenage girl into being a young woman. Mulligan is touching, souful and resonates throughout the entire picture. Heres hoping she has a healthy long career ahead of her.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

5. Stephen Lang for Avatar

4. Mark Ruffalo for The Brothers Blooom

3. Anthony Mackie for The Hurt Locker

2. Jackie Earl Haley for Watchmen

1. Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Christoph Waltz's performance in Inglourious Basterds was hands down the best performance by any actor in 2009, if one of the best of the entire decade. Waltz's embodiment of Quentin Tarantino's creation, Hans Landa, was charming, intense, profound, smart and downright terrifying. Waltz is so good in Inglourious Basterds that he wipes every other performer in the film off of the screen, sometimes with little more than a gesture. He is perfect in this film. His competitors, 4 men from 4 completely different movies represent my rundown of the other most unforgettable supporting performances of 2009. Jackie Earl Haley made Watchmen. Anthony Mackie was the soul behind The Hurt Locker. Mark Ruffalo played the perfect brother and con man in The Brothers Bloom. And finally, besides Waltz, Stephen Lang created 2009's other instantly iconic villain in Avatar. They were all great, yet none could measure up to Waltz.

Best Supporting Actress

5. Anna Kendrick for Up in The Air

4. Vera Farmiga for Up in The Air

3. Melanie Laurent for Inglourious Basterds

2. Marion Cottilard for Public Enemies

1. Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

Like Christoph Waltz in the Supporting Actor category, one woman completely tore a hole in the screen in 2009, nearly decimating all of her competition in the Supporting Actress field. The suprising thing about this woman is that she is someone you would never expect to be able to accomplish such a feat of raw intensity, of such nuance and depth of such skill. Marion Cottilard was phenominal in Public Enemies, yet she is not the actress I speak of. Neither is Melanie Laurent whose breakthrough performance in Inglourious Basterds was excellent. The same goes for Up in The Air's one-two punch of Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, both of whom in another year could have found themselves atop the pile. No, the woman I am talking about is an actress whose biggest credits thus far include Soul Plane, Phat Girlz and Beerfest. The lady I speak of is none other than Mo'Nique. Mo'Nique's performance in Precious speaks for itself. If you have seen the film, you already understand why she's my number one. If you havent, you need to go out right now and find a theatre where this is playing because it is a must see, principally because of Mo'Nique's work in the film.

Best Screenplay

5. Away We Go by Dave Eggars and Vendella Vida

4. The Hurt Locker by Mark Boal

3. Up in The Air by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

2. Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino

1. A Serious Man by Joel & Ethan Coen

Best Film Editing

5. The Hurt Locker

4. District 9

3. Star Trek

2. Inglourious Basterds

1. Avatar

Best Cinematography

5. Sherlock Holmes

4. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

3. Inglourious Basterds

2. Avatar

1. Where The Wild Things Are

Best Art Direction

5. Star Trek

4. Sherlock Holmes

3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2. The Imaginarium of Docter Parnassus

1. Inglourious Basterds

Best Costume Design

5. Bruno

4. Nine

3. Sherlock Holmes

2. The Imaginarium of Docter Parnassus

1. Inglourious Basterds

Best Original Score

5. Avatar by James Horner

4. The Informant! by Marvin Hamlisch

3. Star Trek by Michael Giacchino

2. Sherlock Holmes by Hans Zimmer

1. Up by Michael Giacchino

And Now For The Extras!

Best Acting Ensemble

5. A Serious Man

4. Star Trek

3. Away We Go

2. Up in The Air

1. Inglourious Basterds

Best Breakthrough Performance

5. Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

4. Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

3. Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

2. Carey Mulliagn for An Education

1. Sharlto Copley for District 9

Best Body of Work

5. Matt Damon for The Informant! and Invictus

4. Stephen Lang for Avatar, Men Who Stare At Goats and Public Enemies

3. Marion Cottilard for Nine and Public Enemies

2. George Clooney for fantastic Mr. Fox, Men Who Stare At Goats

1. Michael Fassbender for Hunger and Inglourious Basterds

BestActor in a Cameo/Limited Performance

5. Jeff Daniels for Away We Go

4. Jason Bateman for State of Play

3. Bill Murray for Zombieland

2. Richard Sammel for Inglourious Basterds

1. Eminem for Funny People

Best Actress in a Cameo/Limited Performance

5. Sarah Silverman for Funny People

4. Carla Gugino for Watchmen

3. Tina Fey for The Invention of Lying

2. Maggie Gylenhaal for Away We Go

1. Carrie Preston for Duplicity

Best Opening Scene

5. Up

4. Watchmen

3. Star Trek

2. A Serious Man

1. Inglourious Basterds

Best Ending

5. Duplicity

4. The Hurt Locker

3. Up in The Air

2. Inglourious Basterds

1. A Serious Man

Best Credits Sequence(Beginning or End)

5. An Education (Opening Credits)

4. Up in The Air (Opening & Closing Credits)

3. Zombieland (Opening Credits)

2. Sherlock Holmes (Closing Credits)

1. Watchmen (Opening Credits)

Film Maker of the Year

5. J.J. Abrams for Star Trek

4. Judd Apaptow, Jody Hill & Greg Mottola for Comedy on Film in 2009

3. Wes Anderson, Pete Docter, Henry Selick for Animation in 2009

2. Weta Technology for Technological advancements in Filmmaking

1. James Cameron for Avatar's box office, cultural impact and advancing cinematic technology

DGA Predictions

With arguably the most important guild precursor coming up this Saturday, we could very well be seeing the wrapping up of Oscar's best Picture race. While most have been calling it a dead heat between James Cameron's Avatar and Katherine Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, we must remember that there are 8 other films vying for that number one spot. The strongest contenders against these top dogs are Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Jason Reitman's Up in The Air, both of which are finding themselves squared up against Avatar and The Hurt Locker for the DGA. So when I say this is an important precursor, you will hopefully now understand what I meant.

The winner of the DGA has matched up with Oscar every year for the past seven, since Roman Polanski's upset of Chicago's song and dance man Rob Marshall, yet Chicago won the Best Picture Oscar after receiving the DGA. Other than that little slip up, the DGA has only mismatched with Oscar's Best director winner twice.

This year, I predict the DGA's winning trend to continue, with their winner going on to receive a Best Director Oscar, but the director's film will not also pick up Best Picture.

Before I reveal my prediction, I'm going to cater to my egotistical love of my own writing and give you a rundown of this year's nominees.

1. Katherine Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

2. James Cameron, Avatar

3. Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the novel by Sapphire

4. Jason Reitman, Up in The Air

5. Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

I want to start off by making it clear that I think this is one of the most interesting Best Director categories of the last decade. We have a woman, a gay African-American, an up and coming auteur, a veteran known for his by the numbers blockbusters and a veteran known for his distinct cinematic originality. And to make things even more exciting they all have a shot at winning. Ok..so maybe Lee Daniels doesn't but still, each one of these visionaries, ok once again, maybe not in Daniels' case (unless your Mo'Nique), brought their interesting and wonderful personalities to the table and delivered excellence.

1) Katherine Bigelow filled the screen with adrenaline fueled tension, delivering what in years to come could be called the definitive Iraq war film. She created a visually engaging work of art, pulled great performances from her cast and managed to keep her buzz going since last year's Independent Spirit Awards, and for that she is deserving of accolades.

2) James Cameron's Avatar is a phenomenon. It is currently the highest grossing film of all time(when not adjusted for inflation). It is perhaps the most visually exciting films of all time. It pushes the boundaries of cinematic technology and film itself with it's revolutionary production.

Say what you will about the weak screenplay, we get it, Cameron cant write. But once you move that aside and experience the picture for what it is, it is clear why Cameron is the king of the world yet again.

3) Lee Daniels' career has been uneven to say the least. He was involved in Monster's Ball, a decent good but not great film. Yet he also directed Shadow Boxer, yes, that shadow Boxer. However, Precious, his latest film sweeps all of that under the mat, and showcases his natural ability as a storyteller when using honest, raw emotion to drive his story forward. His film is affecting, as are the performances he got out of newcomer Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique, yes, Mo'Nique of Soul Plane fame. For transforming the longtime comedienne and historically bad actress into the terrifying mother from hell Mary Jones, he deserves his spot on the list.

4) Jason Reitman is the nominee here whose career excites me the most. He is a second generation filmmaker, the son of Ghostbuster's Ivan Reitman, and has carved a nice spot in the Hollywood community since his 2006 debut Thank You For Smoking. Many scoffed at his Director nod for 2007's Juno, but there is no doubt that Reitman balanced the comedy with the film's unfunny subject matter perfectly. His 2009 contribution, Up in The Air far surpasses anything he has done in his career so far. It was one of my favorite films of the year, and also the best serio-comedy to be released since 2004's Sideways. The guy's got talent and is incredibly deserving of his spot.

5) Quentin Tarantino. What do you say about the man's career that hasn't been analyzed from every angle already? He gave us Resevoir Dogs at a time when not showing the heist in a heist film was unheard of. He revolutionized the cinematic art form and independent film making when he released Pulp Fiction. He then did Jackie Brown, a decent effort if you ask me before moving on to his hyper stylized martial arts revenge novella Kill Bill. He honored his grindhouse influences with Death Proof, helping to make Grindhouse one of the most entertaining movies of 2007. And then he came up with his most accomplished, entertaining, polished and smartest effort yet with his latest film, Inglourious Basterds. His screenplay and direction are fabulously referential and downright fun. His cast is aces all around, despite having to direct most of them in a language or languages other than his own. The man is a genius, pure and simple.

So, who wins in this group of crowded artists? Will it be the war ravaged woman director? The larger than life showman? The breakout minority? The up and coming auteur? Or, the eccentric mad genius?

Who Will Win: Katherine Bigelow. She's got the buzz and the talent to live up to it.

Who Should Win: Katherine Bigelow or James Cameron. They are neck and neck in my opinion.

Who Wont Win: Lee Daniels. He's pure filler, but mighty good filler at that.

I say Bigelow takes it in an extremely tight race with Cameron. It really is the battle of the exes, despite the fact that I find that tag line a bit pedestrian. She's hot, she's talented, she's got the buzz, and her film is the kind that wont be ignored, the kind that will live on to be a modern classic (even though that could also be attributed to James Cameron and Avatar, minus the hot part).

Who Was Snubbed:

The Coen Brothers for their masterpiece, A Serious Man.

Neill Blomkamp and J.J. Abrams for re-invigorating the sci-fi genre along with Avatar and Moon

2010: Golden Globes Predictions

Sorry i've been absent yet again, my good and blog contributor Aaron Morales thankfully has gotten home from the hospital after his accident last month, so ive been tied up in the details of that for the last week or two. Theres not much you can say about the Globes. The HFPA are star fuckers, as i've said the last two years, which means they will most likely award a-listers in every category except the supporting ones, Because of this im using a Will/Should win predictions set along with a contender that should have made the cut.

Tonight, if there is but one certainty, it is that Ricky Gervais should be flat out hillarious. Heres hoping he follows through on his promise and shows up inebriated, the show should be a good time for sure.

Best Picture (Drama)

Will Win: Avatar

Should Win: Up in The Air

Should have been nominated: District 9

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)

Will Win & Should Win: (500) Days of Summer

Should have been nominated: Away We Go, Funny People & A Serious Man

Best Director:

Will Win: James Cameron for Avatar

Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

Should have been nominated: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen for A Serious Man

Best Actor (Drama)

Will Win & Should Win: George Clooney for Up in The Air

Should have been nominated: Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker & Sharlto Copley for D9

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy)

Will Win: Matt Damon for The Informant!

Should Win: Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man

Should have been nominated: Adam Sandler for Funny People & John Krasinski fpr Away We...

Best Actress (Drama)

Will Win: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side

Should Win: Carey Mulligan for An Education

Should have been nominated: Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy)

Will Win: Meryl Streep for Juli & Julia

Should Win: Marion Cottilard for Nine

Should have been nominated: Maya Rudolph for Away We Go

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Will Win & Should Win: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Should have been nominated: Anthony Mackie for The Hurt Locker & Stephen Lang for Avatar

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Will Win & Should Win: Mo'Nique for Precious

Should have been nominated: Marion Cottilard for Public Enemies & Melanie Laurent for Ing...

Best Screenplay:

Will Win: Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino

Should Win: Up in The Air by Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

Should have been nominated: A Serious Man by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Best Animated Film

Will Win & Should Win: Up

Should have been nominated: I saw one animated film this year, Up. So thats my only point of reference in this category.

Best Foreign Language Film:

Will Win & Should Win: A Prophet

Should have been nominated:Police, Adjective

Best Original Score:

Will Win & Should Win: Up

Should have been nominated: Sherlock Holmes

Best Original Song:

Will Win & Should Win: The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart

Should have been nominated: Help Yourself from Up in The Air

2010: Most Anticipated

2009 was a fairly decent movie going year for myself, I saw almost every movie I wanted to that was released between January 2009 up until last night, totalling with 58 titles, just four less than my 2007 record of 62 and 3 more than 2008's 55 films. But, alas, that decade is dead and gone and it's now time to focus on the films I am most heavily anticipating for this year. Some will live up to the hype, some will be consumed by it and a few of them might not even meet they're scheduled release date. That's pretty much the nature of the beast.

So, without further rambling on my end, here the the ten films I look towards as my most anticipated of 2010, the first year of a new decade of theatre going experiences.

10. Somewhere, dir. Sofia Coppola

9. The Green Hornet, dir. Michel Gondry

8. Cemetary Junction, dir. Gervais & Merchant

7. The American, dir. Anton Corbijn

6. Iron Man 2, dir. Jon Favreau

5. You're Highness, dir. David Gordon Green

4. The Fighter, dir. David O. Russell

3. Toy Story 3, dir. Lee Unkrich

2. Shutter Island, dir. Martin Scorsese

1. Inception, dir. Christopher Nolan