Oscar Nominees: Best Picture

My predictions: 9/10, missing “The Blind Side”
My ballot: TBA
The nominees: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

All but one of the nominees were completely expected, but I guess that means the tenth choice has to be earth-shattering. I don’t know in what universe “The Blind Side” is anywhere near as good a film as, let alone a better film than, “Invictus.” It stands out from the rest of the pack as the weakest of the nominees, and also the only one without its screenplay nominated, save for “Avatar,” which earned a directing nomination to make up for it. It also only has only other nomination, and that’s for Sandra Bullock. I’m very much not okay with its inclusion, but at least the other nine films are all great (and I’ve gotten over “Precious” being here; it’s the lesser evil of two overrated films about underprivileged kids this year). I’m happy that both “A Serious Man” and “An Education” managed to make it in despite their relative lack of buzz and additional nominations. Predictably, “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” lead the nominations with nine apiece, followed by “Inglourious Basterds” with eight and “Precious” and “Up in the Air” with six each. “Up” becomes the second animated film to contend in this category, after “Beauty and the Beast” back in 1991, and has five nominations to show for it. The race should still be close between “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker,” and it’s anyone’s guess which one will ultimately prevail.

My current bet to win: The Hurt Locker