Oscar Nominees: Best Animated Feature

My predictions: 2/5, predicting only “Puss in Boots” and “Rango”
My ballot: Come back next week!
The nominees: A Cat in Paris, Chico & Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Poots, Rango

Having the nominees announced in alphabetical order is perhaps what makes watching the live nominations broadcast exciting. I was flabbergasted when the first film listed here started with a C, and I even thought for a moment that they were accidentally announcing the Best Animated Short film nominees. I went to go see “The Adventures of Tintin” last night and had planned to feature it as an “Oscar Movie” review soon, but somehow this brilliant animated achievement – both in terms of animation and storytelling – got left off the list, managing only a Best Original Score mention. I’ve only seen one other film here – “Rango” – and wasn’t terribly impressed. “Kung Fu Panda 2” is already on DVD, and “Puss in Boots” arrives the week of the Oscars. I remembered when I saw the poster for “Chico & Rita” that I saw the trailer at the Angelika, and it looks like it’s sure to be quite interesting (and considerably more adult-themed). It’s being released on February 10th. As far as “A Cat in Paris” goes, I have no clue. I was hoping “Cars 2” would get in, but apparently I’m the only one who liked that film. It’s just strange, though perhaps good, that two films few people have heard of made the list over more visible fare like “Happy Feet Two” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

My current bet to win: With its number one competitor out of the way, probably “Rango.”