Oscar Nominees: Best Documentary

My predictions: 3/5, picking “Blackfish” and “Stories We Tell” over “Cutie and the Boxer” and “Dirty Wars”
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: The Act of Killing, Cutie and the Boxer, Dirty Wars, The Square, Twenty Feet from Stardom

Where are “Blackfish” and “Stories We Tell”? Those were two of the best-received documentaries of the year, and they both deserved a place here. I’m surprised about the inclusion of “Dirty Wars,” which I didn’t expect Oscar voters to find compelling. I saw “The Square” last year at Sundance and was somewhat impressed, and I recently screened “Twenty Feet from Stardom,” which wasn’t as awesome as I was hoping, and I’ll offer up a review of that soon. I’m going to watch “The Act of Killing” and “Cutie and the Boxer” soon.

Good news for those who want to be more well-informed about this category: all of these films can be watched at home! “The Act of Killing,” “Dirty Wars,” and “Twenty Feet from Stardom” are all available on DVD. “Cutie and the Boxer” will join them at the beginning of February. And I saw an advertisement in the subway yesterday for “The Square,” which is coming to Netflix Instant Streaming tomorrow. Happy watching!

My current bet to win: My bet is The Act of Killing.