2009 MOVIE LIST... 132 and Counting

So we meet again, old friend...

THE STANDOUTS (16) - Just great movies that you'd have to be crazy to neither appreciate nor enjoy.

The Hurt Locker ***1/2
Inglourious Basterds ***1/2
500 Days of Summer ***1/2
A Single Man ***1/2
Anvil! The Story of Anvil ***1/2
Humpday ***1/2
Fish Tank ***1/2
Capitalism: A Love Story ***1/2
Where the Wild Things Are ***
The Cove ***
Up in the Air ***
Sugar ***
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire ***
Away We Go ***
Funny People ***
The Hangover ***

THE GOOD (31) - These movies met or exceeded my admittedly high expectations, whether those are unfair or not.

Brothers ***
The Road ***
The Messenger ***
Red Cliff (Part I - DVD Import) ***
Watchmen ***
More Than a Game ***
In the Loop ***
The Blind Side ***
The Soloist ***
Everybody's Fine ***
An Education ***
The Informant! ***
Paranormal Activity ***
Fantastic Mr. Fox ***
Taken ***
Star Trek ***
Rudo y Cursi ***
Zombieland ***
Adventureland ***
I Love You, Man ***
The Collector ***
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans ***
The Girlfriend Experience ***
Collapse ***
Big Fan ***
State of Play ***
Bruno ***
The Escapist ***
Mystery Team ***
Lymelife ***
Black Dynamite ***

THE GOOD BUT SHOULD'VE BEEN BETTERS (23) - Enjoyable enough but missing some crucial element.

Avatar ***
The White Ribbon **1/2
Up ***
Crazy Heart ***
District 9 ***
The Chaser ***
The Baader Meinhof Complex ***
Public Enemies ***
That Evening Sun ***
Julie & Julia ***
Tyson **1/2
Moon **1/2
Tetro **1/2
The Burning Plain **1/2
Coraline **1/2
The Great Buck Howard **1/2
The International **1/2
Whip It **1/2
Jennifer's Body **1/2
Bronson **1/2
The House of the Devil **1/2
Food Inc. **1/2
The Missing Person **1/2

THE GUILTY PLEASURES (24) - Most people will rag on these but they exceeded my modest expectations.

Martyrs ***
The Informers ***
Sherlock Holmes ***
World's Greatest Dad **1/2
Antichrist **1/2
Surveillance **1/2
Fanboys **1/2
Land of the Lost **1/2
Orphan **1/2
Crank 2: High Voltage **1/2
Law Abiding Citizen **1/2
Obsessed **1/2
The Killing Room (DVD) **1/2
Next Day Air **1/2
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra **1/2
X-Men Origins: Wolverine **1/2
The Last House on the Left **1/2
Spread **1/2
Extract **1/2
Surrogates **1/2
The Slammin' Salmon **
Weapons (DVD) **
Paul Blart: Mall Cop **
Fired Up **

THE UNDERWHELMING DISAPPOINTMENTS (28) - Failed to meet my reasonable expectations, or just generally unsatisfying.

A Serious Man **1/2
The Lovely Bones **1/2
Nine **1/2
Observe and Report **1/2
Invictus **1/2
Duplicity **1/2
Taking Woodstock **1/2
Thirst **1/2
Armored **
Knowing **
Paper Heart **
Drag Me to Hell **
The Box **
Angels and Demons **
Monsters vs. Aliens **
A Perfect Getaway **
Friday the 13th **
The Taking of Pelham 123 **
Couples Retreat **
The Brothers Bloom **
Year One **
The Goods: Live Hard Sell Hard **
Whatever Works *1/2
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus *1/2
Grace *1/2
The Marc Pease Experience *1/2
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men *1/2
Bart Got a Room *1/2

THE ACTIVELY BAD (10) - Not good movies AT ALL, and anyone who tries to argue otherwise is WRONG.

2012 *1/2
My Bloody Valentine 3-D *1/2
Horsemen *1/2
The Stepfather *1/2
Terminator Salvation *1/2
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen *1/2
Pandorum *
Halloween II *
Amusement (DVD) *
Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (DVD) *

DVD - Direct-to-DVD title

COMING SOON (3): A Prophet, Saw VI, Franklyn (DVD)

THE INSNEIDER'S FINAL GOLDEN GLOBE PREDICTIONS

Better late than never, right?

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air

Should Win: The Hurt Locker
Will Win: Avatar
Could Win But Shouldn't: Up in the Air
Definitely Won't Win: Precious
Comments: This is a tough race to call. Where the Oscars might be down to Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker, it's true that Up in the Air is very much still in play for the HFPA. Furthermore, Precious, which might make more sense for the Oscar then the Globe, takes a clear backseat here to the European sensibilities of Inglourious Basterds, which looms on the outside as a dark horse waiting to again rewrite history.

BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY/MUSICAL

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

Should Win: (500) Days of Summer
Will Win: (500) Days of Summer
Could Win But Shouldn't: Julie & Julia
Definitely Won't Win: The Hangover
Comments: This could be the toughest race of the night to call. I would expect the Meryl Streep movies to split the vote. Julie & Julia seemed to be the more critically acclaimed film, but It's Complicated received a screenplay nod. The Hangover made the most money and seems to be the best liked, but it's the only nominee without a Best Actor or Actress nomination, and how many 40+ foreign journalists would really vote it as one of the two best movies of the year. Nine could benefit from the Harvey Weinstein campaign, plus the fact that it's the only musical in the category. That said, I can't shake the feeling that (500) Days of Summer was CLEARLY the best film in this category, and Globes voters would have to be blind not to see that.

BEST DIRECTOR

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Clint Eastwood - Invictus
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow
Will Win: James Cameron
Could Win But Shouldn't: Quentin Tarantino
Definitely Won't Win: Clint Eastwood
Comments: This is a 2-person race, between ex-spouses Bigelow and Cameron. Bigelow is expected to win but Avatar is a worldwide phenomenon and I'd expect the HFPA to honor Cameron and his box office behemoth here. His self-designation as King of the World may prove true tonight.

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Tobey Maguire - Brothers

Should Win: Colin Firth
Will Win: George Clooney
Could Win But Shouldn't: Jeff Bridges
Definitely Won't Win: Tobey Maguire

Comments: As much as I hope that Firth or Bridges will take this award, there's no denying that the HFPA is an organization of starfuckers that won't be able to resist having Clooney take the stage for playing a slight variation of himself.

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA

Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

Should Win: Gabourey Sidibe
Will Win: Carey Mulligan
Could Win But Shouldn't: Sandra Bullock
Definitely Won't Win: Emily Blunt
Comments: This is between Bullock and Mulligan. Something tells me Bullock may prevail on Oscar night, if not Sidibe. But for some reason, I expect the HFPA to want to honor Mulligan with her first "BIG" award. Plus a football drama with a Southern lead doesn't sound like the voters' cup of tea.

BEST ACTOR - COMEDY/MUSICAL

Matt Damon - The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis - Nine
Robert Downey Jr. - Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon Levitt - (500) Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg - A Serious Man

Should Win: Matt Damon
Will Win: Matt Damon
Could Win But Shouldn't: Robert Downey Jr.
Definitely Won't Win: Michael Stuhlbarg
Comments: Day-Lewis always brings it but he almost made it look too easy. On the other hand, Damon gained a ton of weight and burrowed into the physical transformation required of his character. Gordon-Levitt was really excellent but it seems like the nomination could wind up being his reward. I think the HFPA would love to have Iron Man Downey Jr. on stage but Sherlock Holmes is probably too slight of an effort. Look for Damon, who is also nominated for Supporting Actor, to prevail, joining his Ocean's 11 pal Clooney in the winner's circle.

BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY/MUSICAL

Sandra Bullock - The Proposal
Marion Cotillard - Nine
Julia Roberts - Duplicity
Meryl Streep - It's Complicated
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Should Win: Marion Cotillard
Will Win: Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Could Win But Shouldn't: Meryl Streep - It's Complicated
Definitely Won't Win: Julia Roberts
Comments: This one is pretty much a lock. Cotillard was excellent but she wasn't in the movie that much. This is Streep's statue to lose. Her only competition is herself. Roberts led a non-starter of a movie. She's here for star appeal only. And Bullock will get a closer look for her performance in The Blind Side.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Should Win: Christoph Waltz
Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Could Win But Shouldn't: Woody Harrelson
Definitely Won't Win: Matt Damon
Comments: Lock it up. Nothing to say about this one.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man

Should Win: Mo'Nique
Will Win: Mo'Nique
Could Win But Shouldn't: Anna Kendrick
Definitely Won't Win: Julianne Moore
Comments: Ditto the above. It's a done deal, whether Mo'Nique likes it or not.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell - District 9
Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Nancy Meyers - It's Complicated
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air

Should Win: Quentin Tarantino
Will Win: Quentin Tarantino
Could Win But Shouldn't: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Definitely Won't Win: Nancy Meyers
Comments: This is a tough one. Up in the Air could pull it off, and don't count out Mark Boal. But something tells me it's Tarantino's turn. And frankly, he earned it.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

Should Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Will Win: Up
Could Win But Shouldn't: Coraline
Definitely Won't Win: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Comments: No contest. Fantastic Mr. Fox had a nice late surge but I don't think it will be enough to overthrow Pixar.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Baaria (Italy)
Broken Embraces (Spain)
The Maid (La Nana) (Chile)
A Prophet (Un Prophete) (France)
The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) (Germany)

Should Win: A Prophet
Will Win: A Prophet
Could Win But Shouldn't: The White Ribbon
Definitely Won't Win: Baaria
Comments: Never count out Pedro Almodovar but Broken Embraces never found awards traction stateside and A Prophet is a highly anticipated February release that won the Cannes Film Festival. The White Ribbon is a serious threat but something tells me that Haneke isn't for everyone.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Avatar - "I See You" by James Horner & Simon Franglen
Brothers - "Winter" by U2
Crazy Heart - "The Weary Kind (Theme From 'Crazy Heart')" by Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett
Nine - "Cinema Italiano" by Maury Yeston
Everybody's Fine - "I Want To Come Home" by Paul McCartney

Should Win: Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett
Will Win: U2
Could Win But Shouldn't: James Horner & Simon Franglen
Definitely Won't Win: Maury Yeston
Comments: Will Globes voters be able to resist seeing U2 or Paul McCartnet onstage? I say no. Ryan Bingham's song is vital to Crazy Heart but country music may not be for most foreign journos. Avatar could definitely win even though Leona Lewis sings over the end credits and the song doesn't really match the rest of the movie.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Michael Giacchino - Up
Marvin Hamlisch - The Informant!
James Horner - Avatar
Abel Korzeniowski - A Single Man
Karen O and Carter Burwell - Where the Wild Things Are

Should Win: Abel Korzeniowski
Will Win: Michael Giacchino
Could Win But Shouldn't: James Horner
Definitely Won't Win: Karen O and Carter Burwell
Comments: I thought Avatar's score was particularly weak, while Korzeniowski's work sparkled in A Single Man. Horner is the heavy favorite but Giacchino is a rising superstar, and Up is just as well-liked as Avatar.

Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree? Let me hear you in the comments below!

Predicting the WGA Nominations

I didn't bother to predict the DGA or PGA nominations because, frankly, who cares? But the WGAs have always been a bit more interesting to me so let's take a stab at them. But first, a look at the movies that are ineligible this year for one reason or another.

Original: Adam, Antichrist, Broken Embraces, Capitalism: A Love Story, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Inglourious Basterds, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, Me and Orson Welles, Moon, Ponyo, The Princess and the Frog, Trucker, Up, The White Ribbon

Adapted: Angels & Demons, Coco Before Chanel, The Damned United, District 9, An Education, Everybody’s Fine, Fantastic Mr. Fox, In the Loop, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Red Cliff, The Road, A Single Man, That Evening Sun, A Woman in Berlin

With that settled, here are my predictions for Best Original Screenplay:

(500) Days of Summer - Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Bright Star - Jane Campion
The Hurt Locker - Mark Boal
A Serious Man - Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Sugar - Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden

It's tough to ignore the box office goliath that is Avatar here but James Cameron's screenplay isn't its strong suit. I realize that Titanic got a nomination here but that was a classy period piece. I think the WGA snubs Cameron and lets others have their day... Jon Lucas and Scott Moore's The Hangover is a close call but there were several other comedies this year with more graceful screenplays, such as Judd Apatow's Funny People, Greg Mottola's Adventureland, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick's Zombieland and Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida's Away We Go. None of them had quite the same fresh perspective and perverse insight as (500) Days of Summer though... I gave Two Lovers some consideration, as well as The Messenger, with both being critics' darlings, but in the end, I gave that spot to Sugar. At the end of the day, it was the better movie. I think if The White Ribbon were eligible it would snag that 5th slot so instead I gave it to a wholly different foreign language film... If there are any other serious contenders, they'd have to be Nancy Meyers for It's Complicated, and Lynn Shelton for Humpday, which was rather brilliant. I think Bright Star gets a nod here since Campion has won the award before in 1993 for The Piano.

Moving on, here are my predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Blind Side - John Lee Hancock
Precious - Geoffrey Fletcher
Star Trek - Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci
Up in the Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Where the Wild Things Are - Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers

There's a lot of prestige sitting on the sidelines here but what can you do? Invictus, The Lovely Bones and Nine were all major letdowns, critically as much as commercially. The second tier of flopped "prestige" pics include Brothers and The Soloist... The Informant! is a close call here but that movie seems to have been forgotten, and those who remember immediately recall Matt Damon's performance before Scott Z. Burns' screenplay... The Last Station has to be in play here, as well as two more likely nominees in Crazy Heart and Julie and Julia, but for some reason, I think the WGA honors the moneymakers like The Blind Side and Star Trek. Where the Wild Things Are is my hip arthouse pick.

If I hit 7/10, I'll be happy. It's a very unpredictable field when you take into account all the ineligible screenplays. Best of luck to all the writers out there!

If I Had An OSCAR Ballot...

...It would look something like this. Please keep in mind that while I loved certain movies (like ANVIL! and HUMPDAY, which were two of the top-10 movies of 2009 in my humble opinion) there's no way I could legitimately vote for them for Best Picture. These have to be SOMEWHAT realistic choices, otherwise there would be no point to this exercise. Also, I have abstained from voting in categories which I am ill-informed about (like Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Art Direction, Makeup, Original Song) or could not find five choices for due to my lack of familiarity with the possible nominees (Foreign Language, all shorts categories). Feel free to show off your own Oscar ballot in the comments section below, and thanks in advance for reading. I hope you enjoy my picks.

Note: An asterisk (*) denotes my vote to WIN.

BEST PICTURE

(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
The Hurt Locker*
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man
Sugar
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST DIRECTOR

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker*
James Cameron, Avatar
Tom Ford, A Single Man
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Colin Firth, A Single Man*
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Adam Sandler, Funny People
Robin Williams, World's Greatest Dad

BEST ACTRESS

Katie Jarvis, Fish Tank
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Maya Rudolph, Away We Go
Zoe Saldana, Avatar
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious*

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank
Jamie Foxx, The Soloist
Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds*

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard, Nine/Public Enemies
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique, Precious*

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

(500) Days of Summer
Away We Go
Humpday
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds*

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

An Education
In the Loop
A Single Man*
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox*
Up

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Anvil! The Story of Anvil*
Capitalism: A Love Story
Collapse
The Cove
More Than a Game

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man*
The White Ribbon

BEST EDITING

(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek*
Up in the Air

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Inglourious Basterds*
Nine
A Single Man
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Hurt Locker
The Informant!
A Single Man*
Star Trek
Up

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar*
Star Trek
Watchmen

BEST ENSEMBLE (not an actual award)

Fish Tank
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds*
In the Loop
The White Ribbon

FINAL TALLY (out of 16):

Inglourious Basterds - 4 (Supp. Actor, Original Screenplay, Costume Design, Ensemble)
A Single Man - 4 (Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Score)
The Hurt Locker - 2 (Picture, Director)
Precious - 2 (Actress, Supp. Actress)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil - 1 (Documentary)
Avatar - 1 (Visual Effects)
Fantastic Mr. Fox - 1 (Animated Feature)
Star Trek - 1 (Editing)

2010 OSCAR PREDICTIONS: NEW YEAR'S PULSE

It's 2010 and you know what that means... it's time to take the pulse of this year's Oscar race and revise my predictions accordingly. But first, here are the Top 5 Biggest Questions Heading Into the Home Stretch:

1. Q: Does Pixar's UP have a Best Picture nomination in the bag?
A: Beyond its first 20 minutes, I thought UP was pretty disappointing. It more or less already has the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (although FANTASTIC MR. FOX is coming on strong), so personally, I'd like to see another movie take its place in The Ten. That said, a Best Picture nomination is looking more and more likely as late releases like INVICTUS, NINE and THE LOVELY BONES are turning up DOA at the holiday box office.

2. Q: Can A SINGLE MAN win over enough voters to secure a Best Picture nomination?
A: God, I hope so... but probably not. I'm not hearing/seeing the traction it needs outside of Colin Firth's magnificent performance, which in my humble opinion is, without rival, the best of the year. The movie itself just isn't getting the attention it deserves. Harvey Weinstein should stop spending on NINE and start "paying" attention to Tom Ford's debut.

3. Q: What's the deal with THE LAST STATION? Did anybody actually see this movie? Are Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer both sure things?
A: I haven't seen THE LAST STATION but Mirren/Plummer are really messing up my predictions. Mirren I can live with because, well, she's Helen Mirren and I'm not that passionate about the lead actresses who would be left out (although I never saw Tilda Swinton in JULIA). But a "career achievement" nomination for Plummer? C'mon! There are a lot of deserving actors this year whose careers would definitely be helped by a supporting nomination. Can't we just pretend this movie never happened and nominate Emily Blunt or Abbie Cornish (or preferably Maya Rudolph from AWAY WE GO) for Best Actress and either Alfred Molina or Peter Sarsgaard from AN EDUCATION (or BROTHERS' Tobey Maguire or FISH TANK's Michael Fassbender)?

4. Q: Speaking of Best Supporting Actor, that's the deepest race this year. Can THE HURT LOCKER'S Anthony Mackie sneak in?
A: I think so. THE HURT LOCKER was by far the best movie of the year and Mackie was the cast's standout. Jeremy Renner may drive the movie's action but Mackie is the picture's heart and soul. It's a breakout performance that deserves to be properly recognized. But again, he's up against some tough competition, and the press seems to be seizing on Woody Harrelson and Alec Baldwin's late heat for THE MESSENGER and IT'S COMPLICATED, respectively.

5. Q: Does INVICTUS merit any attention outside of Morgan Freeman's lead performance, and is there any debate in the Best Actor category?
A: INVICTUS was a total rush job by Clint Eastwood that failed as a sports movie and as a movie about Nelson Mandela, so no, it deserves to be ignored with the exception of Freeman, who wasn't even that great as Mandela but nonetheless was good enough in a weak field. The same goes for Daniel Day-Lewis in NINE, but both awards season veterans should find enough good will to secure nominations. It'd be an Oscar travesty if Jeremy Renner isn't nominated for carrying THE HURT LOCKER. He's probably the last guy in but that's OK since there's not really a sixth man threatening his position. The predicted five should be safe.

Without further ado, here are The InSneider's latest predictions for the 82nd Academy Awards. Let's take a look, shall we?


BEST PICTURE

Avatar
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

ALT: A Single Man

BEST DIRECTOR

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

ALT: Neill Blomkamp, District 9

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

ALT: None

BEST ACTRESS

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

ALT: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

ALT: Tobey Maguire, Brothers

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Mo’Nique, Precious

ALT: Julianne Moore, A Single Man

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man

ALT: Up

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

An Education
District 9
Precious
A Single Man
Up in the Air

ALT: Julie & Julia

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

ALT: Ponyo

BEST DOCUMENTARY

The Beaches of Agnes
Burma VJ
The Cove
Every Little Step
Mugabe and the White African

ALT: Food, Inc.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
A Single Man

ALT: The White Ribbon

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Avatar
The Informant!
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up

ALT: Sherlock Holmes

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Bright Star
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
A Single Man
The Young Victoria

ALT: Public Enemies

BEST ART DIRECTION

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Nine
A Serious Man

ALT: Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

ALT: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The (Non-Doc/Foreign/Short) Contenders: 9, 500 Days of Summer, Amelia, An Education, Antichrist, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, Avatar, Away We Go, The Blind Side, The Boys Are Back, Bright Star, Broken Embraces, Bronson, Brothers, Bruno, Capitalism: A Love Story, Cheri, A Christmas Carol, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Coco Before Chanel, Collapse, Coraline, The Cove, Crazy Heart, Crude, The Damned United, District 9, Everybody's Fine, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fish Tank, Food Inc., Funny People, The Hangover, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Humpday, The Hurt Locker, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, The Informant!, Inglourious Basterds, In the Loop, Invictus, It's Complicated, Julie & Julia, The Last Station, The Lovely Bones, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Moon, Nine, Ponyo, Precious, The Princess and the Frog, Public Enemies, The Road, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Sin Nombre, The Soloist, Star Trek, The Stoning of Soraya M., Sugar, Taking Woodstock, Terminator Salvation, Tetro, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Up, Up in the Air, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Watchmen, Whatever Works, Where the Wild Things Are, The White Ribbon, The Young Victoria