Thoughts on the 82nd Oscar Nominations

Here are a few quick thoughts on some of the nominees from this year:

Best Picture: I think the Academy's experiment to revert to 10 nominees has been successful. There is some great diversity within the field from blockbuster and crowd pleaser to small and independent. Of the ten I have seen all but An Education, The Blindside, and A Serious Man. Honestly I'd be ok with any of the ones I've seen winning. This was a great year for movies. If I could choose I'd like to see Up or Up in the Air win.

Best Animated Feature: There were so many films that qualified this year that it triggered a field of 5 nominees again. I think Up deservedly owns this award. I think Ponyo should have been nominated over Fantastic Mr. Fox and the nomination for The Secret of Kells was a surprise. I have yet to see the film but I hope to soon. From what I have seen it is a beautiful 2D film. I hope it's story can live up to its visuals.

Cinematography: The inclusion of Avatar in this category is a pleasant surprise to me. This film is 60% animation, so a recognition here is a recognition of the progress that CG Camerawork has made! The nomination for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was nice was well. It's a beautiful film and I'm happy to see the Academy calling attention to good work like this.

Directing: It'd be great to see Kathryn Bigelow take this award for The Hurt Locker.

Editing: I think District 9 or Inglorious Basterds could both justifiably win in the category, but where is the nomination for Up in the Air. That film's quick cutting airport and packing montages were pure visual poetry.

Socre: I'd love to see Michael Giacchino take the award home for his score in Up!

Song: I think Mamma Odie's song "Digg a little deeper" from The Princess and the Frog should have been nominated. Given the nominations I would like to see "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart win. It was a fantastic film and the song that played an integral part in the film.

Animated Short: I have been able to catch all the nomonies again this yer and my pick would be the short French Roast.

Screenplay: My picks would be Up for Original Screenplay and Up in the Air for Adapted Screenplay.