2010 Oscar noms predix!

Oscar nominations come out on Tuesday, February 2nd and self-described Oscar experts (yours included, hahaha) are wasting no time in coming out with prediction lists that aim to second-guess the Academy’s propensity for late-minute surprises.

Surprise nominations and omissions are not uncommon on nominations day. Oscar enthusiasts (yours included, again! hahaha) know this but it is always difficult what to drop and what to include in the list. Almost always, many fall flat on their faces after the Academy president and the designated former Oscar nominee have announced the list 5 minutes after 8:30 New York time.

But failures in the past to accurately predict the nominations do not deter me or everyone else I know from coming up with our own list year after year after year.

And this year is no exception. Even if 2009 had more blockbuster movies that were admittedly technically polished, there were far fewer movies that can be called Oscar-worthy. It’s a lean crop what we got this year but out of those few are certainly cinema gems.

So, without further ado, here are my predictions on who will get on the Academy’s final shortlist come Tuesday morning:


Best Picture:
Avatar
An Education
The Blind Side
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious
A Simple Man
Star Trek
Up in the Air

Possibles – [500] Days of Summer, District 9, The Hangover, Nine, Up, A Single Man

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

Possibles – Clint Eastwood (Invictus), JJ Abrams (Star Trek)

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Viggo Mortensen, The Road
George Clooney, Up in the Air

Possibles: Colin Firth (A Single Man), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Simple Man)

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

Possibles: Emily Blunt (Young Victoria), Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones), Penelope Cruz (Broken Embraces)

Best Supporting Actor:
Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Matt Damon, Invictus
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Possibles: Alfred Molina (An Education), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)

Best Supporting Actress:
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Mo’nique, Precious
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air

Possibles: Samantha Morton (The Messenger), Penelope Cruz (Nine)

See you February 2nd!