Re: Precious – I think there is a small backlash brewing, but never underestimate the power of Oprah. I too thought the film has pretty hamfisted, and pretty over the top by the third act, do I do agree some acting nominations are in order. Just not Best Picture or Best Director.

Avatar will probably win all the technical awards given how many of Cameron's buds are already peeing themselves about the SFX, but there is no way it will enter Best Picture territory. Not gonna happen.

Also, re: Avatar… too soon to tell. Cameron's film will always be somewhat of a contender simply because of Titanic. If Avatar is the year's most interesting big blockbuster (gee, what a feat), it instantly becomes more of a likelihood than, say, The Hurt Locker.

I hope so. I really dig the lists you guys put together on this site. You put a lot of thought into them unlike other movie sites who will lazily put one together with one sentence and a photo.

If it gets by it gets by on its solid performances (including Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz believe it or not), but the haphazard style, direction and aesthetics are an eye sore.

It still looks like it will get an Oscar nom, but i don't think it deserves one (some of the performances, yes) and if Lee Daniels somehow sneaks in a Best Director nod, they should burn the Academy down.

I will have to bring out my They Better Not Nominate These Guys piece…

Yes, our bet is still on. I forget what it was, but no mind, still on.

There does? Says who? I think pundits, fans, critics seem to think oscar voters vote with, "oh, i need one of those types of films," but history generally shows they don't.

Yes, this year is different, but I'm not convinced they're going to say, "I need an indie, I need a blockbuster," etc.

A film i don't think is very good, Inglourious Basterds has a pretty decent shot at being in their too, much more so than Avatar and Precious I think.

Revolution? Technically sure, but anything else seems doubtful.

Also, Oscar voters don't necessarily think they need to make reparations for the Dark Knight and Wall-E like everyone thinks they do.

It was the Oscar committee that changed the Oscar Best Picture to 10 nominees, not the voting body.

Also, Cameron has screened the film for some academy members already. Some of which had hailed it a revolution (although i'm skeptical).

Yeah, as we said in our Invictus script review, it's only a contender because of the Oscar 10. In another year, it might not make it.

This is a particularly mediocre year.

I know it's cool to give Avatar a lot of shit because the trailer was weak, but we really have no idea what we're in for to be honest. We could totally be blown away in December. Kris Tapley seems to think it's a contender, and I'm not entirely going to disagree with him either. So there's another question mark as well.

And I hope Invictus is good, but Eastwood gets off easy every year. I remember people were saying Invictus was a contender back when it was still filming, just because Clint was helming and the subject matter was pure Oscar bait.

I dunno, it'll sound conceited, but i think it's really easy to read trailers. Therefore, the only conclusion one can have for the rest of the year is that The Lovely Bones is not going to be a serious contender and come up empty handed.

The biggest question mark of the season is not Nine or Invictus (those should get noms in an Oscar 10 year), to me it's really whether the Academy will see through the fraudulence that is Precious. It's 50/50 right now (but it does deserve some acting noms, just not best picture).