It is interesting to see that the number of movies eligible for the Best Picture Award has now been increased to 10 movies and they include an animated movie, “Up” as well as the filmed in Soweto, “District 9”. “Avatar” naturally received a nomination but even as a science fiction fan, I cannot say that I would think it would win the Best Picture Award. Certainly, the best special effects and the best use of 3-D in any movie I have ever seen, but the story did drag on a little bit and was perhaps too clichéd.
I loved the animation “Up” and I really enjoyed “Up in the Air” as well with George Clooney but the movie that probably caught me the most by surprise, for the whole year, and which I very much doubt has a winning chance would definitely be “District 9”. Meryl Streep, who has been nominated for the Oscars 16 times already, has been nominated again, and it will be very hard for her to be beaten and it would be very interesting to see if any of the acting nominations for “Invictus” result in Oscars. Strangely enough, with its rugby theme, it is one of the few major movies I have not seen this year, although on the other hand, its ticket sales reflect exactly that – it has not been very popular.