Breaking Down The 10 Nominees For Best Picture

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For the first time in 66 years, the Academy Awards have nominated more than five movies for Best Picture. This was done for two reasons. One, to help raise the telecast's ratings which have been down for a few years. And, two, because of last year's backlash for snubbing The Dark Knight. So, this year they went all out and covered all their bases. Now let's break them down.

Avatar - It is very likely that by this afternoon it will be announced that Avatar surpassed Titanic as the highest grossing movie of all-time at the domestic box office. It's already the highest grosser worldwide. So, if there's one film that Hollywood wants to honor it is this one. In this poor economy if a movie can gross $2 billion worldwide then that's something to celebrate. Plus, the last time a James Cameron film won Best Picture it was watched by 57 million households.

The Blind Side - It wouldn't be the Academy Awards if atleast one Oscar-bait film wasn't nominated. Starring Sandra Bullock, whose nominated for the movie, it tells the story of football player Michael Oher's upbringing as a young man of a broken home whose adopted by a white Southern family. The film was a surprise hit at the box office with a gross of $237.9 million domestically. So, like Avatar, it's going to attract viewers to the telecast.

District 9 - Here's the real shocker of the list. This is a Peter Jackson produced movie about aliens in South Africa that cost $30 million to make and features an unknown cast. It was a hit during the summer and praised by sci-fi fans but a good amount of people didn't expect it to be nominated for the top prize. Star Trek seemed more likely because it was nominated at the Producers Guild Award (the main force behind the Oscar nominations) and had more name value. Either way, it's a double victory for sci-fi fans since they have this and Avatar to root for. 

An Education - It wouldn't be the Academy Awards if a film that most viewers haven't seen wasn't nominated. It's a British movie about a school girl named Jenny (nominee Carey Mulligan) who begins a relationship with two older men and an older woman.

The Hurt Locker - Next to Avatar, the front-runner for the award is this film. It came and went during the summer season, but critics kept it alive by singing its praises and now the award season has taken over. Directed by nominee (and ex-wife of Cameron) Kathryn Bigelow and starring nominee Jeremy Renner it tells the intense story of a bomb squad unit in Iraq. Some say that for there to be justice at this year's ceremony, there should be a compromise between this and Avatar. The Hurt Locker should win Best Picture and James Cameron should win Best Director for Avatar. Or vice versa. We'll see how things turn out.

Inglourious Basterds - If it feels like 1997-98 for James Cameron then it must feel like 1994-95 for Quentin Tarantino. He directed a hit movie that's up for Best Picture, but it'll lose and he'll have to settle for Best Original Screenplay. If you haven't seen the film it's basically Tarantino's fictional take on World War II. Hence the nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

A Serious Man - The Coen Brothers won the top prize two years ago for No Country for Old Men, but this year their movie is the most irrelevant of the nominees. 10 years from now, most people won't remember this film was nominated. There's critics and audiences that loved this movie but even they won't deny it. If there's one film that definitely won't win it's this one. It's a filler, really. Although if you're curious to check it out it's being released on DVD next week. The plot is described as an ordinary man whose trying to find balance and understanding in the world.

Precious - The Oscars haven't been playing it safe these past few years. They've honored dark tales like Million Dollar Baby, The Departed, and Slumdog Millionaire to name a few. This year it's Precious, the story of an obese African-American teenager whose raped by her father and physically abused by her mother. Mo'Nique is a lock to win Best Supporting Actress for her powerful (and surprising) performance as the abusive parent.

Up - For the first time since 1991's Beauty and the Beast, an animated feature is nominated for Best Picture. Even if there was the usual five nominations this year, Up, would be worthy of the nomination. Then again, many said the same of Wall-E last year and we all know how that turned out. Another reason why the Academy decided to expand to 10 nominations. Up tells the adventure story of an old man, a boy scout, and their talking dog as they travel through the wilderness of South America in a floating house. The movie is a lock for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

Up in the Air - Two years ago, Juno was the sleeper hit at both the box office and awards season. This year, everyone saw it coming when the latest from nominee Jason Reitman received the same treatment. Although this time it will be Reitman walking away with a screenplay (adapted category) award. Starring nominees George Clooney and Anna Kendrick as coporate downsizers, this would have been a front-runner if Avatar hadn't been around.

Hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, the 82nd Annual Academy Awards airs Sunday, March 7 on ABC.

For the full list of nominees, visit www.oscars.org

Avatar, The Blind Side, Precious, and Up in the Air are still in theaters. District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Up are on DVD/Blu-Ray, Pay-Per-View, and Video On Demand. An Education is in limited theatrical release and A Serious Man comes out on DVD next Tuesday.