Best Picture!

10. The Blind Side
You know that old saying, "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong"? This would be the standout one for this year. It is a pleasant enough sports drama, but comparing it to The Hurt Locker is laughable.


9. Precious
A good film with strong performances, but too flawed overall to win Best Picture.


8. A Serious Man
Absolutely hilarious (if you like Coen brothers comedy), but it does not have the oomph to sustain the Coens' winning streak.
7. Avatar
A lot has been said about this movie, and clearly the visual effects are beyond compare, but the plot needs work, in that it needs to not be Pocahontas, and the fact remains that I would rather see real human emotion over CGI'd effects any day.

6. District 9
Really a spectacular sci-fi movie, and it is the "pro" reason why it is good that the Academy raised its numbers of nominations, because for sure this would not have been nominated for Best Picture.

5. An Education
A sharp-witted tale about growing up in the 1960s, and it is executed well and simply on all levels.

4. Up
That early montage is easily the best one I have ever seen, and it invokes such wonderful emotions without either of them speaking. And the balloons! It has great message and delivers it without being too heavyhanded, which is my biggest complaint with most animated films.

3. Inglourious Basterds
QT was able to rewrite history realistically, make it hilarious and of course dark, all the while creating an obscene amount of tension just while characters are talking to each other. In short, classic QT.

2. Up in the Air
Sharp dialogue, peak performance acting, and a 2009 storyline. Any other year this probably would have been the frontrunner for Best Picture but it seems that the simplicity of its storytelling got lost in favor of grander tales.

1. The Hurt Locker
Simply magnificent. Suspense is created in such an organic way, and I am appreciative of any movie that picks characters over message. THL did not seem like it set out to be a "war movie," and yet it has become such for a new generation. Everything about it: story, acting, cinematography, editing, everything is top notch and I cannot imagine how it can be improved upon. This has easily been the Best Picture I've seen all year, and it would be a lie to say anything else.