The Oscars keep many wondering and anticipating which movies will win
Posted by The Skyliner on February 24th, 2010Jordan Ecarma
Copy Editor
Since their advent in 1929, the Academy Awards have epitomized glamour and cinematic excellence. The ceremony, styles and stars may have changed over the years, but the Oscars have always been known as the height of brilliance in the world of film.
2010, however, marks a new chapter in the history of the prestigious award ceremony. The Best Picture Category has been re-tooled to include 10 nominations, double the amount previously allowed. Viewers, however, may not realize that this change is not entirely new.
“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said President Sid Ganis on the Academy’s official website, www.oscars.org.
The reasoning behind the shift was also explained by Ganis.
“Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going to allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” he commented.
The broader field for the category allows more mainstream films to be nominated. In the past, blockbuster films like The Dark Knight in 2008 have been passed over, while the Academy has nominated critically-acclaimed flops like 2009’s The Reader. But these 2010 nominations are a marked contrast, including box office hits like Avatar and The Blind Side.
The 2010 nominations include:
Avatar: Director James Cameron added another blockbuster to his legacy with this groundbreaking film on the exotic world of Pandora. Can dazzling effects make up for an arguably thin plotline and win him another Best Picture? That outcome is doubtful; it may have taken home the Golden Globe, but Avatar is still no Titanic.
The Blind Side: Based on the true story of football star Michael Oher and starring the eternally likeable Sandra Bullock in a role nominated for Best Actress, The Blind Side offers a message on redemption that has touched audiences worldwide.
An Education: Her character Jenny may have gained An Education, but what star Carey Mulligan gained was next-big-thing status with her spare, refreshing performance of a British schoolgirl combating sexual politics in the 1960s. Mulligan portrays Jenny’s conflicting life choices and inevitable farewell to youth with charm and joie de vivre.
The Hurt Locker: Commended for being the first film to honestly portray conditions in Iraq, The Hurt Locker tells the story of American soldiers working on a bomb squad. Intense, relevant and riveting, it manages to be both startlingly epic and mesmerizingly intimate in scope.
Up: Pixar’s latest effort mingles the joyous and the bittersweet exquisitely in this creative tale that is as innovative as it is entertaining.
Editor’s Pick: The Hurt Locker.
The 82nd Academy Awards air Sunday, March 7. For more information and the full list of nominees, visit www.oscar.go.com/nominations.
Tags: Spring 2010, Vol. 110 - Issue 5