OSCAR Flashback 2010

A rainy summer day is a great time to wrap up in a homemade afghan and enjoy a movie. It is usually during the winter months that my family get together on a regular basis to watch a film they haven't seen before or a movie they liked so much that they want to see it again but a rainy day is a good time too!

Every year at OSCAR time, I sort through the films of the past year to see which one I liked best. No doubt you make your own list of favorites also. Have you ever wondered who won last year's Best Picture Award, or the year before OR the year before that? Why would you want to know this?

Having found that the best movies, the movies that survived the test of time, have very often won the Best Picture Award of their day, I have put together this lens to help you choose your family's next movie of the night or day. I hope that you will find this list helpful.

Question: Did I actually entertain the idea of watching the entire Oscars this year? Answer: Yes.

Q: Did I?

A: Yes, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so much better than last year as there was no lag time. Acceptance speeches were not political and flowed from the heart.

Comic veterans Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were very entertaining and did a wonderful job hosting the 2010 Oscars.Together! Both actor/comics have solidified their hero-status in the comic hall of fame with Baldwin's five-time Emmy winning 30 Rock and hosting nine episodes of SNL to Martin's 13. This was Martin's third time hosting the Oscars, earned by his mind-numbingly hilarious body of work, not to mention his Grammy this year for his album The Crow: Songs for a 5-String Banjo and wild praise for his canonical autobiography Born Standing Up.

"I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin," said Martin.

To see why it was the best Academy Awards ever, watch the following video.

ET Interview. Really funny. Enjoy!

Ten, Nine, Eight, seven...

The 2010 Academy Award nominations were announced and although not 100%, I got a few right.

The 2010 Academy Awards ceremony took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Center. As usual, it was televised live by ABC.

Now, let's see how we did predicting the OSCAR winners.

Have a look to see how I did.

I don't like the idea of having animated features considered for Best Picture. Not because they can't be the Best Picture, but because actors -- who make up the largest voting bloc of the Academy -- tend not to vote for movies that only employ actors for their voices. So, even though 'Up' made the expanded ballot (and if it belongs there, I would argue so does 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'), it probably won't have enough ultimate support to win.

Saying that, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that "UP" is far and away the best picture of the year. There isn't even a close second place.

For reasons stated above though, the real race looks to be between James Cameron's "Avatar" and Kathryn Bigelow's "Hurt Locker."

Should "Avatar" win, it won't be long before all that groovy technology becomes the cinematic standard and the Cameron blockbuster is remembered as the "Around the World In 80 Days" of Best Picture Winners. "The Hurt Locker," on the other hand, is the movie no one seems to have seen. The cloistered and hopelessly inbred film community loves it but no amount of (excessive) cheerleading on their part could bring it to even the $13 million mark.

The Pixar masterpiece is almost certain to win for best animated film.

IMHO Crazy Heart," "500 Days of Summer," and "The Road" are all superior films but weren't even nominated so how could they win.

Maybe, like me, you did not have a chance to see every film. Well, just to be fair, I looked at all the Movie Trailers then at the end of each category I predicted.

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UP

The Blind Side

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

The Hurt Locker

Up In The Air

Inglourious Basterds

Avatar

District 9

An Education

A Serious Man

Call me a big kid, but I just loved this movie! I thought that with 5 award nominations AND being a Walt Disney Movie that it should win!

Montecito Picture Company Production (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

If only passing through airport security was a quick and painless in reality as it is for George Clooney's character in Up in the Air, ... Definitely a movie I wouldn't take my teenster to but I can see the appeal it may have for a young adult. George Clooney is gorgeous.

Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production (The Weinstein Company)

In the bunker of Quentin Tarantino's hypnotically fired-up imagination, World War II features Brad...

This video has a long preamble but it is worth watching if you want a good review of the film.

Alcon Entertainment Production (Warner Bros.)

After winning top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globes, Sandra Bullock received her first Oscar nomination this year for "The Blind Side." But she was convinced that she was not bringing the little man home. "I'm so not winning an Oscar," said the feisty brunette. "Nine times out of ten I always pick who's going to win. And I already know who's going to win."

This is one movie you're just going to love if you like rooting for the underdog.

Lee Daniels Entertainment/ Smokewood Entertainment Production (Lionsgate)

Could have been a very depressing movie for daydreaming, fat girls, but the actors pulled it out of the fire.

Lightstorm Entertainment Production (20th Century Fox)

I'm sure you already know what this one is about. Receiving 9 award nominations seems to indicate that this is a good movie. We'll have to wait and see if it wins.

Block/Hanson Production (Sony Pictures Releasing)

This is a restricted movie. Enter the District 9 site as a Human or Non-Human. Upon entering, you will see ..

Voltage Pictures Production (Summit Entertainment)

Iraq. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.

Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics)

'Set in the 60's, 'An Education' tells the coming of age story of a teenager, Jenny, who is being prepped by her father to go to Oxford. Enter David, a wealthy older man and Jenny's life begins to change.

Working Title Films Production (Focus Features)

The film centers on physics professor Larry Gopnik. Larry's wife is ready to leave him for a ...

This was fun and I learned a lot about the movies I hadn't seen.

Best Supporting Actress

The smart money said Mo'Nique was a shoo-in. The other four performances were fine but there's no arguing that Mo'Nique not only landed the kind of role that sticks in your mind, she knocked it out of the park. The Oscar already had her name on it.

I have added the trailers for "Nine" and "Crazy Heart" if you need a little help to see why Mo'Nique won.

You have already seen Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire and

Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (in the Trailers above)

The trailers you have not had a chance to review may be seen below. Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire.

Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air

Penélope Cruz in Nine

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart

Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air

Weinstein Brothers/Marc Platt/Lucamar/Relativity Media Production (The Weinstein Company)

Nominations

Penelope Cruz - Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Art direction

Costume design

Original song - "Take It All"

Informant Media/Butcher's Run Films Production (Fox Searchlight)

Nominations

Jeff Bridges - Performance by an actor in a leading role

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Original song - "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)"

How good did that feel!

Best Supporting Actor

I had a hard time deciding which one of the talented actors were better than the others. Some of the movies didn't really appeal to me, but the acting is a different ball game, altogether.

The trailers you have not had a chance to review may be seen below.

Christopher Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (trailer above)

Matt Damon in Invictus

Christopher Plummer in The Last Station

Woody Harrelson in The Messenger

Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones

Liberty Pictures Production (Warner Bros.)

Nominations

Morgan Freeman - Performance by an actor in a leading role

Matt Damon - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Matt Damon stars as South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar.

All the King's Horses Production (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Nominations

Woody Harrelson - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Original screenplay

A powerful movie about the costs of war. Harrelson plays Capt. Tony Stone, a veteran of the army's casualty.

Egoli Tossell Film/Zephyr Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics)

Nominations

Christopher Plummer - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Helen Mirren - Performance by an actress in a leading role

Christopher Plummer stars alongside Helen Mirren and James McAvoy as Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.

Wingnut Films Production (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount) Nomination

Stanley Tucci - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Actor Tucci found his role challenging, even with the toned-down violence.

Best Performance by an actress in a leading role

This prediction was difficult for me.

This looked to be a death-match between Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock.

Not having seen Streep in "Julia and Julia" made it difficult to comment but Bullock was pure movie star in "Blind Side." She burst off that screen, lifted every scene she was in and did what's becoming more and more impossible for actors these days: pulled off a believable accent.

There were so many great actors to choose from, I think that I would probably have done better if I had been blindfolded.

And who doesn't love Sandra Bullock? She's the rare actress these days who managed to earn and maintain an enormous reservoir of audience goodwill. Bullock not only deserved to win on the merits of her performance, but most of the world was rooting for her. That should count for something.

Here again, I will only post trailers not already on this lens.

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side (Trailer above)

Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire(Trailer above)

Helen Mirren in The Last Station(Trailer Above)

Carey Mulligan in An Education (Trailer above)

Columbia Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Nomination

Meryl Streep - Performance by an actress in a leading role

Julia, a woman of great exuberance. At 6'2" she was beyond any conventional fitting in, so instead she shouldered her way through life with great verve and good spirits.

BUZZ:

Meryl Streep was nominated for her role as chef extraordinaire Julia Child in "Julie and Julia." "Julia, that spirit was very like my mother's spirit," Streep told ABC "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer. "Joie de vivre. She had it. And a great sense of fun and [an] infectious ability to bring people along in whatever adventure she cared to take charge of." Streep recently won the Golden Globe in the best actress category for her role as Julia.

I used to watch Julia Child when she was on T.V. I think that Streep did a marvelous job of portraying Julia! Hmmm maybe I'll change my vote!

Best Performance of and Actor in a Leading Role

Why was this hard for me to predict. I tend to fall for the tall dark and handsome. (My hubby is all of that.)

Bridges is favorite to finally land the OSCAR on his fifth attempt.

The 60-year-old is considered one of the best actors never to win an Academy Award. He was nominated for The Contender (2001), Starman (1985), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1975), and The Last Picture Show (1972), and his role as The Dude in The Big Lebowski has become a cult classic.

Viggo Mortensen "The Road" and Sam Rockwell "Moon" should both be on this list but either way Jeff Bridges won't be denied.

Only one Movie Trailer here ... the others have all been shown above. Go check them out if you like so that you can make an informed decision. Do I really want my child to see a certain movie?

Colin Firth in A Single Man

Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

(A once popular heartland country singer who's degenerated more...)

George Clooney in Up in the Air

Morgan Freeman in Invictus

Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker

Crazy Heart just went wide. Go see it!

Fade to Black and Depth of Field Production (The Weinstein Company)

Nomination

Colin Firth - Performance by an actor in a leading role

A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning in his life.

I really don't know how one can pick a winner out of these 5 documentaries. I guess there has to be a winner .. but I believe they are all winners. Have a look and let me know what you think.

The Cove .. The Winner

I've been mulling these over ever since I watched them. I guess because of the human interest .. I found it difficult to make a decision as to which documentary would win. When little children are involved, it is especially hard to turn from those accounts.

You probably found it difficult also.

This looks like a great party put on by the College of Idaho.

Song is 'Be the One' by Jack Penate.

DID YOU WIN THE PREDICTION OSCAR?

Academy Launches College OSCAR Watch Party Contest on Campuses Nationwide.

Have you heard that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the launch of its first College Oscar Watch Party Contest on campuses nationwide. Participation is open to undergraduates from any college or university in the United States that offers a B.A., B.S. or equivalent degree.

Individual party organizers or groups of up to four organizers who register with the Academy will be responsible for organizing their respective parties and submitting recap materials after the event. A registration form is available for download at www.oscars.org. I'm sure this is to be an annual even so watch for the announcement for 2011 nominations. There will be a deadline for registration.

Entrants will post up to 10 photos of their Oscar watch party on www.flickr.com and up to five minutes of video footage on www.YouTube.com, and submit URLs and a description of no more than 500 words by e-mail to marketing@oscars.org. The Academy will select the best Oscar watch party based on the following criteria: enthusiasm (i.e., number of attendees, how the event was publicized); creativity (i.e., themes, decorations, food); and guest involvement (i.e., games, activities). The deadline to submit post-event materials will be announced by the academy.

The organizers of the grand prize-winning party, to be revealed later in the month, will each receive two red carpet bleacher seats at the 84rth Academy Awards in 2012. Photos and/or video of the winning party will be posted on the Academy's Facebook page. Organizers of two runner-up parties will also receive acknowledgement on the site, as well as official Oscar prize packages.

For a complete list of rules and regulations for the College Oscar Watch Party Contest, please visit www.oscars.org/watchpartycontest

Thank you for visiting and your comments. Please return to view some Movie Trailers. They will help you to know which movies you would like to see.

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Well, this was a shot in the dark for me. They are all so very good! This one had to be a wild guess. I should have gone with who I wanted to see win.