The Oscars: 82nd Academy Award Nominations [Updated]

2010 oscar nominations

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday February 2nd, the official nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced live. The 2010 Oscar presentation will take place Sunday, March 7, 2010, hosted by none other than the comedic pair of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Last year’s Academy Awards saw the lovable Hugh Jackman as host and the big categories of Best Picture and Best Director went to Slumdog Millionaire and Danny Boyle. Sean Penn took home another Best Actor award and Kate Winslet won Best Actress for The Reader.

This year we have some big competition with the biggest box office film of all time in Avatar making a run for the awards and its creator James Cameron making a big returning splash into Hollywood after his last showing being the the previous biggest film of all time and multiple Oscar winner in Titanic. James Cameron took home the Golden Globes for his sci-fi epic but with the Directors Guild of America giving credit to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker this weekend, it’s now a possible favorite. We also can’t forget Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air starring everyone’s favorite George Clooney.

Keep in mind, this year’s structure of the awards in key categories will be slightly different. The big change of course comes with the attempt at increasing ratings and hype surrounding the major category of Best Picture where for the first time since the forties there will be not 5 nominees, but 10!

This is an obvious attempt to give more credit to the more popular box office hits rather than the smaller art-house and films and period pieces. Last year saw a bit of an uproar from many moviegoers over the snub of The Dark Knight and The Wrestler, not being nominated for key categories with those spots going to vastly less popular films like The Reader.

We can expect the five shoe-in nominations to be Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Precious and Inglourious Basterds and the other five aren’t so clear cut. Up has a chance to get nominated for this and win best animated feature although in my opinion it doesn’t deserve to be in the Best Picture category. Wouldn’t it be cool to see District 9 in there?

UPDATE: Here are the Nominees for the 2010 Oscars:

BEST PICTURE

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious

Up In The Air

The Blind Side

District 9

An Education

A Serious Man

BEST DIRECTOR

James Cameron Avatar

Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds

Lee Daniels Precious

Jason Reitman Up In The Air

LEADING ACTOR

Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart

George Clooney Up In The AIr

Colin Firth A Single Man

Morgan Freeman Invictus

Jeremy Renner The Hurt Locker

LEADING ACTRESS

Sandra Bullock The Blind Side

Helen Mirren The Last Station

Carey Mulligan An Education

Gabourey Sidibe Precious

Meryl Streep Julie & Julia

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon Invictus

Woody Harrelson The Messenger

Christopher Plummer The Last Station

Stanley Tucci The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penélope Cruz Nine

Vera Farmiga Up In The Air

Maggie Gyllenhaal Crazy Heart

Anna Kendrick Up In The Air

Mo’Nique Precious

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Hurt Locker (Mark Boal)

Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)

The Messenger (Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman)

A Serious Man (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)

Up (Bob Peterson, Pete Docter & Tom McCarthy)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

District 9 (Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell)

An Education (Nick Hornby)

In the Loop (Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche)

Precious (Geoffrey Flecther)

Up In The Air (Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog

The Secret of Kells

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Ajami (Israel)

El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)

The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)

Un Prophéte (France)

The White Ribbon (Germany)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Burma VJ

The Cove

Food, Inc.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Which Way Home

For the rest of the 2010 Oscar Nominees, go HERE.

2010 academy awards oscar hosts alex baldwin steve martin

Now that you know the nominees – what do you think? How awesome is it to see District 9 receiving a Best Picture nod? And are you blind-sided that The Blind Side made the list? Sound off and let us know!

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Follow me on Twitter for my thoughts on the nominations @rob_keyes and come back for my live coverage of the Oscars in March!

Tags: avatar, district 9, inglourious basterds, precious, slumdog millionaire, the hurt locker, the reader, up, up in the air,

CplHicks

I really really liked Avatar, but I hope to god it does not win best picture, simply put every other movie in the category was a better film. (Hurt Locker hands down, and if not that Up in the Air or Inglorious Basterds are far more deserving).

Though I did not see Blindside, Avatar is probably better than Blindside

Day

I hope Argentina win the oscar for best foreign language film, I saw the movie and it's a very good one!!! As regards Avatar I think it should be nominee as 'Animated featured film'... Anyway I can't wait to see the winners, specially Jeff Bridge holding the oscar in his hands!

Smoff

The road up for nothing has made me lose faith in the way this is done. Personally i think for Viggo Mortensen to pull off that performance and keep you gripped, in a movie that is so grim and lifeless surely deserves some credit. Also a mention to Robert Duvalls performance because it was sensational for the ten minute period he appears.

TrekFreak

I'm having a joygasim knowing that "Star Trek" didn't make it into the nominations.

TrekFreak

Best Picture nomination that is.

SissiePooh

While I was delighted that Stanley Tucci got a nomination for The Lovely Bones, I was disappointed that Robert Downey Jr. didn't get nominated for Best Actor in Sherlock Holmes (I still think he was robbed of the Oscar he should have gotten for his role in Chaplin) and Michael Giacchino's score for Star Trek wasn't nominated for Best Original Score. Hans Zimmer's imaginative score for Sherlock Holmes did get nominated, and that's very cool (the SH soundtrack is quickly becoming one of my favorite CD's)..

Gary Smith

Despite the expanded list,only 5 have areal chance
The same 5 that had their directors nominated .
Inglorious Basterds
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Precous
Up In the Air.
It is one of those 5.

Ken J

@Jessie

Hm, it's not letting me reply to your comment. I tried the replying to the notification thing, and it still doesn't work. Anyway, here is a copy/paste:

Well, if you watched any of the "making of" documentaries or the "behind the scenes" for Avatar, you'll see that they weren't simply voiced. ALL of the actions, even the action scenes with them riding those creatures, almost falling off a cliff, etc. were acted out by THE actors, maybe a stunt double a few times. But all of it was acted. None of it was 100% created by animators behind a computer. The actual visuals are computer generated, but the movements, facial expressions, all of it was motion captured from the actual actors, meaning Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and the rest of the cast... So if that's your basis for that argument, then it pretty much just proves this movie isn't an animated movie...

Not that being animated is a bad thing, I actually think Up is the best movie out of those in the list, lol, but just don't think Avatar is an animated movie per-se.

Also, you asked how they motion capture the eyes. The way they did the facial expressions, including the eyes, is a relatively new method where while they are acting out the scenes, they have a small camera mounted on a helmet that points to their face, and it actually records all of the facial movements and digitizes it. That's how they can make a CG character with completely realistic facial expressions and eye movements, no more "dead eye" like in other motion capped characters from other movies.

Jessie

While I haven't seen any of the "behind-the-scenes," you can't help but hear about the motion-capture animation. I was arguing my point against Magnus who said "Avatar" wasn't made in the same way as other motion-capture movies like "The Polar Express." So.... I was playing a bit devil's advocate against his ridiculous claim and just being a bit of a bitch.

But as I said before, I believe that motion-capture is just sophisticated animation.

Thank you for explaining about the eyes! I was very curious about that!

Ken J

@Jessie
I understand your argument about the motion capture in Avatar, but to be honest, and just to be clear, not defending the movie itself, just the technology, but he's right. It ISN'T at all like the motion capture you're used to. In the past, only SOME things are motion captured, like close up scenes where the character walks up to someone or something and does something. The action scenes are typically all done either by a stunt double mo-cap, or they generate the movements completely on the computer so no mo-cap or actor required.

In Avatar, they had the actual actors play out just about EVERYTHING. From the mundane to the crazy, with a very few exceptions that might have used a stunt double, but it's pretty different from the other mo-cap that has come before it.

Again, I enjoyed the heck out of Avatar, but don't think it's deserving of best whatever (except technology and special effects), but I have to defend the technology because it's downright amazing in my opinion. To compare it to Polar Express or any of these movies that came before is pretty insulting and doesn't do the technology the justice it deserves.

Oh, another difference is the camera angles. Usually in movies with a lot of mo-cap and completely CG scenes, the camera angle that makes it into the final movie is usually virtual, and completely done in the computer. With Avatar, Cameron actually invented this new system where he holds a "camera" which is really just a screen and sensors and he actually "shoots" the movie while the actors act out their parts, so he can better replicate that handheld camera feel for some of the movie's action scenes. Truly genius in my opinion. You can say all you want about the plot of the movie, but you really can't knock the technology behind this or James Cameron's ingenuity...

Jessie

Wow... Thank you. How refreshing to have a logical, fact filled discussion and not just random accusations. You haven't quite convinced me on the genius of the technology because, right now, I'm biased. When I've had time to calm down after inciting outrage with my animation debate, I'll think about it more clearly.

It still seems like animation to me. I'm not well versed in the special effects side of movie making, prefering to focus on items like acting, script, cinematography... But thank you. You given me a point to start at when "Avatar" fever has died down. :)

Ken J

Well, I'm not a "fanboy" for the movie, nor am I someone who fanatically has to oppose it either. Like I've said, I enjoyed the movie, but acknowledge it isn't the greatest movie or anything in terms of story and script, but I don't think it was bad enough to deserve the amount of fanatical opposition it receives by armchair critics in movie blog sites. I think part of it was all of the hype that came before. While that helped in selling tickets, it breeds an almost hatred for it by some. Its success also gets some people to jump on the hate-wagon, just like anything that's hugely successful, like Microsoft for example... Then of course there are the fanboys that think it's the best movie ever made. Or, eh hem, BEST MOVIE EVARRR!!!!!111. That's better, lol.

I'm simply not on either extreme. So I wouldn't be jumping down your throat for not liking the movie. I agree it wasn't a great movie, but the technology I will have to defend, I'm pretty amazed by it and for me, while watching it, there were times when I was thinking about all of the doors this movie will open up. Like in terms of how CG is done for other movies and also for how mo-cap and facial expressions can be done for video games. I can only imagine a game that uses a lot of this technology, how immersive it can be when you can't tell if the characters are human or CG, playing a completely realistic looking game. It'll be like controlling a character in a movie, that would be intense! Anyway, I'm a bit of a tech nerd, so pardon my nerdgasms, lol.

Jessie

I will say that I am an avid "Bones" fan and when they dedicated an entire subplot for an epsiode to standing in line waiting for "Avatar" tickets, just because Colin Fisher (who is in "Avatar") is one of Dr. Brennan's assistants on rotation... that got me on the 'Are you kidding me with all this "Avatar"?!?' bandwagon.

Ken J

LOL, Bones is a pretty entertaining show. Man, I have a lot to catch up on though, only watched seasons 1 and 2. I don't like watching them on TV because I'm never home enough to catch shows as they air. I usually wait for the season to end, then buy the DVD set and watch them all in order in a few "marathon nights" with some friends. Haven't had much time to have those in a while. Gonna need to catch up with Bones, and when season 4 of Dexter comes out, watch out, lol. And waiting for the new season of House to end too to watch those...

Is it true that in Bones they are STILL teasing you with the Bones and Booth thing?? I mean, seriously, how long can the two of them pretend to not like each other without something happening? Please tell me they just got together and they've moved on from that... But I know they keep people interested with that... So they might never get together, like the whole Sam Carter and Jack O'Neill thing, lol.

Jessie

I'm still bitter about Sam Carter and Jack O'Neil. What a waste.

It's pretty much gauranteed that Booth and Bones are getting together this season because Booth is now aware of his feelings towards her. And he's talking to people about them - -like Cam and Gordon Gordon - - to get some perspective.

Ken J

I doubt it, if they actually get together, they'll have to split up the next season, because that teasing back and forth is part of the reason why people keep tuning in episode after episode. Once it's "resolved" there will no longer be that mystery to draw them in, lol. I coulod be wrong, heck, they could be together now already, I know your comment was from a month ago and I haven't been keeping up with the show, lol. Sorry for the late reply, been quite busy...

twistedburton

"Avatar" better not win Best Picture and James Cameron better not win Best Director. I would love to see "Up" win Best Picture, but I doubt it will. If it doesn't win Best Picture it'll definitely win Best Animated Feature either way. I think it could take home Best Picture, I mean they wouldn't have nominated it if it didn't have a chance.

Has an animated film ever won Best Picture? I feel dumb for not knowing. I know "Beauty and the Beast" was nominated, but didn't win. Has an animated film ever taken Best Picture?

Also I think RDJ got snubbed! Where's his acting nomination for "Sherlock Holmes"?

Ken J

Oh man, look at all of this fanatical support for Avatar... [/sarcasm]

LMAO!!

Anyway, I don't think Avatar was the best picture, but neither are the others... I really don't know which one "should" be because I don't think the same way as these snobby people who think their opinions are superior to ours. All I know is that out of that list, I enjoyed Up the most.

Hurt Locker, way overrated... I'm sorry, but that retarded ass sniper scene is about the dumbest thing I've ever seen put on film. Yah, a bunch of half-ass trained haji's with a MEDIUM range marksman rifle (SVD Dragunov) will outsnipe a group of trained special forces guys with a long range sniper rifle (Barrett M107)... YAH RIGHT...

District 9, another movie I felt was way overrated. It began interesting enough, but then just broke down into a really annoying and not that exciting sci-fi action movie with one of the most ridiculous plot points put on film this year.

Inglorious Basterds, ok, got me there, haven't watched it, but not interested in QT or Brad Pitt, so probably not going to be spending my time or money on that one...

Up In The Air, not a fan of George Clooney, and it's basically an all dialog driven movie. Hey, I'm not doubting it was smart and entertaining to those who like those movies, but that's not my thing, something HAS to happen...

Precious, I'm sure it was a very touching/inspirational drama, but again, no interest in it.

I enjoyed the heck out of Star Trek, but to be honest, I RATHER it NOT win any Oscars, because my opinion of the Oscars is not that great, so in my opinion, that would TARNISH the movie's fun... Same with Zombieland, fun movie, but not at all Oscar type material. Both movies too fun, not snobby enough, and that's a good thing in my opinion.

Up, also a fun movie, surprised they nominated that, well, I guess the Academy has their noses "up" in the air, so it's appropriate, maybe it should win, lol.

william

i'm actually very dissapointed

The Big Dentist

Nice to see Armando Iannucci & co getting a nod for In The Loop, despite The Thick Of It - the TV show from whence it and Peter Capaldi's profanity-scattergun spin doctor sprang - being a whole heap better.

KitFisto

Anyone going to a local AMC theatre to catch or "re-catch" the nominated films?? I'm starting a tradition this year by going. I've seen half of the films nominated, but not the others and I'd love to see them on the big screen. AMC will announce the full schedule and the pricing and such this Friday, so check their website if you're interested.

Vikinglifeguard

I will go see a few more when this happens. I saw Up, District 9, Hurt Locker, Inglorious, Blind Side. I want to see Precious, Serious Man, and Up In The Air. Maybe An Education, but I would be more apt to rent that.

KitFisto

I agree about an education, i heard that it's not necessary to watch on the big screen. I've seen Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, and D9. I could've seen Hurt Locker this sumer but decided to see Watchmen: The Director's Cut. Im very much looking forward to The Hurt Locker, a few of my friends saw it and they rave about it. Also excited to see Up in the Air, Precious, Up, and The Blind Side. As for A Serious man and An Education, aside from what I heard about education, I don't know too much about these two films but I'll see them since they're nominated which is usually an indicator that a film is worth seeing.

Sinkwriter72

A big YAY for Hans Zimmer getting nominated for his Sherlock Holmes original score. That was a standout to me as I watched the film. I loved how he incorporated the violin in various ways (a clever touch, given that the violin is Holmes' instrument), and how it enhanced the tension. Really great. I hope he wins.

As for the best picture nominees... well, I'm not surprised that Avatar was nominated, but I do not think it should win. To me, a best picture should present a well-rounded film, with excellence in acting, screenplay, cinematography, direction, music, all of it coming together to create an amazing, unforgettable film. Avatar may be unforgettable because of its vivid visuals and because Cameron came up with a new technology (which is impressive, but should earn him a technological award), but that doesn't mean it managed well in all the other areas. I don't think it did. I'm not a Cameron hater -- I loved The Abyss, and I was greatly impressed by the epic scope of Titanic -- but I don't think he should win best picture for something that's more about new technology than great storytelling.

Vikinglifeguard

Anyone else think it would be funny to have Cameron screwed by his ex-wife and lose to Hurt Locker in director and picture?

Jessie

I find it funny that their movies are completely opposite. "Avatar" is as far away from reality as one can possibly get and "The Hurt Locker" was filmed on location in Jordan and Kuwait, in what couldn't be a more realistic setting.

KitFisto

very interesting perspective. It's nice to see that he respects her though. At the Globes, when he won for best director he said he had nothing prepared because he thought Kathryn would win for Hurt Locker.

DrSamBeckett

I really think Avatar deserves best picture, the whole point of cinema is having an incredible experience that you wont ever forget, and despite Avatar's acting and story mishits, it was one hell of a cinematic experience.

i really didnt care for The Hurt Locker. Did nothing for me.

I'd like to see Coraline win best animated, it was a thousand times better than UP.

And the biggest idiocy on the whole list? Sandra Bullock, best actress? Are they having a joke, do they think its April 1st?

And nothing for The Road? Just shows what a joke the Oscar's really are.

John "Kahless" Taylor

I'm surprised to read that you think Avatar deserves that honor. My faith in the Quantum Leap doctor has been rejuvenated. :-)

I remember seeing The Blind Side and I have to admit that I think Bullock does deserve a nomination; I doubt she will win but I thought she was very good in that role.

DrSamBeckett

It's a case of credit where it is clearly due. Avatar was an amazing achievement, never seen anything like it, and while it wasn't my favourite movie of 2009 ( that honour goes to Star Trek), Out of all the nominated best pictures I think Avatar is the one that has and will continue to have the most impact in the world of film making. Never before has a movie drawn people into it's environment like that before.

I am man enough to admit when I'm wrong, and on this rare occasion, I was. Avatar was decent.