Oscar Picks

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards  will be held on March 7th. This year, they've opened up the Best Picture category to ten nominees so that the films aren't all artsy pictures only seen by people in New York and L.A. Will it work to even out the results and bring more viewers? Time will tell. If I could vote (they don't let me...yet), what would I pick? Here's some picks from the major categories.

Oscar picks:

Best Picture 

Winner: Avatar

Why I'd pick it: If I were voting, I'd have to vote for Avatar. The story line is weak, the characters cliche, the earth-worship laughable, and the acting so-so. But more than any other movie in recent memory, this film made you say "wow" and be so glad you came to the movies. It did what movies are supposed to do: Transported the viewer completely into another reality. It's why we go to the movies.

Virtue in Avatar: Willingness to fight for freedom and justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Other films I'd like to see win? "The Blind Side," which made doing good look so fun, and "Up" which transcended the animation genre to make profound comments on life and love.

Read our full review of Avatar here.

Best Actor In a Leading Role

Winner: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart.

Why I'd pick him: Bridges' portrayal of Bad Blake, a down and out, has been, alcoholic country musician who falls in love with a single mom, is one of the most human performances I've seen in years. Bad Blake has made a thousand bad choices and it will take him a thousand more choices to recover himself.

Virtue in Crazy Heart: This movie is all about redemption, even from the oh-so-human holes we dig ourselves into.

Read our full review of Crazy Heart here.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Winner: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side.

Why I'd pick her: Bullock's performance as Leigh Anne Touhey made this wildly successful movie work. As a woman who just could not let a child be out in the cold, and who bent her and her family's life to give that child a home and a future, Bullock made us laugh and made us cry, but most of all she made us believe.

Virtue in The Blind Side: She not only made an inspiring movie about giving of one's self and one's resources, she made being good look winsome.

Read our full review of The Blind Side here.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner: Christopher Waltz, Inglorious Basterds

Why I'd pick him: As "The Jew Hunter," a Nazi who takes professional pride in his record of killing Jewish people, Waltz was charming, attractive, and chilling. Evil often is.

Virtue in Inglourious Basterds: This film is all about vengence, which isn't usually considered a virtue. But the picture of evil that Waltz portrays, as someone you'd be glad to have as a friend and neighbor even though he is a ruthless killer, shows that evil doesn't always come in loathsome packages.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner: Mo'nique, Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire

Why I'd pick her: Mo'nique was completely fearless in her portrayal of Mary, Precious's abusive mother. She did not balk at being physically or emotionally ugly. She plunged to the depths of the quiet depravity and complex rationalization that human nature can reach.

Virtue in Precious: Courage. Precious, overweight, pregnant, and completely unattractive in any way, is one of those girls you pass on by. But she takes small, confused step after step toward a better life, proving that courage isn't found just on the battlefield or sports arena, but sometimes in a run-down project.