One features The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow going indie in Kill Bin Laden with producer Mark Boal. heir movie as planned was based on an earlier unsuccessful mission to try to kill the Al Qaeda leader responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attack on America as he hid in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The other is an adaptation of Jawbreaker, a book by U.S. intelligence operative Gary Berntsen about the December 2001 American-led military mission to hunt and kill Bin Laden right during the opening stages of the 9/11-prompted invasion of Afghanistan that the author as the CIA pointman had helped coordinate with Special Operations Forces, according to Deadline.

Or, just watch CNN. I personally can’t wait for the tasteless B-movies to spawn from this, because those will probably be more interesting that these.

One of the more surprising outcomes of the night goes to James Cameron’s Avatar which got less than what was predicted by a many of us, and surprisingly getting the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Up definitely got it’s recognition, despite losing the Best Picture category, and Crazy Heart got an Oscar more of love than previously anticipated by some.

Enough of the jibber-jabber, here’s the list of all of the winners for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards below. Air out your thoughts and let us know what you think of the winners, whether or not you agree with each one as well.:

Best Picture

• The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) – Producers Mark Boal, Katheryn Bigelow, Nicolas Chartier & Greg Sharpio

Best Director

• Katheryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Actor

• Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight)

Best Actress

• Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Supporting Actor

• Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Best Supporting Actress

• Mo’Nique – Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

Best Original Screenplay

• Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

Best Foreign Language Film

• El secreto de sus ojos (Argentina)

Best Cinematography

• Mauro Fiore – Avatar (Twentieth Century Fox)

Best Animated Feature

• Up - Directed by Pete Docter & Bob Peterson (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios)

Best Original Score

• Michael Giacchino – Up (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios)

Best Original Song

• “The Weary Kind” – T Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham – Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight)

Best Art Direction

• Avatar (Twentieth Century Fox)

Best Costume Design

• Sandy Powell – The Young Victoria (Apparition)

Best Makeup

• Star Trek (Paramount Pictures)

Best Sound Editing

• The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Sound Mixing

• The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Editing

• The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Visual Effects

• Avatar (Twentieth Century Fox)

What do you think of the winners? Could this possibly be a nice little reflection of what’s to come to our own Academy Awards here on March 7th? Well, check out the winners below and let us know what you think.:

Best Film

• The Hurt Locker - Dir. by Katheryn Bigelow (Summit Entertainment)

Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year

• Fish Tank - Dir. by Andrea Arnold (IFC/BBC Films)

Best Actor

• Colin Firth – A Single Man (The Weinstein Company)

Best Actress

• Carey Mulligan – An Education (Sony Pictures Classic)

Best Supporting Actor

• Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

Best Supporting Actress

• Mo’Nique – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction

• Katheryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Screenplay (Original)

• Mark Boal – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Screenplay (Adapted)

• Sheldon Turner & Jason Reitman – Up in the Air (Paramount Pictures)

Best Cinematography

• Barry Ackroyd – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Editing

• Chris Innis & Bob Murawski – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Production Design

• Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg – Avatar (Twentieth Century Fox)

Best Costume Design

• Sandy Powell – The Young Victoria (Apparition)

Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music

• Michael Giacchino – Up (Pixar/Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Make-Up/Hair

• The Young Victoria (Apparition)

Best Sound

• The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects

• Avatar (Twentieth Century Fox)

Best Film not in the English Language

• Un Prophete (Sony Pictures Classic)

Best Animated Feature Film

• Up - (Pixar/Walt Disney Pictures)

Orange Rising Star Award

• Kristen Stewart

Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer

• Duncan Jones for Moon

Best Short Animation

• Mother of Many

Best Short Film

• I Do Air

There’s a vast array of winners that not only spawn through film but include, television, radio and even video games. Here’s the official list of winners below from the official press release given out by the WGA.:

WGA Awards 2010 Winners

SCREEN WINNERS

• Original Screenplay - The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal; Summit Entertainment

• Adapted Screenplay – Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn; Paramount Pictures

• Documentary Screenplay - The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe; Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions

TELEVISION WINNERS

• Drama Series - Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Andrew Colville, Kater Gordon, Cathryn Humphris, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Erin Levy, Marti Noxon, Frank Pierson, Robin Veith, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC

• Comedy Series - 30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Steve Hely, Matt Hubbard, Dylan Morgan, Paula Pell, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Josh Siegal, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC

• New Series - Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Sameer Gardezi, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Caroline Williams, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

• Episodic Drama – any length – one airing time - “Broken, Part 1 and Part 2” (House), Written by Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner & David Foster & David Shore; Fox

• Episodic Comedy – any length – one airing time (**TIE**) - “Apollo, Apollo” (30 Rock), Written by Robert Carlock; NBC AND “Pilot” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd; ABC

• Long Form – Original – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times - Georgia O’Keeffe, Written by Michael Cristofer; Lifetime

• Long Form – Adaptation – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times – Taking Chance, Teleplay by Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) and Ross Katz, Based on the short story by Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.); HBO

• Animation – any length – one airing time – “Wedding for Disaster” (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox

• Comedy / Variety – (Including Talk) Series (**TIE**) - Saturday Night Live, Head Writer: Seth Meyers, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketch by Adam McKay, Andrew Steele; NBC

• AND The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Head Writer: Steve Bodow, Writers Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, David Javerbaum, Elliott Kalan, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central

• Comedy / Variety – Music, Awards, Tributes – Specials - Film Independent’s 2009 Spirit Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Neil MacLennan; IFC/AMC

• Daytime Serial – The Young and the Restless, Written by Amanda L. Beall, Tom Casiello, Lisa Connor, Janice Ferri Esser, Eric Freiwald, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Marla Kanelos, Beth Milstein, Natalie Minardi Slater, Melissa Salmons, Linda Schreiber, James Stanley, Sandra Weintraub, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

• Children’s Episodic & Specials – “Welcome to the Jungle” (The Troop), Written by Max Burnett; Nickelodeon

• Children’s Script – Long Form or Special – Another Cinderella Story, Written by Erik Patterson, Jessica Scott; ABC Family

• Documentary – Current Events – “The Madoff Affair” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria, Martin Smith; PBS

• Documentary – Other Than Current Events - “The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer” (American Experience), Written by David Grubin; PBS

• News – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin or Breaking Report - World News with Charles Gibson, Written by Lee Kamlet, Julia Kathan, Joel Siegel; ABC

• News – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary - “A Private War: Expose: America’s Investigative Reports” (Bill Moyers Journal), Written by Thomas M. Jennings; PBS

RADIO WINNERS

• Documentary – 2008 Year in Review, Written by Gail Lee; CBS

• News – Regularly Scheduled or Breaking – World News This Week − July 11, 2009, Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC Radio

• News – Analysis, Feature or Commentary – Paul Harvey: An American Life, Written by Stu Chamberlain; ABC Radio

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION WINNERS

• On-Air Promotion (Radio or Television) – “Vegas” (Dateline), “The Wanted” Promo, NBC Nightly News Promo, “Iran” (Dateline), “Cheat” (Dateline), Written by Barry Fitzsimmons; NBC

• Television Graphic Animation – “Hudson Splashdown” (CBS Evening News with Katie Couric), David M. Rosen, Shannon L. Toma; CBS

VIDEOGAME WRITING WINNER

• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Written by Amy Hennig; Sony Computer Entertainment

Bigelow now joins the list of many directors who have gone onto the running of winning the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times throughout this award show’s history has the Oscar not gone to the winner of this particular DGA Award, states the DGA. Now the real question is whether or not Bigelow will be making history twice by not only being nominated this Tuesday morning for the Best Director category for 82nd Annual Academy Awards but, more importantly, will she win?

Among the rest who took home an award was director Ross Katz for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series for his work in Taking Chance. To make things a little easier and slightly more condensed, here’s the list of all of the winners below.:

Director’s Guild of America Awards 2010

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film

• Katheryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series

• Ross Katz – Taking Chance (HBO)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

• Louie Psihoyos – The Cove (Oceanic Preservation Society/Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Directorial Achivement in Dramatic Series Night

• Leslie Linka Glatter – Mad Men - “Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency” (AMC)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series

• Jason Winer – Modern Family - “Pilot” (ABC)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety

• Don Mischer – We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial (HBO)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs

• Craig Borders – Build It Bigger Season 3 – “Hong Kong Bridge” (Discovery Science)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials

• Christopher Goutman – As The World Turns – “Once Upon A Time” (CBS)

Oustanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials

• Tom Kuntz (MJZ)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs

• Allison Liddi-Brown – Princess Protection Program (Disney Channel)

DGA Service and Achievement Award Recipients

• Norman Jewison (Director) – DGA Lifetime Achievement Award
• Robert Iger (President/CEO of the Walt Disney Company) – DGA Honorary Life Member Award
• Barry Meyer (Chairman/CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.) – DGA Honorary Life Member Award
• Roger Goodman (Director) – DGA Lifetime Achievement Award
• Cleve Landsberg (DGA AD/UPM Council, West Chairperson Unit Production Manager) – Frank Capra Achievement Award
• Maria Jimenez Henley (Stage Manager) – Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award

The ceremony honored those who produced some of the best films of this past year, a vital part of the filmmaking process to bring the idea off of paper and help bring it to the big screen. Here’s the winners below from the folks at  Indie Wire.:

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Picture

• The Hurt Locker
• Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

PGA Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

• Up
• Producer: Jonas Rivera

PGA Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures

• The Cove
• Producers: Paula DuPre Pesman, Fisher Stevens

David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television

• Grey Gardens
• Producers: David Coatsworth, Lucy Donnelly, Rachael Horovitz, Michael Sucsy

“It is a daunting challenge for our members to narrow a very competitive field down to five films that represent the most artful cinematography we have seen during the past year,” says ASC President Michael Goi. “We believe these very different films have set the contemporary standard for compelling visual storytelling.”

Here’s the list of the three nominees below, thanks to WeAreMovieGeeks.:

Cinematographer’s (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Award:

• The Hurt Locker - Barry Ackroyd, BSC
• Nine – Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS
• The White Ribbon - Christian Berger, AAC
• Avatar – Mauro Flore, ASC
• Inglourious Basterds - Robert Richardson, ASC

Also gaining an award is Caleb Deschanel, who’s cinematography works include The Right Stuff, The Patriot and The Passion of the Christ, for the American Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award. The ASC Awards will take place at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on February 27th.

The WGA Awards will take place on February 20th in two simultaneous ceremonies taking place in Los Angeles and New York. Below is the list of nominees.:

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

• Against the Tide, Screenplay by Richard Trank; Moriah Films
• Capitalism: A Love Story, Written by Michael Moore; Overture Films
• The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe; Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
• Earth Days, Written by Robert Stone; Zeitgeist Films
• Good Hair, Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar; Roadside Attractions
• Soundtrack for a Revolution, Written by Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman; Freedom Song Productions and Louverture Film

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• Crazy Heart, Screenplay by Scott Cooper; Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb; Fox Searchlight
• Julie & Julia, Screenplay by Nora Ephron; Based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme; Sony Pictures
• Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher; Based on the novel Push by Sapphire; Lionsgate
• Star Trek, Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Based upon Star Trek, Created by Gene Roddenberry; Paramount Pictures
• Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn; Paramount Pictures

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• (500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Fox Searchlight
• Avatar, Written by James Cameron; 20th Century Fox
• The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore; Warner Bros.
• The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal; Summit Entertainment
• A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Focus Features

The Film:

To bury The Hurt Locker under the stigma of just “another Iraq war movie” is a grave misinterpretation of the film. True, we might have all grown tired of the constant news coverage and the slew of films dealing with the Iraqi invasion and the aftermath, but Kathryn Bigelow and, perhaps more importantly, Mark Boal, give us a war film that is not about the war, who’s right, who’s wrong, but about the people within the war.

Foregoing needless scenes of recruiting, training, and drill Sargent tough talk, The Hurt Locker would rather focus on people than war film conventions. Needless to say, the film is exactly as it’s hyped up to be. It’s a powerful, riveting portrait of men in 24-hour chaos. The last I remember Bigelow was from K-19: The Widowmaker; a decent film, but something from the break she has had, must have wound up a beast within her, because The Hurt Locker is crafted with such precision and intensity, you’ll be as up tight and tense as the EODs.

The film follows a group of three EODs (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) on their final 40 odd days left of active duty. The film early on has a key scene which shows off a stunning explosion of intense intimacy, both in execution of the staging of the explosion, but also within the characters. This scene will dictate the unpredictable routine the EODs go through, day in and day out, as well as letting us into the Iraqi lifestyle. The audience and the characters will go on to learn of life’s brevity, and perhaps appreciate it. Make no mistake, this is a war film, and there is plenty of action, but the film tackles it in interesting and different ways.

I can’t get that scene or two of a limping cat rolling through the war-torn streets out of my head. This off-handed shot, adds a layer dialogue can’t.

We follow the characters in their routine, sometimes embarking on false alarms and other times, nail-biting situations. We tend to forget that this war is vastly different than previous wars. Rolling out to a mission, one of the EODs notices tanks just sitting there and makes a one-off comment on how stupid it is to have them in Iraq. The comment has a nice meaning to it, as we see later, with Bigelow’s crafty eye for action. Little details might have a greater, graver meaning to them. Nothing is as it appears. We see the team roll around in the city, sometimes disarming road side bombs, sometimes waving to the locals. Where do tanks fall into all of this? They don’t, and that’s the point of the comment. In the mundane routine of daily life as a soldier in Iraq, it’s either extremely boring or extremely dangerous. Your enemy is hidden and sneaky. Gone are the days of one-on-one Risk-style of combat. This is what Jarhead wanted to be.

Jeremy Renner has been under-the-radar for a while, although I’ve enjoyed him since Dahmer. Here, he will bust out of the shadows and into the Hollywood lime-light. It’s a damn great performance, perfectly fitting his persona he carries with him from film to film. People will be talking about Renner, but evenly matched is Anthony Mackie, last seen in Notorious as Tupac. He’s equally as complex and emotional. It’s another performance worthy of discussion.

But what ascends The Hurt Locker into greatness, besides the performances and Bigelow’s direction, is the theme of the story. The film wisely plays to no one opinion. To these characters, war is hell, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. But the film captures a rare phenomenon of addiction to the high stakes involved with life or death. Some can play, others cannot. The life of a soldier for some is a job, a job they’ll be trained to do well, and for others, is an adrenaline rush. The Hurt Locker captures the rare voice of the day-to-day soldier, offering no answers, no political finger-waging, just the sneaky notion of life and death and fatigue.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Summit Entertainment has been producing some very nice Blu-rays lately, and it continues here. The picture captures the documentary-like approach with superb details, clarity, and strong blacks. Close-ups of the actors are really rich in texture and detail. Any faults in the transfer, would be nitpicking. The audio is perhaps better, as it’s extremely action-oriented with solid bass and an ariel assault of surround activity. Be prepared for an intense audio experience, and another great Summit Blu-ray.

Commentary: Bigelow and writer Mark Boal offer us an incredibly informative and insightful track, that never stalls or gets dull. It’s the disc’s best extra, and fans or students of film should get a kick out of all that is discussed.

Behind-the-Scenes: This HD 12-minute piece is pretty decent, a tad above EPK. But don’t expect a lot of true insight, but it’s nice seeing some new participants talk.

An Image Gallery with an Optional audio track that runs 23 minutes, and Trailers round out the extras.

Conclusion: A superb film on a superb disc. A must own.

The Film: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film (2009)

• Katheryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
• James Cameron – Avatar (Twentieth Century Fox)
• Lee Daniels – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (Lionsgate)
• Jason Reitman – Up in the Air (Paramount Pictures)
• Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Among this list the only two directors that have previously been nominated were James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino, the rest of them being the first time they got such a high nomination in this particular guild. The 62nd Annual DGA Awards takes place on January 30th in the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Among the rest of the winners for this includes the best actress which goes out to Yolande Moreau for Seraphine. Best supporting actor went to Christoph Waltz for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds along with Paul Schneider who acted in the Jane Campion film Bright Star. Within the best supporting actress category Mo’Nique strikes again with her role in Precious.

It’s not too much of a surprise to see the Coen brothers get recognition for their writing again as they pick the two for their script for A Serious Man. The rest of the winners can be read right here, and judging from the list of winners maybe it’s a foreshadowing of nominees at least to come when it pertains to the Academy Award nominees.

Best Feature

• The Hurt Locker

Best Documentary

• Food Inc.

Breakthrough Director Award

• Robert Siegel – Writer/Director – Big Fan

Breakthrough Actor Award

• Catalina Saavedra – The Maid

Best Ensemble Performance Award

• Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly – The Hurt Locker

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

• You Won’t Miss Me

Look for possible Oscar nominations for this film.

Source: DVDActive

This year’s Gotham Independent Film Award nominees have just been announced by “At The Movies” co-host A.O. Scott. It features several nominees, just below, from films like “The Hurt Locker”, “Sugar” and the wonderful movie “Big Fan” starring Patton Oswalt from “Ratatouille”. The actual awards show takes place on Monday, November 30th.

Best Feature
“Amreeka”
“Big Fan”
“The Hurt Locker”
“The Maid”
“A Serious Man”

Best Documentary
“Food, Inc.”
“Good Hair”
“My Neighbor My Killer”
“Paradise”
“Tyson”

Best Ensemble Performance
“Adventureland”
“Cold Souls”
“The Hurt Locker”
“A Serious Man”
“Sugar”

Breakthrough Director
Cruz Angeles for “Don’t Let Me Drown”
Frazer Bradshaw for “Everything Strange and New”
Noah Buschel for “The Missing Person”
Derick Martini for “Lymelife”
Robert Siegel for “Big Fan”

Breakthrough Actor
Ben Foster in “The Messenger”
Patton Oswalt in “Big Fan”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”
Catalina Saavedra in “The Maid”
Soulémane Sy Savané in “Goodbye Solo”

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
“Everything Strange and New”
“Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
“October Country”
“You Won’t Miss Me”
“Zero Bridge”

Source: InContention

An Education: Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, An Education is the one of the biggest front runners in this year’s Oscar race, with across the board praise for its female lead Carey Mulligan, and raves for lead actor Peter Sarsgaard, and supporting performance by the under appreciated Alfred Molina. At this point, Carey Mulligan is the biggest front runner in all the races combined with an assured nomination and possible victory.

The Lovely Bones:  Peter Jackson‘s highly anticipated return comes in the adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel The Lovely Bones.  The film tells the story of a young woman who is brutally raped and murdered and watches from heaven, as her family tries to cope with the loss, and try to solve what or why it happened.  One of the biggest front runners in this year’s Oscar race has already been screened  a  few times, and is slowly loosing steam as reviews come in saying the film is magnificent, but plays more as a thriller, rather than solid drama.  Keep a look out for technical nominations, as well as nominations in lead for past Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan of Atonement, and supporting nominations for Rachel Weisz, as with as the big ones for Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay.

Avatar:  To put this film, as being highly anticipated would not do the film justice with fans and fanboys, to see what the master filmmaker has conjured up with his first feature length film since 1997′s record breaking phenomenon Titanic.  Oscar prognosticators seem to be at odds whether the film will be a Best Picture nominee, with the Academy changing to 10 films, but those  who have seen cuts or scenes from the film overwhelmingly believe it can.  Expect the film to sweep the technical categories.

Precious: Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire :  Already the front runner for a Supporting Actress win, Mo’Nique seems to be on every one’s radar at the moment, since the film’s reception at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where the film went on to win the coveted Grand Jury Prize, along with the Audience Award.  The film has been slowly gaining steam towards a Best Picture nomination, as well as, a nom for Gabourey Sidibe as the film’s lead playing an overweight black woman who is pregnant with her second child, and under pressure from her cruel mother (Mo’Nique), while seeking guidance from a social worker (Mariah Carey).

Nine : On the Oscar train since the film’s announcement; Nine marks the return to the musical for Chicago director Rob Marshall in an adaptation of the Broadway play of the same name.  The film stars a virtual roster of Oscar winners and nominees, with Judy Dench, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman and in the singing and dancing lead, Daniel Day Lewis.  Early buzz has been mixed, but likely to take a Best Picture nomination, as well as, acting categories going either way for Judy Dench and Marion Cotillard.

Bright Star: Still the only female to every win the best director award at the Cannes film festival, Jane Campion returns with Bright Star, an original screenplay of her own that tells  of poet John Keats and his lover Fanny Brawne, played by Abbie Cornish in a star making performance, whose previous work in Candy and Stop-Loss first put the talented actress on the Hollywood map.  Though the film’s reception has considerably cooled since it’s Cannes premiere, the film is growing a strong following hoping to muster up some Oscar attention, with its best chances in the lead actress and original screenplay categories.

The Road: Loved by many, and indifferent to others, the film tells the incredibly bleak story of a father and son on their trek to to the coast in a post apocalyptic America.  Viggo Mortenson returns in top form as the father protecting his son, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee.  Both actors are looking to earn Oscar nominations for their respective performances, but with Mortenson and the film’s cinematography so far the one’s up ahead.

The Hurt Locker:   One of the summer’s breakout films The Hurt Locker has been receiving raves since its premier at the Venice Film Festival last year and has not slowed down since.  The Hurt Locker is primed for Oscar gold with enough love for the film to earn its slot in the Oscar top 10 list, as well as, nomination love for Best Director Kathryn Bigelow, and possible nomination for lead actor Jeremy Renner and supporting actor Anthony Mackie.

UP:  With Oscar prognosticators still reeling over last year’s omission of Wall*E in the Best Picture category, UP seems to have all the right marks to fit the bill, and give Pixar its coveted Best Picture nomination, a first for an animated film since 1991′s Beauty and the Beast.

Amelia: Beloved director Mira Nair returns with the ambitious biopic of legendary pilot Amelia Earhart played by Oscar winner Hilary Swank in an attempt to get Oscar number 3.  Don’t expect Ms. Swank to obtain the win, but a nomination is very likely for the film, along with coveted Best Picture nomination and long shot nominations for Richard Gere and Ewen McGregor, to have the next possible acting nominations outside of the film’s technical nominations.

Invictus:  In the most obvious Oscar film out there, the secretive Invictus tells pseudo biopic of famed civil rights activist Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman and his hosting of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, in hopes to unify his country with Matt Damon, as one of the film’s rugby players.  With the film directed by Oscar winner Clint Eastwood and previous Oscar track record look for Invictus to do well at the big show.

A Prophet: France’s official entry into the Best Foreign Film race, as well as hopes to crack the Best Picture race, A Prophet has earned nothing but raves, with many calling the film the best prison film ever made, with comparisons to last year’s Gomorrah.

Up In The Air: Jason Reitman returns again from the Toronto International Film Festival, after his success last year with Juno, with his new dramedy Up In The Air starring a never better George Clooney, in what folks are describing as the best film of the year so far (up till September). It’s a story of a lonely businessman working up to 10 million frequent flyer miles, who falls for a similar woman on the way played by Vera Farmiga.  Look for the film to aim toward nominations for lead George Clooney, supporting noms for Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, as well as luck for Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay.

The Informant! : Based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald, Warner Bros. is looking to gain some serious momentum towards getting the Steven Soderbergh dark comedy nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a Best Actor for Matt Damon as the corporate whistle blower.

A Single Man: After earning raves at this year’s Venice Film Festival and winning the fest’s Golden Lion Award, along with Best Actor Colin Firth, A Single Man is shaping up to be this year’s dark horse. The film tells the story of  a gay college professor, who learns his lover has died. It has just been purchased by The Weinstein Company, and we all know how  well they do come Oscar time.

Get Low: In the dark dramedy starring  Robert DuVall in a performance earning him raves surpassing his work in The Apostle, Get Low tells the folk fairy tale of a man about a 1930′s recluse who goes as far as throwing his funeral party while still alive.

And if the film gets released this year, look for Terrence Malick to score well with his highly secretive film starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in The Tree of Life, but seeing as the man takes around 2 years per film and takes even longer in between, we can never count him in the race until  his film is completed.  The film’s plot has been keptsecret by the studio, but is known to be a 1950′s period peace telling  a multi-generational family story, with information leaked that Malick is indeed working with CGI for the first time including pre-historic dinosaurs.