For Your Consideration: 10 Best Pictures of the Year

On June 24th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced some momentous news about next year's Oscars--there will be 10 nominees for Best Picture, instead of the usual 5. This is probably the biggest embarkment the Academy has taken since the inception of the supporting actor/actress awards in 1936. "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. "The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009." This was clearly done in response to much debate concerning the exclusion of certain genres of films, such as animated features and action/adventure films, namely WALL-E and The Dark Knight. The Academy's decision opens the doors for more movies to vie for the ultimate honor of being named Best Picture of the Year. 
 
The following films (alphabetically) are my picks for this year's Best Picture Nominees:
 
1. Avatar
Directed by James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver and Giovanni Ribisi

"In a distant future, humanity discovers the planet 'Alpha Centauri B-4', and for those scientists and astronauts who've traversed the gulf between neighboring suns and arrived on its alien soil know it as 'Pandora'. A world filled with an incredible diversity of beautiful and deadly ammonia-breathing lifeforms. Its also a world that harbors treasures and resources almost beyond price. But just as the original Pandora's Box wrought devastation on those who would use it for their own gain, so too this world may destroy not just the Pandorans home, but ours as well. Avatar is the story of a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival." -Scificountdown.com
Rating: ★ ★ 1/2
Bottom Line: Although a visually stunning spectacle, it is an old story redone to the tune of CGI Special Effects; it's essentially just Dances With Wolves in SciFi.

2. The Blind Side
Directed by John Lee Hancock
Starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon and Kathy Bates
"Based on the true story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael "Big Mike" Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael has had little formal education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne soon takes charge however, as is her nature, ensuring that the young man has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out to help him, including giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship. Michael Oher was the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft." -garykmcd
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: Even if you're not a fan of football, you will appreciate the message behind this film. It's the feel good movie of the year!

3. An Education
Directed by Lone Scherfig  
Staring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams and Emma Thompson

"Written by Nick Hornby, An Education is the story of a young girl's choice between Oxford and the university of life. Sixteen and gifted, Jenny (Mulligan) is destined for Oxford. Her parents' own dreams of fulfilment are built on Jenny's success. However, her eyes are opened to a world of glamorous possibility beyond the boundaries of suburbia when she meets the considerably older, distinctly urbane, David (Sarsgaard)." -BBC Films
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A remarkably distinguished coming of age story that truly embodies the angst and emotional trauma of life's many lessons.

4. The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Staring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce

"Three members of the Army's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad battle insurgents and each other as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad-in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear-protect and save-but it's anything but easy, as the margin of error when defusing a war-zone bomb is zero. This thrilling and heart-pounding look at the effects of combat and danger on the human psyche is based on the first-hand observations of journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq. These men spoke of explosions as putting you in 'the hurt locker'." -Summit Entertainment
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: Finally a modern war film set in the Middle East that isn't cliché. A great film that focus on the characters not the politics.

5. Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino 
Staring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Mélanie Laurent and Til Schweiger

"In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history." -The Massie Twins
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: Entertainingly glorifies violence in a way we have not seen in some time.

6. Invictus*
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

Based on John Carlin's book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation". "The inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team (Damon) to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match." -IGN
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: Magnificent story of liberation and triumph of an entire nation, superb acting as always from both Freeman & Damon. 

7. Precious
Directed by Lee Daniels
Staring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton and Lenny Kravitz

Already won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for Best Drama at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. "Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece 'Precious' Jones (Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write." -Lionsgate
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A heart-wrenching story about the hardships of an abused and seemingly hopeless teenager in Harlem. Masterful performances take this film to a whole nother level, one that most are probably not used to seeing.

8. A Single Man*
Directed by Tom Ford 
Staring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult and Jon Kortajarena

"Set in Los Angeles on November 30, 1962, a month after the Cuban missile crisis, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer (Firth), a middle-aged British college professor who has struggled to find meaning in his life since the sudden death eight months earlier of his longtime partner, Jim (Goode). Throughout the single day depicted in the film, George dwells on his past and his seemingly empty future as he prepares for his planned suicide that evening. Before meeting his close friend Charley (Moore) for dinner, he has unexpected encounters with a Spanish prostitute (Kortajarena) and a young student (Hoult) who has become fixated on George as a kindred spirit." -The Weinstein Company
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: Masterfully acted story about life, death and circumstance that truly relates human grievance and lament.

9. Up
Directed by Pete Docter 
Staring Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Bob Peterson, Jordan Nagai and Delroy Lindo

"From the revolutionary minds of Pixar Animation Studios and the acclaimed director of Monsters, Inc. comes a hilarious uplifting adventure where the sky is no longer the limit. Carl Fredicksen, a retired balloon salesman, is part rascal, part dreamer who is ready for his last chance at high-flying excitement. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, Carl sets off to the lost world of his childhood dreams. Unbeknownst to Carl, Russell, an overeager 8-year old Wildnerness Explorer who has never ventured beyond his backyard, is in the wrong place at the wrong time - Carl's front porch! The world's most unlikely duo reach new heights and meets fantastic friends like Dug, a dog with a special collar that allows him to speak, and Kevin, the rare 13-foot tall flightless bird. Stuck together in the wilds of the jungle, Carl realizes that sometimes life's biggest adventures aren't the ones you set out for." -Disney Pixar
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A candid tale of two explorers who find themselves through the help of the other. Heart-warming from beginning to end.

10. Up In The Air
Directed by Jason Reitman 
Staring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and Jason Bateman

"From Jason Reitman, the Oscar nominated director of Juno, comes this dramatic comedy starring Oscar winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams (Farmiga)." -Paramount Pictures
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A splendid contemporary glimpse of one man's ventures that induces us to reflect upon our own lives. An absolute must see!

+1. A Serious Man
Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen  
Staring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Wagner Lennick, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff and Jessica McManus

"The story of an ordinary man’s search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith (Lennick) that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous acquaintances, Sy Ableman (Melamed), who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry. Larry’s unemployable brother Arthur (Kind) is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny (Wolff) is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah (McManus) is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job." -Focus Features
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A must see! Especially if you can appreciate the dark farcical style of the Coen Brothers.

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The Short List:

1. Avatar
2. The Blind Side
3. An Education
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Invictus*
7. Precious
8. A Single Man* 
9. Up
10. Up In The Air
11. A Serious Man

"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," commented Ganis. "I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February."
 

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*Did not make the final cut on February 2nd, thereby did not get an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture. Neill Blomkamp's science fiction thriller "District 9" was the other film nominated that was not previously mentioned by this list.