So, to jump on a particularly crowded bandwagon, we’re asking you if you’re Team Avatar or Team Hurt Locker?
Bigelow’s film did amazingly well at the BAFTAs a few weeks ago, surprising many people, but the Oscars is a different fish kettle altogether. In the same way that Colin Firth is unlikely to beat out Jeff Bridges in the Best Actor category it seems a certainty for Avatar to mimic Cameron’s last Oscars sweep twelve years ago. At least, that’s how it seemed until recently. Bigelow’s win at the DGA awards points to a likely split between Bigelow for Best Director and Avatar taking home the Best Picture statue – but what do you think?
Remember there are eight other films in the running (I’m discounting the theory that only the five film which share Best Director nominations have a chance of winning), so perhaps we’ll see a Tarantino win or maybe a Reitman upset? Up will undoubtedly beat my pick of Coraline to win Best Animated Feature so there’s little chance of it winning Best Picture, likewise Precious and An Education, and perhaps The Blind Side, may share prizes in the Acting categories I’m not sure if they have enough momentum to take home the big prize. But, of course – you never know…
Whatever your allegiance let us know!
Our Oscar coverage will begin at around midnight GMT, and you will be able to follow my live blogging as I fight off the need to sleep, also if you’re in a chatty mood you can also join the conversation with our new HeyUGuys recruit Tom Perkins of FilmXtra who will be broadcasting though the night, giving his take on the proceedings and inviting you to join in the conversation.
The odds seem quite stacked against Avatar winning, based on the analysis I've read — it'll destroy all kinds of “no film has won Best Picture without winning these 5 other awards” kinds of statistics if it does. Equally, awards were made to be broken, and if stuff like Shakespeare in Love and Titanic can win…
I think when Avatar began to break box office records there was a sense that it would sweep the awards, but the recent wins by The Hurt Locker and Bigelow do suggest that it may not be the whitewash people were expecting.
If it does win what will Cameron say this time? 'I'm King of the Universe!'
There is only one other movie to win Best Picture without getting a nomination for screenplay – Titanic! Also, more movies are winning Best Picture without receiving any acting nominations – Lord of the Rings (Return of the King) and Slumdog Millionaire. However very few in recent years has won Best Picture without winning Best Editing (so that is the award to watch tonight) if Avatar wins Best Editing it stands a better chance of winning Best Picture!
I'm 'Team Hurt Locker' for the simple reason that i think giving the best picture award to a movie with 2-dimensional characters, awful dialogue and simplistic storyline sets a dangerous precedent for the future. However, in truth, any other year The Hurt Locker wouldn't have even been nominated either, so i won't be as outraged as i could have been if Avatar does win. Personally, my favourite of the nominations is Up in the Air, but i don't think that necessarily deserves a best picture award either. On balance, i'd much rather Inglourious Basterds got it. I think this is the best chance Tarantino will ever get for a best picture Oscar.
Team Avatar. Whether one can accept it or not. Three years from now, I'm sure I will remember Avatar far more than ' The Hurt Locker” and so will the general public. The academy awards dissapoints me with their biased and so called ' critical' point of view. I did not even heard of The Hurt Locker till tonight. What a joke.