Jones… you’re going to spoil us!

And I better get my “goooood times” this time.

Sadly, I think this may been another podcast that was light on the “good times”. Perhaps that should become my signoff.

Its disappointing how few best picture nominees I’ve seen this year, and although I dislike Avatar nearly as much as you or Ben (it surprised me that I didn’t hate it… maybe lowered expectations had something to do with it), but I think Avatar WILL win best picture, and that’s painfully sad.

I haven’t seen The Hurt Locker yet, but I did see Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Up, and District 9.

The only one of those movies that even BELONGS on a best picture list is Inglourious Basterds… so it’s my default choice this (weak) year.

Although I do love the idea of doing a period piece, without having any respect for the history of the era you’re documenting. Just a brilliant move. Almost made up for the lack of “The basterds”.

Sorry for the double post.

I’ll still be pulling for “Up in the Air”, but I don’t have any delusions about it actually winning (even though it easily has the most nominations in the major categories of any film).

Out of the six best picture nominees I saw, “Avatar” is by far the weakest. Any of the other five would be far more deserving in my opinion.

For me the only lock on Sunday night is Christoph Waltz for best supporting actor. If he doesn’t win the Academy truly has lost it’s collective mind.

In my opinion The Hurt Locker is the weakest of the six best picture nominees I’ve seen. Zero character development. Zero emotion. Just a guy who starts out as a cowboy, and ends up a cowboy… all the while being a cowboy. It wasn’t “bad”, but it was barely “good”. Again though, that’s just my opinion. Some people really seem to enjoy the movie.

Up in the Air was amazing. The character arch Clooney goes through in that movie is just stunning. I loved it so much I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone reading (even just discussing the themes, and metaphors would be spoiling too much for a movie this brilliant) who hasn’t seen it. Just go watch it. Right now.

The Blind Side was a chickflick. A VERY VERY good chickflick. I actually loved it, because it was SO well done, but this movie just isn’t going to be for everyone. Sandra Bullock was amazing, and while I didn’t see any of the other Best Actress movies, Bullock was certainly good enough to be in the discussion. It suffers from “Middle of the movie snoozefest” syndrome (which even Up In The Air had problems with while at Clooney’s sisters wedding), but it was a very solid movie from top to bottom. Watch it with someone who owns a vagina, and you’ll have the inside track to earning access to said vagina.

I forget whether it was this podcast, or the Ben Heck podcast where you guys were talking about Up in the Air being the best movie you’d seen all year… but I think I might agree. It would come down to either that, or Basterds. Up in the Air was “better” than Basterds, but Basterds was just so much god damn fun.