Oscar time again. I don't know, I'm just not that excited about most of the Oscar nominees this year. I liked Avatar, but it's not really my idea of Best Picture. I was disappointed by The Hurt Locker--from the ad campaign I was expecting something really unusual, but it's just a typical gritty war movie. I hated Up in the Air, because it seemed to me like an apologia for corporate dirtbags: Oh, look how much it hurts us to fire people, and look how adorable we are. Next they'll be doing a movie about the charming angst of being a Nazi. Precious was one of those movies that has a valuable social purpose, and I'm glad it exists, but I have absolutely no desire to see it. Nine sucked--worst songs ever (though it gave me a greater respect for the talents of that Black-Eyed Peas chick). Crazy Heart was crazy boring. Julie and Julia was pleasant fluff, which would have been ten times better if it was just the Julia Child story. Invictus and The Blind Side--just like Precious, you know exactly what you're getting when you buy the ticket: inspirational hokum. A Serious Man and Inglourious Basterds--two lesser films from great directors. District 9--meh, though I'd give it an Oscar for the first twenty minutes. All in all, not a truly great film in the bunch.