ОСКАР / OSCAR 2010

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Best Picture

'Precious'
The Buzz: How strong is the hype on this critically acclaimed urban drama and Sundance darling? Tyler Perry AND Oprah have stepped on as executive producers, almost ensuring that magical combo of strong reviews and popular support.


'A Serious Man'
The Buzz: The Coen brothers don't need no stinkin' stars (no offense, Michael Stuhlbarg) for what looks to be another darkly comedic triumph. The film earned kudos all around at Toronto.



'The Lovely Bones'
The Buzz: Peter Jackson returning to drama to helm the highly anticipated adaptation of a widely celebrated novel, with Oscar-nominated leads Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Saoirse Ronan? The force with this one is strong.


'Up in the Air'
The Buzz: This George Clooney dramedy directed by Jason Reitman ('Thank You for Smoking') was the toast of Toronto, earning raves across the board. EW's Oscar guru Dave Karger writes that the film "lives up to all the hype" and "seems like a great bet for a nomination."


'Up'
The Buzz: Pixar's 10th straight critical darling was also their 10th straight box office smash, earning $291 million. 'WALL-E' was considered a dark horse a year ago, but with the Best Picture category expanded to 10 slots, 'Up' could be a shoo-in.


'Nine'
The Buzz: Not to be confused with the psychedelically animated '9,' or the actioner 'District 9,' this is the musical directed by Rob Marshall ('Chicago'), based on Fellini's '8 ½,' and starring Oscar heavyweights Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard. Yeah, this one's a safe bet.


'Avatar'
The Buzz: Reactions to the first trailer weren't as unanimously positive as promised (at least for those NOT wearing 3-D glasses), but we'd be fools to doubt long-reigning "King of the World" James Cameron, who has not-so-subtly hinted at "revolutionizing filmmaking" with this sci-fi epic.


'The Hurt Locker'
The Buzz: One of the best reviewed films of the year, Kathryn Bigelow's startling war drama is another film that a year ago would no doubt be on the outside looking in but now stands a solid shot at a Best Picture nom given the wider field.


'Amelia'
The Buzz: No one has seen it yet, so it's still too early to tell what camp this Amelia Earheart biopic will fall in -- that of Oscar dominator ('The Aviator,' 'Milk'), acting accolades only ('Ray,' 'Last King of Scotland'), or none of the above ('Beyond the Sea').


'An Education'
The Buzz: This Nick Hornby-scripted coming-of-age drama has been drawing raves since its Sundance debut (where it won the Audience Award), and is boosted by three strong performances (Carey Mulligan, Peter Saarsgaard and Alfred Molina).


'Invictus'
The Buzz: Clint Eastwood has about a .500 batting average of making Oscar's short list since he's become primarily a director, with 'Mystic River,' 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Letters From Iwo Jima' all making the cut. Expect this Nelson Mandela story to up his stats.


'Star Trek'
The Buzz: J.J. Abrams' dynamic reboot is the definitive example of the type of film the Academy would like to see get nominated, if only to boost ratings. Unlike, say, 'Transformers,' it was worshipped by critics and audiences alike.


'Where the Wild Things Are'
The Buzz: Anticipation is sky high to see what sort of wild things visionary director Spike Jonze will bring to Maurice Sendak's monster-inhabited world; the result could be the first family-oriented film up for Best Picture since 2004's 'Finding Neverland.'


'District 9'
The Buzz: Sci-fi fans geeked out over this late-summer sleeper, and though some audiences were turned off by its guerilla style, it still has enough critical and fan support to warrant dark horse standing.

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Best Actor


Colin Firth ('A Single Man')
The Buzz: Hot off Firth's Best Actor win at the Venice Film Festival, this gay-themed drama became a must-see at Toronto and was scooped up for distribution by the Weinsten Company. Says IndieWire's Anne Thompson, "Firth is a slam dunk for his first Oscar nomination."


Matt Damon ('The Informant')
The Buzz: It's not just the love handles and 'stache that have people excited about Damon's performance in Steven Soderbergh's corporate crime dramedy. Variety calls him "excellent."



George Clooney ('Up in the Air')
The Buzz: What's this, a potential battle between pals Damon and Clooney? Where's Pitt? Clooney is said to be in top form as a corporate downsizer whose life revolves around racking up frequent flyer miles.


Michael Stuhlbarg ('A Serious Man')
The Buzz: Not only does the relatively unknown Stuhlbarg carry the Coen brothers' latest (in their most personal tale, he portrays a fictional version of their father), he also gets his heads slammed against the chalkboard. Repeatedly.


Viggo Mortensen ('The Road')
The Buzz: Well, buzz has not been stellar around the long-delayed adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, but Viggo is still drawing props. "Another Oscar nomination seems likely, if only because Mortensen feels overdue," writes Anne Thompson.


Daniel Day-Lewis ('Nine')
The Buzz: Considering he turns everything he touches into gold, should we have any doubt that the two-time Best Actor winner can't sing and dance like the best of them as well? We wouldn't bet against it.


Robert Duvall ('Get Low')
The Buzz: Six-time nominee Duvall looks to have found another 'Apostle,' a quiet Southern-set drama with award potential. IndieWire's Anne Thompson calls it a "heartbreaking, Oscar-worthy performance."



Clive Owen ('The Boys Are Back')
The Buzz: Oscar loves when performers flip the script, and here Owen does do something remarkably different: He refrains from kicking ass. Still, the onetime nominee is still a long shot for this family drama from the director of 'Shine.'


Mark Wahlberg ('The Lovely Bones')
The Buzz: Wahlberg can thank Ryan Gosling, who stepped down from the role of a father searching for his daughter's killer, if he scores his second Oscar nom in four years.



Ben Whishaw ('Bright Star')
The Buzz: Director Jane Campion ('The Piano') deliberately went with a "lesser known" face to portray ill-fated English poet John Keats, and with the attention his performance has been getting, it was a damn good call.


Morgan Freeman ('Invictus')
The Buzz: Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, in a film directed Clint Eastwood? This is a biopic match made in heaven; cue the stars ready to align.



Sharlto Copley ('District 9')
The Buzz: There's a great back story -- unknown actor headlines one of summer's unlikeliest hits. But for now Copley remains a horse as dark as the (SPOILER ALERT!) "prawn" he transforms into.



Best Actress


Meryl Streep ('Julie & Julia')
The Buzz: The rare nominee to emerge from a summer movie, maybe, but not quite a rare nominee. This would mark Streep's record-setting 16th nomination. As they say, Streep could get an Oscar nomination for reading the phonebook. Or in this case -- as Julia Child -- a cookbook.


Abbie Cornish ('Bright Star')
The Buzz: The talented Aussie best known in pop culture as Ryan Phillippe's new love finally gets the role that could bring her chops widespread recognition. Writes A.O. Scott in the New York Times, "She's as good as Kate Winslet, which is about as good as it's possible to be."


Carey Mulligan ('An Education')
The Buzz: With potential to be the breakout star of the year (maybe along the awards circuit; the mainstream title has to go to Zach Galifianakis), Mulligan is sensational as a teen in "pre-Beatles" London who comes of age just a wee too quickly.


Penelope Cruz ('Broken Embraces')
The Buzz: We'd say Pedro Almodovar brings out the best in Cruz, but that'd be unfair to Woody Allen, whose 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' won her a statue last year. Still, it's a well-known fact she is Pedro's muse, and good word out of Cannes and Toronto makes her a contender for the third time in four years.


Gabourey Sidibe ('Precious')
The Buzz: Mo'Nique may be getting the most deafening buzz (yes, Mo'Nique, more on that below), and Sidibe's being overshadowed by Oprah, Tyler Perry and Mariah Carey, but if 'Precious' is as big as they say it could be, you can't dismiss the year's most unlikely movie star.


Saoirse Ronan ('The Lovely Bones')
The Buzz: Despite the pedigree of Peter Jackson's drama, and an impressive trailer, there are no guarantees. But if there's any role with the most potential for awards, it's Ronan's dead teen looking down at her family from heaven.


Charlize Theron ('The Burning Plain')
The Buzz: Theron is a master at playing down her sexiness, earning Oscar nominations twice for doing so ('Monster' and 'North Country,' the former netting her a win). She once again dazzles doing the unglam thing as a troubled, promiscuous woman with a dark past in this drama.


Hilary Swank ('Amelia')
The Buzz: The two-time Best Actress winner knows how to pick 'em -- most of the time -- and if Mira Nair's Amelia Earhart biopic isn't Oscar bait, then we don't know our first names. Of course this project now begs the question, is Amelia Earhart attractive, or hot?

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Best Supporting Actor


Christoph Waltz ('Inglourious Basterds')
The Buzz: Like Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Forster before him, Waltz takes Tarantino's unparalleled dialogue and runs with it. Evil in four different languages, Waltz is the surest thing we've seen for an Oscar frontrunner so far this year. | Read more


Alfred Molina ('An Education')
The Buzz: The veteran Brit best known as Doc Ock has appeared in more than 50 films yet never earned an Oscar nod. That could change with his heartrending turn as an overprotective father in this buzzed-about drama from across the pond.


Paul Schneider ('Bright Star')
The Buzz: The lovable American character actor does two tremendous things in Jane Campion's drama: As John Keats' best bud Charles Armitage Brown, he plays both unlovable and un-American (Scottish-English to be exact).



Best Supporting Actress


Mo'nique ('Precious')
The Buzz: Call her the Mickey Rourke of 2009. The veteran of films such as 'Phat Girlz' and 'Soul Plane' is racking up dynamite reviews for her devastating turn as an abusive mother in this drama. An Oscar nom for Mo'Nique looks i'nevitable.


Anna Kendrick ('Up in the Air')
The Buzz: Sorry R.Patz fans -- it looks like the first 'Twilight'er to score an Oscar nom could be Kendrick, who steals scenes from George Clooney in this crowd-pleaser. EW's Karger called her scene-chewing turn a "big breakout" in predicting her place on the Oscar ballot.

Rachel Weisz ('The Lovely Bones')
The Buzz: As the murdered wife of a diplomat in 'The Constant Gardener,' Weisz walked away with an Oscar. Now the tables are turned, as she's mother to a murdered daughter in this surefire holiday hit. The fact that Weisz also drew raves for 'The Brothers Bloom' should help her cause.