82nd Annual Academy Award nominations!

And the nominees are...

The nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards have been announced, and to be honest, I'm not really surprised by all the picks. As commercial as the whole thing has become, it's not too hard to guess who's on the list. Let's take a brief look:

Nominated for best picture are "Avatar," "The Blind Side" (what the f**k?), "District 9," "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "A Serious Man," "Up" and "Up in the Air."

Nominated for best actor are Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart," George Clooney for "Up in the Air," Colin Firth for "A Single Man," Morgan Freeman for "Invictus," and Jeremy Renner for "The Hurt Locker."

Nominated for best supporting actor are Matt Damon in "Invictus," "Woody Harrelson" for "The Messenger," Christoper Plummer for "The Last Station," Stanley Tucci for "The Lovely Bones" and Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds."

Actress in a leading role: Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side" (what the f**k?), Helen Mirren for "The Last Station," Carey Mulligan for "An Education," Gabourney Sidibe for "Precious" and Meryl Streep for "Julie & Julia."

Actress in a supporting role: Penelope Cruz for "Nine," Vera Farmiga for "Up in the Air," Anna Kendrick for "Up in the Air," Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Crazy Heart" and Mo'Nique for "Precious."

The nominees for best animated film are "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog," "The Secret of Kells," and "Up."

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Ten Best Films of 2009

The year 2009 has come to an end, and I admit I got to enjoy a bunch of superb films, even though the movie year wasn't necessarily as powerful in terms of quality as some other recent years.

That said, these are my favorite flicks of 2009. Please note I picked these movies from all those I've seen this year. I really tried to watch as many as possible, but I admit I did miss a few in the end.

To keep a long story short, enjoy these picks and feel free to comment on them or post your own top 10. Thanks for stopping by, and here's to a new year filled with awesome cinematic experiences.

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Roger Ebert picks best animated films of 2009

Roger Ebert posted an entry on his blog about his 10 favorite animated films of the year. Ten is quite a big selection for this genre, which is why it's quite hard to leave some out. Still, he managed to do just that.

He picked: "A Christmas Carol," "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Sita Sings the Blues," "9," "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Ponyo," "The Princess and the Frog," "Up" and "Waltz with Bashir."

I can't comment on "Ponyo" and "Sita Sings the Blues" because I haven't seen those, but the one film I disagree on with Ebert is "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." I would never call it the best of the three.

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Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2009

Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" emerged as the big winner as the Chicago Film Critics Association picked the best films of 2009. "The Hurt Locker" won best film, and Bigelow was named best director.

"Locker" also took home the award for best original screenplay for Mark Boal, and Barry Ackroyd picked up the award for best cinematography for the war drama. Lead Jeremy Renner was voted best actor.

Carey Mulligan was named best actress for "An Education," while Christoph Waltz won the award for best supporting actor in "Inglourious Basterds." Mo’Nique won best supporting actress ("Precious").

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Florida Film Critics pick 'Up in the Air'

The Florida Film Critics Circle picked the best films of 2009 ealier today, and the results are in! Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" was voted best film of the year, and Reitman was also named best director.

George Clooney took home the best actor award for "Up in the Air," while Gabourey Sidibe was named best actress for her breakout performance in "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

Mo'Nique picked up another best supporting actress award for "Precious," and Christoph Waltz was voted best supporting actor for "Inglourious Basterds." "(500) Days of Summer" won best screenplay.

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'Avatar' storms worldwide box office with $232M

James Cameron's "Avatar" also topped the international box office this weekend with a stunning opening of $159.2 million in 106 markets. Domestically, the 3D sci-fi epic adventure bagged $73 million.

That brings the weekend total of the action spectacle to $232.2 million; an impressive result. The film's budget is now estimated at a massive $280 million, not including the 100+ million for marketing.

Also making a lot of money is "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which bagged another $10.7 million at No. 2 for a total overseas gross of $381.1 million. Worldwide, the sequel has now grossed $655.7 million.

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Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2009

The Detroit Film Critics Society announced its 2009 awards earlier today, and the big winner this year is Pete Docter's animated Pixar adventure "Up." Docter was also named the year's best director.

Colin Firth was named best actor for his performance in "A Single Man," while Gabourey Sidibe was voted best actress for her role in Lee Daniels' drama "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

In the supporting actor category, Christoph Waltz won for Inglourious Basterds," while Mo'Nique won best supporting actress for her powerful performance in "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

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San Diego Film Critics Society 2009 Awards

Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" emerged as the big winner when the San Diego Film Critics Society picked the best films of 2009. "Basterds" started off by taking home the award for best film.

Tarantino was also voted best director, Christoph Waltz was named best supporting actor, and Tarantino also took home the award for best original screenplay. The film also won best production design.

But wait! That's not it. "Basterds" also won the award for best ensemble cast! Now that's what I call winning big time, and to be honest, Tarantino deserves it. "Basterds" is not my No. 1 flick of '09, but I sure loved it.

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67th Annual Golden Globes Nominations

I don't particularly care about the Golden Globes much, but the 67th annual Globes ceremony is coming up soon, so here is a quick summary of this year's nominations. Any big surprises? Not exactly.

Best drama: "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Up in the Air" and "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire" all made the cut. I'm glad to see "Avatar" is a part of the race.

In the best musical or comedy category, "Nine," "Julie & Julia," "The Hangover," "(500) Days of Summer" and "It's Complicated" earned a nomination. I bet "Julie & Julia" could win this thing, but you never know...

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Southeastern Film Critics Awards 2009

The Southeastern Film Critics Association picked Jason Reitman's superb "Up in the Air" as the best film of 2009. Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was runner-up, followed by Pixar's animated flick "Up."

That said, Kathryn Bigelow ("Locker") picked up the award for best director. George Clooney ("Up in the Air") was voted best actor of 2009. Meryl Streep was named best actress for her role in "Julie & Julia."

Christoph Waltz picked up another award for best supporting actor in "Inglourious Basterds," while Mo’Nique was named best supporting actress for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

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