And then there were ten...

The time has come for Ms. Bean Screen to go into serious Oscar mania mode. What else is February for? Certainly not college basketball...that's March. Maybe the Winter Olympics? If only to play Where's Waldo to Vancouver locales that have stood in for major cities in countless movies. Exhibit 283826: Hurt Locker. Others: all the Final Destination movies, Blade Trinity, Jennifers Body, all four Scary movies, and 2012. Vancouver is the home of champions.

So the nominations are ten this year, a first for the Academy, and an opportunity to expand the feeling of validation to more than just James Cameron's bank account, and to extend my own earnings to the additional five movies at $12.50 a pop (3D glasses extra).

Without further adieu, part one of brief Best Picture evaluations:

Avatar -- Jeering aside, Dances with Wolves meets Pocahontas meets Ferngully was a mammoth cinematic achievement. Not only did it revive Sigourney Weaver's career, provide weekend entertainment for hordes of American teenage boys, and spawn a nerd language to rival elfin, I think it single-handedly ended the global financial recession. Congrats James Cameron. You may lose on Oscar night, but you have already won.

The Blind Side -- What is great about this film is that it is real. It's about real Americans who help other real Americans. Real Americans who own 90 fast food franchises helping other real Americans who have unnatural athletic abilities that lead to top draft selections by the NFL. Real Americans who can serve as executive producer and personally finance their own Oscar-nomination vehicle. Real. But cynicism aside, I enjoyed this movie. I learned what a left defensive tackle is. Useful.

District 9 -- This film is kafkaesque. Which I love because it is my favorite word. And also, because it aptly describes this zany, DIY dystopic movie where the goody-two shoes bureaucrat becomes the othered illegal outcast among a gang of resourceful prawns with funny accents.

An Education -- All the ingredients for an excellent film and star vehicle. Just the perfect British treat. Like a digestion biscuit. But not a gold one I fear.

The Hurt Locker -- I really think this is the runaway for the Best Picture trophy. Not only is this film an engaging, riveting, poetic look at the Iraq war, both arresting and desensitizing, it's also a glimpse into the humanity of being a soldier. My favorite scene takes place after Jay returns from his mission to grocery shop for cereal and chop vegetables with his wife. There is this overwhelming feeling of suburban anonymity contrasted with the gritty realities of his time on the front lines. He is now in the backlines, the back aisles. He has receded and no one cares. A more full discussion of this film is required. But let it be said now, this film will be honored.

Inglorious Basterds --Call me a Tarantino junkie, a holocaust infohog, but this movie is incredible. Done. Netflix it.