Of course I’m no expert, I just love movies and I’ve seen a lot of them. I think I know a good one when I see it, and I’m really interested to see what happens at the Oscars this year. Click here to view post with images available.

Best Picture: A Serious Man. I know it won’t win, but it’s damn good. The Coen Brothers managed to capture the story of Job in a really creative and interesting way. This movie is confusing as shit, IF you don’t know about Job, but I do, so I got it, and I loved it. The performances were amazing, the direction was great - I just can’t say enough good things about it. I think The Hurt Locker is the more logical choice, and it would be amazing if it won. Avatar, not so much.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker. Watch it. you’ll understand. Just fucking amazing.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart. If you’ve seen the movie, you know why he’s getting so much attention. I love The Dude in anything he does, and he was so awesome in this. Another favorite was George Clooney in Up In The Air, although really, he just played George Clooney. That’s what all of his roles feel like - like we’re watching him just be his awesome, dapper self, in many different situations. Jeremy Renner really wasn’t any better in The Hurt Locker than any other actor could have been. It’s the material he was working with that carried him to this nomination, I think. (Note: I haven’t seen A Single Man, which Colin Firth was nominated for.)

Best Actress: Let me just say, Sandra Bullock does not, at all, deserve the accolades she’s getting. Her performance in The Blind Side was no better or worse than all of her other roles. She’s a mediocre actress, and they’re sopping up the story material. She was good, I think she always is, but she is not and was not Oscar good. This Oscar should go to Carey Mulligan for her wonderful performance in An Education. She was just brilliant. (Note: I didn’t see The Last Station, which Helen Mirren was nominated for.)

Best Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPH WALTZ for Inglourious Basterds. HANDS DOWN. If anyone else takes this I will slap the Oscars. I have never been so enchanted by a villain, who is arguably not even really a villain, just a very determined, cold person, doing his job. I don’t believe anyone else could have made that role what he did, and he made that entire film as great as it is. (Note: I haven’t seen The Last Station, for which Christopher Plummer was nominated, but it doesn’t matter.)

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique (Mo, I’mma need you to get a last name if you wanna be a surrious actress.) for Precious. Also hands down. She was haunting and amazing.

Best Animated Film: UP. (Note: I haven’t seen The Secret Life of Kells)

Best Foreign Film: A Prophet. Before seeing it, I was convinced that nothing could top White Ribbon. I was wrong. Holy crap was it one of the most excellent films I’ve ever seen, period. (Note: I haven’t seen Ajami.)

Best Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds. Once again, hands down. I think Quentin Tarantino is one of the best screenwriters, period. No one can touch him on capturing a rather extreme or unconventional situation in exceptional, real dialogue. After that, I’d choose A Serious Man for reasons mentioned above.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in The Air. (Note: I haven’t seen In The Loop.)

Best Art Direction: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. This movie didn’t get the attention it deserved, it really was pretty good. I was hoping for better, but it was beautiful to look at and very unique in it’s execution. (Note: I haven’t seen The Young Victoria.)

Best Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Original Score: Avatar. I know almost nothing about the technical aspects of making movies, so I’m just going with my gut. Avatar was the best movie experience I’ve had in a very long time, and all of the categories here played a large part in that.

*In the other categories I either didn’t see enough of the nominated films to form an opinion, or I just didn’t care.

What are your picks?