By Bryce Van Kooten

The Oscar nominations out, the dresses purchased, tuxes fitted. It’s a joyous occasion here in Hollywood – excitement in the air like the fresh smog surrounding the rainy, new decade. It’s a pleasure just to be nominated, right!? What about the snubs! What about the dynamite performances that got left behind?  Its time to shed some light on the ‘almosts’ this season; the top ten…well, eleven.

Best Picture:
Star Trek – One would hope for a little respect for this innovative grassroots story in a year where the nominations go from five to ten! A large portion of Americans had their biggest smiles of 09’ as they left Star Trek. Purely, the movie was a total blast, and worthy of a nod in a year where the Best Pic category proved to love its dramas just a little too much…again.

Best Actor:
Sharlto Copley – District 9 – First time actor Sharlto Copley dominates every minute he’s on screen in this incredible portrayal of a dimwitted, nerdy government official assigned to evict aliens in the perilous District 9. Assisted by incredible special effects, Copley’s portrayal of Wikus Van De Merwe was top notch at the least. Give the man his nod.

Matt Damon – The Informant! – I knew I’d be in for a quirky ride alongside The Informant!, but it wasn’t until the halfway mark that I realized the razor-edge line that Damon had been walking for the past hour. His interpretation is genius, endearing and utterly depressing; perfect for the Academy, right?

Hal Holbrook – That Evening Sun – This small film made almost no waves around the nation until Hal Holbrook’s performance was discussed for early Oscar lists. Holbrook – the bitter, savvy old man, Abner Meecham – comes on the tails of his Oscar snub for Into the Wild and is dually as moving. If you haven’t seen That Evening Sun, see it. A splendidly small film by director Scott Teems and a true testament of Holbrook’s strength when left alone to his craft.

Best actress:

Zoe Saldana – Avatar – I get it, I get it; I know many believe Avatar doesn’t belong in the Best Actor/Actress category alongside some of the other nominees, but hear me out. Everyone always talks about the power of progress — Dustin Hoffman was nominated for Tootsie, Jaye Davidson for The Crying Game — it would only seem right that Saldana was given a fair shake for her pioneering vision of Avatar’s main female lead, Neytiri. Ha! She didn’t even wear a CGI bubble suit….

Samantha Morton – The Messenger – Again, if you haven’t seen this tiny, beautiful picture, you’re going to need to go out and rent it, if only for the kitchen scene between Alpha Dog’s, Ben Foster (who is also brilliant) and Samantha Morton. This epically long, intrinsically beautiful slow-zooming scene leaves you pondering…did I actually just watched real life? Its worth the price of admission and surely should have been worth an Oscar bid.

Best Supporting Actor
Zach Galifianakis – The Hangover – Call me crazy, because I probably am, but there’s got to be more room in this shindig for comedies, especially comedies with the power of The Hangover. Throw in Galifianakis as yet another comedic tragedy to be looked over. Are you listening Steve Carell (40-Year-Old Virgin)?

Best Director:
Tom Ford – A Single Man – I wasn’t a very big fan of A Single Man, but I can say that it was a remarkable film. Beautiful, poignant and horribly sad, Tom Ford marched well down the path to mastering his new craft in a few short moments on screen. The bedroom scene alone is staggeringly made, but it’s worth noting that without Colin Firth, Ford gets only half noticed. But as is, well done Tom – you can do far more than make amazing suits.

Neil Blomkamp – District 9 – A terrific movie and outstanding directing. A movie where the lead character becomesmore human as he becomes more alien…genius! District 9 created drama in simple situations and a dazzling story from dynamic characters. To be honest, its going to be real hard to take down Cameron or Bigelow, but hey, atta boy, Neil.

Best Original Screenplay:
500 Days of Summer – the more I sit back and think, the more this movie inches closer to the top of my 2009 top ten. The script was extraordinary– I read it – and the movie splayed the words out like a fine sushi chef. I loved 300, 12 Angry Men and 3 Ninjas, so maybe I just like movies starting with numbers…

Honorable Mention:
Best Documentary
Tyson – In a year where Food, Inc. and The Cove basically changed my life, its tough to say another doc should be included in the fray…then I watched Tyson. The single power of Tyson’s interviews demand respect and afford the viewer no ability to turn away: a broken, shattered, shell of a man pouring his heart to the world which tore him down for so long. I can’t describe the power of some of these talking-head interviews; I walked away utterly grateful for the life I had been given.