The Rest of the Races

I don’t specialize in these races. Here are my semi-informed guesses.

Cinematography:

The purdy landscapes and new 3D camera technology should do the trick for Avatar over The Hurt Locker…

Editing:

…but here The Hurt Locker bests its primary competitor for its precision-cut suspense.

Art Direction:

It’s hard to say where the actual art direction ends and the digital art direction begins, but Avatar was, if nothing else, the eye candy of the year.

Costume Design:

Always go with the oldest, froufiest gowns – that makes The Young Victoria the victor.

Makeup:

Always go with the most transformative makeup – in this case, the alien people of Star Trek.

Score:

The best scene in Up had no dialogue or sound effects, just music, and that jubilant music soared throughout the film.

Song:

Another easy win for Crazy Heart, in the form of “The Weary Kind” by soundtrack maestro T-Bone Burnett (of O Brother, Where Art Thou) and country singer Ryan Bingham (who, coincidentally, has the same name as Clooney’s character in Up in the Air.)

Sound Mixing:

This one always goes to the biggest action/fantasy blockbuster, which is, um, Avatar.

Sound Editing:

Ditto for Avatar.

Visual Effects:

Ditto for Avatar.

Animated Feature:

As much as I would love to see Fantastic Mr. Fox pull an upset, it’s an inevitable victory for Best Picture nominee Up.

Foreign Language Film:

The White Ribbon is the front-runner, but the front-runner often gets shafted in this loopy category.

Documentary Feature: All the buzz is with The Cove.