We were very early, with more than an hour to go before showtime. We got ourselves a larger theater this week, and to everyone’s delight, there was no need to switch theaters. It was a smaller crowd, probably the smallest we’ve ever seen; not sure if the selection of movies had anything to do with it.

Up – ***** – Of all 10 nominees, this is the only one I have already seen since Daniel got the Blu-Ray for Christmas. In fact, thanks to Sophia, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Despite repeated viewings, I still love the film. The Carl/Ellie sequence still moves me, and as crazy as the situations and characters may be, the story works as Carl embarks on his adventure. I’d like to note, however, that there were a handful of lines and pieces of dialogue that I’d never heard in the video release (yet another reason to watch it again). The film was preceded by the Pixar short Partly Cloudy.

A Serious Man – *** – This black comedy had “weird” written on it from the start of the opening scene (typical of a movie written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen). This is about Larry Gopnik, a professor whose family life begins to unravel before him. Fascinating story lines include a bribe from a student to give him a passing grade, his son’s marijuana habit, and his battle with the neighbor over the property lines; like I said before, “weird”. It probably didn’t help that we kept looking for Colin Firth and Julianne Moore to appear, only to discover after the movie’s ending that they are in the film with a similar title, A Single Man. I honestly felt gypped.

The Hurt Locker – **** – Kathryn Bigelow’s war film is an intense movie, taut with suspense and filled with action. Best Actor nominee Jeremy Renner is superb as William James, the reckless but battle-tested leader of an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team. As most war films go, the horrors of war are evident here, but there’s nothing new.

An Education – ***1/2 – A girl’s coming-of-age story, based on an autobiographical memoir by Lynn Barber. Carey Mulligan is wonderful as Jenny, the 16-year-old who aspires to “read English” at Oxford, and Peter Sarsgaard is scary good (and I mean that he’s good in a creepy way) as the charming older man who sweeps Jenny off her feet. Loved the soundtrack to this film, especially the track to the opening titles.

I skipped out on the last film, District 9. An Education ended at 7:40 PM, and the last one wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:45 PM. I didn’t like the thought of getting home after 11:30, and Daniel owns the Blu-Ray, so I figured there was no need.

Who will win Best Picture? Based on the hype as of late, I’d say The Hurt Locker. Unless the damage is done thanks to one of their producers, the Academy may give Kathryn Bigelow the Best Director Oscar to make up for it, clearing the way for Avatar.

I’ve seen all but one of the 10 nominees (and I really don’t expect District 9 to win). I rated three of them 5 stars; Up may win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, while The Blind Side‘s Sandra Bullock will most likelly take home the Best Actress Oscar. Based on this, I nix them for Best Picture. I’d like Avatar to win; it’s an epic, filled with action, a decent story line, and great special effects.

However, I started the day with an upset stomach. That unfortunately set the tone for me. It didn’t take us long to get there, thanks to the new I-64. We got to the theater, and with 45 minutes until showtime, the theater was a little more than half full. Fortunately, we found seats in the second row before the divide separating the good seats from the neck-stiffening seats (the ones where you slouch in your seat and look up).

With my upset stomach, I chose to hold off on popcorn, and I bought a large Sprite. I thought the white soda would help, but it didn’t. I couldn’t keep anything down, and I didn’t try to eat or drink much because of it. I was feverish during “Avatar”, ate half a hot dog during “Up in the Air”, took Tylenol during “Precious”, and had a hot tea from Panera for dinner. I probably dozed off in each movie at least once (longest nap was during “Inglourious Basterds”). I contemplated going home, but another part of me felt I needed to be a trooper and try and get my money’s worth; $25 for 5 movies and unlimited popcorn (which I couldn’t eat anyway).

Another issue. AMC decided to show Avatar in 3D, which required a theater with a digital projector. Apparently AMC directed their theaters to relocate their customers after the Avatar showing to a theater with a regular projector to show the prints of the remaining 4 films, so the digital theater would be available for any other showings. The staff informed us that they would begin emptying the theater row by row to keep the transition orderly. It went smoothly until we nearly filled the other theater. It turns out our new location was smaller than the previous one. Not that there were any seats left, but it upset most that they really weren’t getting the same seat as they had before. We ended up in the third row where we had to slouch and look up. There were a handful of people complaining to management about the change; everyone got coupons for a free popcorn and soda for their troubles. This morning, I read that the AMC theaters in Charlotte, NC went above and beyond by moving the group to a theater of the same size, and they even used a numbering system to insure everyone had the same seat after the move. Hint hint, Chesterfield.

On to the movies…

Avatar – ***** – James Cameron’s ambitious sci-fi epic tells of the Na’vi and their fight against the humans on their planet Pandora. To me, it’s “Dances With Wolves”, but with the Na’vi instead of the Sioux; it works. The special effects are tremendous, and it’s spectacular to watch in 3D. I should’ve given the 5th star yesterday when posting an update on Twitter/Facebook, but I was feeling miserable at the time.

Up in the Air – **** – Jason Reitman’s comedy-drama is about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man who makes a living flying all over the world to fire people. The acting nominees (Clooney for Best Actor, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick each for Best Supporting Actress) are all charming, but I don’t see an Oscar for any of them this year. Fun film nonetheless; nice to notice scenes filmed in St. Louis.

Precious – **** – Lee Daniels’ film based on the novel “Push” focuses on an overweight, illiterate 16-yr-old girl dealing with the daily abuse handed to her by her parents, and her struggle to make her life better. Depressing at times. Mo’Nique (Best Supporting Actress nominee) is perfect as Mary, Precious’ abusive mother; she makes Joan Crawford look like mother of the year. I was also shocked to see fine supporting performances from Lenny Kravitz (as a male nurse) and Mariah Carey (as a welfare caseworker).

The Blind Side – ***** – This film from John Lee Hancock is based on the novel “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game”. I did not know until afterwards that it’s a true story about Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. I feel this one is a lightweight of the bunch, but the story is heartwarming; you can’t help but cheer Michael on. Best Actress nominee Sandra Bullock shines as Oher’s adoptive mother Leigh Anne Tuohy.

Inglourious Basterds – *** – Quentin Tarantino’s movie is set during World War II in German-controlled France. The Basterds are a group of Jewish-American soldiers recruited to “bring fear” to the Nazis. Christoph Waltz is fantastic as the “Jew Hunter” Col. Hans Landa.

March 6, the day before the Oscars, AMC will have Day 2 of the Showcase: Up, A Serious Man, The Hurt Locker, An Education, and District 9. I hope my experience next week will be better than yesterday’s. Afterwards, I can pick my Best Picture. So far, my vote is for Avatar.

The marathon started a half hour earlier this year and would end nearly an hour after last year’s ended. Surprisingly enough, the average runtime for this year’s nominees is shorter than last year’s. So why the long day? Longer breaks. They’ve accommodated at least a half hour between films to allow us moviegoers time to use the restrooms and get more food and drinks. Scott and I felt this was a mistake that would make for a very long day. But with nearly double the size of last year’s group, the lines during the breaks were lengthy. So I can see the need for the change. Scott and Tracey came very prepared this year; they packed a cooler of drinks, sandwiches, and snacks. Although I did buy a soda and a hot dog (total: $8.75), Scott was kind enough to split his gigantic sub sandwich with me (more than enough food).

Now about the films …

Milk – ***** – Gus Van Sant (Best Director nominee) tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office, and his fight for the civil rights of homosexuals in the mid to late 1970′s. Sean Penn (Best Actor nominee) is spectacular as Milk, and the supporting cast, including Josh Brolin (Best Supporting Actor nominee), Emile Hirsch, and James Franco, were phenomenal.

The Reader – **** – Set in post-WWII Germany, a teenager gets involved with and falls for an older woman (Kate Winslet, Best Actress nominee). Their affair ends suddenly, but years later at law school, the young man finds his former lover as the defendant in a war-crime trial. Fascinating story (although my proclamation on Twitter has prompted CL to ask me if Winslet’s naked in this film), but a lack of decisiveness, albeit vital to the story, cost it the final star.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – **** – Fantasy told in the same vein as “Forrest Gump”, with Brad Pitt (Best Actor nominee) in the title role. Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it tells the tale of Button, a man who is born old and ages backward. Fine performances by Pitt, Taraji P. Henson (Best Supporting Actress nominee) as his adoptive mother, Cate Blanchett, and Tilda Swinton. Ironically, this was the longest film of the bunch, and a tad bit too long.

Slumdog Millionaire – **** – inspirational film about a teen from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” with success, only to end up arrested on the suspicion of cheating. I enjoyed the storytelling, and the film’s soundtrack was loud and catchy. But for me, it didn’t live up to all the buzz.

Frost/Nixon – **** – Ron Howard’s retelling of the interviews David Frost did with Richard Nixon and the behind-the-scenes work that went into them. Frank Langella (Best Actor nominee) is superb as Nixon, and when he goes toe-to-toe with Michael Sheen’s Frost, it’s great to watch.

This year’s batch of films was somewhat a disappointment compared to the last few years. After having seen them, I felt 2 films were better than these and could easily have been on the list: WALL·E and The Dark Knight.

Having said that, who will win? Slumdog Millionaire.

Who do I think should win? Milk.

Another packed house, and a very enthusiastic crowd. Same deal as last year – $30 for 5 movies and unlimited popcorn; the crowd highly voiced their displeasure over the exclusion of a free soda, including refills, which was included in the same price for last year’s showcase. You could buy a large soda for $4.75, but you would only be allowed one refill (and the staff was asking).

Michael Clayton – **** – George Clooney (Best Actor nominee) is superb as the title character, a fixer for a large corporate NY law firm who cleans up messy cases. Tom Wilkinson (Best Supporting Actor nominee) is fantastic as Clayton’s troubled associate Arthur Edens.

There Will Be Blood – **** – the story of prospector Daniel Plainview and his rags-to-riches story as an oilman in the early 1900′s. Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor nominee) is phenomenal as Plainview and should win the Oscar. However, the film was too long, and the eerie score was a little too much for me.

Atonement – **** – a love story that hinges on the observations and actions of a 13 year old girl. Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, this powerful story is told with flashbacks and fast-forwards. I especially liked the score where sounds of a typewriter emphasized the pace and tension in the film.

Juno – ***** – a hilarious film about a teen who finds herself with child. A great cast drives a sweet story that is from the heart; continuous laughs from start to end. Ellen Page (Best Actress nominee) is perfect as Juno. I know I’m biased because CL and I are having a baby, but this movie takes the idea and makes it more special and meaningful for me.

No Country For Old Men – **** – this movie will probably win the Best Picture Oscar. It is a dark and violent crime drama by Joel and Ethan Coen (Best Director nominees). Josh Brolin is great as Llewelyn Moss, the man who stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad and makes the unfortunate decision to take the money and run. This sets the stage for a terrifying cat and mouse chase. The hunter is chillingly played by Javier Bardem (Best Supporting Actor nominee, and my pick to win). Minus a star for me since I felt lost towards the end; I’m interested in reading the novel.