Rev. Danny Fisher

My 2010 Oscar predictions are up over at elephant journal.  Here’s a snippet–my thoughts about the Best Picture race:

The smart money is on Avatar, but I think the Academy will let the grosses be its reward. Besides, the film will suffer on “screener” DVDs, which obviously won’t include the “wow” factor of 3D and IMAX; all that will be left is the movie itself, which really isn’t that good in the final analysis. With Cameron’s Dances with Wolves/Matrix hybrid out, enter Kathryn Bigelow’s topical critics’ darling The Hurt Locker. The Academy returns this year to ten best picture nominees in an effort to recognize more films–in particular, smaller films in search of a greater audience. What better way to acknowledge that shift than by awarding one of the small ones? Though this looks like a race between Avatar and The Hurt Locker, I’m of the opinion that the Coen Brothers’ A Serious Man is hands-down the best film nominated in this category. Too bad there’s little buzz about it. In addition, Clint Eastwood’s stately and stunning Invictus, possibly the most Academy-friendly release of the season, was badly snubbed here: for once, a piece of year-end Oscar bait was actually worthy of the prize!