# Poll: Help me decide which Academy Award nominated films to watch (not just Best Picture) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268 "2010-03-04T13:06:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/1 "2010-03-04T13:06:26Z")
Ajami The Blind Side Bright Star Coco before Chanel Coraline Crazy Heart District 9 Il Divo An Education Fantastic Mr. Fox The Hurt Locker The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus In the Loop Inglourious Basterds Invictus Julie & Julia The Last Station The Lovely Bones The Messenger The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) Nine Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire The Princess and the Frog A Prophet (Un Prophete) The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) The Secret of the Kells A Serious Man Sherlock Holmes A Single Man Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Up Up in the Air The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) The Young Victoria I actually like most of these sorts of movies, but tend to be about a year behind in my watching patterns. Tried to cast a broad net, these include most every nominated film save documentaries and shorts. If you’d highly recommend anything else please feel free to write it in and make a case. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/2 "2010-03-04T13:09:20Z")
_ **Transformers** _ might just be the worst movie I’ve ever watched the first 15 minutes of. Stay far, far away from that one. _ **District 9** _, while not for all tastes, was excellent. And you’ll probably enjoy _ **The Hurt Locker** _ and _ **Inglorius Basterds** _. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/3 "2010-03-04T13:12:13Z")
I highly recommend District 9 and Inglorious Basterds. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/4 "2010-03-04T13:13:08Z")
Since you got in before the poll, Stephe, just to let you know those sentiments are pretty close on to what I’d say - there are a few others that I’d normally not watch, but the three you mention are already atop my NetFlix queue. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/5 "2010-03-04T13:33:47Z")
From a female point of view: _An Education_ and _Young Victoria_ are both excellent – the latter is definitely a chick flick though. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/6 "2010-03-04T14:38:42Z")
Umm, Avatar? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/7 "2010-03-04T14:58:40Z")
> [@Walkabout](#): > > Umm, Avatar? Yeah, I left out the two nominated movies that I’ve seen. That was in the OP at one point, but I inadvertently edited it out. Also left out/ have seen _Star Trek_, which I think got a couple of nominations for things like special effects and editing. Those were both big budget, blockbuster type movies which I took one or the other of my kids to see. Liked them both, but wouldn’t vote for either for best picture. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/8 "2010-03-04T15:26:08Z")
In addition to the Best Picture nominees, I enjoyed _Crazy Heart_ (especially for Jeff Bridge’s performance) and _Coraline_. I saw _Princess and the Frog_, and while the songs were fun, the movie itself didn’t really distinguish itself from the rest of the Disney canon. It’s no _Little Mermaid_. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/9 "2010-03-04T15:43:26Z")
I voted for the only ones I’ve actually seen – _Up, Hurt Locker, District 9_ – but I’d have recommended them even if they hadn’t been nominated. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/10 "2010-03-04T17:02:03Z")
I voted other because I wanted to at least get a nod in for _The Cove_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/11 "2010-03-04T17:08:59Z")
I voted for my Top 12 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/12 "2010-03-04T20:51:12Z")
Don’t miss _The Hurt Locker_. I’m not much for war movies but this one’s a truly great one. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/13 "2010-03-04T21:01:10Z")
This was an incredible year for animated films. “Up,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and “Coraline” all feature stunning visuals (each in very different ways) and are built around clever, character-driven stories driven by fabulous voice acting. Definitely should not miss any of those three - in any other year, any one of them would be a shoo-in for the Oscar. Also heartily recommend “District 9,” one of the best works of political allegory in quite a long time. I haven’t had the chance to see “In the Loop” yet, but I’ve heard great things about it. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/14 "2010-03-04T21:11:33Z")
I actually voted for just about all of them (no Invictus or Transformers) because you foolishly allowed me to vote for as many as I wanted. Give me an inch… If I could choose only one that’s reasonable, I’d have voted for **Inglorious Basterds**. Two, Basterds and A Serious Man. Three, those two and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Four, those and The Hurt Locker.Five, those and Fantastic Mr. Fox. It’s SO hard to choose because most of those films are truly excellent. If you want to have seen the Best Picture winner, go for Basterds and The Hurt Locker. It’s between those and Avatar. One of the three will win. However, if there’s a surprise win, it’ll be either Up In the Air or A Serious Man. Wishy-washy, aren’t I? It’s just that this year, there really is no front runner, which is refreshing. For the first time in a long time, Best Picture is up for grabs. Whatever wins, people will say “Oh course I knew that would win.” Bullshit. They may have _thought_ it would win, but they didn’t _know_ it would win. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/15 "2010-03-04T21:31:59Z")
As a warning, I have heard from several of my friends that ‘The Lovely Bones’ was truly horrible. Jackson butchered the direction and even good actors couldn’t save the dialog. That is unfortunate because the novel was quite good. ETA: The only one on the list that I have seen and liked was ‘District 9’. Not your usual SF film. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/16 "2010-03-05T03:05:21Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > As a warning, I have heard from several of my friends that ‘The Lovely Bones’ was truly horrible. > Jackson butchered the direction and even good actors couldn’t save the dialog. > That is unfortunate because the novel was quite good. Interestingly, two people did vote for it; so far there is only one film with no votes. I’d never even heard of it until today. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/17 "2010-03-05T03:08:08Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I actually voted for just about all of them (no Invictus or Transformers) because you foolishly allowed me to vote for as many as I wanted. Give me an inch… Well, I’ll watch more than just a couple of these, maybe eventually most of them, so it’s more a way to put them in order than to weed them out. So I wanted people to be able to vote for all of the films they’d recommend. And I made the poll public to allow to see if someone just voted for them all or just voted for Transformers or something like that. Plus I might give more weight to some votes than others, particularly if I find their tastes run similar, etc. And of course it’s always informative to see what ArchiveGuy’s opinions are. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/18 "2010-03-05T03:18:13Z")
_Transformers_ is truly the worst big budget movie of all time. It’s not just that it’s bad. It’s not just that it’s incoherent. It’s not just that it’s the worst-edited movie ever of this ilk in the past 30 years. It’s not for the embarrassingly idiotic “comedic” episode of the Mom eating pot brownies. It’s not for the noise. It’s for all that, and so much more. _Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen_ is truly the (current) nadir of big budget action flicks. In many ways, Bey is the anti James Cameron. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/19 "2010-03-08T17:29:34Z")
Watched\* Inglorious Basterds \*on the weekend. Didn’t think it deserved Best Picture, but loved the performance by Colonel “Jewhunter” Landa. Was delighted to see this morning that he won the best supporting actor award for it. Next on the NetFlix queue are Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, District 9, Up, An Education, Up in the Air and Precious (in that order, currently - the last three are not yet released on DVD but will release today or tomorrow). I will add several more based on the results here. Thanks, Shibb ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268/20 "2010-03-08T21:39:33Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Next on the NetFlix queue are Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, District 9, Up, An Education, Up in the Air and Precious (in that order, currently - the last three are not yet released on DVD but will release today or tomorrow). I will add several more based on the results here. That’s a perfect ordering, let us know what you think. I was so happy for Christoph Waltz too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-help-me-decide-which-academy-award-nominated-films-to-watch-not-just-best-picture/531268.md?page=2)