Reviewer: Steve Dollar
Rating (out of 5): ****

If Kathryn Bigelow succeeds in winning an Oscar for best director next Sunday, which many pundits (including this one) anticipate, it will strike a revolutionary blow in the Hollywood Gender Wars: The 57-year-old action specialist will become the first woman ever to take home a Miniature Gold Bald Man for a job that's as male-dominated as the U.S. military once was.

It's not a complete novelty to have been nominated. Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties) in 1976, Jane Campion (The Piano) in 1993, and Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) in 2003, managed it. And she's hardly a shoo-in, what with ex-hubby James Cameron (the 27-D, future-of-all-media, aggro-mythic Avatar) and Lee Daniels (left-field ridiculous phenom Precious), who could score a coup of his own as the first black (though hardly the first gay) man to win as best director. Anything could happen, and it probably will. But with its truckload of preliminary awards and eight additional Academy Award nominations (from best picture to sound editing), there's little doubt that The Hurt Locker had made its impact, and (no pun intended) blown up Bigelow's career at the very stage it might have begun a premature fade-out.

It's the wonderful time of year again, when people of all ages gather together to watch the Academy Award ceremony, alternating between wishing they were there on the red carpet, and feeling aggravated by the show and the awards themselves. But it's a favorite tradition and we wouldn't miss it for the world. 

On March 7, 2010, during the Oscar ceremony, GreenCine will be hosting a live chat featuring some of our favorite film bloggers from around the US, and the world, chiming in with live commentary on the proceedings.  Using the terrific Cover It Live interface, our panelists will chat throughout the evening and take your questions on the awards.  Join host Craig Phillips, editor at GreenCine, as well as Aaron Hillis, editor of GreenCine Daily, as they keep the conversation flowing with our esteemed guests and you, the moviegoing public.  We hope you'll join us and bring your friends, for a party on the virtual red carpet.  CLICK ON FOR MORE AND FOR THE LIVE BLOG:

The 2009 Oscar nominations were announced and as always some of the films are still in theaters now while others came out long ago enough to now be on DVD (or to appear on DVD soon). So consider this a running list that we'll update as more titles are added on DVD. 

The 81st Academy Award ceremony took place on February 22nd, 2009.