By Greg Vellante
Correspondent

I’d like to extend compliments to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their bold decision to revisit the old custom of their Oscar ceremony by creating 10 Best Picture nominees this year, instead of the typical five.

My only complaint is that they chose the wrong year to do it. With last year’s round-up of film fare delivering big budget blockbusters such as “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” and wonderfully animated offerings like “WALL-E,” this year’s decision to create 10 nomination slots seems almost unfair to these critical favorites that ended up getting the short stick.

While 2009 has had its fair share of cinematic greatness, the pickings are more scarce. I’m sure the Academy will have no problem choosing 10 nominees, however, and these decisions give critics’ top 10 lists an air of competitive value, seeing whose lists match up best with the Academy’s.
I doubt all of my personal choices will be chosen, but regardless, here are my picks for the 10 best films of 2009, with additional predictions on their Best Picture chances.

1. “Up”: “Up” is a sublime combination of everything perfect about the art of cinema.

Animation aside, despite its undeniable splendor, it’s the story that matters. It follows an elderly curmudgeon named Carl Fredricksen as he sets his house afloat with myriad colorful balloons, only to find a stowaway on board in the form of the garrulous Wilderness Explorer Russell. The two embark on a rip-roaring adventure that is fun, both visually and emotionally, for younger children. But the movie’s unnerving meditation on the significance of human connection is what makes it so worthwhile for adults.

Next time I pop this film into the DVD player it will be my seventh viewing, and I’m wholly positive that I will bawl like a baby just as much as I did the first time around.

“Up” is Pixar’s greatest film to date. It is indubitably the best animated film of the year, but it shouldn’t merely be simplified to that classification. Regardless of its genre, “Up” is the best film of 2009. Best Picture Nomination? YES.

2. “Up in the Air”: This film is a fabulous romantic comedy that never seems cliché; a topical rendering of today’s economy that never seems in your face; and a painfully tragic tale of an isolated soul.
J

ason Reitman’s wonderful third feature is his best to date, and leading man George Clooney embodies the role of Ryan Bingham so perfectly. It’s funny, painful and lasting, driven by characters derived from Reitman’s brilliant screenplay. Anna Kendrick is my pick for Best Supporting Actress of the year, and Clooney is a charming delight — as always. Best Picture Nomination? YES.

3. “(500) Days of Summer”: “This is not a love story. This is a story about love,” the narrator states as “(500) Days of Summer” begins.
Here is a film that bursts with originality, screams out a shattering cry of creativeness, and breaks the cliché ozone layer, soaring off into a universe of uniqueness and inspired awe.

Following boy Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and girl Summer (Zooey Deschanel) through their rollercoaster relationship of 500 days, the film never takes the fairy tale route of most romantic comedies. “(500) Days of Summer” is wholly accurate and one of the, if not the most, realistic film I have ever seen on the topic of love. Its characters are real. Its ideas are real. And its heart is real. Best Picture Nomination? NO.

4. “Avatar”: This film is the greatest visual experience of the year. And it is a sci-fi epic from the self-deemed “King of the World” that is totally worth the 12 years of waiting and multi-million dollar price tag.

Venturing into a magnificent planet called Pandora, James Cameron takes us on a 162-minute journey that seems to last only a second. The 3D effects bring the audience into the planet — and this film is quite possibly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Best Picture Nomination? YES.

5. “Where the Wild Things Are”: Loneliness. It’s a powerful and tragically common theme in life. “Where the Wild Things Are” is about such loneliness, along with the unnerving anxiety, apprehensions, fears, and concerns that come with being a child. Young Max (a phenomenal Max Records) is a flawless caricature of such a child, and when he sails off to a distant land after getting into a fight with his mother (Catherine Keener), the Wild Things that he encounters each are elements of Max’ psyche.

Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book is a mixed bag for most people, but for those able to see the true depth of Jonze’s storytelling, “Wild Things” is a masterpiece. Like “Up,” I’ve seen this marvelous work multiple times, and tears were shed on each viewing. It may not be the book we read as children, but it was certainly something far more powerful. Best Picture Nomination? NO.

6. “The Hurt Locker”: Here’s a film that really sticks in your mind after viewing. It presents itself as a standard war drama, taking place in the current time of the Iraq war. A moving Jeremy Renner plays a bomb squad specialist with a blatant bravado masking hidden emotion.

Director Kathryn Bigelow does a miraculous job controlling such tender subject matter while presenting an entirely entertaining and profound film in the process. It’s tense, poignant, and fully determined to burn a hole into your memory. It succeeds. Best Picture Nomination? YES.

7. “Invictus”: Morgan Freeman is Nelson Mandela. He was born to play him, and in Clint Eastwood’s fantastic “Invictus,” he proves his worth. The tale is a typical cliché of underdogs rising up to win the big game, but Eastwood takes a story told oh-so-many times and makes it unbelievably fresh. A true story of both political and inspiration importance, “Invictus” is a delight to watch, and gives Eastwood yet another brick in his road to legendary filmmaker. Best Picture Nomination? YES.

8. “Inglourious Basterds”: Quentin Tarantino rewrites history in the uproarious, provocative, and constantly entertaining “Inglourious Basterds.” Brad Pitt leads a cast of substantial diversity, told through Tarantino’s witty and highly intelligent screenplay. Christoph Waltz as pure Nazi evil is a menacing enchantment, and my pick for the Best Supporting Actor, as well as one of the top villains of the decade. It’s not Tarantino’s greatest film to date, but his works are each so unique that comparing is almost impossible. Best Picture Nomination? YES.

9. “Star Trek”: I went into J.J. Abrams’s “Star Trek” with no prior knowledge of the franchise, always having chosen light sabers and Ewoks over Klingon and Vulcans. I was blown out of the water. Abrams creates an experience of visual finery and storytelling. “Star Trek” gets my pick for Best Ensemble

Cast of the year, with its diverse crew of young performers proving their merit, especially when stepping into the roles of such beloved and legendary characters. Best Picture Nomination? NO.

10. “A Single Man”: The power of this film is in the performances. Colin Firth gives the best one of his career, and of the year as well, playing an English professor slowly learning to deal with the sudden death of his partner (played through flashbacks by Matthew Goode). His pain is fully apparent, and Firth manages to display such emotion without even muttering a word. First-time director Tom Ford delivers a truly moving film with an additionally affecting performance by the beautiful Julianne Moore. The ending is cheap, but the majority of movie and performances that precede it make up for any amounts of disappointment it may cause. Best Picture Nomination? NO.

Notable Mentions (in alphabetical order): “9,” “Adventureland,” “An Education,” “Bad Lieutenant,” “Port of Call New Orleans,” “Coraline,” “District 9,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Funny People,” “The Hangover,” “It’s Complicated,” “Pirate Radio,” “Ponyo,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “The Road,” “A Serious Man,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “This Is It,” “Watchmen,” “Whip It,” and “Zombieland.”