Oscars 2010 Getting ready for Oscar night, and I will have my customary stab in the dark at the winners in a minute. Before we moved to Bermuda I was a regular movie-goer, for 10 notes it is hard to beat a trip to the cinema. Yet in 20 months on the island we are yet to see a film at one the four cinemas mostly disheartened by stories of them resembling school playgrounds inside. According to everyone there will be no panic rustling to turn of a ringing mobile phone here, oh no a 10-minute conversation is likely to ensue. "I'm at the movies, what you up to?" Video shop membership has never been so exciting since the first one opened down the street from us in Catford in 1980.

Anyway, whereas in past years my knowledge of Academy nominated films was pretty goood as we had seen most, if not all of the films selected, this year I will just have to discount films still yet to reach the video shop.

The Academy picking 10 movies for Best Picture will only add another hour to the already ridiculously long show, but I only saw four. The Nick Hornby written An Education was excellent but it came a second for me to the low budget Hurt Locker, the shuddering story of a Explosive Ordnance Disposal team.

Sandra Bullock is favourite to win Best Actress for Blind Side, which I haven't seen. Last night she surprisingly showed up at the Razzies to collect the award for worst actress, so winning an Oscar tonight for what is her first ever nomination would be quite a double. I'm going to go though with Meryl Streep for her leading role in Julie & Julia, her 17th Oscar nomination although a win for Brit Carey Mulligan is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Crazy Heart does not appeal but Jeff Bridges is odds on to win his first Oscar (the Academy has a history of rewarding overdue veterans) but my pick for Best Actor is Colin Firth who starred in the elegant and emotional A Single Man.... he won't win though, it will be Bridges.

Best Director is again being billed as a straight fight between ex-husband and wife James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. I saw both Avatar and the Hurt Locker and I really hope Hurt Locker wins, it was a remarkable film and Bigelow would be the first ever female winner. I have my doubts that Avator will sweep up as much as people think, for example technically Art Direction goes to imaginative sets and not digitel ones and Cinematography is meant traditionally to inspire epic scenes but Best Visual Effects should be a no brainer.

Ok, I have my popcorn and a plastic beaker of diet Pepsi as big as the Isle of Wight. Laters film buffs.  ¶ 13:46