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Next up, it's the American Society of Cinematographers. This year, the ASC nominated five of the more notable and well-shot movies of 2009. The nominees are Avatar, as photographed by Mauro Fiore; The Hurt Locker, as photographed by Barry Ackroyd; Inglourious Basterds, as photographed by Robert Richardson; Nine, as photographed by Dion Beebe; and The White Ribbon, as photographed by Christian Berger. What does this mean for the Best Cinematography category for the Oscars? Well, when it comes to matching nominees, the ASC is mostly solid, getting roughly four of five nominees correct. In fact, only once in the past ten years have the ASC and Oscars matched up completely in their nominees, for the awards honoring the movies of 2007.

What movie is likely to vanish at the Oscars? The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds are seemingly safe, and I'd be a bit surprised if Avatar, digital photography or not, doesn't show up. Nine, as we'll soon discuss, is now a dead movie in terms of Oscar heat, and The White Ribbon, while critically lauded, may be too unfamiliar to Academy voters. Other potential films that could sneak in include Public Enemies, lensed by Dante Spinotti in flashy, digital style; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, lensed by previous ASC winner Bruno Delbonnel; or perhaps A Serious Man, lensed by Roger Deakins, an ASC favorite who's been nominated for his previous collaborations with the Coens.

Finally, it's the Eddies, short for the American Cinema Editors' nominations, and they appear to be just as in love with science fiction as the Producers' Guild, as all three of the major sci-fi releases from 2009 showed up on the two lists of nominations. Among the five Drama nominees are Avatar, edited by James Cameron, John Refoua, and Stephen E. Rivkin; The Hurt Locker, edited by Chris Innis and Bob Murawski; Up in the Air, edited by Dana E. Glauberman; District 9, edited by Julian Clarker; and Star Trek, edited by Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey. The Comedy nominees are The Hangover, edited by Debra Neil-Fisher; Julie & Julia, edited by Richard Marks; It's Complicated, edited by Joe Hutshing and David Moritz; A Serious Man, edited by Roderick Jaynes (also known as Joel and Ethan Coen); and (500) Days of Summer, edited by Alan Edward Bell. The Animated nominees are Coraline, edited by Christopher Murrie and Ronald Sanders; Fantastic Mr. Fox, edited by Andrew Weisblum; and Up, edited by Kevin Nolting.

As many nominees as there are here, there are two notable omissions: Inglourious Basterds and Precious. It may not seem like it, but among the major precursor nominations, the American Cinema Editors are actually very important. Though they have not always predicted the appropriate Best Picture Oscar winner in the past (they missed out on Crash and Million Dollar Baby, among others), the ACE Eddies are pretty solid at figuring out what movies will be nominated for Best Picture. Over the past ten years, the ACE Eddies have always had a strong eye on what movies are going to be nominated. Though they have missed out on such Best Picture nominees as Atonement, getting on the ACE Eddie list, along with a few other guilds, is not such a bad thing. District 9 and Star Trek fans should be thrilled with this news, as the two science-fiction films, especially District 9, are getting major boosts for the Oscar nominations.

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