Well, 3 out of 5 Ain't Bad.

As some may know, I've made it something of a goal of mine to see as many Oscar-recognized movies this year as I can get to and pay for (...or not). It's not because I'm a pretentious film buff, really. The roots of this mission are a little bit deeper than that.

For all who don't know my living situation, it's this: I live on a floor of film buffs. The majority of the people I live with (including my roommate) are cinema and photography majors - emphasis on the cinema part. And every year, I watch the Oscars and wonder: Do these movies really deserve the awards they win?

Most of the movies fall into a gray area where some people know the movies - usually those living in a city lucky enough to get all the limited release films that always get nominated - and where most people (average popcorn movie-goers like me) don't. So when the lists for the awards shows made it out this year - first the Golden Globes, then the SAGs and Critics' Choice, and then finally the Oscars - I made it a mission to see if these films were actually worth the praise they receive.

I figured I'd go category-by-category in the next few days to say who I think WILL win and who may DESERVE to win.