Prior to the start of the year's voting, Watchmen had seemed like a heavy favorite in most categories. Its quality proved to be a divisive topic for our staff as some felt director Zack Snyder had produced a best case scenario result, others felt it was a sum less than its parts and many found the film simply too methodical for their tastes. Wherever any of us came down on the overall quality of Watchmen (and I personally believe it's a triumph), there was one subject upon which we all agreed. The opening credits that reveal the back story of superhero crime fighting in this alternate version of America are a masterpiece. Set to the lyrics of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin', this six minute segment starts with possibly the first punch every thrown by a masked vigilante. The images then methodically track a course of events that leads us to a world wherein term limit laws have been repealed in order to allow Richard Nixon to serve as President of the United States more than twice. Along the way, heroes fall, sexual archetypes in comics are assailed, and a Watchmen precursor named the Minutemen debuts and departs in a matter of moments. One is institutionalized, two are murdered, and another assassinates a United States president. All the while, the movie's overriding theme is on display: Who Watches the Watchmen? Independent of what anyone thinks of the movie itself, the opening credits are a cinematic triumph whose style will be imitated for decades to come.

Our sixth and seventh nominees are diametrically opposed but equally brilliant. (500) Days of Summer builds up to a moment on Day 408 when Tom anticipates his heartfelt reunion with ex-girlfriend Summer. He has the entire sequence of events laid out in his head as their romantic reconciliation nears. A split camera shot aptly reveals the key differences between what he had imagined and what occurred. On a fundamental level, the entire scene represents the underlying disappointment of most sexual relationships. In order to reinforce this point, the camera closes out the expectations side of the screen as reality forcefully sets in on Tom. This bittersweet series of emotions is a stark contrast to the much more humorous scene that occurs midway through Zombieland. Without spoiling the surprise, the quartet of human survivors reaches the West Coast and decides to unwind at the mansion of a favored celebrity. When they get there, all four are shocked to discover that the mansion's famous occupant still resides there. And that's not the last surprise that occurs during their visit at the star's residence, either. Zombieland is a treat from start to finish, but it's this visit to a celebrity home that is its undeniable high point.

The last three selections for this year's Best Scene category come from Precious, The Hurt Locker (again) and Up in the Air, respectively. The scene from Precious is the moment when Mary Lee confronts the social worker her daughter has been meeting with in an effort to gain back custody. Unlike the one-dimensional, vicious monster we've seen on screen up to this point, this time around Mary Lee is emotional and in tears, all but begging to have Precious under her roof again. Arguably, this is the scene that sealed the deal on all the deserved press, praise and awards Mo'Nique has received for her work in the film.

The second selection from The Hurt Locker comes near the end of the film when a man has been strapped with so many explosives that even William James is challenged to rescue him prior to detonation. This is the moment where the viewer realizes just how much of the job James performs is thankless and why he has come to be such an ill-behaved adrenaline junkie. The final nominee for Best Scene comes from Up in the Air. It is the moment when a despondent Natalie (played by Anna Kendrick) is "consoled" by romantic veterans Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) and Ryan Bingham (George Clooney). What follows is scattershot series of remembrances of failed relationships that does little to ease Natalie's feeling of forlorn dissociation. It does, however, give her unexpected insight into the life events that led Ryan to choose to spend his life in the clouds.

Worthy of nomination but just missing the list were several scenes. The club scene in Away We Go and the tavern scene in Inglourious Basterds each missed selection by a single vote. We were also fans of the theater scene climax of Inglourious Basterds, the prison escape scene in Watchmen, and a pair of moments from Avatar. We were split between the first demonstration of the power of human inhabitance of the blue bodies and the powerful moment when the Tree of Souls comes under attack. All of these are iconic cinema moments that we wish we could have given a nod. (David Mumpower and Eric Hughes/BOP)

Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Breakthrough Performance
Best Cast
Best Director
Best DVD
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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