Kathryn Bigelow upset the odds in 2009 when her indie-scale, grunt-level look at the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker, knocked aside her ex-husband James Cameron’s 3D extravaganza, Avatar, at Oscar time. Although her latest

Will wonders never cease? Or have the Oscars redressed their sometimes-dubious reputation by nominating an unheralded, gritty, independent war film of unlikely audience appeal—a film barely screened before being rushed to DVD and that grossed only $12 million? With nine nominations, The Hurt Locker has not only become the prestige favorite among reviewers...

A few years ago I expressed the thought that the Academy was in danger of losing touch with mainstream audiences. Not that I wasn�t pleased by the Oscar nods to great and adventurous films like No Country for Old Men, but the obvious downside struck me: A roster of Best Picture nominees the average person has never heard of�and audiences weaned on Revenge of the Nerds II probably wouldn�t get�is...

The U.S. occupation of Iraq has inspired a panoply of cinematic depictions. Despite their topicality, these films have ended up being box office duds. The Hurt Locker, which focuses on a bomb disposal unit in Baghdad, has been greeted by a chorus of critical plaudits...