Avatar, Hurt Locker lead Oscar nominations with 9 each

Not to be cliched, but this could totally be the plot of a movie.

Not only are “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” like total film opposites- big budget vs. tiny indie, sci-fi family friendly film vs. heavy war movie- the respective directors are married couple James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. (Awkward.) Less dramatically chosen for best film were “The Blind Side,” “District 9,” “An Education,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Precious,” “A Serious Man,” “Up,” and “Up in the Air.”

Best Actor nominees are Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart”) George Clooney (“Up in the Air”), Colin Firth (“A Single Man”), Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”), and Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”). In the running for Best Actress are Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”), Helen Mirren (“The Last Station”), Carey Mulligan (“An Education”), Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious”) and Meryl Streep (“Julie & Julia”).

Penelope Cruz, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and Mo’Nique all got nominated for Best Supporting Actress; and Woody Harrelson, Matt Damon, Stanley Tucci, Christoper Plummer and Christoph Waltz received nods for Best Supporting Actor.

“Coraline,” “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “The Secret of Kells,” and “Up” are up for Best Animated Film. You can see a full list of the nominees here.