Known for quirky comedies (“The Big Lebowski”), dark dramas (“No Country for Old Men”), and sometimes both combined (“Fargo”), the Coen Brothers have crafted “True Grit” as their most straightforward and mainstream film to date. It’s an entertaining yarn that executes all the classic Western elements and adds distinct Coen dialogue alongside a trio of great performances.

Based more on the Charles Portis novel than the 1969 film adaptation starring John Wayne, “True Grit” follows 14-year-old Mattie Ross as she hunts down the man who killed her father in cold blood. The tough-talking Mattie is played by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld in a firecracker of a performance. She’s the highlight in a movie populated by Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and a one-eyed Jeff Bridges.

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It all worked out. Pretty much.

Jeff Bridges finally won an Oscar. “The Hurt Locker” beat “Avatar” for Best Picture. And Sandra Bullock actually made me want to see her performance in “The Blind Side.”

All in all, this year’s Academy Awards was one of the most satisfying Oscar ceremonies ever. The right people won (mostly) and the producers found interesting ways to present the less-than-star-studded categories (the video packages for the sound and short film categories were the most compelling B-roll of the night).

If only hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin  had brought the funny. I can’t really blame them completely; the material they were forced to present was some of the worst second-rate awards banter on record. I couldn’t believe the live audience was giving them so many pity laughs.

Too bad opening act Neil Patrick Harris couldn’t have stuck around for the entire ceremony. He was, as always, legendary.

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Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the (something annual) Academy Awards at 5 p.m. Sunday on ABC. It should be a big test for the industry’s most celebrated award show. While some see the 10-nominee Best Picture race as detrimental to the Academy’s reputation as the authority on quality filmmaking, others believe the stuffed category will boost ratings for the fledgling ceremony telecast.

Those are discussions for other days. For now, let’s focus on the big night: Who will win, and perhaps more importantly, who should win. On with the predictions!

Best Picture
The most heated battle of the night comes down to mega-blockbuster “Avatar” and the low-budget war drama “The Hurt Locker.” The two films couldn’t be any more different. One is good, and the other is an overblown rip-off of “Pocahontas” with cool special effects.

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The North Idaho lifestyle has its benefits. Diverse moviegoing is not one of them. Some of the best movies of any given year never play in our area, and many take their sweet time getting here.

“Crazy Heart,” the indie drama starring Oscar hopeful Jeff Bridges, finally opened in Spokane last week after months of media buzz.  Bridges stars as has-been country singer Bad Blake, a raging alcoholic who survives on the crumbs of a few good, sad songs. It’s a performance that will no doubt earn Bridges a long overdue Academy Award.

Blake travels hundreds of miles in his beaten truck to play half-empty bowling alleys and dive bars. Still a great musician (in between puking up his whiskey meals), Blake hasn’t written anything new in years. Too bad, because former protégé Tommy Sweet (a terrific Colin Farrell) has hit the big time and wants the industry’s best drunken songwriter to pen a few hits.

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