Jeff Bridges

Jeremy Renner's gutsy performance in 'The Hurt Locker' has landed him in the thick of this year's Oscar race for Best Actor.

Courtesy Summit Entertainment

He’s touted as a dark horse in Oscar’s Best Actor race, a relative unknown in a field of nominees highlighted by presumed frontrunner Jeff Bridges and George Clooney. Yet Modesto native Jeremy Renner, the fair-haired star of Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, is no stranger to the screen, or to awards consideration.

Aaron Hughes' 'Backwards' kicks off the animated portion of this year's Indiefest.

Courtesy Indiefest

The Independent Film Festival enters its second weekend, bringing with it Harmony and Me, this year's closing-night comedy about a slacker caught in the throes of a post-breakup malaise and seemingly incapable of snapping his way out of it. Also coming to the Roxie this Sunday afternoon: Double Take, Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez's experimental rumination on Cold War paranoia featuring none other than the late Alfred Hitchcock. Elsewhere:

1. An Animated World

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Courtesy Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Nominations for the 82nd annual Academy Awards were announced this morning at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, and though there were few surprises in the major categories – one notable exception being The Blind Side, a surprise contender for Best Picture in this year's expanded category – the races should be tighter and less predictable than in years past. The following is a list of the nominees, with the presumed favorite denoted by an asterisk.

Chris Rock (far right) investigates the importance of 'Good Hair.'

Courtesy Roadside Attractions

The weekend forecast calls for cloudy skies and scattered showers, but you can always take refuge at the city's indie theaters, where Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones makes its long-awaited debut and former Saturday Night Live star Chris Rock investigates the lifestyles of the rich and follically fashionable.

Juliette Lewis, as the hellacious Iron Maven, roughs up Ellen Page's fleet-footed roller-derby novice in 'Whip It.'

Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

January is traditionally a time for Hollywood studios to empty their storage lockers, tossing out the trash (like last winter's Bride Wars) and dusting off movies previously unreleased due to scheduling conflicts. No matter.

Jeff Bridges delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Bad Blake, the hard-luck country crooner of 'Crazy Heart.'

Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

Ballads of whiskey, women and heartbreak are a country music cliché, the wistful laments of road-weary troubadours resigned to lives of mistakes and regret.

Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal sing the blues in 'Crazy Heart.'

Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

Happy New Year! As you all know, there is no better way to treat a holiday hangover than with an afternoon matinee. (Actually, that's not true. I recommend water, sports drinks that contain electrolytes, saltine crackers and, if possible, a full-body massage. And don't forget a healthy breakfast. Eating, like reading my columns, is fundamental.)

David Bowie reinvents himself as Ziggy Stardust, the godlike guitar hero made famous by his 1972 concept album.

Courtesy 20th Century Fox

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring... except yours truly, wrapping last-minute presents, watching Iron Chef America reruns, and writing blurbs for the final Indie Theater Roundup of 2009. Please put them to good use (the blurbs, that is) and have a safe, happy holiday.

1. The Bicycle Thief
Where: Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., 415-863-1087
When: All Week

George Clooney, playing a goofy telekinetic, faces off against an unsuspecting goat in Grant Heslov's new comedy.

Courtesy Overture Films

I’m not sure how much of The Men Who Stare at Goats is true. It’s inspired by Jon Ronson’s book, which documents a time when the U.S. military encouraged a select few in its ranks to hone their psychic abilities, believing, however inaccurately, that the Russians were doing the same. But what transpires in the movie, directed by Grant Heslov (HBO’s Unscripted) and starring George Clooney, is so flagrantly over-the-top it seems like a lunatic riff on the facts.