Austin film talent and crew are pondering The Hurt Locker's win for the Oscar for best picture over Avatar.  Having earned nine Academy Award nominations, Avatar was widely predicted to win for best picture. So why did The Hurt Locker win over Avatar? 

I believe it may be partily because, as I have written earlier, technology, spectacle, and performance-capture can't make the same human connection at the levels of the hearts, souls, and minds of viewers as live-action actors, especially in autobiographical stories that are crafted effectively as screenplays and movies.   

The Hurt Locker is gripping and captivating as it deals with ultimate pain at multiple, complex layers. It is these multiple facets, dimensions, and layers that keeps audiences engaged and fascinated, even though the story is painful to watch. 

Further, as I have written and demonstrated through years of research, factual, autobiographical stories are usually more fascinating than fictional ones.  Autobiographical stories probe beneath the surface issues and explore human desires, conflicts, and motivations. When they expose ironies and paradoxes, as does The Hurt Locker, they are especially captivating.  

The Hurt Locker won five other Academy Awards for best: director, screenplay, film editing, sound mixing, and sound editing. This movie has skillfully told the story through masterfully crafted visual and sound effects. The actors' empathetic performances, enhanced by artistic directing, film editing, and sound mixing, grip and powerfully connect with audiences.    

See Dr. Diane Howard's recent film reviews, recommendations and publications.