Avatar set to dominate the Oscars

Mar 7 2010 by Roz Laws, Sunday Mercury

IT’S the battle of the blue people versus the khaki – and the battle of the exes.

Tonight’s Oscar ceremony will be dominated by two films, Avatar and The Hurt Locker.

One is directed by Titanic’s James Cameron and is set on a distant planet of tall blue people.

The other follows a US Army disposal team in Iraq – and is directed by his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow.

Each film has been nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

The two movies are poles apart, not least in terms of budget.

The Hurt Locker cost just £7 million while the 3D epic Avatar is the most expensive movie ever made at £200 million, nearly 30 times as much.