There are only three weeks to catch up on all the movies that you missed out on, if you're hoping to walk away victorious in your office Oscar pool.

Many people have asked me for advice over the past week, trying to tap into my expertise as to who will be snubbed, who's a sure thing and what categories will be the hottest of Oscar night.

One comment I've heard consistently is that people have only seen one or two of the 10 best picture nominees.

There's a whole lot of ground to cover.

Many of this year's best picture nominees are still in theaters. "Avatar," for instance, is available in most theaters. "Up in the Air" expanded its run last weekend.

The older titles, like "An Education," actually came back into theaters thanks solely to the Oscar buzz.

Others have faded from the marquees and billboards. Those I will focus on here. For those of you who want to play a rapid-fire game of catch-up and be on the cutting edge of all your Oscar debates and conversations, here's a five-title home video marathon that will impress your fellow Oscar competitors:

- "The Hurt Locker" - Have you missed out on this gripping war thriller? You know, the other title that tied "Avatar" with the most nominations (nine) last week? Well, it's now available on DVD, and it may stand as one of the most exciting war films ever made. Putting us in the shoes of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq, director Kathryn Bigelow helps us to feel the surge of adrenalyne and the surreal shock of coming home to the suburbs. Other war films talk about PTSD, but in "The Hurt Locker," I think we start to actually sense what these guys are experiencing.

- "Inglorious Basterds" - Right behind "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" which had nine nominations each, was "Inglorious Basterds" with eight. The latest film from Quentin Tarantino, "Basterds" is a loud, lively and loony rewriting of history, imagining a far different ending for World War II.

- "Up" - The first animated film in ages to be nominated for best picture, "Up" is also one of Pixar's best creations. It's about an elderly man who straps balloons onto his house and flies off on one last great adventure. The movie boasts perhaps the most memorable and heartbreaking opening montage sequence ever filmed. In less than five minutes, we see the story of a full life.

- "Julie & Julia" - Meryl Streep has once again been nominated for best actress for playing cooking icon, Julia Child. From her very first movement in the film - stepping out of a cab - Streep commands the film, marking one of her most memorable performances ever.

- "Coraline" - Nominated for best animated feature film, this was also a dark and solemn journey into a factured family. It's about a teenager who decides she is too bored with her real parents and travels into an alternate reality, to experience life with another family.

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