Kelly Jane Torrance’s Oscar picks

Best Picture

Heart says: “The Departed.” My pick for best film of the year wasn’t nominated — the German film “The Lives of Others” is astonishing, but great foreign language films are rarely given the recognition they deserve. Still, I don’t have to go down very far. Martin Scorsese’s exploration of the many guises of evil was a serious but seriously engaging film.

Head says: For the first time in years, this is a real five-way race. My guess is that “The Departed” will eke out a victory over “Little Miss Sunshine.”

Best Director

Heart says: Martin Scorsese, “The Departed.” With no missteps and showing almost perfect judgment, “The Departed” is the culmination of a career exploring the American psyche.

Head says: Martin Scorsese, “The Departed.” With eight nominations and no wins, it’s about time.

Best Actor

Heart says: Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland.” The great Peter O’Toole, after eight nominations, certainly deserves a win. And his shocking performance in “Venus” must have been difficult to pull off. But as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Mr. Whitaker accomplished the even trickier feat of showing us that a monster is also a man.

Head says: Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland.” As soon as I walked out of “The Last King of Scotland” at the Toronto Film Festival last year, I knew its star’s acting tour de force was going to be hard to beat.

Best Actress

Heart says: Helen Mirren, “The Queen.” The sexy Miss Mirren completely disappeared into her savvy, thoughtful portrayal of Elizabeth II. (But I’m still wondering why Laura Dern wasn’t nominated for her masterly, wide-ranging work in David Lynch’s “Inland Empire.”)

Head says: Helen Mirren, “The Queen.” This is Miss Mirren’s year. We should be thankful that the acclaim for her pitch-perfect performance has made her reconsider a possible retirement.

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