Critiquing Hollywood films obviously isn’t part of my usual local government and political writing beat. But, as a lifelong, habitual movie-goer, outspoken water cooler critic and viewer of every single film nominated in the top categories in Sunday’s Academy Awards broadcast, my credentials are solid.

I’m a huge fan.

With the exception of “Walk the Line,” “Cinderella Man” and maybe “Crash,” almost all of the nominated films in the major categories this year are “serious” small movies that debuted in very limited release in only a few of the largest cities. And that’s a pity.

Unless you live in Soho or Hollywood, or keep an eye out for the occasional “indie” film to trickle down to an arthouse screening in the smaller venues some months later, you’ll probably be in the dark Oscar night.

So, for the traditional movie-goer, those whose only available fare are the bigger-budget, lower-brow blockbusters shown in the mall multiplexes of America, this guide is for you.

I’ll skip the more technical categories, like makeup, sound editing and mixing; and, of course, the ones I haven’t seen — foreign language, shorts and documentaries. Instead, I’ll focus on the key categories: the ones for Best Picture/Director (in a rarity, both are the same this year), as well as Best Actor and Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

Who will win the coveted statuettes, I have no idea. Who should win, however, is another matter.

Best Picture/Director

n Bennett Miller’s “Capote” is my favorite movie, bar none. Considering that my dog Truman is officially Harry Truman Capote, I obviously have a Capote fascination of long standing. This movie was right up my alley. That being said, even if you’d never heard of Capote, this is one excellent piece of work. The film dissects one facet of the writer’s life — the incubus of what would become the masterpiece, “In Cold Blood,” and his eventual undoing. My only criticism is the inexplicable use of a fictional two-story white farm house as the scene of the murders, when the actual Clutter family dwelling — a gabled story-and-a-half sand-colored brick, that was well-documented in the earlier movie, “In Cold Blood” — is still standing virtually unchanged on a forlorn west Kansas roadway. That bothered me. Fingers crossed for both “Capote” and Miller.

n Despite all the hoopla, the proverbial Oscar buzz and the interjection of “brokeback” into everyday parlance, I really disliked the gay-cowboy themed, “Brokeback Mountain” directed by Ang Lee. Other than the Western (Canada) scenery and the “Princess Diary” ingenue playing wildly against type, I can’t think of one redeeming quality. No plot in sight, no storyline, no character development ... just a slight emotional hiccup at the end when the “hero” I cared little about sadly realizes that his life could have been more. That’s pretty much the same way I felt at the end of the two hours I fidgeted in the theater. This is not the stuff of great motion pictures. But, considering its snowballing popularity, I’m afraid it’s the one to beat.

n I’m ambiguous about director Paul Haggis’ “Crash,” a look at race relations in Los Angeles over a 36-hour period. It’s a montage of powerful moments and the intercepting, intertwining storyline is a favorite of mine. That was well done, as is most of the acting. The characters, however, especially the policeman portrayed by Matt Dillon, were simplistic. The good/bad qualities in each victim/victimizer were overdone and didn’t always ring true. But, more than any of the others nominated, this movie stayed with me long after I left the theater.

n “Good Night, and Good Luck.” George Clooney’s historical glimpse into Edward R. Murrow’s newsroom is gimmicky and one-dimensional, like watching a newsreel. Also, it’s in black and white, which loses a lot of points with me.

n “Munich.” I didn’t want my money back, but Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” left me somewhat disinterested, which, considering the subject — the murder of 11 Israeli Olympians and their government’s revenge — is a disappointment in itself.

Best Actor

n Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Capote”: An incredible, dead-on performance — by one of the most versatile actors around — is astounding on so many levels. Watching both Hoffman’s performance and news clips of the real Capote, it’s hard to distinguish who’s who. Still, it’s the characterization, not just the impersonation alone, that works. If I could dictate one award, this would be it.

n Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk the Line”: I loved this Johnny Cash bi-op, and Phoenix was terrific. Thirty or 40 years ago, it’s unlikely the other pictures up for the top awards, would have been made, much less nominated; and, this enjoyable, widely seen favorite would have been a shoo-in for across-the-board honors.

n Terrence Howard in “Hustle and Flow”: Howard, who also shone in his smaller roll in “Crash,” did a wonderful job as a drug-dealing pimp in this graphic and profane look at the hip-hop culture, that, at its core, is basically an old-fashioned, feel-good movie. If not tonight, Howard, who showed so much early promise as the rhythm-deprived drummer in “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” is sure to have an Oscar in his future.

n Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain”: Usually, I like the Aussie actor; but not in this less-is-less performance of low mumbling through clenched teeth that, by a conservative count, rendered one-third of his lines unintelligible. I am reminded of Dorothy Parker’s famous take on the acting skills of Katharine Hepburn, which, she purred, ran the gamut from A to B.

n David Strathairn: See “Good Night, and Good Luck” above.

Best Actress

n Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line”: This golden girl is odds-on favorite for her portrayal of country music star June Carter. That’s fine with me.

n Felicity Huffman in “Transamerica”: Not knowing exactly what to expect, I found surprisingly moving this tale of a pre-op transsexual (Huffman plays a man in the process of becoming a woman) on a cross-country journey with the teenage son he/she never knew he/she had. Huffman was excellent as the sympathetic “traveller” with the good heart. For me, it’s a toss-up between Huffman and Witherspoon.

n Keira Knightley in “Pride and Prejudice”: She’s great in the Jane Austen classic, but so was the unheralded heroine of the televised mini-series a couple of years ago. Like Phoenix and Howard, Knightley will surely have other years to take home the Oscar.

n Charlize Theron in “North Country”: Theron already has her Best Actress award, for “Monster” two years ago. She’s also good as a sexually-harassed mine worker in “North Country,” sort of “Norma Rae” with a twist, but I don’t think she’s the best of the best here.

n Judi Dench in “Mrs. Henderson Presents”: I’m not crazy about Judi Dench, but the British actress gives her usual solid performance in this small movie, based on the true story of the West End theater that remained open throughout the World War II London blitz.

Best Supporting Actor

n Paul Giamatti in “Cinderella Man”: Overlooked last year in “Sideways,” Giamatti, I hope, will get the nod for his role as the manager in the boxing flick, “Cinderella Man.”

n Matt Dillon in “Crash”: This could be the breakthrough role for Dillon, whose career has seemingly morphed from teen heartthrob to leading man to quality character actor.

n Jake Gyllenhaal in “Brokeback Mountain”: Enough about “Brokeback Mountain.”

n George Clooney in “Syriana”: He gained about 40 pounds and blunted his handsome, chiseled features for the role of a CIA operative in the Middle East. But I preferred the supporting work of Matt Damon and Jeffrey Wright in this overly long, incomprehensible look at the oil world.

n William Hurt in “A History of Violence”: One of my least favorite actors in an over-the-top cameo of a role at the end of a movie I otherwise thoroughly enjoyed.

Best Supporting Actress

n Amy Adams in “Junebug”: I loved the heart-breaking Adams as a young wife in this very small movie about a middle class North Carolina family that I doubt many have seen. Adams, who was also wonderful as the naive nurse in 2002’s “Catch Me if You Can,” is the dark horse I’d really like to see win.

n Catherine Keener in “Capote”: Keener was excellent, too, as the no-nonsense Harper Lee, who accompanied her childhood companion, Capote, to Kansas shortly before “To Kill a Mockingbird” made her a literary wonder in her own right. A win by either Keener or Adams would be justified.

n Frances McDormand in “North Country”: Another favorite actress of mine, since “Fargo” and “Almost Famous,” McDormand was surprisingly unremarkable in her supporting role as a union mine worker dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease.

n Michelle Williams in “Brokeback Mountain”: Williams was all right as Ledger’s neglected wife. I thought Anne Hathaway, making a dramatic change of pace from her “Princess Diaries” series, was certainly as good, if not better.

n Rachel Weisz in “The Constant Gardener”: More of a co-star than supporting actress, Weisz, I thought, was competent in her role as the political activist wife of a British diplomat in Africa.

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