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This year's Academy Awards held few surprises -- favored movies like Michel Hazanavicius' predominantly silent The Artist and Martin Scorsese's 3D opus Hugo, which both led the nomination count, also walked away with most of the statues. 

Film critics dabble in opinion. It's our nature. We tell you what we like and what we don't (and we thank you, dear reader, for validating our opinions). But even we're surprised as interesting facts jump out at us throughout the year, things we never might have known if not for the informative screenplays put together by Hollywood's creative community. Here are some of the lessons we learned at the movies in 2011. Do with this newfound knowledge what you will.

The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony is days away, and prognosticators' tongues are wagging.

Will this year's Oscars ceremony feature a royal sweep for Tom Hooper's historical drama, The King's Speech? Could enough Academy members click "Like" for David Fincher's contemporary, relevant Social Network? Or does David O. Russell's underdog boxing flick, The Fighter, have a puncher's chance at pulling off an upset in the evening's Best Picture category?

James Franco and Anne Hathaway host the Academy Awards this year, which will be televised live on Sun., Feb. 27. Ahead of Hollywood's Super Bowl of cinema, we make our picks in every major category, followed by a line or two of explanation for our choices. Use our piece to help you win your office Oscars pool, then tune in this weekend to see how right (or woefully wrong) we were.

When huddled in darkened movie theaters across the country, the FilmCritic.com staff pays close attention to an actor's range, a director's eye, an editor's subtle touch, and a composer's ability to enhance a scene with the right musical cue. But we're also paying attention to life lessons that might fly over the heads of regular filmgoers. What did we learn while watching all of those movies last year? We'll tell you.

• You can disable a security camera with a fire extinguisher or a pair of panties. (Salt)

• There were ostriches in ancient Persia. (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time)

• A mouthful of marbles does not cure stuttering. (The King's Speech)

• Johnny Carson never forgave Joan Rivers for leaving The Tonight Show. (Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work)

• Never get involved with a ballet dancer, especially if she lives with her mom. (Black Swan)

Gentlemen, a word of advice: you probably don't want to mess with any beautiful women -- or maybe any women, period. It's not rejection you should fear (actually, you probably should, but that's not the issue). It's that if -- and, really, when -- you screw up, she will get sweet revenge. Why? Because the vengeful female heroines and anti-heroines of Enough and A Perfect Murder have taught the world that this is the way of things. Now, granted, you won't be doing anything in the same league as the truly stupid and often monstrous men of these flicks. But, in any case, the lesson is the same: that old saying about a woman scorned is 100 percent true. Just ask these ladies.

Carrie (Sissy Spacek), Carrie
This vengeful lady of the awkward-teen variety takes a different tack when seeking revenge for the viscous taunts of her classmates -- supernatural retribution. Carrie is doused in blood during a prom-night prank and loses it. In typical teen fashion, she can't control herself and lets her powers loose on everyone. Carrie's not exactly like her vengeful sisters in arms -- she's decidedly not hot and not an ordinary woman driven to extraordinary lengths. But she is extraordinary.

When we finally meet our neighbors from space, there's no telling how it'll go. Some extraterrestrials come armed with lasers and schemes to wipe out humanity; some are a bit tamer. Sometimes, they even want to protect humanity. The best example? American's most beloved patriot and hero, Superman. The Man of Steel definitely comes in peace -- and, in Superman II, even fights off alien invaders for our sake. Now that's one awesome alien! Some other invaders? Not so much. The following five rendezvous with guests from outer space may be unforgettable, but there are many others to choose from. Check them out, then rank your favorites!

From the horrific world of Daybreakers, where vampires rule and a dwindling number of humans are hunted for their blood, to the thriller Edge of Darkness, in which Mel Gibson digs into a conspiracy after his daughter is murdered, here's a look at what's coming out this week on DVD and Blu-ray.

Daybreakers
In this futuristic horror film, vampires have taken over most of the earth, and humans are farmed for their blood like in The Matrix. Ethan Hawke plays a vampire scientist looking for an artificial blood substitute to ward off starvation for the undead while Willem Dafoe leads a band of human resisters. Our reviewer found directors Peter and Michael Spierig's vision fascinating at first but was disappointed by its "limp conclusion."

Edge of Darkness
Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) directed this remake of the British television thriller in which a Boston detective (Mel Gibson) tries to avenge the murder of his daughter on his doorstep. Along the way he uncovers a deeply-layered conspiracy involving nuclear weapons and crooked military contractors. We liked Gibson's "thought, intense, aggressive" performance, which helped jazz up this piece of "fine, if flawed, mainstream entertainment."

If Hollywood is right (and really, when isn't it?), an alien invasion is right around the corner. Tomorrow or the day after, we're all going to be killed or enslaved by slimy, malevolent overlords. If you expect Barack Obama to retaliate, forget it. He can't help you. Ditto Nicolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin, or Wen Jiabao. No: if mankind's going to fight off the alien invasion, we'll need an action star. In reverse order, here's who we'd prefer.

10. Shep Ramsey (Hulk Hogan), Suburban Commando
For starters, being massive and muscle-bound would be a huge advantage in repelling the incoming aliens. Moreover, you can't put a price on experience, and Ramsey is actually an intergalactic warrior, so he's likely had a past encounter with whichever alien race is invading. For instance, he kills his nemesis, a giant reptilian alien bent on destruction. He's got the rest of the prerequisites for fighting off extraterrestrials, including advanced space gadgets and a cool costume.

9. Zane Zaminski (Charlie Sheen), The Arrival
If you're skeptical that a guy played by Sheen could be man's defender, then you likely missed The Arrival and the crafty Zane. In this lesser-known flick, Zane proves himself a true asset in any deadly scenario that arises. First off, he doesn't fall into the trap of refusing to believe there are aliens. That's a huge head start for successfully defeating the creatures. Second, he proves resourceful, open-minded, and even sports a cool goatee that propels him to number nine.

You've got to hand it to Stallone. While he's no Robert De Niro, he's created a boxer more famous than any but Muhammad Ali. He also stars in the ultimate Vietnam revenge fantasy, Rambo, and almost makes arm wrestling cool in Over the Top. Oh, and that's before you get to the fact that he's arguably the greatest action star of all time. During the eighties and early nineties, Stallone perfected the art of looking cool, showing off the guns, and blowing up stuff, all while delivering a clever quip. But which of these numerous movies is his greatest? Here's the countdown.

10. Assassins
Stallone stars as a contract killer who wants to settle down to whatever sort of quiet life a retired assassin has. Unfortunately, there's mischief afoot, and he ends up with upstart hit man Antonio Banderas hot on his heels. There's an incredible amount of violence here -- which the director reportedly requested to be toned down -- and not a lot of plot. Nevertheless, the showdowns between Stallone and Banderas are enough to sneak this one into the top ten, in the final slot.

9. Judge Dredd
In this sci-fi pic, Stallone stars in the title role, with the word "judge" meaning tough dude with a cool visor and a license to kill. When Stallone's framed for a murder committed by the chief justice (think the president with a futuristic gun), he has to fight his way back from a hellish prison and prove his innocence. As expected, this results in a lot of killing and Stallone doing cool Stallone things. Unfortunately the movie feels very nineties, so it can't climb higher than number nine.

Unless you're a nature nut like Bear Grylls, it's probably best that you leave undomesticated animals alone. Poor Brendan Fraser must not have received the memo, which explains why the Furry Vengeance star swings with monkeys as George of the Jungle and dodges prehistoric creatures while on a Journey to the Center of Earth. Luckily, he's in good company: here are ten iconic comedies that milked laughs out of madcap battles between man and beast. Consider their stars' antics examples of what not to do on your next camping trip.

10. Tommy Boy: Chris Farley and David Spade vs. A Deer
Moving a dead deer to the side of the road is humane. Transporting the deer in the backseat of your car is moronic, especially if you've neglected to check if the animal is, you know, dead. Holy schnike! It takes a lot to steal a scene away from Farley. But the deer who demolishes Spade's automobile definitely gets the biggest laugh in this animal encounter.

9. The Great Outdoors: John Candy vs. A Bear
Can an animal hold a grudge? Candy sure thinks so, which is why he's convinced the bear he accidentally scalped while camping on his honeymoon is stalking him. Too bad the scene where the grizzly eventually crams Candy underneath a screen door like a traveler trying to shut an overstuffed suitcase is really the only reason to check out this movie.

Americans have short memories. The fact that "What have you done for me lately?" is even a catchphrase proves as much. So no one should be surprised when a movie like the now-forgotten Box tanks quickly, even when it's on the heels of an award-winning flick like Frost/Nixon, as it was for its star, Frank Langella. American audiences love to give the cold shoulder. Who's gotten it worst?

Anthony Hopkins
Hopkins is nothing if not dignified, even in The Silence of the Lambs. Of course, immediately after this awe-inspiring role, he did something completely undignified: co-starring with Mick Jagger in Freejack, a silly movie that involves time-travel and stealing people's bodies. Though the plot speaks for itself, you would think fans would've given it a shot, since it came a year after Hopkins's career-defining performance. Nope: Freejack never got past number four at the box office.

Burt Reynolds
Remember Reynolds's glorious comeback from obscurity? No? Well, over a decade ago, the aging sex symbol emerged from post-Evening Shade obscurity with an Oscar-nominated performance in Boogie Nights. Perhaps the reason you can't recall it is that the actor followed that pic with Big City Blues, a movie so obscure it's unclear if anyone uninvolved with its production knows it exists. The lesson? Make one mistake, and it's back on the shelf for you.