I thought about asking my little sister to predict the Oscars this year, for a change. Then I realized that with no Peter Jackson, George Clooney or Johnny Depp involved, she might not have many opinions. If you want a good Oscar experience with my sister, call her up during the ceremony and get her to dish on everyone's hair and outfits. But my little brother Stephen (who is 24 and taller than me, so I ought not to call him "little" anymore) is a true film geek. He lives in the New Orleans area, and it was difficult to track him down during this week's Mardi Gras festivities, but he couldn't wait to share his Oscar thoughts. Last year, my fanboy brother's Academy Award predictions weren't all that accurate, but you'd be hard pressed to find any more entertaining -- who else would lament the omission of Rachel McAdams and Mickey Rourke from the nominations?

I'm also tempted to remind him of his summer prediction that Invincible would suck, considering that he now owns the DVD and admits to having just watched the movie again. I'm pretty sure he revised his optimistic opinion on Superman Returns, too, as you might notice in the following list. As with last year's predictions, Stephen not only picked winners from the official nominations, but offered his opinions on what the real winners should have been. Some of his preferences seem to match my own Top Ten 2006 Films list, but I assure you I didn't influence him and was surprised to learn that we agreed on the best film of the year. The comments in brackets are mine; everything else is from my brother.

The main awards for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival will be given out tonight during a ceremony at the Berlinale Palast. I will attempt to watch the ceremony on television here (sorting through the language barrier) and let you know who won as soon as possible. In the meantime, here are my picks to win the major awards, as well as who I think should win:

Golden Bear: Audience favs were Irina Palm and Hallam Foe, so I would not be surprised if one of those two films took home the prize. Press I've spoken with fell in love with Yella, and The Counterfeiters slid its way into many conversations toward the latter part of the week. Lost in Beijing would be the surprise underdog win, but don't count out I Served the King of England which also picked up steam in these last few days. Pick to win: Irina Palm. Who should win: Yella

Best Director: Though, overall, it wasn't a dazzling year for films in competition, the one thing they all shared was some fabulous directing. However, we're in Germany, and since I do not think Yella will win the Golden Bear, director Christian Petzold will most likely be given a best director award instead. Pick to win: Christian Petzold. Who should win: Christian Petzold.

Best Actress: By far, this is the toughest category to sort through, as there are plenty of top-notch performances to choose from. The way I see it, this category comes down to four women: Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose), Marianne Faithfull (Irina Palm), Ramola Garai (Angel) and Fan Bingbing (Lost in Beijing). Cotillard was the early favorite, but Faithfull's performance in Irina Palm as the widowed grandmother working in a sex shop took center stage once that film premiered. Still, there's no denying Cotillard is the true winner here ... even if it does feel like La Vie en rose first screened for press decades ago. Pick to win: Marion Cotillard. Who should win: Marion Cotillard.

Best Actor: A harder category to pick; no real stand-out performances could be found (by me, at least) this year. Lots were raving over young Jamie Bell's extremely Sundance-ish role in Hallam Foe, though I personally was blown away by the performances from both male leads (Tony Dawei, Tony Leung) in Lost in Beijing. Pick to win: Jamie Bell. Who should win: Tony Dawei.

Summer movie predictions are everywhere. Some are contradictory, some don't make sense, some make me want to limit my summer movie viewing to arthouse theaters. I decided to turn to my most reliable source for the scoop on the best summer blockbusters: my 23-year-old fanboy brother Stephen. He may not have accurately predicted many Oscar winners, but he has a good eye for picking the best  summer movies. So I called him up and after we discussed our recent weird and obscure DVD viewings (me: My Bodyguard; him: 7 Faces of Dr. Lao), I asked him some questions about his thoughts on big goofy summertime movie releases.

Which films are you most looking forward to seeing this summer?

• A Scanner Darkly -- "I'm not too wild about Keanu Reeves playing another Matrix-esque role, but Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson could entertain me playing with a cardboard box."