In the first of multi-part series, Academy voter and Pajamas Media co-founder Roger L. Simon "talks out of school" about which films he's voting for in the Academy Awards next year.

Roger's not too fond of summertime hit Batman Begins; in contrast, we found the film to be a worthy restart of the long-running Warners franchise.

I still think the real question though, is whether the Academy Awards can improve its ratings next year. I wouldn't bet on it--as Mark Steyn noted last year during the elections when a Hollywood fundraiser for Senator Kerry went awry, "Having the most popular figures in popular culture on your side can seriously damage your popularity".