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It appears that the Oscar race has come down to a battle between Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/26/review-the-hurt-locker/)) and James Cameron (Avatar](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/11/avatar-review/)). (Jason Reitman and Up in the Air](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/03/review-up-in-the-air/) are running a close third.) Many people have pointed out that Bigelow and Cameron were once married, for about two years, between 1989 and 1991, so it has become a battle of the sexes as well as a battle of the exes. It might be revealing, then, to revisit their one cinematic collaboration, Strange Days](Strange Days (1995) - Movie | Moviefone) (1995). Cameron is credited as the writer of the original story and co-authored the screenplay with former film critic Jay Cocks, while Bigelow directed. It was an expensive film, with a budget of around $42 million, and a flop, with a U.S. gross of only about $7 million. The few people who praised the film found it to be technically and visually dazzling, though most complained that it was empty and/or conventional.