How the heck did Hurt Locker win compared to the amazing Avatar film?

Avatar was like Dances With Wolves meets Ferngully. Nothing new there. Hurt Locker was, at least in part, based on true accounts by someone who lived it. Sometimes reality isn't entertaining, and special effects should not be the reason a film wins. Roger Ebert said this was the easiest year when it came to predicting winners, and I'm pretty sure he got most of them right. I guess when you're in the business that long, you know how they think/vote.