BEST PICTURE
- The Social Network (tie)
- The King's Speech (tie)
- Black Swan
- Winter's Bone
- The Town
- The Fighter
- True Grit
- Inception
- Toy Story 3
- The Kids Are All Right
There's no surprises there. Everyone is predicting these 10 films to fill this category. I've been a big fan of The Social Network from the beginning, and while I think it has an excellent chance of topping this category, it has one big hurdle to overcome: The King's Speech. Wow. Colin Firth's take on King George VI's "stammer" is a brilliant film. I'm having a hard time deciding which is the better film. The Social Network is fresh, and relevant, and may win over the voters based on that alone. The King's Speech on the other hand is Oscar bait. They tend to love stories of adversity, and period pieces. This is both. For now, I'm calling a tie on this one. It's just too close to call.
Black Swan, Inception, and The Winter's Bone turned us on our heads with psychology and trauma. You may not have walked away feeling happy about what you had just seen, but the images were burned into your brain. True Grit has developed a fan base of younger viewers with no knowledge of the John Wayne classic, and older viewers who wanted to see Jeff Bridges take on Rooster Cogburn. While the newer version was great, and will probably make it into the best picture category, I only include it, because it's a sure thing. I don't particularly think it deserves to be there. There were other films that deserved it more, like Conviction, or 127 Hours. Sadly, I don't think they will make the cut when the nominations are announced.
The Town and The Fighter were both great movies based in Massachusetts. One's a true story, the other's a fiction tale based on facts about the neighborhood it's filmed in. Both are deserving of nominations, and both will likely have nominations for best direct, and best supporting actor. The Kids Are All Right is getting a lot of buzz, and will fit nicely into the expanded 10 film Best Picture category. It's got a lot of heart, and some truly great performances.
Rounding out the list is Toy Story 3, which was the biggest cash cow of any of the films released in 2010 (Avatar was released in December 2009) , and earned it's spot on the list. While it's a shoe in for Best Animated Film, it will likely get a Best Picture nomination, because it's just a wonderful movie. Everyone loved it.
The next category I want to talk about is Best Actor/Best Actress. I had a few favorites this year, and I have a feeling that most will agree.
BEST ACTOR
- Colin Firth, The King's Speech
- Jesse Eisenberg , The Social Network
- James Franco, 127 Hours
- Jeff Bridges, True Grit
- Sam Rockwell, Conviction
I was completely on board with James Franco winning this, until I saw Colin Firth's performance. I can't imagine anyone else winning this now, even though Franco was brilliant.
BEST ACTRESS
- Natalie Portman, Black Swan
- Jennifer Lawrence, The Winter's Bone
- Anne Hathawy, Love And Other Drugs
- Hilary Swank, Conviction
- Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
For mean, this category was weeker than previous years. While Natalie Portman was outstanding, and will probably walk away with this award, newcomer Jennifer Lawrence is equally deserving.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Christian Bale, The Fighter
- Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
- Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
- Jeremy Renner, The Town
- Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
While my pick is hands down Christian Bale, this is the category to watch this year, as all potential nominees where fantastic!!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Melissa Leo, The Fighter
- Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
- Mila Kunis, Black Swan
- Helena Bohnam Carter, The King's Speech
- Amy Adams, The Fighter
I watched True Grit and The Fighter back to back, so for me it's hard to pick a clear winner between first time actress Hailee Steinfeld, and veteran Melissa Leo. Since it's rare for a newcomer to get the big award their first time out, I'm gonna go with Leo.
BEST DIRECTOR
- David Fincher, The Social Network
- Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
- Christopher Nolan, Inception
- David O'Russell, The Fighter
- Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
This is another great category, with some truly amazing work done behind the scenes. I have to go with Fincher here, because he crafted a film that everyone can enjoy, whether you're a Facebook user, or not.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
- Toy Story 3
- How To Train Your Dragon
- Tangled
There's no reason to really discuss this. I can't see another film winning.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- Exit Through The Gift Shop
- Catfish
- Restrepo
- Waiting For Superman (I haven't watched this yet, but have heard good things)
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