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| via CBSnews.com |
-- "Black Swan,"
-- "The Fighter"
-- "Inception"
-- "The Kids Are All Right"
-- "The King's Speech"
-- "127 Hours"
-- "The Social Network"
-- "Toy Story 3"
-- "True Grit"
-- "Winter's Bone"
My Pick: 127 Hours. To me this film packed more of a punch, emotionally and visually, than any other film this year. The journey that Boyle and Franco take us on, as the viewer, is simply incredible. The sheer magnitude of what the film offers is unmatched by its competition. As one of my favorite critics, Emmanuel Levy, wrote, this is "a uniquely cinematic work, which is viscerally, emotionally, and intellectually satisfying." It baffles me that this film isn't really in the running for the top prize.
Will Win: The Kings Speech. I'm not sure how the Weinsteins did it, but they managed to overtake the early favorite, The Social Network, and with this congenial, if somewhat uninspired, British feature.
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| via cbsnews.com |
-- Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
-- Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
-- Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
-- Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
-- James Franco, "127 Hours"
My Pick: James Franco. I hate to sound like a broken record but I can't help but feel that James Franco gave the most commanding performance this year. Though front runner Colin Firth, gave us excellent portrait of struggling leader, I was more impressed with the way in which Franco, limited to essentially one location, one costume, ect. was able to to convey such a wide range of emotions. Unlike Colin Firth, who had the superb support of Geoffrey Rush, Franco had to carry his entire film, and he did so with an understated power that is at once believable and moving.
Will Win: Colin Firth. There is no doubt that Colin Firth has this award locked down.Good for him, he's a tremendous talent and his role was expertly portrayed.
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| via greencelebrity.com |
-- Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
-- Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
-- Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
-- Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
-- Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"
My Pick/Will Win: Natalie Portman. That's right, for once my opinions are going to match the victor in a category. Though Michelle Williams gave a raw and powerful performance in Blue Valentine, Natalie Portman's role in Black Swan manages to rise above the competition. There isn't a moment in Black Swan, where Portman isn't engaging and interesting to watch. Whats more, she's able to elevate what should be just a simple horror movie, into a psychological character study. It's quite impressive and she deserves all the awards that are heading her way.
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| via cbsnews.com |
Supporting Actor
-- Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
-- John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"
-- Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
-- Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"
-- Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"
My Pick/Will Win: Christian Bale. This category may contain the most performances of worthy of recognition this year. Geoffrey Rush was an absolute delight to watch in the Kings Speech and Jeremy Renner owned The Town so much, that I found myself wishing the movie had followed his engaging character. With that said the best supporting performance by a male actor has to go to Christian Bale in The Fighter. Though one might be quick to deride this pick as another case of an actor getting praise for changing their appearance, that is simply not the case. Though Bale's physical transformation was incredible, what was even more exciting was the way in which he embodied his character so fully. Bale brought brought heart, humor, and pathos to his film and in the process will earn himself his first Oscar.
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| via cbsnews.com |
-- Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
-- Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
-- Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
-- Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
-- Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"
My Pick: Hailee Steinfeld. This category was another really tough one to choose between. Both Amy Adams and Melissa Leo gave outstanding performances in The Fighter, but at the end of the night I have to go with the newcomer. Her character in the Coen brother's True Grit was exceptional, portraying equal parts strength and wit. Audiences came in looking forward to Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, but left talking about how Steinfeld stole the movie.
Will Win: Melissa Leo. Opinion on whose going to win this category is decidedly mixed. It seemed for quite awhile that Melissa Leo was going to win this contest. But then she created a little Oscar baiting scandal by releasing distasteful ads for her nomination (see more here). So now there's talk that Steinfeld may pull it out (which I would love to see). But alas my money is still on Leo.
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| via chinadaily.com |
Director
-- Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
-- David O. Russell, "The Fighter"
-- Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
-- David Fincher, "The Social Network"
-- Joel and Ethan Coen, "True Grit"
My Pick: Joel and Ethan Coen. Alright, I know this isn't the trendy pick, but I loved the Coen Brothers' direction in True Grit. The way they referenced the classic westerns of yesterday while imbuing them with just a hint of modern day narcissism was fantastic. To me this film, due to the Coens' direction, kept a steady tone that was refreshingly old-school and extremely entertaining. Forget the critics, this was the best directed of these movies. (That's right I think Danny Boyle had the best directed film this year, but sadly I'm just one man)
Will Win: Tom Hooper. Its a two horse race and I think Tom Hooper comes out on top this year Then again maybe Fincher makes it a split ticket, with his critical darling of a film. This one is too close to tell for sure, but I'm not gonna bet against Harvey Weinstein.
Alright gang, that's it for my pre-ceremony Oscar coverage, enjoy the show!
Dan
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