My Oscar Predictions & Wishful Winners

At approximately 6am west coast time, the nominees for the 2011 Academy awards were announced.  Unfortunately I still haven't seen 127 Hours, but I did get the chance to finally view The King's SpeechSo here are my predictions and who I think should win the 6 main catagories.

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES:
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

WHO SHOULD WIN: Winter's Bone-After careful debate between Winter's Bone and Inception, I've come to the conclusion that there was no film that stood out more for me this past year then Winter's Bone.  I'm really excited to see the Academy give it a nomination, and in a perfect world Winter's Bone would pull the upset of 2010.

WHO WILL WIN: The Social Network-Although personally this movie is not in my top 5 for 2010 (that list is coming real soon I promise) I honestly can't see any film knocking this critical darling off the top spot for Best Picture.

(And on a side note, I personally think that The Fighter receiving a Best Picture Nomination over The Town was the wrong choice, but overall the Academy picked the best of 2010)


BEST ACTOR NOMINEES:
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

When it comes to the Best Actor Nominees, my disappointment lies is in not seeing Robert Duvall nominated for his wonderful performance in Get Low; it appears that Javier Bardem beat him out for the last nomination spot. 

WHO SHOULD WIN: Colin Firth-His performance in The King's Speech is what makes the film the 12 Oscar nomination giant that it is. 

WHO WILL WIN: Colin Firth-This has been an outstanding two year run for Mr. Firth, first barely missing out on last year's Best Actor award for his stellar performance in A Single Man, and now being the front runner for this year's honor.  After last year's close call, I believe that Firth will walk away with the gold statue this time.

BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES:
Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Jennifer Lawrence-This is certainly not an indictment on Portman's performance (she was outstanding as well), but I feel Lawrence's portrayal of a teenager trying to track her delinquent father or lose the family home is the performance of a lifetime. 

WHO WILL WIN: Natalie Portman-As some of you may know, I am a huge fan of Natalie Portman, and her performance in Black Swan makes 2010 her year for the Oscar.

BEST 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)

I personally think that Sam Rockwell's performance in the crime drama Conviction was worthy of a Supporting Actor nomination.  Unfortunately I think the lack of box office success cost him in the end.

WHO SHOULD WIN: John Hawkes-I was extremely excited to see the Academy give a nomination to John Hawkes for his role in Winter's Bone.  Hawkes' chilling performance is easily the most deserving of the Oscar, but unfortunately I can't see the Academy agreeing with me.  Maybe I'll be surprised.

WHO WILL WIN: Christian Bale-If you've read my review on The Fighter, you already know my feelings on Christian Bale's performance.  Christian Bale has had many outstanding performances over the last decade, but for this role to be the one that wins him the Oscar is disappointing and just plain wrong. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Hailee Steinfeld-Of these five nominees, Steinfeld's break through performance in True Grit is by far the most deserving in my eyes.  What adds even more to its greatness is when you consider this was Steinfeld's first major movie role.  However I don't see the Academy awarding a 14-year-old one of the most prized honors in the business.  Perhaps I'll be pleasantly wrong.

WHO WILL WIN: Melissa Leo-I REALLY hope I'm wrong here, but after her victory at the Golden Globes, I see the Academy following suite and awarding Leo the Oscar.

BEST DIRECTOR:
Darren Aronofsky-Black Swan
David O. Russell-The Fighter
Tom Hooper-The King's Speech
David Fincher-The Social Network
Joel & Ethan Coen-True Grit

WHO SHOULD WIN: Christopher Nolan-The fact that The Fighter's David O. Russell got the nomination over Inception's Christopher Nolan is the biggest joke of this years Oscar nominations.  Christopher Nolan created one of the most original and entertaining Sci-Fi thrillers in decades.  I believe he's the most deserving the Best Director Oscar and it's a travesty that he didn't even get nominated.

WHO WILL WIN: David Fincher-This is definitely the year of The Social Network, and after an already stellar directing career (Fight Club, Seven, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zodiac) I see the Academy using this opportunity to give Fincher the award he's deserved for quite some time.

Two Redbox Rental Options:

The Other Guys (2010): Starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, this buddy-cop action comedy was a mixed bag of laughs and moments that kind of fizzled.  Playing socially inept detective Allen Gamble, Will Ferrell gives his customary silly and bizarrely ludicrous performance that has its moments of genius, while other times feels old and a bit played out.  Wahlberg gives a mildly entertaining performance, especially during his scenes with Eva Mendes, who plays Ferrell’s wife Sheila.  In a year where Wahlberg had two films released, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this performance more than the one he gave in the wildly overhyped The Fighter.  Overall, The Other Guys is a decently funny action comedy that is worth the rental fee if you keep your expectations low.  (** ½ Stars)

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2010):  this is second film in the Stieg Larsson Swedish Millennium Trilogy series.  The story follows Lisbeth Salander as she tries to prove her innocence of charges that she murdered a journalist and his girlfriend along with her guardian.  Whereas The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was able to use and tie together so many storylines to perfection, Played with Fire instead felt incomplete and confusing at times.  While moderately suspenseful and entertaining, when looked at in comparison to the previous film, The Girl Who Played with Fire unfortunately did not live up the greatness of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  (** ½ Stars)

True Grit: A Straight Forward Enjoyable Western

With so many of the better films being released later and later in the year because of Oscar hopes, it has become a frustrating waiting game to see when I can finally view these supposed great movies and also caused an unfortunate delay in my Top 10 films of the 2010 list.  Over the holiday season, I did get the chance to watch True Grit, which is a re-make of the 1969 Western that brought John Wayne his only Academy Award.

True Grit (2010):  Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit is the new Western film from the famed Coen Brothers.  When local law enforcement shows little interest in tracking down Tom Chaney (Brolin), Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) hires the talented yet ornery Deputy U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to track down her father’s killer.  Some unexpected help is also given by Texas Ranger la Boeuf (Damon), who is also attempting to capture Chaney for another murder he committed in Texas.  Traveling through the Choctaw terrain, the three try to find Chaney before his trail runs cold and he escapes the hand of the law.

While nothing in this film really stands out to warrant calling it a new Western classic, True Grit is still a solid effort with noteworthy individual performances and striking cinematography.  Jeff Bridges is at the top of his game, adding an unexpected subtle humor to his rugged portrayal of Rooster Cogburn.  However, it’s Hailee Steinfeld that stands out the most in this film.  This extremely talented 14-year-old gives a surprisingly mature and versed performance, especially considering this is her first role in a major feature film.  With the Oscar nominations being announced on January 25^th, I believe Steinfeld deserves a nomination for her compelling performance.  Overall, the Coens have created a skillfully entertaining Western.  True Grit is one of the better films of 2010 and definitely worth viewing. (*** Stars)