My 2011 Oscar Picks

It is once again Oscar season, and once again it’s depressing to read because its another year that I have not sold a screenplay or made an actual movie. Depressingness aside, the Oscar nominees are out and there are very few surprises. Once again, another period flick claims the most nominations (Shakespeare in Love will never be forgiven for winning Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan) while critic favorite Social Network nabbed 8 nominations. In this entry, I am going to make my predictions, and also state whom I think deserves the award the most.
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((())): My prediction as to who shall win
[]: Who I think deserves it the most
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Best Picture:



127 Hours (2010): Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, John Smithson
Black Swan (2010): Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin
The Fighter (2010): David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Mark Wahlberg
Inception (2010): Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas
The Kids Are All Right (2010): Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray
The King's Speech (2010): Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin
(((The Social Network (2010): Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Ceán Chaffin)))
[Toy Story 3 (2010): Darla K. Anderson]
True Grit (2010): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
Winter's Bone (2010): Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan

I am going to admit that last year I did essentially the same thing, picking a Pixar flick to win Best Picture. That being said, if the Social Network wins, I will not be totally upset. But THAT being said, if there is a company that deserves a Best Picture addition to its resume, its Pixar. Three years they had the top movie of the year and did not walk away with the Best Picture award: Toy Story 2 back in 1999, Finding Nemo back in 2003, and Up last year (Although I admit Up was in a much weaker crop of movies). And now we have Toy Story 3, a great movie embedded in the roots of Pixar, since this is the ending to the trilogy of the franchise that jump-started computer animation. This should be its year. But, The Social Network will win because Fincher deserves it, the movie is a great film overall, and because it speaks layers about contemporary society. Fincher’s best work, Fight Club, did the same thing, but anarchy is not exactly loved in the world of the Academys.

Best Actor:


Javier Bardem for Biutiful (2010)
Jeff Bridges for True Grit (2010)
((([Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network (2010)])))
Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010)
James Franco for 127 Hours (2010)

I was torn between Eisenberg and Franco, but I will give it to Eisenberg because his plea for sympathy is the harshest and toughest, since the main character is a mix of cold, anti-social, and very self-absorbed. It is always to portray someone to root for—not so easy portraying someone impossible to like.

Best Actress:


Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole (2010)
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone (2010)
((([Natalie Portman for Black Swan (2010)])))
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine (2010)

I am a fan of out-of-the-ordinary performances. And let me tell you, Portman definitely deserves top prize for doing such a tough role.

Best Supporting Actor:



[Christian Bale for The Fighter (2010)]
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone (2010)
Jeremy Renner for The Town (2010)
(((Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right (2010))))
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech (2010)

Bale does not do a great Batman, but his career deserves an Oscar. Here’s to hoping its his year.

Best Supporting Actress:



Amy Adams for The Fighter (2010)
((([Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech (2010)])))
Melissa Leo for The Fighter (2010)
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit (2010)
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom (2010)

Bonham Carter is one of the most underrated actresses this side of the planet. She was great in Fight Club, great in Alice in Wonderland, amazing in Sweeny Todd, and nothing short of superb in all the Harry Potter films. It is about time she gets some recognition.

Best Director:



Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan (2010)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for True Grit (2010)
[(((David Fincher for The Social Network (2010))))]
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech (2010)
David O. Russell for The Fighter (2010)

Fincher is one of the few that can enhance movies with bad writing (Alien 3, Panic Room, Zodiac) and its about time he gets his recognition after not even getting a mention after the crazy-insane-perfectly-directed Fight Club. If anybody else wins this award, I will be very disappointed. P.S.: no Best Director for Nolan? Now Inception has NO chance of winning it all.

Best Original Screenplay:



Another Year (2010): Mike Leigh
The Fighter (2010): Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington
Inception (2010): Christopher Nolan
((([The Kids Are All Right (2010): Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg])))
The King's Speech (2010): David Seidler

The only reason Inception is not getting a nod from me is because of the way it ended. In a very cop-out fashion, Inception was left open for interpretation. That does not make it a complete script, and therefore, I am not rooting for its win.

Best Adapted Screenplay:



127 Hours (2010): Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
((([The Social Network (2010): Aaron Sorkin])))
Toy Story 3 (2010): Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
True Grit (2010): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone (2010): Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini

The Social Network has one of the best scripts in recent years, and is the clear frontrunner for this prize. The only one that comes even close is Toy Story 3 and its very deep script full of themes about loving, and losing what/who you love.

Best Animated Movie:



How to Train Your Dragon (2010): Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
The Illusionist (2010): Sylvain Chomet
((([Toy Story 3 (2010): Lee Unkrich])))

This is a no-brainer, six ways to Sunday.

Best Foreign Language Film:



((([Biutiful (2010): Alejandro González Iñárritu(Mexico)])))
Dogtooth (2009): Giorgos Lanthimos(Greece)
In a Better World (2010): Susanne Bier(Denmark)
Incendies (2010): Denis Villeneuve(Canada)
Outside the Law (2010): Rachid Bouchareb(Algeria)

Yes.

Best Cinematography:



Black Swan (2010): Matthew Libatique
[(((Inception (2010): Wally Pfister)))]
The King's Speech (2010): Danny Cohen
The Social Network (2010): Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit (2010): Roger Deakins

Inception was all over the world in terms of setting, and with such complex action sequences to boot. Social Network was the better film, but Cronenweth had a much easier time shooting the film when compared to Pfister.

Best Editing:



(((127 Hours (2010): Jon Harris)))
[Black Swan (2010): Andrew Weisblum]
The Fighter (2010): Pamela Martin
The King's Speech (2010): Tariq Anwar
The Social Network (2010): Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

I am extremely, utterly, and dumbfoundedly shocked that Inception was not nominated. In the climax, there were literally four different sequences happening at the exact same time. What the *(&@&(*#!!!?? I am going to give my pick to Black Sawn, although I have a feeling 127 Hours will fit the bill. But, really, no Inception here?!?!?

Best Art Direction:



Alice in Wonderland (2010): Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara
[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010): Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan]
Inception (2010): Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas A. Mowat
(((The King's Speech (2010): Eve Stewart, Judy Farr)))
True Grit (2010): Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

The one with the most potential was Alice, but Burton and company really disappointed me. The 50s Disney version had a much better art design and style, and they had a fraction of the budget Burton had. Yuck. This list of nominations is rather unsettling because none of them really have the artsy look with the exception of Harry Potter. So while I think The King’s Speech will win, Harry Potter deserves this Oscar the most.

Best Costume:



[Alice in Wonderland (2010): Colleen Atwood]
I Am Love (2009): Antonella Cannarozzi
(((The King's Speech (2010): Jenny Beavan)))
The Tempest (2010/II): Sandy Powell
True Grit (2010): Mary Zophres

Fact: the Academys loves the costumes of the higher-class…past and present. The last four years: The Young Victoria, The Duchess, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Marie Antoinette. Need any more proof?

Best Makeup:



Barney's Version (2010): Adrien Morot
The Way Back (2010): Edouard F. Henriques, Greg Funk, Yolanda Toussieng
((([The Wolfman (2010): Rick Baker, Dave Elsey])))

Not a lot of competition here, eh?

Best Original Music:


127 Hours (2010): A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon (2010): John Powell
((([Inception (2010): Hans Zimmer])))
The King's Speech (2010): Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network (2010): Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

If you remember correctly, it was the epic soundtrack to the trailer that began the hype and anticipation for this movie. Inception is leagues ahead everyone else in terms of music. Zimmer definitely deserves his Oscar here.

Best Original Song:


127 Hours (2010): A.R. Rahman, Rollo Armstrong, Dido("If I Rise")
Country Strong (2010): Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges("Coming Home")
Tangled (2010): Alan Menken, Glenn Slater("I See the Light")
((([Toy Story 3 (2010): Randy Newman("We Belong Together")])))

Newman’s soundtrack was anything but original, but this song wraps up the memorable trilogy in a nice package. Toy Story 3 should win this award here, even if it won’t take the top prize.

Best Sound Mixing:



((([Inception (2010): Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick])))
The King's Speech (2010): Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, John Midgley
Salt (2010): Jeffrey J. Haboush, William Sarokin, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell
The Social Network (2010): Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Mark Weingarten
True Grit (2010): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland

Inception was a technical marvel and should walk away with all the technical awards. This has potential of earning the most Oscars without actually winning Best Picture since the 70s.

Best Sound Editing:



[(((Inception (2010): Richard King)))]
Toy Story 3 (2010): Tom Myers, Michael Silvers
TRON: Legacy (2010): Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Addison Teague
True Grit (2010): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey
Unstoppable (2010): Mark P. Stoeckinger

See previous entry.

Best Visual Effects:


Alice in Wonderland (2010): Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas, Sean Phillips
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010): Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz, Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter (2010): Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky, Joe Farrell
[(((Inception (2010): Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin)))]
Iron Man 2 (2010): Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright, Daniel Sudick

I am appalled that Tron didn’t get the nomination but Iron Man 2 did. Inception should win this. P.S.: I am sure the young version of Jeff Bridges killed Tron’s chances, because it was a very visually stimulating film.

Let’s rack up the numbers:
The Social Network: 4 wins
Inception: 5 wins
Toy Story 3: 2 wins
The Kids are All Right: 2 wins
The King’s Speech: 3 wins



Bottom Line: So while Inception I predict will win the most Oscars, it won’t take any of the major-major prizes, leaving Social Network to reign it all. We will not have one movie running away with all the awards, so it gives many movies a chance for some temporary Oscar fame. If you think my picks are dead-on, say so. Otherwise, say-so as well. I am open to all discussions.