Coming in to this year's Academy Awards, it's the first time that I can say I have actually seen almost all of the films which will be nominated, as well as their respected actors. So without much further ado, here are my quick predictions for the main categories at this years Oscars.
Best Supporting Actress
1. Amy Adams - The Fighter: Adams isn't new to the Oscar buzz, having received much acclaim for her appearances in Julie and Julia as well as Doubt. She once again did an amazing job as a bartender from Lowell who was there to support Micky Ward when the going got tough. Adams is a lock to be nominated and could be the fore runner for the Oscar.
2. Melissa Leo - The Fighter: I know, two actresses from the same movie? Well believe it or not, Leo may have been the best actor on the screen, and that includes a thrilling performance delivered by Christian Bale. Leo is still widely unknown, which is one of the biggest reasons her name hasn't received more buzz than it should be. At least that was until she took the award at the Golden Globes a couple of weeks ago. Don't be surprising if Leo is able to sneak in and take this one too.
3. Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech: Unfortunately I haven't seen this movie so I can't give much input on the performance. From what I know of Carter, she tends to really immerse herself in her roles, and from what I hear, she does just that as Queen Elizabeth in this film.
Final Words: It won't be surprising to see Mila Kunis in the top five this year, although I felt her performance in Black Swan wasn't anything amazing. All in all, I think Melissa Leo takes home another statue at the end of the night.
Best Supporting Actor
1. Christian Bale - The Fighter: If you've seen the movie, then you know he has this award already won. If you haven't seen the movie, then get up off your ass and go see it. Bale is not only good in this movie, he is damn great. It's interesting to see that this year's performances were once again dominated by the best supporting actor, following a year in which Heath Ledger blew everybody away with his portrayal of The Joker. This year, Ledger's co-star is primed the take the award.
2. Andrew Garfield - The Social Network: I loved Garfield in this movie as Eduardo Saverin. He has a tremendous second half performance in the film and play his role perfectly as a trusting friend who was betrayed and stabbed in the back. While impressive, Garfield still needs a year or so to increase his fan base. That shouldn't be too hard considering he's the new Spider-Man. Yup, look it up. (Here ==> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/)
3. Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right: This was truly one of those movies that almost anyone can watch and enjoy. I don't want to get too much into it, but basically Ruffalo finds out he is the father of two children who were born via sperm donation many years back. Ruffalo begins meeting with the children and their parents, having quite a dramatic impact on all of their lives. I really liked Ruffalo in Shutter Island as well, and if it weren't for Bale's outstanding performance, I think Ruffalo would be a favorite for this one.
Final Words: Although Jeremy Renner was great in the Town, I just don't think it was enough. He was great last year in Hurt Locker as well, but up against some of this year's actors, Renner's performance doesn't stand out as much. Christian Bale is a lock for this award.
Best Actress
1. Natalie Portman - Black Swan: It was recently pointed out to me that this movie is essentially the female version of The Wrestler. Taking into account that both were directed by Darren Aronofsky, it's pretty understandable. Either way, both were tremendous films and Portman was nothing short of exceptional. I would honestly be shocked if she didn't win this award, as her showcase as a determined young ballerina thriving to achieve perfection had us on the edge of our seats as we witnessed the trials and hardships which drove her close to insanity. Great movie and an amazing performance.
2. Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right: As the mother in this film, Bening showed the hard stern side which parents must have in order to maintain a household, while also revealing to us her pained emotional side which was ever seeking any sort of emotional response from her family. Along with a solid cast of Ruffalo and Julianne Moore, Bening delivered a memorable performance and is definitely close to the top for this award.
3. Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit: While I wasn't a fan of True Grit itself, Steinfeld was very impressive. I admit the movie was good, but for all the reviews and talk that it received, it was absolutely nothing special. Steinfeld on the other hand gave a very memorable performance as a quick-talking, young hustler on the trail of her father's killer. Although she spent most of her time on screen alongside the likes of Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, Steinfeld easily outperformed her fellow actors. While she may not win the award, expect to see her around much more.
Finals Words: Apparently Nicole Kidman is also a potential nominee for her movie Rabbit Hole which I did not see. My final vote is for Portman, who I honestly thought was amazing in Black Swan.
Best Actor
1. Colin Firth - The King's Speech: Like I said earlier, I haven't seen the movie so unfortunately can't comment much on the performance. Considering Firth walked home with the Golden Globe, I will consider him the front runner.
2. Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network: Eisenberg shined in this film as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, currently the youngest billionaire in the world. Eisenberg wowed audiences with his vast vocabulary of degrading terminology, while concealing his inner loneliness and longing for acceptance. (While it is unknown if this is how Zuckerberg actually is in real life, that's how he was portrayed). After seeing the movie, I felt Eisenberg was a lock for a nod at this year's awards.
3. James Franco - 127 Hours: In almost every movie I've ever seen that had James Franco in it, I thought he was awful. Not once have I been impressed by him. In 127 Hours, I honestly don't think he was anything extraordinary. Instead, his role was a product of outstanding film making, a hectic score, and some damn good editing. So while Franco was good, I think the movie itself was better.
Final Words: There's no way in hell I think Jeff Bridges should win. While I didn't see Crazy Heart, Bridges was nothing special whatsoever in True Grit, throwing on a shotty accent and acting like a dumb drunk bastard. Yea, it may have been a little funny, but not Oscar worthy. I'm cheering for my boy Jesse Eisenberg to take this one home.
Best Director
1. David Fincher - The Social Network: Fincher has brought up amazing films already like Se7en, and Fight Club, while also re-imagining The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and 20,000 League Under the Sea. With the Social Network, Fincher puts us on a fast paced ride through the story of the "Accidental Billionaires". Teamed with Aaron Sorkin, Fincher did an amazing job with this film, considering he had a young, relatively unproven cast covering a topic associated with a younger generation.
2. Christopher Nolan - Inception: What is there to say really. Memento, Prestige, Dark Knight. If you've seen Inception, then I'm sure your like the rest of us who went home afterwards and had to stop and say "...so wait, what did I just see?". After seeing the film a second, and third time, I was truly able to understand the brilliance which is Nolan's masterpiece. It would take me days to explain the film and it's intricacies, so let's just leave it at that.
3. Darron Aronofsky - Black Swan: As I mentioned earlier, if you've seen the Wrestler, there are many similarities between the films. They each show the trials and tribulations faced by these professional athletes behind the scenes. It shows us the pains and aches that their bodies go through, while also showing us the emotional toll they suffer. Ultimately we witness that each of them gives up almost everything in order to do what it is that they truly love. While the scripts may have been similar, Aronofsky once again hits home with a tremendous piece of directing in this film.
Final Words: There are a lot of nominees this year, including Tom Hooper (King's Speech), David O' Russell (The Fighter) and maybe even Ben Affleck (The Town) ...haha. In all honesty, this is the hardest award to pick. Each film was so brilliantly put together that it's hard to credit one film without having to immediately credit another. At the end of the day, I think David Fincher walks away with the award this year.
Best Picture
1. The Social Network
As mentioned earlier, this film had an amazing director as well as amazing acting from Eisenberg and Garfield. Along with that it was adapted beautifully by Aaron Sorkin, as well as shot and edited amazingly. Once this movie grabs a hold of you, it doesn't stop until it's over. A great film that truly speaks to the generation which it portrays.
2. Inception
As I mentioned earlier, this film was Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. Both written and directed by Nolan, this movie is so deep on so many levels it is insane, and I'm not just talking the dream levels either! Ha...ha... ...fuck. But seriously, Nolan was on his game when he made this movie. While at first glimpse this may just look like an action movie that takes place in people's heads, it covers so much more than. If you live in a dream world where essentially anything was possible, where you could create your own reality, why would you want to leave? If you could feel this dreamscape with your subconscious re-creation of family and friends, what would be the difference between this dream world and the real world? These are the real questions posed at the end of the movie. From beginning to end, one of the best movies I have ever seen.
3. The Fighter
While Mark Wahlberg was nothing incredible in this movie, that's what made it so great. That's the exact character that Micky Ward was. Sure, it was his name up there in lights and on the score cards, but aside from the fights, he was always behind the scenes, keeping his mouth shut and focusing on nothing but his family and fighting. Also when you take into account that Wahlberg had an amazing supporting cast (Bale, Adams, Leo), it's not a big deal that he didn't put on an Oscar worthy performance himself. Aside from the acting, Fighter tells the amazing true story of Welterweight Champion Micky Ward from Lowell, MA. Going from being a street sweeper to world champion, we see the hardships faced by Ward concerning his older brother Dickie as well as his mother and sisters. A very deep family movie which focuses more on the behind the scenes aspect of Ward's career rather than the boxing.
Final Words: While it may be a shock to see Black Swan not in here, I feel it's too similar to Wrestler to stand on it's own as Best Picture. I also obviously felt True Grit was crap. While The Town, was a very good movie, I don't think it really had enough depth to it in order to be considered for an award like this. While my gut tells me it will be Social Network, my pick for the 2011 award for Best Picture is Inception.
So that's it folks. Tune in next week for the nominations, which are scheduled to be released on Tuesday. The Oscars themselves are just more than a month away on February 27, 2011. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading.
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