One month into the new year and I am already being bombarded with commercials and trailers for movies that show no signs of raising an eyebrow (The Roommate, No Strings Attached, etc). Luckily, the Oscar nominations were announced today, and will divert my attention from the army of asinine films plaguing the cinemas and, hopefully, make people go out to the closest art house theater in a 30 mile radius and savor what is being hailed by the AMPAS. As usual, I'll give my predictions for who will be walking away with the coveted statue and who was robbed of a nomination.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
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
Winner: Christian Bale gave one of the most explosive performances of the past year as Dicky Eklund as Mark Wahlberg's crack-addicted brother/trainer in The Fighter. Bale has never been nominated, yet has been overlooked before for his versatile performances in Velvet Goldmine and American Psycho.
Runner Up: The only stiff competition I see in this category is Geoffrey Rush and his performance as the eccentric elocution teacher for King George VI in The King's Speech. If both actors weren’t nominated, then I would have to go to Mark Ruffalo’s performance as the laidback sperm donor in The Kids Are All Right.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
Winner: Although I enjoyed all the nominees and their individual performances, Melissa Leo’s role as the tough-as-nails mother/manager of Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund really stood out in The Fighter. This is Leo’s second nomination for an Oscar; her last nomination was back in 2008 for her role in the under-the-radar film,
Shocker: What shocked me was that Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey were snubbed for their performances in Black Swan. Each woman exuded raw energy and sheer flamboyance, which the Academy sadly turned a blind eye to.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
Winner: 2010 was the year that women shined in cinema more than the men. For me, I’m torn between Annette Bening’s heartfelt performance as Julianne Moore’s partner in The Kids Are All Right and Natalie Portman’s overambitious and psychologically unbalanced ballerina in Black Swan. Both women are at the peak of their careers. All signs point to Portman getting the gold. Bening has been snubbed before for her stellar performance in American Beauty and losing over Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry, but I shouldn’t sound so pessimistic; surprises can and will happen on Oscar night. Dare I wish for a tie between these two stellar women?
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem – Biutiful
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours
Winner: Colin Firth bowled me over in his performance as King George VI, the stammering monarch during wartime
Runner Up: Jesse Eisenberg gave a cool and collected performance as the cynical and enigmatic Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Despite getting high honors at the National Board of Review, Eisenberg may lose out to Colin Firth but it does not mean that he doesn't has the clout and stamina to get nominated again down the line.
Best Director:
Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – True Grit
David Fincher – The Social Network
Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech
David O. Russell – The Fighter
Winner: I was very impressed by the work by this year’s nominees, but David Fincher is most likely to get the gold for directing Aaron Sorkin’s explosive screenplay about greed, fame, and obsession; The Social Network. Although his focus is mostly on the subversive nature of humanity (Se7en, Fight Club), Fincher succeeds at painting a portrait of narcissism and cynicism that has plagued the Facebook generation.
Runner Up: If Fincher wasn’t nominated for The Social Network, I would have chosen Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan; his wild and disturbing look at the world of ballet dancing. Although he has only made five motion pictures, Aronofsky has succeeded in making a film that raises the bar in the psychological drama-genre and pointing the lense at stories that are far beyond the fringe.
Best Picture:
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
The Social Network might have been snagging the most Best Picture accolades from the Golden Globes and Broadcast Film Critics Awards, but it is still anybody’s game over which film will reign as top dog. Inception rode the wave of critical acclaim and breaking box office records over the summer, yet The Kids Are All Right was the summer’s sleeper hit that’s finally getting a wake-up call. Black Swan is my personal favorite of the year, yet the safe bet would be that The Social Network will win.
If you agree, disagree, or feel that the nominees were not what you thought they were, feel free to post your two cents and wait until February 27th to get the results.
