The 2011 Oscars

[Rev. Moon]

I'm actually surprised that none of y'all queens have started a thread about this year's nominees (announced yesterday).  Many of the films and actors that got nominated were quite predictable (let's face it, the nominees and winners are eventually determined not necessarily by the quality, but by the intensity of their campaigning).  I was quite disappointed when I didn't see Tilda Swinton being nominated for I Am Love.  Oh well.

Anyhoo, here are the films and actors nominated in the main categories (I'm not including Best Director and the other secondary categories, most heads don't care much about those).  I have highlighted my predictions (in blue) as to whom I believe will win.  Would be nice to hear from our resident movie critics; I'm sure that you have very different opinions.  We've got a full month to see how this develops.


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


- Best Actress
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right as Nic
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole as Becca Corbett
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter's Bone as Ree Dolly
Natalie Portman – Black Swan as Nina Sayers
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine as Cindy


- Best Actor
Javier Bardem – Biutiful as Uxbal
Jeff Bridges – True Grit as Rooster Cogburn
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network as Mark Zuckerberg
Colin Firth – The King's Speech as King George VI
James Franco – 127 Hours as Aron Ralston


- Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – The Fighter as Charlene Fleming
Helena Bonham Carter – The King's Speech as Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Melissa Leo – The Fighter as Alice Ward
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit as Mattie Ross
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom as Janine "Smurf" Cody


- Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale – The Fighter as Dicky Eklund
John Hawkes – Winter's Bone as Teardrop
Jeremy Renner – The Town as James "Gem" Coughlin
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right as Paul
Geoffrey Rush – The King's Speech as Lionel Logue


- Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful (Mexico) in Spanish and English – Alejandro Gonzαlez Iραrritu
Dogtooth (Greece) in Greek – Yorgos Lanthimos
In a Better World (Denmark) in Danish, Swedish and English – Susanne Bier
Incendies (Canada) in French and Arabic – Denis Villeneuve
Outside the Law (Algeria) in Arabic and French – Rachid Bouchareb


CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES



So... what d'ya think?  Boring?  Disappointed?  Angry cause yer favorite got dissed again? I expect Philicia and Mecha to provide some insight.

[anniebc]

Hi Rev

I don't know about any of the foreign movies, but I'm with you on all the rest.

Aroha
Jan

[komnaes]

All good packs.. though this year does seem very predictable. I will just make one small change - I think "Dogtooth" may have a better chance, just because it's a really wacky but good movie. Admittedly I have not seen "Biutiful", so..

I am also super not happy that my favorite film of last year "Contracorriente" doesn't get a best foreign film nod...

[carousel]

I would have thought there would be at least one nomination for the Peters Twins.

[woodshere]

Have no idea about the foreign films and agree on all your predictions expect supporting actress.... i think it will be Melissa Leo.  I would rather Geffory Rush win supporting actor than Christian Bale. 

[decayingsinner]

Personally, I would like to see Inception win picture of the year.

[Inchlingblue]

I think it's a crime that Leslie Manville wasn't nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Another Year.

[Rev. Moon]

I think "Dogtooth" may have a better chance, just because it's a really wacky but good movie. Admittedly I have not seen "Biutiful", so..

I am also super not happy that my favorite film of last year "Contracorriente" doesn't get a best foreign film nod...

Shauny, I am so with you as far as Contracorriente (Undertow, from Peru) being ignored.  It is a beautiful film with superb acting and a nice storyline.  I'm also mad that El Vuelco Del Cangrejo (Crab Trap, from Colombia) was ignored as well.  It doesn't surprise me though, as the academy tends to pass on Latin American films unless they are from Argentina or Mexico.  When La Teta Asustada (The Milk of Sorrow, from Peru) got nominated last year I was pleasantly surprised, even though I thought both Un Prophθte and El Secreto De Sus Ojos were better.

Also, I would have liked to see the (slightly) HIV centric Confessions from Japan amongst the nominees for Best Foreign Film.  I guess you can only have so many good films being recognized within this ceremony.

I just watched Biutiful again last night.  This movie is just wonderful.  It is bleak and slightly grim (but should we expect anything different from the man that gave us Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel?)  Bardem was simply amazing in this film.  It's one of those movies that stays with you for a while.  I believe it has high chances of winning, especially now that it is being endorsed (pretty vocally may I add) by Julia Roberts and Sean Penn.

agree on all your predictions expect supporting actress.... i think it will be Melissa Leo.

Woodster, you may be right about this one.  Leo was excellent in this film, and The Academy will probably give it to her as some feel that she got cheated last year when she didn't get recognized for her magnificent performance in Frozen River.  Bonham-Carter is pretty good, but she may be a little too quirky (and married to the wrong guy) as far as the Hollywood elite is concerned.


Oh, and let me note that my pick for best picture is only based on what I believe the Academy is going to select.  I prefer Black Swan, I Am Love, or Inception.