It's that time of year again (year 83 to be exact) when the Hollywood elite recognize the best in film. A big change this year is with the hosting duties. Instead of hiring a comic which has been the case for decades to varying degrees of success, actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco will host. I think this is a good change that makes sense and they will do well. Now I'll sum up some of the more competitive categories and name my picks to win.
The Best Actress category is strong this year and there is a good chance an American actress will win this year. In recent years, the Brits (Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren) have been winning the gold. The top two nominees are Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") and Annette Bening ("The Kids Are Alright"). I have seen both films, liked them both and I think Natalie's performance stands out. Her character starts out as a regular prima ballerina and ends up almost at the brink of insanity because of extreme ambition. I warn you though, the ending of this movie is kind of weird and definitely needs repeat viewing. Annette's performance looks better when not compared to another, but may suffer lack of votes since it was given in a mostly comedic film. Oscar tends to reward dramas with hammy performances.
From here we can look at the Best Supporting Actress category. The Academy for some reason likes to use this category to provide a surprise win to an up and coming actress. Some of the youngest winners of acting Oscars have been nominated in this category and again one or more of the nominees here is younger than 18. Your guess is as good as mine who will win this year, so here are the nominees: Amy Adams "The Fighter", Melissa Leo "The Fighter", Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech", Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit" and Jacki Weaver "Animal Kingdom". I can tell you the young "True Grit" actress has all the buzz right now, try watching these movies before Sunday to make up your mind.
The Academy has decided to keep the ten film nominee format for the biggest award of the night for Best Picture. The nominees are "True Grit" "Social Network", "The King's Speech", "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "127 Hours", "Toy Story 3", "The Kids Are Alright" and "Winter's Bone". According to current speculation "The King's Speech" is coming out of nowhere and seems to be the favorite pick after winning big at awards ceremonies that have already been held. I wouldn't mind seeing "Social Network" win. It was a well produced film depicting something and someone that has forever changed the way the world communicates in the 21st century. I plan to hunker down and begin Oscar Sunday watching the "E" channel's pre-show which begins at noon. Check back in later when I plan to have a recap done of the night's fashions and the ceremony. If I'm in the mood I may even live blog.
3 comments:
Sadly, I didn't see many of the nominees this year! I have usually seen most of them but for some reason this year we didn't watch as many movies as usual... watched more TV I guess! Anyway, I saw Social Network and it was just brilliant! I thought it was an unbiased look at all of the creators' stories and it was filmed so well!
I would love to see Natalie Portman win for Black Swan simply because I love Natalie Portman... and I have ever since "Where the Heart Is"! And her rap on SNL of course. :)
As for the hosts, best of both worlds... great actor and actress, they are funny, and my husband and I don't mind looking at either of them! It will be a great night!! Yay!
This ceremony has meant more to me in the past when I've had the opportunity to watch more of the nominated films. The only one I've seen this year is Toy Story 3. I want to see Inception badly but haven't had the chance yet. With a baby in the picture, I'll probably see even less moving forward. I am a fan of Natalie Portman, but I refuse to watch "Black Swan."
I love the oscars, thanks for sharing.
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