By Katelan Cunningham
One night a year millions of dollars of clothing and jewelry are paraded down a red carpet. The stars who are wearing paychecks worth of publicity are asked, “Who are you wearing?” and, “What will you do if you win?” The answer to the first question is actually more interesting because the answer to the second answer can usually be paraphrased as “It’s just an honor to nominated.” This night of movie stars, musical numbers and a witty host or two is the Academy Awards.
In its 83rd year, the little gold bald man statue is still the one that really counts for most people involved in the film industry. With Best Picture nominees ranging from the ending of a toy trilogy to a film on the king of England’s stutter, the options for awards this year are all over the board, but I’m going to put in my bets for the 2011 winners of some of the Oscar categories.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem, “Biuiful”
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
James Franco, “127 Hours”
Before I tackle the nominees, I have to say, the fact that Ryan Gosling isn’t nominated for his beautiful role in “Blue Valentine” is heartbreaking. He and Michelle Williams give poignant performances in a distressingly real way. While she has more of the theatrics, the crying, sex and drama, he’s the rock for all of that and I think he’s been callously neglected.
Now, to the list, I haven’t seen “Biutiful,” and I’m a big fan of Javier Bardem, but still I’m going to have to give this one to Colin Firth for his performance in “The King’s Speech.” Yes, the Academy tends to choose the lead who plays someone with a physical defect of some kind, but beyond that, Colin Firth brings an incredible vulnerability with the right amount of empathy. He’s equally brilliant opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.
Best 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”
Hands down, Christian Bale gets the statue for his role as Dicky Ecklund, a drug addict and washed-up hometown hero still soaking in any shrapnel of limelight he can get. Mark Wahlberg seldom gets the best reviews for his acting endeavors, but I think his role as the steadfast, level headed Micky Ecklund, really gives Bale the platform he needed to show the grit and honest despair of his character. Geoffrey Rush is a close second, and I would like to see the award go Rush’s more comedic role as the king’s speech therapist in “The King’s Speech,” but Bale definitely earned the praise for his role as Dicky and will take home the Oscar for it.
Best Actress in a Leading 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”
I’m really excited about all the attention “The Kids Are All Right” has gotten. It’s a little movie that could have been easily overlooked. But with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo on board, it was sure to at least be a blip on the award-contender radar. Still I don’t think it made the cut. The obvious choice here is Natalie Portman for her role in “Black Swan.” Show me a schizophrenia-like, cross-species transformation and I’ll show you an Oscar shoo-in. The film could not have the same eerie tone and connection with the audience without such a strong performance from Portman.
Best 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”
This category has me a little torn between both of the ladies in “The Fighter.” Even though in the film, the Ecklund brothers are the ones in the ring, these women are the real heavy hitters. The town of Lowell, Mass., is a big part of the film and each of them really stays close to the character of it. I’m going to give it to Melissa Leo, though. She really captures the manipulative, but loving mother/agent while keeping a shred of vulnerability which makes me, at times, want to like her.
Animated Feature Film
“The Illusionist”
“Toy Story 3”
“How to Train Your Dragon”
I’ve not seen “The Illusionist,” sadly, but I do think it will win Best Animated feature. I know most people have their chips in the “Toy Story 3” pot, but I’m worried that’s nostalgia talking. Directed and co-written by Sylvain Chomet, who wrote and directed “Paris Je T’Aime,” and Oscar nominee for “The Triplets of Belleville,” “The Illusionist” is my two cents in the Animated Film category.
Art Direction
Robert Stromberg (Production Design); Karen O’Hara (Set Decoration), “Alice in Wonderland”
Stuart Craig (Production Design); Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration), “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design); Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (Set Decoration), “Inception”
Eve Stewart (Production Design); Judy Farr (Set Decoration), “The King’s Speech”
Jess Gonchor (Production Design); Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration) “True Grit”
For several years, this award has favored the mystical: “Avatar,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Lord of the Rings: Return of King” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” But I don’t think the Oscar will go to the dreamworld of “Wonderland,” but to 1925 England in “The King’s Speech.”
Cinematography
Matthew Libatique, “Black Swan”
Wally Pfister, “Inception”
Danny Cohen, “The King’s Speech”
Jeff Cronenfeth, “The Social Network”
Roger Deakins, “True Grit”
Here’s where I go out on a limb and say that I want “The King’s Speech” to win. The modern filming style of the period piece makes every scene that much more unexpected and dynamic. From the wide-angle exteriors to the close-ups of Colin Firth being nearly pushed out of frame, Danny Cohen’s cinematography brings another dimension to the already riveting characters.
Music (Original Score)
John Powell, “How to Train Your Dragon”
Hans Zimmer, “Inception”
Alexandre Desplat, “The King’s Speech”
A.R. Rahman, “127 Hours”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “The Social Network”
Reznor and Ross’s score for “The Social Network” will take this one. It’s gut-wrenching and such a relevant part of the film without being distracting. It’s subtle, simple and powerful.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, “127 Hours”
Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network”
Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, “Toy Story 3”
Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, “True Grit”
Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini, “Winter’s Bone”
“True Grit” without John Wayne is a tough task. But every line in this film has gumption, and in the Coen Brothers way, extreme hilarity in the context of bazaar and very real characters. From Jeff Bridges to the maid who is only in one scene, every piece of dialogue adds dimension to the character, and the story is fast-paced without being exhausting.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Written by Mike Leigh, “Another Year”
Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson. Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, “The Fighter”
Written by Christopher Nolan, “Inception”
Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg, “The Kids Are All Right”
Screenplay by David Seidler, “The King’s Speech”
For some reason, I always assume period pieces to be adapted from a play or a book, so I was surprised to see “The King’s Speech” on the list of nominees for Original Screenplay. Beyond that I think it’s the best contender for this category. The film, even in its depth, is light hearted. Although I feel that Geoffrey Rush’s character could have had a little more follow through in the story, the script certainly caught me off guard. This film is full of big ideas, treason, war, death, but it focuses on a seemingly little one: a stutter. In this way it’s humble and all the more powerful.
Best Picture
“Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“Toy Story 3”
“127 Hours”
“Inception”
“The Kids Are All Right”
“The King’s Speech”
“The Social Network”
“Winter’s Bone”
“True Grit”
First of all, why the Academy felt the need to nominate ten films for Best Picture again this year is beyond me. With so many nominations in the category, it’s so obvious which ones don’t measure up. It’s like saying, “You almost made it.” So let’s break it down to who should be nominated: “Black Swan,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network,” “127 Hours” and “Winter’s Bone.” But, who should win? I think “The Social Network” is the best contender. Script, soundtrack, cinematography and acting make it the best nominee. “The Social Network” courageously captures the phenomenon a generation, while the phenomenon is still very relevant. “The King’s Speech” is a close second.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
David O. Rusell, “The Fighter”
Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Joel and Ethan Coen, “True Grit”
I’m going to go with statistics here. In the past 10 years, only three times has the winner for Best Director not won for Best Picture. Since my vote is for “the Social Network” for Best Picture, I’m going to say David Fincher will get the win in this category.
The Oscars show Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. with hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway. Make some bets with your friends, roll out the red carpet, and see which of your favorites win.
[Contact fname=”Katelan ” lname=”Cunningham” email=”quarterly@nathanielholland.com/district”]
