Awards -- Broadcast Film Critics (Critics Choice)

One of my favorite groups to watch every year, the Broadcast Film Critics, have announced their nominees. Strong showing from many expected contenders, but leading the pack, with a whopping 12 nominations, is Black Swan!!! That is a record for the most nominations for a single film that the Broadcast Critics have ever given. The King's Speech & True Grit both ranked in just behind with 11, and Inception with 10. Taking a look at the list, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if these 10 films ended up being the exact 10 that Oscar will announce too.

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen "True Grit"
David Fincher "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "True Grit"
Robert Duvall "Get Low"
Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
James Franco "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling "Blue Valentine"

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Noomi Rapace "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner "The Town"
Sam Rockwell "Conviction"
Mark Ruffalo "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech"
Mila Kunis "Black Swan"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver "Animal Kingdom"

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

BEST FILM EDITING
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network

BEST ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
The King's Speech
True Grit

BEST SOUND
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Inception
Tron: Legacy

BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
True Grit

BEST SCORE
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

BEST SONG
"I See the Light" -- Tangled
"If I Rise" -- 127 Hours
"Shine" -- Waiting for Superman
"We Belong Together" -- Toy Story 3
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" -- Burlesque

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I Am Love

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning "Somewhere"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Chloe Grace Moretz "Let Me In"
Chloe Grace Moretz "Kick-Ass"
Kodi Smit-McPhee "Let Me In"
Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Inception
Kick-Ass
Red
The Town
Unstoppable

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Cyrus
Date Night
Easy A
Get Him to the Greek
I Love You Philip Morris
The Other Guys

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
The Pacific
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack

Awards -- St. Louis Film Critics

The St. Louis critics have announced their nominees for this year. Strong showings by the usual suspects, along with a few nice surprises. Love the love for Black Swan, Kick-Ass, and Scott Pilgrim!!!

BEST PICTURE
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
David Fincher "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
James Franco "127 Hours"

BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Noomi Rapace "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Naomi Watts "Fair Game"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"
John Hawkes "Winter's Bone"
Jeremy Renner "The Town"
Sam Rockwell "Conviction"
Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech"
Barbara Hershey "Black Swan"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Biutiful
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Social Network
True Grit
Winter's Bone

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole
Tangled
Toy Story 3

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Inception
Kick-Ass
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Tron: Legacy

BEST MUSIC
Black Swan
Burlesque
The Fighter
Inception
The Social Network

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Biutiful
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Micmacs
North Face
A Prophet

BEST DOCUMENTARY
A Unfinished
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman
Waking Sleeping Beauty

BEST COMEDY FILM
Easy A
I Love You Philip Morris
Jack-Ass 3D
Micmacs
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

MOVING THE MEDIUM FORWARD AWARD
127 Hours
Inception
Kick-Ass
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Toy Story 3
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

BEST ARTISTIC/CREATIVE FILM (Excellence in Arthouse Cinema)
The King's Speech
Micmacs
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Trash Humpers
Winter's Bone

WORST FILM
Hereafter
How Do You Know
Skyline
When in Rome
The Wolfman

Awards -- Los Angeles Film Critics

The Los Angeles critics, one of the biggest critic awards of the year, have announced, and, following suit with the last few days, they have chosen The Social Network as the Best Film of 2010. This train just keeps gaining speed. Also nice mentions for Carlos & The Ghost Writer.

BEST PICTURE: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Runner-up: Carlos

BEST DIRECTOR: OLIVIER ASSAYAS "CARLOS" & DAVID FINCHER "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" (tie)

BEST ACTOR: COLIN FIRTH "THE KING'S SPEECH"
Runner-up: Edgar Ramirez "Carlos"

BEST ACTRESS: KIM HYE-JA "MOTHER"
Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: NIELS ARESTRUP "A PROPHET"
Runner-up: Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: JACKI WEAVER "ANIMAL KINGDOM"
Runner-up: Olivia Williams "The Ghost Writer"

BEST SCREENPLAY: "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" -- AARON SORKIN
Runner-up: "The King's Speech" -- David Seidler

BEST ANIMATION: "TOY STORY 3"
Runner-up: "The Illusionist"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: "BLACK SWAN" -- MATTHEW LIBATIQUE
Runner-up: "True Grit" -- Roger Deakins

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: "INCEPTION" -- GUY HENDRIX DYAS
Runner-up: "The King's Speech" -- Eve Stewart

BEST MUSIC/SCORE: "THE GHOST WRITER" -- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT & "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" -- TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS (tie)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "CARLOS"
Runner-up: "Mother"

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON FICTION FILM: "LAST TRAIN HOME"
Runner-up: "Exit Through the Gift Shop"

NEW GENERATION AWARD
LENA DUNHAM "TINY FURNITURE"

DOUGLAS E. EDWARDS INDEPENDENT AWARD:
"FILM SOCIALISM"

Awards -- New York Film Critics Online

The NYFCO has announced their winners, and again, The Social Network wins big! Started to feel a critics sweep coming on.

Best Picture
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Best Director
DAVID FINCHER "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"

Best Actor
JAMES FRANCO "127 HOURS"

Best Actress
NATALIE PORTMAN "BLACK SWAN"

Best Supporting Actor
CHRISTIAN BALE "THE FIGHTER"

Best Supporting Actress
MELISSA LEO "THE FIGHTER"

Best Ensemble Cast
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Best Screenplay
THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- AARON SORKIN

Best Animated Film
TOY STORY 3

Best Cinematography
BLACK SWAN

Best Film Music or Score
BLACK SWAN

Best Foreign Language Film
I AM LOVE

Best Documentary
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

Best Debut Director
JOHN WELLS "THE COMPANY MEN"

Best Breakthrough Performer
NOOMI RAPACE "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO"

Top 10 Films
127 HOURS
ANOTHER YEAR
BLACK SWAN
BLUE VALENTINE
THE GHOST WRITER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE KING'S SPEECH
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Awards -- American Film Institute Top 10

The AFI has announced their annual list of the top 10 films of the year. No big surprises, and a lot of film named that will be playing a huge role at this year's Oscars.

127 HOURS

BLACK SWAN

THE FIGHTER

INCEPTION

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

THE TOWN

TOY STORY 3

TRUE GRIT

WINTER'S BONE

Awards -- Boston Film Critics

The Boston Society of Film Critics have announced their winners, and they also went with THE SOCIAL NETWORK in a big way. Full winners below...

BEST PICTURE: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Runner-up: Toy Story 3

BEST DIRECTOR: DAVID FINCHER "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"
Runner-up: Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"

BEST ACTOR: JESSE EISENBERG "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"
Runner-up: Colin Firth "The King's Speech"

BEST ACTRESS: NATALIE PORTMAN "BLACK SWAN"
Runner-up: Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: CHRISTIAN BALE "THE FIGHTER"
Runner-up: Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: JULIETTE LEWIS "CONVICTION"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo "The Fighter"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: THE FIGHTER
Runner-up: The Kids Are All Right

BEST SCREENPLAY: THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- AARON SORKIN
Runner-up: Please Give -- Nicole Holofcener

BEST ANIMATED FILM: TOY STORY 3
Runner-up: The Illusionist

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: TRUE GRIT -- ROGER DEAKINS
Runner-up: Black Swan -- Matthew Libatique

BEST FILM EDITING: BLACK SWAN -- ANDREW WEISBLUM
Runner-up: Inception -- Lee Smith

BEST USE OF MUSIC: THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS
Runner-up: True Grit -- Carter Burwell

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: MOTHER
Runner-up: I Am Love

BEST DOCUMENTARY: MARWENCOL
Runner-up: Inside Job

BEST NEW FILMMAKER: JEFF MALMBERG "MARWENCOL"
Runner-up: David Michod "Animal Kingdom"

Awards -- Houston Film Critics

The next group to announce is out of Houston. A few nice surprise nods, including some of my personal fav's of the year. But here are their nominees.

[Edit] -- They have announced their winners, which are highlighted below. Once again, The Social Network retains it's runaway-train ways.


BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
Kick-Ass
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone


BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Aronofsky "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen "True Grit"
David Fincher "The Social Network"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"


BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "True Grit"
Robert Duvall "Get Low"
Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
James Franco "127 Hours"


BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Noomi Rapace "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"
Bill Murray "Get Low"
Jeremy Renner "The Town"
Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Julianne Moore "The Kids Are All Right"
Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"
Jackie Weaver "Animal Kingdom"


BEST SCREENPLAY
Inception -- Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right -- Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
The Social Network -- Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 -- John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich & Michael Arndt
Winter's Bone -- Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
Tangled
Toy Story 3


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
127 Hours -- Anthony Dod Mantle
Black Swan -- Matthew Libatique
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 -- Eduardo Serra
Inception -- Wally Pfister
True Grit -- Roger Deakins


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
127 Hours -- A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon -- John Powell
Inception -- Hans Zimmer
The Social Network -- Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
True Grit -- Carter Burwell


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"The Clap" -- Get Him to the Greek
"If I Rise" -- 127 Hours
"Shine" -- Waiting for Superman
"We are Sex Bob-Omb!" -- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" -- Burlesque


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful -- Mexico
Carlos -- France/Germany
El Secreto del Sus Ojos -- Argentina
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Sweden
Mother -- South Korea


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Marwencol
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman


WORSE MOVIE OF THE YEAR
Furry Vengeance
Jonah Hex
The Last Airbender
Sex and the City 2
Splice

Awards -- Detriot Film Critics

Leading the Detroit critics with 6 nominations apiece, are Winter's Bone & The King's Speech. Pretty impressive considering there are only 8 categories!

[Edit] They have announced their winners. Winter's Bone took home the most awards, but the big one went to Social Network.

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Winter's Bone

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
David Fincher "The Social Network"
Debra Granik "Winter's Bone"
Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
James Franco "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling "Blue Valentine"

BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Carey Mulligan "Never Let Me Go"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"
John Hawkes "Winter's Bone"
Sam Rockwell "Conviction"
Mark Ruffalo "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech"
Greta Gerwig "Greenberg"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Jacki Weaver "Animal Kingdom"

BEST ENSEMBLE
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Winter's Bone

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Andrew Garfield "The Social Network" & "Never Let Me Go"
Greta Gerwig "Greenberg"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Chloe Moretz "Kick Ass" & "Let Me In"
Mia Wasikowska "The Kids Are All Right"

Oscars -- Visual Effects down to 15

The long-list of films in contention for Best Visual Effects has been announced. In previous years, they later narrowed this list down again, down to 7 possible nominees. However, since the category will contain 5 nominees from now on (as it should've been for a while now), instead of the usual 3, I'm not sure whether they're doing a shortlist later on. Maybe like Best Foreign Language Film, where they narrow it down to 9 first? We'll see. Anyways, here are the 15 semi-finalists for Visual Effects:

Alice in Wonderland
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Clash of the Titans
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2
The Last Airbender
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Shutter Island
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Tron: Legacy
Unstoppable


If I had to pick the five nominees, I'd probably go Chronicles, Harry, Inception, Iron, & Tron, with Alice & Scott Pilgrim as backups. Would love to see a Pilgrim nod here tho.

Awards -- Annie Awards (Animated Film Society)

The Annie nominees have been announced for this year. How to Train Your Dragon leads the nominations, and Toy Story 3 still gathers 3 nods, including Best Animated Feature, even though Disney didn't even submit the film for consideration. Same goes for Tangled. The fact these films were nominated, even though they were "write-ins" and not officially submitted, shows how good they are. In case you're unaware, Disney is protesting the way the Annie voting process and membership works. But anyway, here are the nominees. I'm including only the categories that pertain to film. They have seperate categories for television, commercials, video, and games.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

BEST ANIMATED SHORT SUBJECT
The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger
Coyole Falls
Day & Night
Enrique Wrecks th World
The Renter

ANIMATED EFFECTS IN A FEATURE
Andrew Young Kim -- Shrek Forever Ever
Jason Mayer -- How to Train Your Dragon
Brett Miller -- How to Train Your Dragon
Sebastian Quessy -- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Krzysztof Rost -- Megamind

CHARACTER ANIMATION IN A FEATURE
Mark Donald -- Megamind
Anthony Hodgson -- Megamind
Gabe Hordos -- How to Train Your Dragon
Jakob Hjort Jensen -- How to Train Your Dragon
David Torres -- How to Train Your Dragon

CHARACTER DESIGN IN A FEATURE
Sylvain Chomet -- The Illusionist
Carter Goodrich -- Despicable Me
Timothy Lamb -- Megamind
Nico Marlet -- How to Train Your Dragon

DIRECTING OF A FEATURE
Sylvain Chomet -- The Illusionst
Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud -- Despicable Me
Mamoru Hosoda -- Summer Wars
Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois -- How to Train Your Dragon
Lee Unkrich -- Toy Story 3

MUSIC IN A FEATURE
Sylvain Chomet -- The Illusionst
David Hirschfelder -- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
John Powell -- How to Train Your Dragon
Harry Gregson-Williams -- Shrek Forever After
Pharrell Williams & Heitor Pereira -- Despicable Me

PRODUCION DESIGN OF A FEATURE
Yarrow Cheney -- Despicable Me
Eric Guillon -- Despicable Me
Dan Hee Ryu -- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Pierre Olivier Vincent -- How to Train Your Dragon
Peter Zaslav -- Shrek Forever After

STORYBOARDING OF A FEATURE
Alessandro Carloni -- How to Train Your Dragon
Paul Fisher -- Shrek Forever After
Tom Owens -- How to Train Your Dragon
Catherine Yuh Rader -- Megamind

VOICE ACTING IN A FEATURE
Jay Baruchel -- Hiccup -- How to Train Your Dragon
Gerard Butler -- Stoick -- How to Train Your Dragon
Steve Carell -- Gru -- Despicable Me
Cameron Diaz -- Fiona -- Shrek Forever After
Geoffrey Rush -- Ezylryb -- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

WRITING OF A FEATURE
Michael Arndt -- Toy Story 3
Sylvain Chomet -- The Illusionist
Williams Davis, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders -- How to Train Your Dragon
Dan Fogelman -- Tangled
Alan J. Schoolcraft & Brent Simons -- Megamind

Awards -- Washington D.C. Film Critics

All in all, one of my favorite critics groups to watch. Usually seem to agree with a lot of their choices. They announce their winners tomorrow, but for now, the nominees are.

(UPDATE) They have now announced their winners. Their nomination leader, The Social Network, takes the big awards. The Fighter takes both supporting, and Inception sweeps in the technical categories.


BEST PICTURE

• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• Inception
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3

BEST DIRECTOR

• Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
• Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen "True Grit"
• David Fincher "The Social Network"
• Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST ACTOR

• Jeff Bridges "True Grit"
• Robert Duvall "Get Low"
• Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"
• Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
• James Franco "127 Hours"

BEST ACTRESS

• Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
• Anne Hathaway "Love and Other Drugs"
• Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
• Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
• Natalie Portman "Black Swan"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Christian Bale "The Fighter"
• Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"
• John Hawkes "Winter's Bone"
• Sam Rockwell "Conviction"
• Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams "The Fighter"
• Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech"
• Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
• Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"
• Jacki Weaver "Animal Kingdom"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The Social Network
• The Town

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Another Year
• Black Swan
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• 127 Hours
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winter's Bone

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• Despicable Me
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Megamind
• Tangled
• Toy Story 3

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• Inception
• The Social Network
• True Grit

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Alice in Wonderland
• Black Swan
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
• Inception
• True Grit

BEST ORIGNAL SCORE

• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• Inception
• The Social Network
• True Grit

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• Biutiful
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• I Am Love
• Mother
• White Material

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Inside Job
• Restrepo
• The Tillman Story
• Waiting for 'Superman'

Awards -- National Board of Review

Very rarely does a film sweep the big awards at the NBR, so this definately puts Social Network in the driver seat for the time being. Full awards...





Best Picture
THE SOCIAL NETWORK


Best Director
DAVID FINCHER -- "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"


Best Actor
JESSE EISENBERG -- "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"


Best Actress
LESLEY MANVILLE -- "ANOTHER YEAR"


Best Supporting Actor
CHRISTIAN BALE -- "THE FIGHTER"


Best Supporting Actress
JACKI WEAVER -- "ANIMAL KINGDOM"


Best Ensemble Cast
THE TOWN


Best Original Screenplay
BURIED -- CHRIS SPARLING


Best Adapted Screenplay
THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- AARON SORKIN


Best Animated Feature
TOY STORY 3


Best Production Design
SHUTTER ISLAND -- DANTE FERRETTI


Best Foreign Language Film
OF GODS AND MEN


Best Documentary Feature
WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN'


Best Breakthrough Performance
JENNIFER LAWRENCE -- "WINTER'S BONE"


Best Debut Director(s)
SEBASTIAN JUNGER and TIM HETHERINGTON -- "RESTREPO"


Spotlight Award
SYLVAIN CHOMET and JACQUES TATI -- "THE ILLUSIONIST"


Special Filmmaker Achievement Award
SOFIA COPPOLA for writing, director, and producing Somewhere


William K. Everson Film History Award
LEONARD MALTIN


Top Ten Films
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone


Top 5 Foreign-Language Films
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material


Top 5 Documentaries
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story


NBR Freedom of Expression
FAIR GAME; CONVICTION; HOWL

Awards -- Golden Satellite Nominations

The International Press Academy have announced their nominees. This group never really holds any sway over the Oscar voters, but are always fun to look at. For one thing, they always have a bunch of nominees in almost every category. And I mean every category. They are one of the few groups who announce winners in all the traditional Oscar categories, as well as several extras (drama vs. comedy, etc...). Also, you can usually find more than a few choices that you will not see again for the rest of the year. Not saying their choices aren't deserving, they just rarely coincide with the choices of the more well-known awards group.

That said, Inception leads the way with 11 total nods, followed by 127 Hours with 9, The Social Network with 7, The King's Speech with 6, and Alice in Wonderland, Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right, The Town, and Unstoppable all garnered 5. See what I mean about a few "out there" choices? The fun begins...


BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)

• 127 Hours
• Animal Kingdom
• Blue Valentine


• Get Low


• The Ghost Writer


• Inception


• The King's Speech


• THE SOCIAL NETWORK


• The Town


• Winter's Bone

BEST PICTURE (COMEDY OR MUSICAL)

• Cyrus


• The Kids Are All Right


• Made In Dagenham


• The Other Guys


• Please Give


• Red


• SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

BEST DIRECTOR

• Ben Affleck "The Town"


• Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"


• Danny Boyle "127 Hours"


• Lisa Cholodenko "The Kids Are All Right"


• DAVID FINCHER "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"


• Debra Granik "Winter's Bone"


• Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"


• David Michod "Animal Kingdom"


• Christopher Nolan "Inception"


• Roman Polanski "The Ghost Writer"

BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)

• Javier Bardem "Biutiful"


• Leonardo DiCaprio "Inception"


• Michael Douglas "A Solitary Man"


• Robert Duvall "Get Low"


• Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"


• COLIN FIRTH "THE KING'S SPEECH"


• James Franco "127 Hours"


• Ryan Gosling "Blue Valentine"

BEST ACTOR (COMEDY OR MUSICAL)

• Steve Carell "Dinner for Schmucks"


• MICHAEL CERA "SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD"


• Romain Duris "Heartbreaker"


• Andy Garcia "City Island"


• Jake Gyllenhaal "Love and Other Drugs"


• John Malkovich "Red"


• John C. Reilly "Cyrus"

BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)

• Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"


• Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"


• Helen Mirren "The Tempest"


• Natalie Portman "Black Swan"


• NOOMI RAPACE "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO"


• Tilda Swinton "I Am Love"


• Naomi Watts "Fair Game"


• Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY OR MUSICAL)

• Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"


• ANNE HATHAWAY "LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS"


• Sally Hawkins "Made in Dagenham"


• Catherine Keener "Please Give"


• Julianne Moore "The Kids Are All Right"


• Mary-Louise Parker "Red"


• Marisa Tomei "Cyrus"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• CHRISTIAN BALE "THE FIGHTER"


• Pierce Brosnan "The Ghost Writer"


• Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"


• Tommy Lee Jones "The Company Men"


• Bill Murray "Get Low"


• Sean Penn "Fair Game"


• Jeremy Renner "The Town"


• Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams "The Fighter"


• Marion Cotillard "Inception"


• Anne-Marie Duff "Nowhere Boy"


• Rosamund Pike "Barney's Version"


• Vanessa Redgrave "Letters to Juliet"


• Kristin Scott Thomas "Nowhere Boy"


• JACKI WEAVER "ANIMAL KINGDOM"


• Dianne Wiest "Rabbit Hole"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Biutiful


• The Eclipse


• Get Low


• Inception


• The Kids Are All Right


• THE KING'S SPEECH


• Toy Story 3

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• 127 Hours


• Fair Game


• The Ghost Writer


• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World


• THE SOCIAL NETWORK


• The Town


• Winter's Bone

BEST ANIMATED OR MIXED MEDIA FILM

• Alice in Wonderland


• Despicable Me


• How to Train Your Dragon


• The Illusionist


• Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole


• TOY STORY 3

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• 127 Hours


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1


• I Am Love


• INCEPTION


• Salt


• Secretariat


• Shutter Island


• Unstoppable

BEST FILM EDITING

• Inception


• PLEASE GIVE


• Shutter Island


• The Social Network


• The Town


• Unstoppable

BEST ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION DESIGN

• Alice in Wonderland


• Black Swan


• Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky


• I Am Love


• INCEPTION


• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World


• Shutter Island

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• ALICE IN WONDERLAND


• Black Swan


• Eat Pray Love


• The King's Speech


• Robin Hood

BEST SOUND (MIXING & EDITING)

• 127 Hours


• Inception


• Iron Man 2


• Nowhere Boy


• Secretariat


• Shutter Island


• UNSTOPPABLE

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• 127 Hours


• ALICE IN WONDERLAND


• Inception


• Iron Man 2


• Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole


• Unstoppable

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• 127 Hours


• Black Swan


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1


• INCEPTION


• Salt


• The Social Network


• The Twilight Saga: Eclipse


• Unstoppable

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• "Alice" -- Alice in Wonderland


• "Country Strong" -- Country Strong


• "Eclipse (All Yours)" -- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse


• "If I Rise" -- 127 Hours


• "What Part of Forever" -- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse


• "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME" -- BURLESQUE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• Biutiful (Mexico)


• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (SWEDEN)


• I Am Love (Italy)


• Mother (Korea)


• Outside the Law (Algeria)


• Soul Kitchen (Germany)


• White Material (France)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

• Behind the Burly Q


• Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer


• Countdown to Zero


• A Film Unfinished


• Inside Job


• Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work


• RESTREPO


• Sequestro


• The Tillman Story


• Waiting For 'Superman'

Awards -- Independent Spirit Award Nominations

The Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominees for 2010. The big leaders are Winter's Bone with 7 nods, The Kids Are All Right with 5, and 4 nods collected by Greenberg, Rabbit Hole, and Black Swan. Goods showing in top 3 categories by 127 Hours also. The full nominees are......

BEST FEATURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
Lisa Cholodenko "The Kids Are All Right"
Debra Granik "Winter's Bone"
John Cameron Mitchell "Rabbit Hole"

BEST ACTOR
Ronald Bronstein "Daddy Longlegs"
Aaron Eckhart "Rabbit Hole"
James Franco "127 Hours"
John C. Reilly "Cyrus"
Ben Stiller "Greenberg"

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Greta Gerwig "Greenberg"
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
John Hawkes "Winter's Bone"
Samuel L. Jackson "Mother and Child"
Bill Murray "Get Low"
John Ortiz "Jack Goes Boating"
Mark Ruffalo "The Kids Are All Right"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ashley Bell "The Last Exorcism"
Dale Dickey "Winter's Bone"
Allison Janney "Life During Wartime"
Daphne Rubin-Vega "Jack Goes Boating"
Naomi Watts "Mother and Child"

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Kids Are All Right -- Stuart Blumberg & Lisa Cholodenko
Life During Wartime -- Todd Solondz
Please Give -- Nicole Holofcener
Rabbit Hole -- David Lindsay-Abaire
Winter's Bone -- Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan
Greenberg
Never Let Me Go
Tiny Furniture
Winter's Bone

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The King's Speech (United Kingdom)
Kisses (Ireland)
Mademoiselle Chambon (France)
Of Gods and Men (Morocco)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Marwencol
Restrepo
Sweetgrass
Thunder Soul

BEST FIRST FEATURE (given to director & producer)
Everything Strange and New
Get Low
The Last Exorcism
Night Catches Us
Tiny Furniture

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Jack Goes Boating -- Bob Glaudini
Lovely, Still -- Nik Fackler
Monogamy -- Dana Adam Shapiro & Evan M. Wiener
Obselidia -- Diane Bell
Tiny Furniture -- Lena Dunham

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (feature under $500K, given to writer, director, producer)
Daddy Longlegs
The Exploding Girl
Lovers of Hate
Obselidia

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (given to 1 film's director, casting director & ensemble)
Please Give

1st round of pre-award Oscar predictions!!!

The awards season kicks into full gear very soon, with the National Board of Review announcing in about a week or so. With the season fast approaching, I thought I should spit out my first round of predictions for this year's race. It's been a decent year so far, and while a few of my personal favs will be left off the charts, a lot of deserving films should receive the recognition that is inevitable coming to them. So, here's my 1st predix for the 2010 Oscar race...

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle "127 Hours"
David Fincher "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST ACTOR
Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
James Franco "127 Hours"
Paul Giamatti "Barney's Version"
Mark Wahlberg "The Fighter"

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield "The Social Network"
Sam Rockwell "Conviction"
Mark Ruffalo "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham-Carter "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"
Dianne Wiest "Rabbit Hole"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
Black Swan
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
Rabbit Hole
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How to Train Your Dragon
Tangled
Toy Story 3


More categories to follow.........

THE BLACK SWAN

Just saw the trailer for Darren Aronofsky's new film, which opens in early December. From the looks of it, we're in for another beautiful, wild, haunting ride, and considering how much I've liked his past projects, it's a ride that I can't wait to go on. Check out the trailer on YouTube.

The Top 100 Performances of the Decade that Oscar forgot.

I think the name is self-explanatory. Recently while looking thru my DVD collection I realized just how many good performances were not short-listed with the Academy over the last few years, so this is my ode to them....thoughts and comments are always welcome.

In alphabetical order...the top 100 performances of 00's that Oscar forgot.

1. Amy Adams "Enchanted"
2. Ben Affleck "Hollywoodland"
3. Sean Astin "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
4. Kevin Bacon "The Woodsman"
5. Christian Bale "American Psycho"
6. Eric Bana "Munich"
7. Javier Bardem "The Sea Inside"
8. Kate Beckinsale "Nothing But the Truth"
9. Jamie Bell "Billy Elliot"
10. Maria Bello "A History of Violence"
11. Paul Bettany "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"
12. Helena Bonham-Carter "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
13. Steve Buscemi "Ghost World"
14. Jim Carrey "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
15. Jim Caviezel "The Passion of the Christ"
16. George Clooney "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
17. Sacha Baron Cohen "Borat"
18. Clifton Collins, Jr. "Capote"
19. Jennifer Connelly "Requiem for a Dream"
20. Paddy Considine "In America"
21. Sharlto Copley "District 9"
22. Daniel Craig "Casino Royale"
23. Russell Crowe "Cinderella Man"
24. Billy Crudup "Almost Famous"
25. Tom Cruise "Collateral"
26. Matt Damon "The Bourne Ultimatum"
27. Rodrigo de la Serna "The Motorcycle Diaries"
28. Julie Delpy "Before Sunset"
29. Rosemarie DeWitt "Rachel Getting Married"
30. Cameron Diaz "Vanilla Sky"
31. Leonardo DiCaprio "The Departed"
32. Michael Douglas "Wonder Boys"
33. Aaron Eckhart "Thank You For Smoking"
34. Colin Farrell "In Bruges"
35. Albert Finney "Big Fish"
36. Bruno Ganz "Downfall"
37. Romola Garai "Atonement"
38. Richard Gere "Chicago"
39. Paul Giamatti "American Splendor"
40. Paul Giamatti "Sideways"
41. Bruce Greenwood "Thirteen Days"
42. Maggie Gyllenhaal "Secretary"
43. Maggie Gyllenhaal "Sherrybaby"
44. Gene Hackman "The Royal Tenenbaums"
45. Rebecca Hall "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
46. Sally Hawkins "Happy-Go-Lucky"
47. Freddie Highmore "Finding Neverland"
48. Emile Hirsch "Into the Wild"
49. Hugh Jackman "The Fountain"
50. Scarlett Johansson "Lost in Translation"
51. Angelina Jolie "A Mighty Heart"
52. Nicole Kidman "Dogville"
53. Nicole Kidman "The Others"
54. Q'Orianka Kilcher "The New World"
55. Kevin Kline "Life as a House"
56. Gong Li "Memoirs of a Geisha"
57. Ray Liotta "Narc"
58. Sergi Lopez "Pan's Labyrinth"
59. Ewan McGregor "Moulin Rouge"
60. Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles"
61. John Cameron Mitchell "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
62. Radha Mitchell "Melinda and Melinda"
63. Gretchon Mol "The Notorious Bettie Page"
64. Samantha Morton "Minority Report"
65. Liam Neeson "Kinsey"
66. Catherine O'Hara "For Your Consideration"
67. Gary Oldman "The Contender"
68. Haley Joel Osment "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"
69. Clive Owen "Children of Men"
70. Guy Pearce "Memento"
71. Brad Pitt "Burn After Reading"
72. Dennis Quaid "Far From Heaven"
73. Sam Rockwell "Moon"
74. Emmy Rossum "The Phantom of the Opera"
75. Mickey Rourke "Frank Miller's Sin City"
76. Mark Ruffalo "You Can Count on Me"
77. Keri Russell "Waitress"
78. Kurt Russell "Miracle"
79. Peter Sarsgaard "Jarhead"
80. Peter Sarsgaard "Shattered Glass"
81. Campbell Scott "Roger Dodger"
82. Andy Serkis "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
83. Michael Sheen "The Queen"
84. Tilda Swinton "The Deep End"
85. Audrey Tautou "Amelie"
86. Kristin Scott Thomas "I've Loved You So Long"
87. Emma Thompson "Love Actually"
88. Billy Bob Thornton "The Man Who Wasn't There"
89. Uma Thurman "Kill Bill: Volumes I & II"
90. Marisa Tomei "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"
91. Jean-Claude Van Damme "JCVD"
92. Maribel Verdu "Y Tu Mama Tambien"
93. Max Von Sydow "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
94. Naomi Watts "King Kong"
95. Naomi Watts "Mulholland Dr."
96. Robin Williams "One Hour Photo"
97. Kate Winslet "Revolutionary Road"
98. Evan Rachel Wood "Thirteen"
99. Catherine Zeta-Jones "Traffic"
100. Zhang Ziyi "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

Moving on....

Sorry for the insane lack of updates everyone. I recently moved to a new apartment, and I haven't yet gotten internet hooked up. Which, by the way, is driving me totally and completely insane. But soon, my minions...soon.

FINAL, Last-Minute Predictions!!!

First of all, I think it's awesome that we actually have a RACE this year, so many categories. The past two years have seemed a bit boring, with No Country and Slumdog taking everything in sight, but this year, the strength of Hurt Locker and Avatar, not to mention the wild card Basterds, have proved for an awesome and entertaining year.

That said, time to get down to business. As always, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong in a WHOLE BUNCH of these, and would love to see a few surprises pop up, but here we go...

BEST PICTURE
Should Win: The Hurt Locker
Will Win: THE HURT LOCKER
Alternate: Avatar

I think it's great that maybe the hardest category to predict is the big one!!! Avatar is the juggernaut that it deserves to be, the highest-grossing film of all time, and we all know how much Hollywood respects and follows the $$$, but after wins with the PGA, the DGA, and the WGA, not to mention the BAFTA, my heart still has to say The Hurt Locker, which was my #1 film of the year. Head says Avatar, heart says Hurt Locker. I'm sticking with the heart.

BEST DIRECTOR
Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Will Win: KATHRYN BIGELOW "THE HURT LOCKER"
Alternate: James Cameron "Avatar"

History will be made as Bigelow will become the first woman to win Best Director is history. Even her closest competition, James Cameron, is rooting for her.

BEST ACTOR
Should Win: Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
Will Win: JEFF BRIDGES "CRAZY HEART"
Alternate: Colin Firth "A Single Man"

I'm still not convinced that his is the best performance of the year. But the reason he makes my will pick AND my should pick, is the fact that it's his 5th nomination, he's never won, and he's one of the most loved and respected actors around.

BEST ACTRESS
Should Win: Carey Mulligan "An Education"
Will Win: SANDRA BULLOCK "THE BLIND SIDE"
Alternate: Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

After taking victories at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, and SAG awards, I can't see how Bullock loses this. It's 2000 all over again. Did Julia Roberts deserve to win that year? No. But she's loved in Hollywood and it was her time to shine. This year is Sandra's. Although, a win for Meryl Streep isn't completely out of the cards either. I think it's the better performance of the two, and it's been 27 years since her last win!!!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Should Win: Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Will Win: CHRISTOPH WALTZ "INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS"
Alternate: Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"

One of the 2 easiest calls of the night.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Should Win: Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
Will Win: MO'NIQUE "PRECIOUS"
Alternate: Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"

The other of the 2 easiest calls of the night.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Should Win: Inglourious Basterds
Will Win: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Alternate: The Hurt Locker

This, on the other hand, is one of the hardest calls of the night. In a neck-and-neck race between The Hurt Locker, and Basterds, I'm going with my gut and saying Basterds takes it, as a consolation prize for Quentin Tarantino. In the Oscar scene for the first time since 94's Pulp Fiction, Tarantino writes like nobody else can. Although, watch out for The Hurt Locker. If it starts a sweep of the evening, this award should follow suit.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Should win: Up in the Air
Will Win: UP IN THE AIR
Alternate: Precious

Up in the Air has taken this award at almost every possible opportunity this year. It'll follow suit at the Oscars, and it'll be the consolation prize for the film.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Should Win: Up
Will Win: UP
Alternate: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a wonderful film, and is leaps and bounds above the other 3 nominees, but Up, which it's 5 nominations, including only the 2nd ever for an animated film for Best Picture, puts it in the head of the competition.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Should Win: The Hurt Locker
Will Win: THE HURT LOCKER
Alternate: Avatar

Maybe the hardest race all night. In reality, Harry Potter is the only film that I honestly can't see winning this, although it's nomination is totally deserving. The White Ribbon took the ASC top prize, but may fall back with the total Academy voting. Avatar, Hurt Locker, Basterds again in a 3-way race, and I can see any of them winning.

BEST FILM EDITING
Should Win: The Hurt Locker
Will Win: THE HURT LOCKER
Alternate: Avatar

Same as last category. Avatar/Locker/Basterds in a 3-way race. Notice a pattern yet?

BEST ART DIRECTION
Should Win: Avatar
Will Win: AVATAR
Alternate: Sherlock Holmes

The only thing that could stop Avatar here is if too many voters dislike it's computer-generated designs, but more than enough shouldn't mind, and will just admire how freaking beautiful it is to look at.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Should Win: The Young Victoria
Will Win: THE YOUNG VICTORIA
Alternate: Nine

Royalty should take this crown for the 4th year in a row, after 06's Marie Antoinette, 07's Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and 08's The Duchess. Doesn't hurt that the designer is 2-time winner Sandy Powell, maybe the best costume designer working today.

BEST SOUND
Should Win: The Hurt Locker
Will Win: AVATAR
Alternate: The Hurt Locker

Even though Locker took the CAS award, I think the Avatar should get enough broad Academy votes to take this one. After all, how often does the loudest film win? That answer would be quite often.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Should Win: Avatar
Will Win: AVATAR
Alternate: The Hurt Locker

Will they split the sound awards like they did last year? It's possible, but I'm gonna go with a no on this one.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Should Win: Avatar
Will Win: AVATAR
Alternate: Star Trek

Avatar. Avatar. Avatar. Avatar. Avatar. In case you didn't get that, Avatar. And FYI, I still think this category needs to also be stretched to 5 nominees in future year. The effects work has gotten just too good to limit it to 3.

BEST MAKEUP
Should win: Star Trek
Will Win: STAR TREK
Alternate: The Young Victoria

It's very possible the Victoria could squeak out a win here with it's wonderful period makeup, and I can't see Il Divo making much of an impact here, even though it's surprise nod is deserving as well. But Star Trek was one of the biggest films of the year, and probably didn't miss out on a Best Picture nod by too many votes, so they'll honor it where they can.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Should Win: Up
Will Win: UP
Alternate: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Michael Giacchino's score for Up is by far the most memorable for the year, and has won several big awards already.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Should Win: "The Weary Kind"
Will Win: "THE WEARY KIND"
Alternate: "Down in New Orleans"

Thank God we don't have to sit through terrible performance at this year's telecast. But I don't see how "The Weary Kind" loses this one, as T-Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham should take home the prize, while Randy Newman's 2 nominations should cancel each other out.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Should Win: Un Prophete
Will Win: THE WHITE RIBBON
Alternate: El Secreto de Sus Ojos

Another extremely difficult 3-way race. I can realistically see any of the these 3 films taking the prize. Up until a few weeks ago, this race was between Un Prophete and The White Ribbon. But the night might end up being a repeat of last year, when The Class and Waltz With Bashir were considered the front-runners, but then Departures swept in and took the prize at the last second. That could very easily happen this year with El Secreto from Argentina. Many other prognasticators are predicting it. I'm sticking with The White Ribbon.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Should Win: The Cove
Will Win: THE COVE
Alternate: Food, Inc.

The Cove just barely missed my top ten of the year list, and has taken most of the big documentary prizes of the season. I can't see it realistically not winning here, unless the voting committee for some unknown reason just couldn't sit through it.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Should Win: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Will Win: THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT
Alternate: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province

It's difficult subjects at home and abroad in this category. But with the current economy, the success of "Up in the Air", and just the general mood of the country, I think Last Truck might squeeze by here. The only other choice is Music by Prudence. Possibly, but not likely.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Should Win: The New Tenants
Will Win: THE DOOR
Alternate: Kavi

The dialogue of New Tenants is easily the strongest in the field, and the storyline of Kavi and it's subject of a boy born into Slavery in modern-day India is a real heart-tugger, but I'm going with The Door. It's images are haunting, and it's power transcends it's running time.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Should win: Panorama
Will Win: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH
Alternate: Panorama

Panorama gets my vote, as it's a wonderfully clever send-up of logos, and corporate company mascots, but it's never a good idea to vote against a Wallace & Gromit toon, so I won't.


FULL PREDICTIONS
Picture: THE HURT LOCKER
Director: KATHRYN BIGELOW "THE HURT LOCKER"
Actor: JEFF BRIDGES "CRAZY HEART"
Actress: SANDRA BULLOCK "THE BLIND SIDE"
Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPH WALTZ "INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS"
Supporting Actress: MO'NIQUE "PRECIOUS"
Original Screenplay: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Adapted Screenplay: UP IN THE AIR
Animated Feature: UP
Cinematography: THE HURT LOCKER
Film Editing: THE HURT LOCKER
Art Direction: AVATAR
Costume Design: THE YOUNG VICTORIA
Sound Mixing: AVATAR
Sound Editing: AVATAR
Visual Effects: AVATAR
Makeup: STAR TREK
Original Score: UP
Original Song: "THE WEARY KIND" -- CRAZY HEART
Foreign Language Film: THE WHITE RIBBON
Documentary Feature: THE COVE
Documentary Short Subject: THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT
Live-Action Short Film: THE DOOR
Animated Short Film: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH