The Social Sweep: 2011 Oscar Nominations Predictions
Tomorrow, journalists will swarm the premises of the Kodak Theater early in the morning (Los Angeles time) to catch the short press conference announcing the nominations for the 83th Academy Awards. Oscar pundits will cry foul while the rest of the world casually picks up on the news in passing, and hopefully we will have some pleasant surprises here and there.
Precursor awards have overwhelmingly pointed towards domination by The Social Network, save for the stunning upset pulled by The King’s Speech at yesterday’s Producers Guild Awards. Other films who have some heat heading into the event include Inception, Black Swan, The Fighter and True Grit, but none of them seem to have enough sway to crack the top honors.
Here are my official predictions for the nominations as well as some comments on who I hope and believe should be given a shot at the Oscars. I will be opting out of the Short Form and Best Original Song categories.
*Predicted Winner
BEST MOTION PICTURE
- Black Swan
- The Fighter
- Inception
- The Kids Are All Right
- The King’s Speech
- The Social Network*
- The Town
- Toy Story 3
- Winter’s Bone
Alternate: 127 Hours
Who should be considered: Blue Valentine, Shutter Island, Carlos, Dogtooth, Enter The Void
My gut tells me the Ozark Mountain mystery Winter’s Bone will pull through to edge out Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours for the 10th spot. Big chance I’m totally wrong, but there has to be some real representation for indie film.
BEST DIRECTOR
- Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
- David O. Russell (The Fighter)
- Christopher Nolan (Inception)
- Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
- David Fincher (The Social Network)*
Alternate: Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone)
Who should be considered: Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island)
Nothing new with my top five for Best Director. Here’s to hoping we get a Winter’s Bone-sized upset over something like The King’s Speech (in my dreams).
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)
Alternate: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Who should be considered: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Mark Whalberg (The Fighter)
It hurts me a lot not to predict Ryan Gosling in the top five, but someone had to go. Robert Duvall is just lazily hanging around the contenders area and I just hope that he gets the boot.
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)
Alternate: Hilary Swank (Conviction)
Who should be considered: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right), Emma Stone (Easy A)
Truly a crowded race here, thus making me reluctantly have to take out Hailee Steinfeld out of the picture. Her only hopes lie in Best Supporting where she definitely has a huge chance of winning.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Christian Bale (The Fighter)*
- Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
- Jeremy Renner (The Town)
- Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
- Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)
Alternate: Matt Damon (True Grit)
Who should be considered: Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), Armie Hammer (The Social Network)
Another overpopulated race where I’ve put in Andrew Garfield in place of Matt Damon. He should undoubtedly get his due for his passionate performance as Eduardo Saverin and Garfield’s possible nomination should be the lone nod for a very capable ensemble from The Social Network.
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)*
Alternate: Lesly Manville (Another Year)
Who should be considered: Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer)
I haven’t seen The Fighter yet, but given that most are predicting a double dip for Leo and Adams, it seems the film is on its way to some major recognition tomorrow. My heart goes out to the underappreciated Olivia Williams, whose restrained performance in the Roman Polanski political thriller was the film’s true gem.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- 127 Hours
- The Social Network*
- Toy Story 3
- True Grit
- Winter’s Bone
Alternate: The Town
Who should be considered: The Town, The Ghost Writer, Shutter Island
Easy win here for Aaron Sorkin and The Social Network. Winter’s Bone comes in at a close second.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Black Swan
- The Fighter
- Inception
- The Kids Are All Right
- The King’s Speech*
Alternate: Another Year
Who should be considered: Blue Valentine
Here’s where I think The King’s Speech might get a good boost, though I really hope the Academy notices the awesome work done on The Kids Are All Right.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
- How to Train Your Dragon
- The Illusionist
- Toy Story 3*
Alternate: Despicable Me
Who should be considered: Despicable Me
Another gimme – Toy Story 3 takes this one in a landslide. Critics have been praising The Illusionist as well so I hope that one gets some credit.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- Gasland
- Inside Job
- Restrepo
- Waiting for Superman*
- Waste Land
Alternate: Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Who should be considered: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Catfish
I think by the sheer publicity Waiting for Superman has been getting it should pull out as a winner come Oscar night. Restrepo could come charging in late however.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Biutiful (Mexico)*
- Dogtooth (Greece)
- In a Better World (Denmark)
- Incendies (Canada)
- Life Above All (South Africa)
Alternate: Confessions (Japan)
Who should be considered: Confessions (Japan)
Pundits were declaring the surprise addition of Greece’s controversial Dogtooh as a fluke given the Academy’s taste, but I have a strange feeling that it may lead to a nomination tomorrow. Confessions looks like another in-your-face drama but one pick outside the box should be enough for voters.
Technical Categories
BEST ART DIRECTION
- Alice in Wonderland
- Black Swan
- Inception
- The King’s Speech
- True Grit*
Alternate: Shutter Island
Who should be considered: Shutter Island, TRON Legacy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Black Swan
- Inception*
- Shutter Island
- The Social Network
- True Grit
Alternate: The King’s Speech
Who should be considered: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, The Town, Never Let Me Go
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- Alice in Wonderland*
- Burlesque
- Inception
- The King’s Speech
- True Grit
Alternate: The Tempest
Who should be considered: The Tempest, Black Swan, TRON Legacy, Robin Hood, Shutter Island, The Social Network
BEST FILM EDITING
- 127 Hours
- Black Swan
- Inception
- The King’s Speech
- The Social Network*
Alternate: The Town
Who should be considered: The Town, Green Zone, Blue Valentine, Shutter Island
BEST MAKEUP
- Alice in Wonderland*
- The Fighter
- The Wolfman
Alternate: The Way Back
Who should be considered: True Grit, Black Swan
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- Inception*
- The King’s Speech
- Never Let Me Go
- The Social Network
- TRON Legacy
Alternate: 127 Hours
Who should be considered: The Ghost Writer, Let Me In
BEST SOUND EDITING
- Black Swan
- Inception*
- Toy Story 3
- TRON Legacy
- True Grit
Alternate: How to Train Your Dragon
Who should be considered: 127 Hours, Unstoppable, The Social Network
BEST SOUND MIXING
- Black Swan
- Inception
- The Social Network
- TRON Legacy*
- True Grit
Alternate: 127 Hours
Who should be considered: 127 Hours, Unstoppable, Shutter Island
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Alice in Wonderland
- Inception
- Iron Man 2
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- TRON Legacy*
Alternate: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Who should be considered: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Carlo Chong
No Popcorn Allowed 
The Social Sweep: 2011 Oscar Nominations Predictions
Tomorrow, journalists will swarm the premises of the Kodak Theater early in the morning (Los Angeles time) to catch the short press conference announcing the nominations for the 83th Academy Awards. Oscar pundits will cry foul while the rest of the world casually picks up on the news in passing, and hopefully we will have some pleasant surprises here and there.
Precursor awards have overwhelmingly pointed towards domination by The Social Network, save for the stunning upset pulled by The King’s Speech at yesterday’s Producers Guild Awards. Other films who have some heat heading into the event include Inception, Black Swan, The Fighter and True Grit, but none of them seem to have enough sway to crack the top honors.
Here are my official predictions for the nominations as well as some comments on who I hope and believe should be given a shot at the Oscars. I will be opting out of the Short Form and Best Original Song categories.
*Predicted Winner
BEST MOTION PICTURE
Alternate: 127 Hours
Who should be considered: Blue Valentine, Shutter Island, Carlos, Dogtooth, Enter The Void
My gut tells me the Ozark Mountain mystery Winter’s Bone will pull through to edge out Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours for the 10th spot. Big chance I’m totally wrong, but there has to be some real representation for indie film.
BEST DIRECTOR
Alternate: Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone)
Who should be considered: Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island)
Nothing new with my top five for Best Director. Here’s to hoping we get a Winter’s Bone-sized upset over something like The King’s Speech (in my dreams).
BEST ACTOR
Alternate: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Who should be considered: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Mark Whalberg (The Fighter)
It hurts me a lot not to predict Ryan Gosling in the top five, but someone had to go. Robert Duvall is just lazily hanging around the contenders area and I just hope that he gets the boot.
BEST ACTRESS
Alternate: Hilary Swank (Conviction)
Who should be considered: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right), Emma Stone (Easy A)
Truly a crowded race here, thus making me reluctantly have to take out Hailee Steinfeld out of the picture. Her only hopes lie in Best Supporting where she definitely has a huge chance of winning.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alternate: Matt Damon (True Grit)
Who should be considered: Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), Armie Hammer (The Social Network)
Another overpopulated race where I’ve put in Andrew Garfield in place of Matt Damon. He should undoubtedly get his due for his passionate performance as Eduardo Saverin and Garfield’s possible nomination should be the lone nod for a very capable ensemble from The Social Network.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alternate: Lesly Manville (Another Year)
Who should be considered: Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer)
I haven’t seen The Fighter yet, but given that most are predicting a double dip for Leo and Adams, it seems the film is on its way to some major recognition tomorrow. My heart goes out to the underappreciated Olivia Williams, whose restrained performance in the Roman Polanski political thriller was the film’s true gem.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Alternate: The Town
Who should be considered: The Town, The Ghost Writer, Shutter Island
Easy win here for Aaron Sorkin and The Social Network. Winter’s Bone comes in at a close second.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Alternate: Another Year
Who should be considered: Blue Valentine
Here’s where I think The King’s Speech might get a good boost, though I really hope the Academy notices the awesome work done on The Kids Are All Right.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Alternate: Despicable Me
Who should be considered: Despicable Me
Another gimme – Toy Story 3 takes this one in a landslide. Critics have been praising The Illusionist as well so I hope that one gets some credit.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Alternate: Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Who should be considered: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Catfish
I think by the sheer publicity Waiting for Superman has been getting it should pull out as a winner come Oscar night. Restrepo could come charging in late however.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Alternate: Confessions (Japan)
Who should be considered: Confessions (Japan)
Pundits were declaring the surprise addition of Greece’s controversial Dogtooh as a fluke given the Academy’s taste, but I have a strange feeling that it may lead to a nomination tomorrow. Confessions looks like another in-your-face drama but one pick outside the box should be enough for voters.
Technical Categories
BEST ART DIRECTION
Alternate: Shutter Island
Who should be considered: Shutter Island, TRON Legacy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Alternate: The King’s Speech
Who should be considered: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, The Town, Never Let Me Go
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alternate: The Tempest
Who should be considered: The Tempest, Black Swan, TRON Legacy, Robin Hood, Shutter Island, The Social Network
BEST FILM EDITING
Alternate: The Town
Who should be considered: The Town, Green Zone, Blue Valentine, Shutter Island
BEST MAKEUP
Alternate: The Way Back
Who should be considered: True Grit, Black Swan
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alternate: 127 Hours
Who should be considered: The Ghost Writer, Let Me In
BEST SOUND EDITING
Alternate: How to Train Your Dragon
Who should be considered: 127 Hours, Unstoppable, The Social Network
BEST SOUND MIXING
Alternate: 127 Hours
Who should be considered: 127 Hours, Unstoppable, Shutter Island
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alternate: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Who should be considered: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
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