Time for Film Mafia’s Predictions, Picks, and Comment on the 2010-2011 Oscars…
BEST PICTURE:
It will be THE KING’S SPEECH. It should be BLACK SWAN, for a bold and original vision. The upset could be THE SOCIAL NETWORK, which is brilliant, and better than THE KING’S SPEECH, but less purely amazing than BLACK SWAN.
BEST DIRECTOR:
David Fincher will win for THE SOCIAL NETWORK and deserves it. A perfect movie for everyone – and innovative in theme, performance, style and execution.
BEST CINAMATOGRAPHY:
Roger Deakins will win for TRUE GRIT as a “career” award. Wally Pfister should win for INCEPTION or Matther Libatique should win for BLACK SWAN.
BEST ACTRESS:
Natalie Portman will win for BLACK SWAN and deserves it. Annette Bening may win for THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT but that would be an insider’s award – and stupid.
BEST ACTOR:
Colin Firth. That’s done and dusted. And he deserves it.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
It will go to Christian Bale for THE FIGHTER, and it should. Geoffrey Rush is an outside chance for THE KING’S SPEECH, but, like a metaphor for that movie, we know he can do what he did in that film. His performance is flawless, but not surprising. Bale’s performance is breathtaking.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
The hardest of the major awards to predict. I like, and think will win, Melissa Leo in THE FIGHTER. But I will jump up and down on the couch like Tom Cruise on Oprah should Hailee Stainfeld win for TRUE GRIT or Jacki Weaver win for ANIMAL KINGDOM, which, if it had been made in a non-English language, would win Best Foreign Language Film.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
See “Best Actor”, but just replace “Colin Firth” with “Toy Story 3”.
BEST ART DIRECTION:
INCEPTION. C’mon!
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
THE KING’S SPEECH will win. Why? Who knows. It just will.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
In a brilliant filed, it all comes down to content versus style. In terms of content, it has to be INSIDE JOB. In terms of style (innovative use of film), it has to be EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP. I hope the latter wins – we are, in the end, voting on filmmaking – but I think it will be INSIDE JOB. A real flip of the coin here.
BEST EDITING:
BLACK SWAN should soooooo win this, but won’t. It’ll be THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and that’s fair enough. A difficult story told amazingly clearly, in three time frames.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
If Denmark’s IN A BETTER WORLD doesn’t win I’ll eat my hat. An incredible, moving film about the world and everyone in it, told through the microcosm of how men’s schoolyard fights lead all the way up to global conflict, and how bullying is the root of all evil. A masterpiece. I’m putting money on this one.
MAKEUP:
Will THE WOLFMAN win? I guess so. It should be THE WAY BACK.
MUSIC:
I loved the score for THE SOCIAL NETWORK but my favourite score of the year was Hans Zimmers’ score for INCEPTION, and I’m actually following my heart – and putting my prediction – there.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
Aussie Aussie Aussie, oy oy oy! It’s gonna be Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann for THE LOST THING. Trust me. It’ll be Adam Elliot all over again. Can’t wait.
SOUND EDITING AND SOUND MIXING:
INCEPTION, both, lock.
VISUAL EFFECTS:
See above, “Sound Editing and Sound Mixing”.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Aaron Sorkin will win for THE SOCIAL NETWORK and deserves it.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
David Seidler will win for THE KING’S SPEECH but Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin should win for BLACK SWAN – and they’re not even nominated.
I’m not including predictions for Best Live Action Short or Best Original Song as I have no real knowledge of the nominees.
My final prediction: James Franco and Anne Hathaway are going to be brilliant hosts and it’s gonna be the best Oscar ceremony in years, mainly because of them!
ENJOY THE OSCARS! COMMENT BELOW!