{"id":5210,"date":"2011-01-25T08:53:07","date_gmt":"2011-01-25T08:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box1047.bluehost.com\/~sonicci2\/wordpress\/?p=5210"},"modified":"2015-08-22T13:23:49","modified_gmt":"2015-08-22T13:23:49","slug":"2010-oscar-nomination-reactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/2011\/01\/2010-oscar-nomination-reactions\/","title":{"rendered":"2010 Oscar Nomination Reactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting into a debate with a friend of mine online about one of this year’s major Oscar contenders, I was inspired to write about Hollywood’s annual festival of self-love that starts with the critics awards in December and culminates with the awarding of Golden Phallic statues near the end of February.<\/p>\n

There’s a part of me that loves awards season. I love the jockeying for position the studios do with ads promoting blurbs and “For Your Consideration” notices and DVD and theatrical releases timed for maximum Oscar exposure. But during said debate, the ultimate truth about Oscars (and awards of any kind) became clear- in the long run, none of it matters one bit.<\/p>\n

Seriously, in 1998 “Shakespeare in Love” won Best Picture over “Saving Private Ryan.” But does anyone TRULY believe it was a better movie than “Ryan?” And let’s not forget that established classics like “Touch of Evil” and “Vertigo” weren’t even NOMINATED in 1958, and they’re better remembered than that year’s Best Picture winner “Gigi.” And who really thinks “Ordinary People” is a superior film to “Raging Bull” (or even “The Empire Strikes Back”), or “Ghandi” is still better than “E.T.?” Was Martin Scorsese really more deserving of an Oscar for “The Departed” than he was for “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “GoodFellas,” “The Last Temptation of Christ” or “The Age of Innocence?” Ditto Denzel Washington for “Training Day” over “Malcolm X” or “Courage Under Fire?” Hell, as much as I still love 1995 Best Picture winner “Braveheart,” I’d probably place it 4th now behind “12 Monkeys,” “Toy Story” and “Apollo 13” as that year’s best film.<\/p>\n

If you really want to witness the irrelevance of the Oscars, however, look at a list of all of the people who haven’t won one over the years: Alfred Hitchcock (and his 1940 film “Rebecca” WON Best Picture), Cary Grant, Ennio Morricone, Sidney Lumet, Ingmar Bergman, Danny Elfman, Peter Sellers, Buster Keaton, Andrei Tarkovsky, Federico Fellini, Tim Burton, Edward Norton, Peter O’Toole and Gene Kelly. True, many of them would be awarded Honorary Oscars later, but none ever won a competitive Oscar. And how about Stanley Kubrick, who won his only Oscar for Visual Effects for “2001?” Or Charlie Chaplin, whose only competitive Oscar win went for Music for “Limelight?” And how about Orson Welles, who supposedly directed the greatest film of all-time in “Citizen Kane,” but only won an Oscar for that film’s screenplay?<\/p>\n

The point is, awards like the Oscars are fundamentally meaningless except for the people who win them. In the long run, they have little value at assessing the historical importance of cinema or those who create it. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on this year’s Oscar nominations. So far, it’s been a dreadfully predictable season. Could that be changing? We’ll see coming next month. For now, enjoy!<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for my full pre-nomination selections list.<\/p>\n

Best Picture<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Ten<\/i>
\n“The King’s Speech”
\n“Inception”
\n“Black Swan”
\n“The Social Network”
\n“Toy Story 3”
\n“True Grit”
\n“127 Hours”
\n“Winter’s Bone”
\n“The Kids Are All Right”
\n“The Fighter”<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> For my money at least, all of the films deserve to be there- each of them rated 3 1\/2 stars or higher.<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> That said, I would’ve loved to see “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Shutter Island” or “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” nominated over the last few choices.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”; “The ‘Millennium’ Trilogy”; “Inception”; “Black Swan”; “I’m Still Here”; “Leaves of Grass”; “How to Train Your Dragon”; “Exit Through the Gift Shop”; “Waiting for ‘Superman'”<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The King’s Speech.” True, “The Social Network” has been nearly unanimous in its domination of the early awards, but I think the box-office success (and this weekend’s Producer’s Guild win) for “Speech” will help make this a race again after the early (and often) success of “Network.”<\/p>\n

Best Director<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\nDarren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
\nDavid Fincher, “The Social Network”
\nEthan Coen, Joel Coen, “True Grit”
\nTom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
\nDavid O. Russell, “The Fighter”<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> All of these guys are great choices…<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> …but the Coens knocked out Christopher Nolan (“Inception”). That said, I would’ve have rather seen Russell on the outside looking in rather than the Brothers Coen, if not for Nolan than at least Edgar Wright (“Scott Pilgrim”) or Neils Arden Oplev (“Dragon Tattoo”).<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> Edgar Wright, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Christopher Nolan, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Darren Aronofsky, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Neils Arden Oplev, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Tom Hooper, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> David Fincher. Like his movie on Facebook, the “Fight Club” and “Se7en” director has been steamrolling through the earlier awards. And unless the Academy’s love of “True Grit” goes deeper than we think, I don’t see him losing the Oscar.<\/p>\n

Best Actor<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\nColin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
\nJames Franco, “127 Hours”
\nJesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
\nJeff Bridges, “True Grit”
\nJavier Bardem, “Biutiful” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> Voters got a surprise nominee in the race with Bardem, who has been somewhat below the radar but nonetheless impressed enough to land him among this year’s heavyweights.<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> Come on guys. No Edward Norton (“Leaves of Grass”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“Inception” or “Shutter Island”), Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) or Michael Nyqvist (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”)? I guess I’m not that surprised.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> Colin Firth, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Joaquin Phoenix, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m Still Here\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Edward Norton, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Leaves of Grass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; James Franco, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153127 Hours\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Leonardo DiCaprio, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d & \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shutter Island\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> Colin Firth. A SAG award should continue Firth’s string of wins leading up to his eventual Oscar win. And no, Bridges or Franco will not come from behind to win this year.<\/p>\n

Best Actress<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\nNatalie Portman, “Black Swan”
\nJennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
\nAnnette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
\nNicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole” (Haven’t Seen)
\nMichelle Williams, “Blue Valentine” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> That the young and talented Lawrence made the cut for her powerful turn as a young mother and daughter trying to clean up her father’s mistakes. And while I haven’t seen Kidman and Williams, it was nice to see both make the cut after they didn’t necessarily have assurances of getting nominated.<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> I’m sorry, but Julianne Moore was better than Bening in “The Kids Are All Right.” And I would have loved to see Noomi Rapace from “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” or Emma Stone from “Easy A” nominated to really mix things up.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> Natalie Portman, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Noomi Rapace, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMillennium\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Trilogy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Jennifer Lawrence, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Winter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bone\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Julianne Moore, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Kids Are All Right\u00e2\u20ac\u009d & \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chloe\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Laura Benson, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Someone Else in the Evening\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> Natalie Portman. The SAG will determine the eventual winner next weekend, but I think there’s just too much momentum for Portman right now for anyone else to come back and win.<\/p>\n

Best Supporting Actor<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\nChristian Bale, “The Fighter”
\nGeoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”
\nMark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
\nJohn Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
\nJeremy Renner, “The Town”<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> John Hawkes has come out of nowhere for SAG and now Oscar nominations for his key role in the indie hit “Winter’s Bone.” And Jeremy Renner was able to survive the freeze-out of “The Town” to land his second straight Oscar nod.<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> While Hawkes is a pleasant surprise, I would have preferred other surprises like Kieran Culkin (“Scott Pilgrim”), Michael Keaton (“The Other Guys”), John Malkovich (“RED”) and Steve Carell (“Dinner for Schmucks”). Also, no nods for “Social Network’s” Andrew Garfield or Justin Timberlake is a bit disappointing.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> Christian Bale, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Fighter\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Geoffrey Rush, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Kieran Culkin, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Andrew Garfield, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Social Network\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Steve Carell, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dinner for Schmucks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> Christian Bale. After a career of adventurous turns and controversy, Bale has finally given his peers a performance they can’t say no to. He does deserve it. It’s a great and powerful performance.<\/p>\n

Best Supporting Actress<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\nHailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
\nHelena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”
\nAmy Adams, “The Fighter”
\nMelissa Leo, “The Fighter”
\nJacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> Steinfeld has gotten some much-deserved recognition for a star-making turn in the Coen’s latest Oscar favorite. And both superb females from “The Fighter” got nominated…<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> …that said, Steinfeld is really in a leading role. And there was no room for Mila Kunis or Barbara Hershey from “Black Swan” or Marion Cotillard from “Inception.” And while I’m disappointed Chloe Moretz didn’t get Oscar love, I have a feeling she’ll be getting in their good graces sooner rather than later; her next major role is in this year’s “Hugo Cabret”…directed by Martin Scorsese.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> Chloe Grace Moretz, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let Me In\u00e2\u20ac\u009d & \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kick-Ass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Hailee Steinfeld, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153True Grit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Mila Kunis, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Celice de France, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hereafter\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; Marion Cotillard, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> Hailee Steinfeld. This is a category where surprises almost always happen. Jacki Weaver has come away with a lot of early awards, and Melissa Leo won the Golden Globe in this category. But I doubt the Academy will allow the box-office hit “True Grit” to go home empty-handed, meaning the superb Steinfeld will win her first Oscar for holding her own with Jeff Bridges, which is never an easy task.<\/p>\n

Best Original Screenplay<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Inception” (Christopher Nolan)
\n“The King’s Speech” (David Seidler)
\n“The Kids Are All Right” (Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg)
\n“The Fighter” (Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson)
\n“Another Year” (Mike Leigh) (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> At least Nolan got a nod for his complex and wickedly smart screenplay. Now when will he get a directing nod?<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> “The Fighter” was not as good a script as “Black Swan,” “Leaves of Grass” or other indies. It was just good formula.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Christopher Nolan); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Mark Heyman, Andrew Heinz, John McLaughlin); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Donald Seidler); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m Still Here\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Casey Affleck & Joaquin Phoenix); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Leaves of Grass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Tim Blake Nelson)<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The King’s Speech.” I’d love to see “Inception” surprise here, but look for “Speech” to win out as the race for the most Oscars heats up between it and “Network.”<\/p>\n

Best Adapted Screenplay<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“The Social Network” (Aaron Sorkin)
\n“Toy Story 3” (Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)
\n“True Grit” (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
\n“127 Hours” (Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy)
\n“Winter’s Bone” (Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> Another strong category. Everyone is worthy…<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> …that said, I would’ve given anything to see “Scott Pilgrim,” “Dragon Tattoo,” or “How to Train Your Dragon” make the cut.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Edgar Wright & Michael Bacall); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Nikolaj Arcel & Rasmus Heisterberg); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Social Network\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Aaron Sorkin); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Toy Story 3\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Train Your Dragon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (William Davies, Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois)<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The Social Network.” Sorkin will make a clean sweep to the Oscar podium. One of the only categories that is truly etched in stone.<\/p>\n

Best Original Score<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“The Social Network” (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross)
\n“Inception” (Hans Zimmer)
\n“127 Hours” (A.R. Rahman)
\n“How to Train Your Dragon” (John Powell)
\n“The King’s Speech” (Alexandre Desplat)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> Great choices all. I’m glad to see Powell, who’s been a favorite of mine since his score for “Face\/Off,” get his first nomination.<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> That said, there were better choices out there, and it’s too bad “Scott Pilgrim,” “Black Swan” and “True Grit” were deemed ineligible. This was just a great year for film scores.<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Social Network\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Nigel Godrich); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Clint Mansell); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Hans Zimmer); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let Me In\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Michael Giacchino)<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The Social Network.” Reznor and Ross will repeat their Globe win with an Oscar victory.<\/p>\n

Best Original Song<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Four<\/i>
\n“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3” (Randy Newman)
\n“I See the Light” from “Tangled” (Alan Menken, Glenn Slater)
\n“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” (A.R. Rahman, Rollo Armstrong, Dido)
\n“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” (Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges) (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Likes:<\/i> A nice variety, and of the three I’ve heard were good choices…<\/p>\n

Dislikes:<\/i> …but there were much better choices out there. All of the ones on my personal hopefuls included. It’s just a real shame “Scott Pilgrim” was deemed ineligible (since most of the songs originated from the graphic novel series).<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ramona\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Beck); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shine\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Waiting for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSuperman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (John Legend); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mother Knows Best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tangled\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Alan Menken & Glenn Slater); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Threshold\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Beck); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When Will My Life Begin?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tangled\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Alan Menken & Glenn Slater)<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “We Belong Together.” “I See the Light” could sneak by, but I think Randy Newman will win his second Oscar for his latest classic song for Pixar.<\/p>\n

Best Animated Feature<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Three<\/i>
\n“How to Train Your Dragon”
\n“Toy Story 3”
\n“The Illusionist” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Train Your Dragon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Toy Story 3\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tangled\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Toy Story 3.” I’d love to see Dreamworks win for their beloved “Dragon,” but no way does Oscar not give Best Picture nominee “Toy Story 3” the award.<\/p>\n

Best Foreign Language Film<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i> (Haven’t Seen Any)
\n“Biutiful” (Mexico)
\n“Dogtooth” (Greece)
\n“In a Better World” (Denmark)
\n“Incendies” (Canada)
\n“Outside the Law” (Algeria)<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Nest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl Who Played With Fire\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I Am Love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Biutiful.” This has been a bizarre category over the years, but I think the Mexican import “Biutiful” will end up winning the Oscar, which will be the first for the self-proclaimed “Mexican New Wave” filmmaker Alejandro Gonz\u00c3\u00a1lez I\u00c3\u00b1\u00c3\u00a1rritu.<\/p>\n

Best Documentary Feature<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
\n“Inside Job”
\n“GasLand” (Haven’t Seen)
\n“Restrepo” (Haven’t Seen)
\n“Waste Land” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Exit Through the Gift Shop\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Waiting for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSuperman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Art of the Steal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inside Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Best Worst Movie\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Inside Job.” No “Waiting for ‘Superman'” is surprising, and while “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is one of the best documentaries ever, the elusive Banksy probably won’t be there to accept, leaving room for the economic documentary “Inside Job” to win.<\/p>\n

Best Visual Effects<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Inception”
\n“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I”
\n“Iron Man 2”
\n“Alice in Wonderland”
\n“Hereafter”<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153TRON: Legacy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Iron Man 2\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Inception,” but no “Scott Pilgrim” or “TRON: Legacy?” For shame Academy!<\/p>\n

Best Sound<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Inception”
\n“The King’s Speech”
\n“The Social Network”
\n“True Grit”
\n“Salt”<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shutter Island\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153TRON: Legacy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Inception.” “The Social Network” and “True Grit” might sneak in, but I think “Inception” will do a steady sweep of technical awards this year.<\/p>\n

Best Sound Editing<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Inception”
\n“TRON: Legacy”
\n“Toy Story 3”
\n“True Grit”
\n“Unstoppable” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153TRON: Legacy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Train Your Dragon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Toy Story 3\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “TRON: Legacy.” “Inception” is also a good bet, but I think the the 3D “hit” will actually pick up this one.<\/p>\n

Best Film Editing<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Black Swan”
\n“127 Hours”
\n“The Social Network”
\n“The King’s Speech”
\n“The Fighter”<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shutter Island\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “127 Hours.” How “Inception” didn’t get nominated borders on the criminal, but Danny Boyle’s gripping “Hours” will probably win over “Swan.”<\/p>\n

Best Cinematography<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Black Swan”
\n“Inception”
\n“True Grit”
\n“The King’s Speech”
\n“The Social Network”<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scott Pilgrim vs. the World\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inception\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153True Grit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “True Grit.” All the nominees are worthy winners, but this year is finally master cinematographer Roger Deakins’s year for his first Oscar.<\/p>\n

Best Art Direction<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”
\n“True Grit”
\n“The King’s Speech”
\n“Alice in Wonderland”
\n“Inception”<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153True Grit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The King’s Speech” will win over the more fantastical nominees.<\/p>\n

Best Makeup<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Three<\/i>
\n“The Wolfman”
\n“Barney’s Version” (Haven’t Seen)
\n“The Way Back” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let Me In\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> Wow really? This is the list? Dare I say “The Wolfman” will be an Oscar winner? Bet on it.<\/p>\n

Best Costume Design<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“The King’s Speech”
\n“True Grit”
\n“Alice in Wonderland”
\n“I Am Love”
\n“The Tempest” (Haven’t Seen)<\/p>\n

Brian’s personal hopefuls:<\/i> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Swan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153True Grit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Agora\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The King’s Speech.” Where is “Black Swan” in all of the technical categories? No matter- “Grit” could surprise, but “Speech” will probably win out in the end.<\/p>\n

Now, onto the awards less likely to be cared about, and randomly-selected predictions.<\/i><\/p>\n

Best Short Film- Live Action<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“The Confession”
\n“The Crush”
\n“God of Love”
\n“Na Wewe”
\n“Wish 143”<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “The Confession”<\/p>\n

Best Short Film- Animated<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Day & Night”
\n“The Gruffalo”
\n“Let’s Pollute”
\n“The Lost Thing”
\n“Madagascar, a Journey Diary”<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Day & Night”<\/p>\n

Best Documentary Short Subject<\/b>
\nOscar’s Final Five<\/i>
\n“Killing in the Name”
\n“Poster Girl”
\n“Strangers No More”
\n“Sun Come Up”
\n“The Warriors of Qiugang”<\/p>\n

Oscar’s Pick:<\/i> “Poster Girl”<\/p>\n

Viva La Resistance!<\/p>\n

Brian Skutle
\nhttp:\/\/www.sonic-cinema.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting into a debate with a friend of mine online about one of this year’s major Oscar contenders, I was inspired to write about Hollywood’s annual festival of self-love that starts with the critics awards in December and culminates with the awarding of Golden Phallic statues near the end of February. There’s a part of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-news-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5210"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5831,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5210\/revisions\/5831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}