Performance by an 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)
Marja Says: There is no way that Bale will not walk away with this award, as his performance in The Fighter was about as supportive as Mark Wahlberg’s belt in his Marky Mark pant dropping days. Bale acts headliner Wahlberg under the table in this film and deserves a little gold man for best actor in the leading role category. His transformation into the cracked-out Dicky Ward is easily (hyperbole be damned) the best performance I have ever seen by an actor. Ever. The credits clip with the real Dicky Ward only solidifies Bale’s genius, and if I sound like I’m verbally blowing Bale with this uncharacteristically glorious review, I am. Pass the kneepads … he’s just that good. See The Fighter immediately.
Gary Says: Yeah, I don’t think you want those kneepads with how scary/ skinny and crack-addicted he looks in this film. Hold out for Batman. But we agree on this one. He steals the movie and is really—I think—the lead actor. He’s in the wrong category. I mean even the title is ambiguous. Dicky is a fighter and so is Micky, both stage epic comebacks. Who’s to say who is really The Fighter?
Performance by an 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)
Marja Says: This category makes me mad. Steinfeld was clearly the lead in True Grit and will likely split the vote here in this weaker category. The Academy loves to parade a child on stage. (Jodie Foster anyone?) Amy Adams immediately loses my vote after she had the audacity to say she “gained a gut” in preparation for her role as a townie bar girl in The Fighter, then proceeded to prance around abs fabulous on screen in a sheer black bra and panties. If the Academy gets their heads out of their asses, Oscar will go home with Melissa Leo, the bat-shit crazy boxing mom who’s authenticity is never in doubt for a moment. You actually believe that they picked her off the streets of Jersey somewhere.
Gary Says: Let’s not throw young Hailee to the Hollywood wolves just yet, okay? An Oscar would be the worst possible thing for her right now. And Amy Adams gets my vote for best slut makeover (Enchanted, indeed). But we agree again that Melissa Leo should win, but her wonky “For Your Consideration” ads evidently turned off a lot of those snooty Academy voters. How dare she self-aggrandize herself in Hollywood, of all places?
Achievement in Directing
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)
Marja Says: The Academy will never award Aronofsky after he made us sit through the insufferable The Fountain, and the Coen brothers already have more solid gold statues than a Kanye West guest bathroom, so my money is on Tom Hooper for critical darling The King’s Speech.
Gary says: Marja, you ignorant slut. This is David Fincher’s statue to take home for The Social Network. Any director who can make a compelling, suspenseful film out of a bunch of over-privileged, over-caffeinated, Ivy League computer geeks sitting around talking deserves an Oscar and a Nobel Prize.
Performance by an 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)
Marja Says: I never thought I’d say this, but that homely chubby-cheeked girl from Dawson’s Creek gives the most gripping female performance of the year by far. Williams bares her soul in Blue Valentine without a hint of fear or shame. And while Annette Bening is a worthy competitor in this category as a lesbian dealing with baby daddy issues, Williams digs just a bit deeper than Bening’s cuckold middle-aged mom-wife. Sadly, the Academy is prone to reward dedication to a role, and Portman’s transformation from beautiful ingénue into scary-skinny-but-still-beautiful ingénue may get the Oscar for her 6-hour a day ballet workouts (that clearly went into overtime as she recently announced being knocked up by her already engaged choreographer). But if that’s the case, she should have took home gold for V for Vendetta instead. Do you know how long it takes to grow your hair back?!?
Gary Says: I didn’t see Blue Valentine or Black Swan, but I read enough to know that it’s Natalie Portman’s Oscar to lose. As for Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right, I had a hard time relating to that film, since I haven’t been in a lesbian relationship for at least 12 years now. If Bening does win, it’ll be a lifetime-achievement type of thing or a long overdue thank you from a grateful Hollywood for finally castrating Warren Beatty and making the film industry safe for women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and roles. My pick is Portman, even though she’s scary.
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Marja Says: Mmmmmmmmmmmm…….Franco. The other white meat.
Gary Says: Wow…I’m so sick of James Franco. You realize if he followed through on the general premise of 127 Hours and ended up in multiple pieces (not just part of his arm), there would be so many more opportunities he could utilize to overexpose himself. He even showed up on “I Can Has Cheezburger?” on Thursday (I’m not kidding). Isn’t it enough that he stars in movies, TV series, soap operas, hosts the Oscars, writes books, goes to college and has cured cancer? This is Colin Firth’s award, if only because Franco will be off rescuing a kitty stranded in a tree when the winner is announced.
Marja Says: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ….. overexpose himself.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
Marja Says: 10 nominations is ridiculous, and what the hell is Winter’s Bone? Although I saw 8 of the 10 flicks, I must be candid and admit I wasn’t able to squeeze in The King’s Speech by post time … so that being said … I am really torn in this division. True Grit and 127 Hours were outstanding, and while I enjoyed Black Swan, there were moments so laughable I can’t believe Portman was able to keep a straight face during the ridiculous finale (that there should earn her the award). The Kids are All Right was a breakthrough film in subject and content, but as far as I know, no film featuring girl-on-girl cunnilingus has ever received top nod. This leaves The Social Network and The Fighter. In my opinion, Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg was so slimy and unlikeable, I found it impossible to sit back and fully enjoy this film. Plus it had Justin Timberlake in it. Justin Timberlake people! What next?? Justin Bieber for best original soundtrack? For me, the choice comes down to the widely enjoyable Western epic True Grit and the performance powerhouse The Fighter. I really can’t decide between the two, so I’m placing $20 on The King’s Speech with my local Sicilian bookie.
Gary Says: Your bookie will hate you because you will probably win, but I’m going with The Social Network, because you were supposed to hate Zuckerberg, but the film’s writer (Aaron Sorkin) and director (David Fincher) were smart enough to let you decide just how big an *sshole he really was/is. I loved The King’s Speech and it’s certainly uplifting, but The Social Network showcases all the backstabbing, idea stealing, and dank cynicism of the world we live in right now. And because of that Hollywood will go with The King’s Speech, rather then admit that they not only live in the world of The Social Network, but reward that kind of behavior on a daily basis, not just on one Sunday in February each year.
SCORECARD:
BITTER MARJA:
Best Actor: James Franco
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Best Actress: Michelle Williams
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Best Director: Tom Hooper
Best Film: The King’s Speech
GRUMPY GARY:
Best Actor: Colin Firth
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Best Actress: Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Best Director: David Fincher
Best Film: The Social Network
4 comments/sarcastic remarks:
I haven't seen The King's Speech, Toy Story 3, The Fighter, or White Bone so I can't really speak on most of the categories but I will say that Natalie Portman was absolutely amazing in Black Swan and and I won't begrudge her win, but....I think both Michelle Williams and Annette Bening gave better performances. They were both so good I forgot they were acting. And I disagree Gary, If Annette upsets it is well deserved so zip it!
Inception was my favorite movie of the year but it won't win. I think The Social Network was really really good, one of my favorites of last year, despite the presence of peanut head Justin Timberlake.
Gosh, the photos really made this post just sparkle. And here all these years, I thought good blogs were about the writing. Imagine my surprise.
I haven't seen enough of the movies to really speak with authority, but of the ones I have seen I'd give:
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
Best Supporting Actor: Andrew Garfield (wasn't even nominated)
Best Actress: Natalie Portmen
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld
Best Director Cohen Bros
Best Film True Grit
NHF for the True Grit sweep!
That was definitely my top movie of the year with The Fighter. The Coen brothers really do deserve an Oscar for directing, but I bet they'll take something in cinematography instead ... Unless the Academy can remember Inception from earlier this year. I think that film will suffer due to early release.
-Marja
Post a Comment