Oscars

Okay, so I never got around to the Ariel Awards. I got... distracted. But the 83rd Academy Awards are coming up and I'm here to give my picks, as usual. 

I'll only be capping the 9 big awards with my usual what/who should/will win, but adding my 'what/who I want to win' to the list.

So, let's get started, shall we?

Best Supporting Actress:

The Nominees:

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

Who Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld, even though she's nominated in the wrong category.
Who Will Win: Melissa Leo, though mostly for her body of work.
Who I Want to Win: Hailee Steinfeld - she owned that movie!





Best Supporting Actor:

The Nominees:
Christian Bale for The Fighter 
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone 
Jeremy Renner for The Town 
Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are Alright
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech 

Who Should Win: Christian Bale, because he's just friggin' amazing.
Who Will Win: Geoffrey Rush
Who I Want to Win: Mark Ruffalo, because he's so damned sexy.



Best Screenplay (Original):

The Nominees:
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are Alright
The King's Speech


What Should Win: Inception, because it's so damned smart.
What Will Win: Inception, see above
What I Want to Win: Inception, because I just loved that script.



Best Screenplay (Adapted):

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


What Should Win: True Grit, because it's a much truer adaptation that the 1968 version.
What Will Win: True Grit, see above
What I Want to Win: True Grit, because it made me love a Western.




Best Actor:

The Nominees:
Javier Bardem for Biutiful
Jeff Bridges for True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
James Franco for 127 Hours

Who Should Win: Colin Firth, because he should have won last year for A Single Man.
Who Will Win: Colin Firth, see above.
Who I Want to Win: James Franco, because he's hot and sexually ambiguous.




Best Actress:

The Nominees:
Annette Bening for The Kids Are Alright
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

Who Should Win: Natalie Portman, because she was astoundingly good.
Who Will Win: Natalie Portman, see above
Who I Want to Win: Natalie Portman, see above.



Best Director:

The Nominees:
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
David O. Russell for The Fighter
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David Fincher for The Social Network
Joel & Ethan Coen for True Grit

Who Should Win: Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan was an amazing genre cross-over that left me thinking                                                            about it long after I'd seen it.
Who Will Win: David Fincher, because he should have won for Se7en.
Who I Want to Win: The Coens, because they made love a Western.




Best Animated Feature:

The Nominees:

Toy Story 3
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist

What Should Win: Toy Story 3, because it made grown men (myself included) cry.
What Will Win: Toy Story 3, because Pixar is an unstoppable juggernaut.
What I Want to Win: Toy Story 3, because it made me cry and managed to be a three-quel as good as the                                    original.



Best Picture:

The Nominees:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are Alright
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

What Should Win: The Social Network, because it made a potentially boring subject into a fascinating film.
What Will Win: The King's Speech, because everyone loves pretentious stories about overcoming
                           adversity.
What I Want to Win: Inception, because it was the single most entertaining movie in an otherwise terrible                                  year.

So, there you have it. As always, please make no wagers based on my opinions or predictions (though I did pretty good last year). I hope James Franco and Anne Hathaway are good hosts. They're attractive, at the very least and they have both been pretty good on SNL. They're promising no long montages (though I imagine there will have to an In Memoriam piece) and the return of the Best Song Nominee performances. In any event, i know I'm not going to make to the end - I haven't for quite a while now. Getting old sucks, kids.

More, anon.
Prospero