The 2011 Oscar Nom Rundown
Oh, yes, my pretties.
If you’ve turned on your computer at all this past week, chances are you’ve picked up on all this Oscar/Bieber fever going ’round and saw this post coming in a fat old way. So consider this my prediction ballot, my dream ballot and my chance to cry a river over this year’s snubs. Feel free to check out the full list of nominees so you can be like “Oh, hell no!” or “Mm-hmmmm!” as you read along, but if you’re already on the level and memorized everything that came out of Mo’Nique’s mouth last Tuesday, I give you my Nostradamus-like input on the matter:
BEST PICTURE:
WILL WIN: The Social Network
SHOULD WIN: The Social Network
IN A PERFECT WORLD: Inside Job
BUT IT’S STILL PRETTY COOL THAT THEY SNUBBED THE TOWN OVER: Winter’s Bone
BEST ACTRESS:
WILL WIN: Natalie Portman for Black Swan
SHOULD WIN: Natalie Portman for Black Swan
WOULDN’T THAT BE COOL: Emma Stone for Easy A
BEST ACTOR:
WILL WIN: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
SHOULD WIN: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
IN A PERFECT WORLD: Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
WILL WIN: Christian Bale for The Fighter
SHOULD WIN: Christian Bale for The Fighter
HELL TO THE YEAH FOR NOMINATING: John Hawkes for Winter’s Bone
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
WILL WIN: Melissa Leo for The Fighter
SHOULD WIN: Amy Adams for The Fighter (you go, girl)
WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE WEARING THE SCARIEST EFFING THING ON THE RED CARPET: Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech
BEST ANIMATED FILM:
WILL WIN: Toy Story 3
SHOULD WIN: Toy Story 3
WISH THEY HAD A SILVER OSCAR FOR: How to Train Your Dragon
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
WILL WIN: Who the hell knows. Let’s just go with the “SHOULD WIN” vote.
SHOULD WIN: Killing in the Name thanks to the indirect Rage connection.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT:
WILL WIN: Day & Night
SHOULD WIN: Day & Night
DO I HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT: No.
BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE-ACTION):
WILL WIN: God of Love
SHOULD WIN: Absolutely no idea.
BEST ART DIRECTION:
WILL WIN: Alice in Wonderland
SHOULD WIN: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (sure, why not?)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
WILL WIN: Black Swan
SHOULD WIN: Black Swan
IF YOU SAID YOU’D GIVE ME TEN BUCKS TO BREAK DOWN “CINEMATOGRAPHY”: You’d still be ten bucks richer, my friend.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
WILL WIN: Alice in Wonderland
SHOULD WIN: Alice in Wonderland
I CAN’T EFFING BELIEVE I’M PULLING FOR: Alice in Wonderland in any way shape or form.
BEST DIRECTOR:
WILL WIN: David Fincher for The Social Network
SHOULD WIN: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan (nothing against Fincher, though)
WHERE THE HELL IS: Christopher Nolan for Inception?
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
WILL WIN: Restrepo
SHOULD WIN: Inside Job (nothing against Restrepo, though)
AGAIN, WHERE THE HELL IS: The Tillman Story?
BEST MAKEUP:
WILL WIN: The Wolfman
SHOULD WIN: The Wolfman
WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT: The Wolfman?
BEST EDITING:
WILL WIN: Black Swan
SHOULD WIN: Tough call. Maybe The Social Network.
BEST FOREIGN FILM:
WILL WIN: Dogtooth
SHOULD WIN: Will let you know when I get around to seeing Dogtooth.
ANYONE ELSE FIND IT WEIRD THAT THEY IGNORED: Enter the Void? Guess it’s the language rather than the country of origin that counts.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
WILL WIN: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network
SHOULD WIN: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network (yet one more reason why Reznor is a golden god)
THE RAVERS IN THE AUDIENCE WILL PROBABLY THROW GRAPEFRUITS AT ANNE HATHAWAY SINCE NO ONE HAD THE SENSE TO NOMINATE: Daft Punk for TRON: Legacy
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
WILL WIN: “Coming Home” from Country Strong
SHOULD WIN: “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3
WHEN IN DOUBT, GO WITH: Randy Newman
BEST SOUND EDITING:
WILL WIN: Inception
SHOULD WIN: Leaning towards TRON: Legacy actually.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN EXPERT ANALYSIS ON SOUND EDITING, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN: Here.
BEST SOUND MIXING:
WILL WIN: Inception
SHOULD WIN: Inception, because no one could shut up about the sound mixing in that movie.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
WILL WIN: Inception
SHOULD WIN: Inception
I AT LEAST HOPE JAMES FRANCO WILL BE READY FOR THAT SECOND VOLLEY OF GRAPEFRUITS SINCE NO ONE HAD THE SENSE TO NOMINATE: TRON: Legacy
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
WILL WIN: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
SHOULD WIN: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
THE UNDERDOG I’M SECRETLY PULLING FOR: Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini for Winter’s Bone
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
WILL WIN: Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko for The Kids are All Right
SHOULD WIN: Christopher Nolan for Inception
ONLY GETS BETTER THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT: Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy for The Fighter
Well, still some time to mull these picks over until the big day comes around and I’ll ask myself yet again why I stay up to watch every year, but it is inevitable and I will be tired as hell at work on Monday. So place your bets, folks. I got my life’s savings riding on this one.
And make sure you hop on over to The New York Times to punch in your votes. Ya’ might just win an iPad out of it.
Cut The Crap Movie Reviews 
Don’t agree with all of those, but mostly because I’m a rebel without a film. Okay so my film is Winter’s Bone. Let’s just give it everything! (Not really.)
Fincher is totally overrated as a director for The Social Network. Yea, he did some cool CGI stuff for the film, technologically, but I feel like what makes the film work well is the writing and acting, which I think Fincher had very little to do with. I think pretty much every other nominee did more to elevate their film to a higher level than Fincher did for The Social Network (and it’s one of my top 10 films of the year).
I’d say something about Dogtooth, but if you plan on seeing it…
Haha. Don’t get me wrong, I *loved* Winter’s Bone and I’d love to see it rob some of the heavyweights here, but I think you’re right about how Fincher isn’t the only thing that made The Social Network great. IMHO, it just rocks it on every front: the script, the acting, the music, the directing, and I think that’s the one movie this past year that truly killed it on every front. Still, not my favorite movie of the year, but if it wins, it deserves it.
“Fincher is totally overrated as a director for The Social Network. Yea, he did some cool CGI stuff for the film, technologically…”
Uh, I think you’re confused about what a director does.
Fincher’s direction did more for The Social Network than Sorkin’s script.
Great post Aiden! I don’t agree with all your list but it’s a refreshing post.
I also wonder where is Nolan in the director list? and also think that Daft-punk should be nominated.
Didn’t know that Restrepo is also nominated…I have to find time to watch it SOON, I left it rotten on my shelf for a month now.
Haha. Thanks!
Agree with you on Nolan and Daft Punk, bizarre that they’re not in the runnings. And definitely watch Restrepo, it’s a powerhouse.
am i the only one who thought the Night/Day short before Toy Story 3 was, well, shit?
Not up to snuff with some of their other shorts, but it had its moments I guess. I don’t know, I’m so high right now.
I agree with a lot of your picks, Aiden. Can’t believe they didn’t nominate TRON: Legacy for visual effects and Best score. Daft Punk certainly deserves to be on this list. But my main gripe is the fact that Andrew Garfield’s missing on the Supporting Actor list and am still scratching my head about Renner getting a nod.
What IS it with Renner getting nominated all over the place? Cannot process how he got a nod over Garfield. Strange days.
There must be a lot of Academy voters who have a crush on him. Who knows?
Erm, it appears that The King’s Speech (with its 12 noms and recent DGA and SAG wins) is gon’ be stealing The Social Network’s thunder in the Picture and Director categories.
I hope not, man. That would be a buzzkill.
Enter the Void is on my Instant Queue and I’m going to watch it this week. Let you know my thoughts.
I saw just Dogtooth on Thursday and it was a seriously messed up movie. Not like Requiem or Irreversible (you know the ones that make you want to bathe in fire and peroxide after watching) but still awkward, off-putting and bizarre.
Thought about it a few days later and once the bewildered shock subsides, it is pretty damn great in its execution, style, acting and editing it’s just a bit unsettling. You feel as lost as the children do while watching it so while it wasn’t for me, it is interesting and well done. But once was enough for me.
Just watched Enter the Void this morning, review’s going up tomorrow. Crazy shit.
Really interested in Dogtooth though just from the bizarro word of mouth that’s going ’round. Should have that review up by Friday. Really running the gamut this week with the reviews.
I dont understand why Christopher Nolan can’t get an Oscar for Best Picture/Best Director when the movie was a box office hit because when a movie like Slumdog Millionaire or Departed(no matter how good …it wasn’t something original..) can get Best Picture Oscar why can’t Inception…
one thing more..it shows that there is not much appreciation for Sci Fi movies as far as Oscar Awards are concerned ..for example 2001 A Space Odyssey and District 9.
I don’t get it either. The thing with Slumdog is that it came out of nowhere and then took the world by storm, but The Academy has never been too kind to Summer blockbusters even if they as good as Inception. Sci-Fi’s never gotten the respect it deserves either. Weak.
Agree with you about The Departed, too. So overrated.
And thanks for visiting!
I’m still thinking about a Best Picture/Director split with the former going to The King’s Speech and the latter to David Fincher. A month ago, I would have said the Social Network would steal both, but I think things have changed.
I don’t know, man. Those SAGs didn’t phase me, this is lookin’ to be Fincher’s year.
I’m not a greek speaker but the best film it’s Dogtooth for everything .
hahaha. it was something else, i’ll give you that.
thanks for visiting!
great comments! 🙂 mostly agree with your list.
about Nolan, i think the release dates play a role too…poor Shutter Island..
Yeah, I always feel bad for the good movies released before June. Remember Zodiac? Perfect example of a brilliant movie forgotten ’cause it was released in freakin’ March. What a shame.