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This year's Oscar winners should include something for everyone as new Catwoman Anne Hathaway and Best Actor nominee James Franco host.

Tall Writer’s 2011 Oscar Picks

This year, the 10-nominee Best Picture category returns while the Best Animated Feature shrinks to three nominees due to lack of qualified films last year. Anne Hathaway and James Franco host the 83nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, February 27, which will be televised live on ABC. Here are my winning picks (asterisk in front) with comments in some categories.

BEST PICTURE
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
Black Swan
*The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The Fighter

The Social Network nabbed several best picture awards while Speech recently gained momentum by winning major awards from the Producer’s Guild of America and the BAFTAs. Close race that could also go to True Grit.

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
*David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Fincher is a great talent who elevates every film he is involved with.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
*Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom 

A close race with Melissa Leo, but Steinfeld’s performance wins since the Academy favors younger actresses in this category.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
*Christian Bale, The Fighter
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Bale has been underrated far too long, especially in lead roles. His victory culminates a career that started at a very young age, so audiences can expect much more in the future.

BEST ACTRESS
*Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Sadly, Annette Bening loses again as Portman’s career goes into the Hollywood stratosphere with several of her films coming soon.

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
*Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Firth carries the momentum from last year’s nomination for A Single Man into this year’s Oscar for a career-changing win.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year, Mike Leigh
The Fighter, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Keith Dorrington
*Inception, Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right, Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech, David Seidler

A consolation prize of sorts since Nolan was denied a Best Director nomination. A key win for the film that executed everything at an extremely high level.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours, Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy
*The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3, Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich
True Grit, Joel and Ethan Coen
Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini

The West Wing scribe delivers fast-paced, intelligent dialogue like no one else can.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
*Toy Story 3

Also a Best Picture nominee, Pixar and Disney keep their winning streak with yet another amazing film experience for infinity and beyond.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
John Powell, How to Train Your Dragon
*Hans Zimmer, Inception
Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech
A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

The Social Network provided some tough competition, but Zimmer’s other works throughout the year give him the edge.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Coming Home” from Country Strong, Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
*“I See the Light” from Tangled, Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from 127 Hours, Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3, Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Alan Menken has the Disney magic yet again as this film gets some much-deserved attention for missing a Best Animated Film nomination due to a shortage of eligible films…by one.

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Biutiful
Dogtooth
In a Better World
Incendies
*Outside the Law

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
*Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
*True Grit

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
*Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
*Restrepo
Waste Land

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
*Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Andrew Weisblum, Black Swan
Pamela Martin, The Fighter
Tariq Anwar, The King’s Speech
Jon Harris, 127 Hours
*Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, The Social Network

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Adrien Morot, Barney’s Version
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng, The Way Back
*Rick Baker and Dave Elsey, The Wolfman

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
*Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
*The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
*Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Inception
*The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
*Inception
Iron Man 2

About Tall Writer

Love writing, media, and pop culture with a passion and using them in meaningful ways.

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