The State of the Race: Post PGA/DGA/SAG

What a difference a week makes. Okay more like 10 days, but in the end, the fact remains that within a very short period of time the Oscar race has been turned upside down, in a way that has not quite happened, at least not at this kind of magnitude, in recent history. In 2004, Million Dollar Baby upset The Aviator, but the Guilds were split up between those two and Sideways, and there was no clear winner. The other most recent one is the case of Crash, but that turnaround didn't come until Jack Nicholson read out the winner, and only a few inklings from people around the buisness even hinted at such an upset.

Of course the great turnaround I am referring to is the sudden surge of Tom Hooper's historical drama The King's Speech, and the sudden downfall of The Social Network. Despite The Social Network's unprecedented sweep of the critics' awards, when it came down to it, it seems to have run out of steam.

Or did it have any at all. Winning the BFCA, the GG, and tons of critics awards is nice, but none of them meet shit in this buisness because they are not Academy voters. The real awards, the ones that count are the guilds, as they are the ones that ultimately decide who wins the big award. And it seems that The Social Network simply did not have the momentum we thought. The question that has been raging is why? Why all of the sudden has the tide turned? The answer lies in many different areas, but really it lies with the voters. The King's Speech is a timeless tale, impeccably made, incredibly well-acted, and most importantly, it gives you someone, or in this case, three people to cheer for. I know what your thinking though, if this had been the case, then how did darker films such as The Hurt Locker, The Departed, No Country for Old Men, and Crash beat out more traditional tales of hope and triumph? While the Academy has tended over the last decade to move away from its more epic, inspiring past, to more gritty affair, it seems that this year, it has rediscovered its roots. The Social Network simply wasn't a movie that moved members' hearts, and in many cases, it was seen as a movie for college kids, not middle aged Academy voters. Remember, people are biased, the Academy still skews older despite recent young additions, and in the end, while they may reward The Social Network for its craft in specific categories, when they listen to their hearts, it thumps for The King's Speech.

While the race is far from over, and anything is possible, it is safe to say that it is going to take a lot of last minute campaigning to overcome this sudden surge from The King's Speech. I do however feel that Tom Hoopers position as the frontrunner for Best Director is rather shaky. His story reminds me a lot of Rob Marshalls, where he won the DGA due to the large number of television voters, but lost the Oscar to the veteran (Roman Polanski). I am still predicting that Fincher comes in and steals the BD trophy, while TKS takes the top prize.

The acting awards are also starting to solidify, as the four frontrunners continued their domination. While I still think that Hailee Steinfeld, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Amy Adams, and Annette Bening are quality challengers in their respective races, the frontrunners remain securly intact. The last show of importance for these awards is the BAFTA, where it should be noted that Melissa Leo was not nominated.

On a final note, I wanted to point out something ironic that I have noticed since this sweep began. Before the PGA's every blogger, pundit, and commentor was complaining about the redundancy of The Social Network. Now that there has been a shocking turnaround, these same individuals are complaining that the best film of the year is now losing to a "TV Movie". For the record, my favorite movie of the year was The Social Network. But The King's Speech is leagues above a TV Movie, and in this year of cinematic excellence, it is nice to see a close race that, for me at least, doesn't have  and ugh! contender, and whatever happens an excellent film will win a well-deserved prize. And to the hypocrites out there who keep complaining, get over it.

SAG Winners

I'll do an updated State of the Race later this week, and look out for the VES Awards on Tuesday.

Movie Winners
Best Ensemble - The King's Speech!!
Best Actor - Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
Best Actress - Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Stunt Ensemble - Inception

TV Winners
Best Drama Series Ensemble - Boardwalk Empire
Best Actor in a Drama - Steve Buscemi "Boardwalk Empire"
Best Actress in a Drama - Julianna Marglies "The Good Wife"
Best Comedy Series Ensemble - Modern Family
Best Actor in a Comedy - Alec Baldwin "30 Rock"
Best Actress in a Comedy - Betty White "Hot in Cleveland"!
Best Actor in a TV Movie/Miniseries - Al Pacino "You Don't Know Jack"
Best Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries - Claire Danes "Temple Grandin"
Stunt Ensemble -True Blood

SAG Lifetime Achievement - Ernest Borgnine

SAG Predictions

Best Ensemble: The King's Speech
Possible - The Fighter, The Social Network

Best Actor: Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
Possible - Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network"

Best Actress: Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Possible - Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Possible - Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Possible - Haliee Steinfeld "True Grit", Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech"

Commentary: Essentially, I am predicting A King's Speech sweep of the top Guild awards, and the same dominating four actors to continue to win, although that seems like a stupid notion. Besides Firth, I think all the other three are vulnerable. Yes that includes Natalie Portman. Do not discount the SAG to pull a Ruby Dee and honor the veteran (Bening). It doesn't mean Natalie won't still win the Oscar, but the SAG could be an upset. In the two supporting categories, watch out for The King's Speech, as Rush and Carter are popular actors in popular roles, and could be swept up in a King's Speech whollup. Also watch out for little Hailee Steinfeld, who is fantastic in True Grit, as she could be the upset queen of this whole race.

TV Awards (By the way these are just shots in the dark, I'm not well versed in the SAG TV Section, but will become so before next year.)

Best Drama Series Ensemble - Mad Men
Best Comedy Series Ensemble - Modern Family
Best Actor/Comedy Series - Alec Baldwin "30 Rock"
Best Actress/Comedy Series - Jane Lynch "Glee"
Best Actor/Drama Series - Bryan Cranston "Breaking Bad"
Best Actress/Drama Series - Julianna Margulies "The Good Wife"
Best Actor/TV Mini - Al Pacino "You Don't Know Jack"
Best Actress/TV Mini - Claire Danes "Temple Grandin"

Tom Hooper Wins DGA!!!!

Sorry I'm just posting this, but instead of doing important things, like paying attention to the DGA, I decided to get drunk last night. I don't regret it, I'm simply telling you what happened. This is a huge upset, and I am starting to see the nails in the The Social Network's coffin. If TKS takes the SAG tonight it is definitely over. I'm still not set that the greater Academy won't cause a split in BP/BD, but in terms of picture, this race might be over.

Winners:

Best Feature Film: Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Best Documentary: Charles Ferguson, Inside Job
Dramatic Series: Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire
Comedy Series: Michael Spiller, Modern Family, Halloween Episode
TV Movie/Miniseries: Mick Jackson, Temple Grandin

Denver Film Critics Winners

The Social Network continues its critical streak. VES winners later

Best Film:The Social Network, directed by David Fincher
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unkrich
Best Screenplay (Original): Christopher Nolan, Inception
Best Screenplay (Adapted): Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by Banksy
Best Foreign Language Film: Mother, directed by Joon-ho Bong
Best Original Song: A.R. Rahman & Dido, If I Rise, 127 Hours
Best Original Score: Daft Punk, Tron: Legacy

DGA Prediction

So for a refresher, here are the nominees for the Director's Guild of America Awards:

Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
David O. Russell "The Fighter"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"
Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"
David Fincher "The Social Network"

Last year Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to with the DGA award, and this year looks to be just as exciting. My pick is the same pick I have been sticking with all year, and that is David Fincher. While I think that Tom Hooper could upset, simply based on the strength of the film, I feel that the DGA is the best group to truly recognize the "best", and this year it is Fincher par none. I've also heard through the grapevine the possibility of the DGA giving it to Nolan as a nice middle finger to the Academy. While it's a nice theory, it probably won't hold. This race is between Hooper and Fincher, and although predictins a BP/BD split is usually crazy, I think I see one brewing. Also, check back tonight/tomorrow for the VES winners, DGA winners, and SAG predictions. This is going to be a crazy weekend, but hopefull one that starts to sort out what has quickly transformed into a very interesting Oscar race.

State of the Race: Analysis of the Nominees and Initial Winner Predictions

Best Picture
My Predictions - 10/10!
While some categories for me were miserable failures, I was thrilled that I got all ten right, and honestly not that surprised. I figured Winter's Bone had enough passionate supporters to out match The Town's general "it was a good movie" vibe. Plus, with 10 nominees, its going to be a good guess that the PGA will not match up 10 for 10. The question is now, who wins? The Social Network was going full steam ahead, but with the PGA loss, and The King's Speech leading the nomination total (including much deeper nominations than expected), this race is going towards a head on collison, so my prediction right now is a tie The Social Network and The King's Speech. I'll be less indecisive once the other guilds reign in.

Best Director
My Predictions - 4/5
Poor Christopher Nolan, he just can't seem to catch a break. Well, like Picture, I think this is between Hooper and Fincher. However, even if TKS wins picture, I still think that Fincher will take home director. This weekend, the DGA's will help sort out this race a lot more.

Best Actor
My Predictions - 4/5
I am thrilled that Bardem got in, even if that means that my predictions were off. While his inclusion is nice, I still think that Firth has this one in the bag. This Sunday the SAG awards will tell us more, but I really can't see any of the other nominees knocking him off at this point.

Best Actress
My Predictions - 4/5
Well, my Hailee Steinfeld category swap didn't come true, but I am thrilled. She still got a supporting nod, and the wonderful Michelle Williams got in as well, a win-win. In terms of winning, I'm starting to think that Portman may not be as safe as we think. Black Swan was predicted to get many more nods than the five that it did get. The SAGs will tell us more, but maybe Annette Bening isn't out of this race yet.

Best Supporting Actor
My Predictions - 4/5
I'm bummed that Jeremy Renner got in, and the wonderful Andrew Garfield was snubbed, but I could not be happier for John Hawkes. All of that seems to be null and void however, as, unless something crazy happens, Bale has this one in the bag.

Best Supporting Actress
My Predictions - 4/5
No offense to Mila Kunis, who did prove herself as a legitimate actress this year in Black Swan, but I am ecstatic about Jacki Weaver's nomination. For me, this was the most ideal line up, so no complaints from this corner. I think Leo is still the frontrunner, but the BAFTA snub hurts, and they put Steinfeld in lead, so category confusion could cause her to lose as well. I'm starting to think that Adams or Carter could come in and steal this one away from Leo or Steinfeld.

Best Adapted Screenplay
My Predictions - 5/5!
No surprises here. If Aaron Sorkin doesn't win, I will probably throw something at my TV.

Best Original Screenplay
My Predictions - 4/5
Kind of surprised that Black Swan didn't pop up, but its lack of nominations across the board shows that it is not as popular as we thought. Mike Leigh's inclusions in its place though was fantastic for an underrated movie. I think The King's Speech is the favorite to win despite the WGA disqualification. Watch out for The Kid's Are All Right and The Fighter though.

Best Animated Feature
My Predictions - 3/3!
I'm so happy that I got The Illusionist prediction right! TS3 all the way.

Best Documentary Feature
My Predictions - 4/5
I'm still bummed that Waiting for 'Superman' was snubbed. Now I think Inside Job is the frontrunner or the loved Exit Through the Gift Shop

Best Foreign Language Film
My Predictions - 4/5
Hey considering I had no idea, I think this is pretty damn good. I have no idea for the win, I'll have to do some research

Best Art Direction
My Predictions - 4/5
Kind of bummed for Shutter Island, but Harry Potter in its place is just fine in my book. I think TKS or Inception will take this one.

Best Cinematography
My Predictions - 5/5!
ASC nods across the board. This one will be interesting. My hope is that this is the award that True Grit takes for Roger Deakins, so I am going to stick with it until someone tells me something differently.

Best Costume Design
My Predictions - 4/5
I think most people thought Black Swan was in, and then out of nowhere I Am Love comes out of nowhere to take a nod. However, I am not mad about this, as that amazing movie deserved at least one nod, although an actress nod for Swinton would have been better, I'll take this. The Academy loves period pieces, so look for TKS to win this one.

Best Film Editing
My Predictions - 4/5
I liked 127 Hours, but Inception should have gotten this nod. I still think that the zippy Social Network will take this one, no matter how BP shakes down.

Best Makeup
My Predictions - 1/3...Ouch!
This category gets wierder every year. To be honest, I have no idea who is going to win this. They usually go with the best film out of the bunch, but I think The Wolfman could win this one instead of the other two. Happy The Way Back got at least something!

Best Original Song
My Predictions - 3/4
Techinally I would have been 3/5, but whatever. Burlesque may have been campy, but Diane Warren's You Haven't Seen the Last of Me deserved a nod over anything from the mess that was Country Strong. I'm going with Alan Menken or Newman, maybe leaning towards Newman simply because of Toy Story 3's popularity.

Best Original Score
My Predictions - 4/5
Pretty good nominations, especially for John Powell in HTTYD. I was thinking that Hans Zimmer would (and should) win this one. Then I thought that Reznor and Ross for TSN. But I think that TKS will win this one for Alexandre Desplat.

Best Sound Editing
My Predictions - 4/5
The Unstoppable nomination is interesting, but not a bad one for a decent action movie with some great sound effects. I think that Inception has this one in the bag.

Best Sound Mixing
My Predictions - 3/5
The King's Speech nod is truly amazing, and shows its depth with the Academy. I still think Inception will take this one.

Best Visual Effects
My Predictions - 4/5
I liked Hereafter, but the TRON team was robbed. Inception all the way.

Overall I was 86/105 which is about 82%. Next year I will be braver and acutally attempt the three short film categories, but I am thrilled with 82%, and hope to only improve.

Quick Thoughts on Oscar Nominations

Quick Thoughts/Facts/Surprises/etc.

• The King's Speech leads with 12 nominations follwed by True Grit with 10 and The Social Network 9, and then Inception with 8. We thought that The Social Network would get some across the board technical nods, which it did, but TKS really penetrated deep into a lot of categories, and that combined with its PGA win, means that the Best Picture race is far from over and TKS could potentially be our frontrunner.
• Some nice surprises in the categories were: Michelle Williams, Javier Bardem, Jacki Weaver, John Hawkes, Winters Bone for Picture, I Am Love for Costume, The Way Back for Makeup, and The Illusionist for Animated Feature.
• Black Swan and Inception were not as strong as they were in precursors as both received less nominations that expected, and were snubbed in different categories (See below)

Snubs

• The most obvious one is the absence of Christopher Nolan. Inception got a Pic and Screenplay nod, but was completely snubbed in both Directing and Editing. I'm starting to wonder whether Nolan will ever get a nod for Directing.
• Andrew Garfield should have gotten in instead of the overrated performance of Jeremy Renner.
• TRON Legacy may not have been a masterpiece, but its visual effects were stunning to say the least, and should have been honored.
• The Town, should have maybe gotten something else, except for the one nomination that I thought it didn't deserve.
• Shutter Island was completely snubbed, even in technical categories I figured it would get at least an Art Direction nod, but alas, in this year of great movies, something was bound to be left out.
• Waiting for 'Superman' was considered the frontrunner for Best Doc, and a huge contender for Best Original Song. However, it shamefully recieved neither, and now makes the Doc. race into a wide open contest.

Overall, there were some nice surprises, and luckily, was was becoming a highly predictable Oscar season is now a little more interesting than we thought. Check back either tonight/tomorrow for a more in-depth analysis of each individual race, and my initial predictions.

Academy Award Nominations

I will post reactions later this evening, after a long day of class.

Best Picture

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

Best Director

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"

Best Actor

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

Best Actress

Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

Best Supporting Actor

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"

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter "The Kings Speech"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver "Animal Kingdom"

BEST ANIMATED FILM


How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) (Algeria)
Incendies (Canada)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Dogtooth (Greece)
Biutiful (Mexico)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

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

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
Debra Granik and Anne Roselini, Winter’s Bone
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

BEST ART DIRECTION

Alice in Wonderland
Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

BEST EDITING


127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

BEST MAKEUP

Barney’s Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

BEST SCORE

127 Hours
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

BEST SONG

“Coming Home,” Country Strong
“I See the Light,” Tangled
“If I Rise,” 127 Hours
“We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3

BEST SOUND EDITING

Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

BEST SOUND MIXING

Inception
The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

State of the Race: Final Oscar Nomination Predictions

Best Picture
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Other Possibilities: The Town, Blue Valentine, Another Year, The Way Back, Shutter Island
Commentary: I think that 9 of these 10 are set. The question is, do they go for The Town or Winter’s Bone? I think that The Town won big with the PGA nod, but my guess is that enough of a minority will put Winter’s Bone in the top five that it squeezes out the bigger movie for the final slot.

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky “Black Swan”
David O. Russell “The Fighter”
Christopher Nolan “Inception”
Tom Hooper “The King’s Speech”
David Fincher “The Social Network”
Other Possibilities: Joel and Ethan Coen “True Grit”, Danny Boyle “127 Hours”, Debra Granik “Winter’s Bone”, Lisa Cholodenko “The Kids Are All Right”, Mike Leigh “Another Year”
Commentary: I am going with the 5 DGA nods, knowing that there is a great possibility that the Coens sneak in. But my guess is that the Academy will love The Fighter more.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges “True Grit”
Robert Duvall
Jesse Eisenberg “The Social Network”
Colin Firth “The King’s Speech”
James Franco “127 Hours’
Other Possibilities: Javier Bardem “Biutiful”, Mark Wahlberg “The Fighter”, Ryan Gosling “Blue Valentine”, Leonardo Dicaprio “Inception” or “Shutter Island”
Commentary: While I’m still on the fence about Duvall, I am going to go with him over the other contenders simply because he is Robert Duvall.

Best Actress
Annette Bening “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman “Black Swan”
Hailee Steinfeld “True Grit”
Other Possibilities: Michelle Williams “Blue Valentine”, Hilary Swank “Conviction”, Julianne Moore “The Kids Are All Right”, Leslie Manville “Another Year”, Noomi Rapace “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Commentary: This one is a tricky pick, as I think there are four slots filled, and at least four women who could fill the fifth one. I am going with a little bit of surprise, and say that the Academy recognizes that Hailee Steinfeld is in fact the lead, and nominates her as such. However this is a risky pick, as Williams, Swank, and Moore are all possibilities, and none of them have category confusion.

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale “The Fighter”
Andrew Garfield “The Social Network”
Jeremy Renner “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush “The King’s Speech”
Other Possibilities: John Hawkes “Winter’s Bone”, Matt Damon “True Grit”, Sam Rockwell “Conviction”, Michael Douglas “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps”
Commentary: I say watch out for Hawkes, but outside of him, I don’t see any huge surprises. Although I would not rule out Matt Damon.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter “The King’s Speech”
Mila Kunis “Black Swan”
Melissa Leo “The Fighter”
Jacki Weaver “Animal Kingdom”
Other Possibilities: Hailee Steinfeld “True Grit”, Leslie Manville “Another Year”, Barbara Hershey “Black Swan”, Miranda Richardson “Made in Dagenham”
Commentary: Well, since I’m going with Steinfeld as lead, that means that Jacki Weaver can hopefully come back into this race and get the Oscar nod she so richly deserves.

The rest simply have my predictions.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy "127 Hours"
Aaron Sorkin "The Social Network"
Michael Ardnt "Toy Story 3"
Joel and Ethan Coen "True Grit"
Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini "Winter's Bone"
Other Possibilities - Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard "The Town", Robert Harris and Roman Polanski "The Ghost Writer", Glenn Ficara and John Requa "I Love You, Phillip Morris"

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin "Black Swan"
Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy "The Fighter"
Christopher Nolan "Inception"
Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko "The Kids Are All Right"
David Seidler "The King's Speech"
Other Possibilities - Mike Leigh "Another Year", Nicole Holofcener "Please Give", Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne "Blue Valentine"

Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
Other Possibilities - Tangled, Despicable Me, Megamind

Best Documentary Feature
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waiting for 'Superman'
Other Possibilites - The Tillman Story, Client 9, Precious Life, Waste Land, Enemies of the People

Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful (Mexico)
In Another World (Denmark:
Incendies (Canada)
Life, Above All (South Africa)
Outside the Law (Algeria)
Other Possibilites - Dogtooth (Greece), Even the Rain (Spain), Confessions (Japan), Simple Simon (Sweden)

Best Original Score
Danny Elfman "Alice in Wonderland"
John Powell "How to Train Your Dragon"
Hans Zimmer "Inception"
Alexandre Desplat "The Kings's Speech"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross "The Social Network"
Other Possibilties - A.R. Rahman "127 Hours", Rachel Portman "Never Let Me Go", Alexandre Desplat "The Ghost Writer" or "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I"

Best Original Song
"If I Rise" from "127 Hours"
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" from "Burlesque"
"I See the Light" from "Tangled"
"We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"
"Shine" from "Waiting for Superman"
Other Possibilities - "Coming Home" form "Country Strong", "Country Strong" from "Country Strong", "Bound to You" from "Burlesque",

Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
True Grit
Other Possibilities - Black Swan, Get Low, Robin Hood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, TRON Legacy

Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
The Social Network
Other Possibilities - 127 Hours, Shutter Island, TRON Legacy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, Alice in Wonderland, The Way Back

Best Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit
Other Possibilities - Made in Dagenham, Burlesque, The Way Back, Robin Hood, The Fighter

Best Film Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Other Possibilties - Shutter Island, 127 Hours, The Town, True Grit

Best Makeup
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
The Wolfman
Other Possibilities - Barney's Version, The Fighter, The Way Back, Jonah Hex,

Best Sound Editing
Black Swan
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON Legacy
True Grit
Other Possibilties - Shutter Island, 127 Hours, How to Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, Unstoppable, Salt, The Town

Best Sound Mixing
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
TRON Legacy
True Grit
Other Possibilities - 127 Hours, Shutter Island, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon

Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
Inception
Iron Man 2
TRON Legacy
Other Possibilities - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Hereafter

Razzie Nominations

I love the Razzies, simply because they are hilarious. There was only one thing I didn't agree with. Jennifer Aniston nominated for The Bounty Hunter is expected, and deserved. But I actually kind of liked The Switch and thought that she and Jason Bateman had some nice chemistry. Oh well, hopefully Miley Cyrus or Kristen Stewart will "win" that category and then I don't have to worry about it. Final Oscar Predictions coming this afternoon, so stay tuned.

Worst Picture

“The Bounty Hunter”
“The Last Airbender”
“Sex and the City 2″
“Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
“Vampires Suck”

Worst Director

Sylvester Stallone, “The Expendables”
M. Night Shyamalan, “The Last Airbender”
Michael Patrick King, “Sex and the City 2″
David Slade, “Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer, “Vampires Suck”

Worst Actor

Jack Black, “Gulliver’s Travels”
Gerard Butler, “The Bounty Hunter”
Ashton Kutcher, “Killers” and “Valentine’s Day”
Taylor Lautner, “Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and “Valentine’s Day”
Robert Pattinson, “Remember Me” and “Twilight Saga: Eclipse”

Worst Actress

Jennifer Aniston, “The Bounty Hunter” and “The Switch”
Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker, “Sex and the City 2″
Miley Cyrus, “The Last Song”
Megan Fox, “Jonah Hex”
Kristen Stewart, “Twilight Saga: Eclipse”

Worst Supporting Actor

Billy Ray Cyrus, “The Spy Next Door”
George Lopez, “Marmaduke,” “The Spy Next Door” and “Valentine’s Day”
Dev Patel, “The Last Airbender”
Jackson Rathbone, “The Last Airbender” and “Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Rob Schneider, “Grown Ups”

Worst Supporting Actress

Jessica Alba, “The Killer Inside Me,” “Little Fockers,” “Machete” and “Valentine’s Day”
Cher, “Burlesque”
Liza Minnelli, “Sex and the City 2″
Nicola Peltz, “The Last Airbender”
Barbra Streisand, “Little Fockers”

Worst Screenplay

“The Last Airbender”
“Little Fockers”
“Sex and the City 2″
“Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
“Vampires Suck”

Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, “The Bounty Hunter”
Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, “Jonah Hex”
The cast of “The Last Airbender”
The cast of “Sex and the City 2″
The cast of “Twilight Saga: Eclipse”

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel

“Clash of the Titans”
“The Last Airbender”
“Sex and the City 2″
“Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
“Vampires Suck”

Worst Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3D

“Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”
“Clash of the Titans”
“The Last Airbender”
“Nutcracker 3D”
“Saw 3D”

PGA Winners

Whoa!!! I'm not saying that I am not thrilled that this incredible movie won, but man did that throw a wrench into The Social Network's engine. And this isn't any ordinary wrench. Losing a bunch of critical awards is nothing, but the guilds are the real indicators, and this race may be closer than we think. I still think that Fincher will win the DGA, as TKS isn't really a directors movie, but finally, Dave Karger at EW has proved us all wrong by sticking with TKS this whole time. I'm not going to jump on and say that The King's Speech is suddenly the frontrunner, but this makes the race a whole lot more interesting to say the least.

Best Picture - The King's Speech
Episodic TV, drama: Mad Men
Documentary: Waiting for Superman
Long Form TV - The Pacific
Live TV award: The Colbert Report
Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Episodic Television Show, Comedy: Modern Family

PGA Predictions

Best Picture - The Social Network
Best Animated Feature - Toy Story 3
Best Documentary - Waiting for 'Superman'

Commentary: Really there is not much to say. I think that The Social Network and Toy Story 3 are unstoppable at this point. Any other film winning each awards would be a major upset and would throw the Oscar race for a spin. In the documentary category, I'm going with the Critics' Choice winner Waiting for 'Superman', however, there are many possibilites, the next in line being Inside Job. Check back late tomorrow night or Sunday morning for the results.

MPSE Sound Editors Nominees

I forgot that they nominated so many films. I honestly have no idea at this point.

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film Music

Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Get Low
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
Inception
Let Me In
The Losers
The Social Network

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film DX & ADR

Black Swan
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
Inception
The Kids Are Alright
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Tron: Legacy
True Grit

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film Music in a Musical

Burlesque
Country Strong
Step Up 3D
Tangled

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film FX & Foley

127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
True Grit
Iron Man 2
Salt
Tron: Legacy
Unstoppable

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film Animation

Despicable Me
How To Train Your Dragon
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Tangled
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film Documentary

Baby
Catfish
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Inside Job
Restrepo
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Waiting for Superman

Best Sound Editing: Feature Film Foreign Language

Biutiful
Lebanon
Micmacs
Mother
North Face
The Girl Who Played With Fire
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Costume Design Guild Nominations

While The Social Network has managed to grab another guild nod, I think that the Academy will go more for period/fantasy pieces as I see The King's Speech, Alice in Wonderland, True Grit leading the pack. The other two are kind of tricky, but I could see Black Swan, Burlesque, and The Tempest competing for the final two spots.

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
Black Swan – Amy Westcott
Burlesque – Michael Kaplan
Inception – Jeffrey Kurland
The Social Network – Jacqueline West
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – Ellen Mirojnick

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM
The Fighter – Mark Bridges
The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
True Grit – Mary Zophres

EXCELLENCE IN FANTASY FILM
Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
The Tempest – Sandy Powell
TRON: Legacy – Michael Wilkinson & Christine Bieselin Clark

OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY TELEVSION SERIES
Big Love – Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko
Dancing with the Stars – Randall Christensen, Daniella Gschwendtner & Steven Norman Lee
Glee – Lou Eyrich
Modern Family – Alix Friedberg
Treme – Alonzo Wilson

OUTSTANDING PERIOD/FANTASY TELEVSION SERIES
Boardwalk Empire – John A. Dunn
Mad Men – Janie Bryant
The Tudors – Joan Bergin

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINI SERIES
The Pacific – Penny Rose & Joe Hobbs
Temple Grandin – Cindy Evans
You Don’t Know Jack – Rita Ryack

EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL COSTUME DESIGN
Chanel – Bleu de Chanel – Aude Bronson-Howard
Dior – Charlize Theron – J’Adore – Lisa Michelle Boyd
Dos Equis – The Most Interesting Man in the World – Julie Vogel
Netflix – Western – Lydia Paddon
Target – Preparing for Race/Black Friday – Costume Designer TBA*

Foreign Language Film Short List

I'm not good with this category, but my guess is that Biutiful and the surprise Golden Globe winner In a Better World are in, after that it is anyone's guess.

Algeria, “Hors la Loi” (“Outside the Law”), Rachid Bouchareb, director;
Canada, “Incendies,” Denis Villeneuve, director;
Denmark, “In a Better World,” Susanne Bier, director;
Greece, “Dogtooth,” Yorgos Lanthimos, director;
Japan, “Confessions,” Tetsuya Nakashima, director;
Mexico, “Biutiful,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director;
South Africa, “Life, above All,” Oliver Schmitz, director;
Spain, “Tambien la Lluvia” (“Even the Rain”), Iciar Bollain, director;
Sweden, “Simple Simon,” Andreas Ohman, director.

BAFTA Nominations!

Some interesting choices, I hope to do a post Globe/BAFTA nods state of the race sometime this week.

BEST FILM


BLACK SWAN
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT

DIRECTOR

127 HOURS – Danny Boyle
BLACK SWAN – Darren Aronofsky
INCEPTION – Christopher Nolan
THE KING’S SPEECH – Tom Hooper
THE SOCIAL NETWORK – David Fincher

LEADING ACTOR

JAVIER BARDEM – Biutiful
JEFF BRIDGES – True Grit
JESSE EISENBERG – The Social Network
COLIN FIRTH – The King’s Speech
JAMES FRANCO – 127 Hours

LEADING ACTRESS

ANNETTE BENING – The Kids Are All Right
JULIANNE MOORE – The Kids Are All Right
NATALIE PORTMAN – Black Swan
NOOMI RAPACE – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
HAILEE STEINFELD – True Grit

SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTIAN BALE – The Fighter
ANDREW GARFIELD – The Social Network
PETE POSTLETHWAITE – The Town
MARK RUFFALO – The Kids Are All Right
GEOFFREY RUSH – The King’s Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS – The Fighter
HELENA BONHAM CARTER – The King’s Speech
BARBARA HERSHEY – Black Swan
LESLEY MANVILLE – Another Year
MIRANDA RICHARDSON – Made in Dagenham
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

127 HOURS
ANOTHER YEAR
FOUR LIONS
THE KING’S SPEECH
MADE IN DAGENHAM

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

THE ARBOR – Director, Producer – Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP – _Director, Producer – Banksy, Jaimie D’Cruz
FOUR LIONS – Director/Writer – Chris Morris
MONSTERS – Director/Writer – Gareth Edwards
SKELETONS – Director/Writer – Nick Whitfield

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BLACK SWAN – Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, John McLaughlin
THE FIGHTER – Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
INCEPTION – Christopher Nolan
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT – Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
THE KING’S SPEECH – David Seidler

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 HOURS – Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel
THE SOCIAL NETWORK – Aaron Sorkin
TOY STORY 3 – Michael Arndt
TRUE GRIT – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

BIUTIFUL
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
I AM LOVE
OF GODS AND MEN
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES

ANIMATED FILM

DESPICABLE ME
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
TOY STORY 3

ORIGINAL MUSIC

127 HOURS – AR Rahman
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Danny Elfman
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – John Powell
INCEPTION – Hans Zimmer
THE KING’S SPEECH – Alexandre Desplat

CINEMATOGRAPHY

127 HOURS – Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak
BLACK SWAN – Matthew Libatique
INCEPTION – Wally Pfister
THE KING’S SPEECH – Danny Cohen
TRUE GRIT – Roger Deakins
EDITING

127 HOURS – Jon Harris
BLACK SWAN – Andrew Weisblum
INCEPTION – Lee Smith
THE KING’S SPEECH – Tariq Anwar
THE SOCIAL NETWORK – Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

PRODUCTION DESIGN

ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara
BLACK SWAN – Thérèse DePrez, Tora Peterson
INCEPTION – Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat
THE KING’S SPEECH – Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
TRUE GRIT – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

COSTUME DESIGN

ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Colleen Atwood
BLACK SWAN – Amy Westcott
THE KING’S SPEECH – Jenny Beavan
MADE IN DAGENHAM – Louise Stjernsward
TRUE GRIT – Mary Zophres

SOUND

127 HOURS
BLACK SWAN
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
TRUE GRIT

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
BLACK SWAN
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
INCEPTION
TOY STORY 3

MAKE UP & HAIR

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
BLACK SWAN
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
THE KING’S SPEECH
MADE IN DAGENHAM

SHORT ANIMATION

THE EAGLEMAN STAG – Michael Please
MATTER FISHER – David Prosser
THURSDAY – Matthias Hoegg

SHORT FILM

CONNECT – Samuel Abrahams, Beau Gordon
LIN – Piers Thompson, Simon Hessel
RITE – Michael Pearce, Ross McKenzie
TURNING – Karni Arieli, Saul Freed, Alison Sterling, Kat Armour-Brown
UNTIL THE RIVER RUNS RED – Paul Wright, Poss Kondeatis

ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING AWARD

GEMMA ARTERTON
ANDREW GARFIELD
TOM HARDY
AARON JOHNSON
EMMA STONE

Golden Globe Winners

Movie Awards
Best Picture Drama - The Social Network
Best Picture Comedy - The Kids Are All Right
Best Director - David Fincher "The Social Network"
Best Actress Drama - Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Best Actor Drama - Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
Best Actress Comedy - Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Best Actor Comedy - Paul Giamatti "Barney's Version" (yay!)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Best Actress in a Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Best Animated Feature - Toy Story
Best Foreign Language Film - In A Better World (Denmark)
Best Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin "The Social Network"
Best Original Song - Diane Warren "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" from "Burlesque"
Best Original Song- Trent Ross and Atticus Ross "The Social Network"
Cecille B. DeMille Award - Robert DeNiro

TV Awards
Best TV Drama - Boardwalk Empire
Best TV Comedy - Glee
Best Actor in a TV Drama -Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire"
Best Actress in a TV Drama - Katey Sagal for "Sons of Anarchy"
Best Actress in a TV Comedy - Laura Linney "The Big C"
Best Actor in a TV Comedy - Jim Parsons "The Big Bang Theory"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role TV - Chris Colfer  "Glee"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role TV - Jane Lynch "Glee"
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - "Carlos"
Best Actor Mini/TV Movie - Al Pacino "You Don't Know Jack"
Best Actress Mini/TV Movie - Claire Danes "Temple Grandin"

Golden Globe Predictions

Best Picture - Drama - The Social Network
Runner-Up: The King's Speech, The Fighter
Commentary: I know that most pundits are going with TKS here to win, and it has a great shot of doing so. But I'm guessing that The Social Network continues its streak. Look out for The Fighter.

Best Picture - Comedy - The Kids Are All Right
Runner Up - Burlesque
Commentary: Because if any thing else wins, I'll just quit.

Best Actor - Drama - Colin Firth "The King's Speech"
Runner Up - James Franco "127 Hours"
Commentary: Firth seems to be a major lock for the rest of the awards season.

Best Actor - Comedy - Johnny Depp "Alice in Wonderland"
Runner Up - Kevin Spacey "Casino Jack:
Commentary: While I would be happier if one of the other nominees won, I feel that two nominations will win the night, and since The Tourist stunk worse than a landfill, I'm going with the Mad Hatter.

Best Actress - Drama - Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Runner Up - Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Commentary: Everything points towards Portman, but watch out for Kidman, as the HFPA loves her, and is not afraid to reward her. Could be the upset of the night.

Best Actress - Comedy - Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"
Runner Up - Julianne Moore "The Kids Are All Right", actually anyone except Jolie.
Commentary - Despite the Angelina Jolie nod, this is actually a nice race, but I don't think anyone stands a chance against the great Annette.

Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Runner Up - Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"
Commentary - I think that Bale is going to ride his wave all the way to a well-deserved Oscar, including this pit stop.

Best Supporting Actress - Amy Adams "The Fighter:
Runner Up: Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech" and Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Commentary: I think that Leo could easily take this, but the Globes are star whores, so I think that Carter and Adams have the best shot, and I'm going with Amy for the win.

Best Director - David Fincher "The Social Network"
Runner Up - Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
Commentary - I think he's a lock from now on.

Best Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin "The Social Network"
Runner Up - Christopher Nolan "Inception" and David Seidler "The King's Speech"
Commentary: Better happen.

Best Animated Feature - Toy Story 3
Commentary: Duh

Best Original Score - Alexadre Desplat "The King's Speech"

Best Original Song -  Diane Warren "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" from "Burlesque"

Best Foreign Language Film - Biutiful

BFCA Critics Choice Winners

So the winners ended up being pretty standard, and the same five films that have been ruling the season continue their dominance. If the streak continues at the Globes, I think we will have some definite frontrunners.

BEST PICTURE - The Social Network
BEST ACTOR - Colin Firth - "The King's Speech"
BEST ACTRESS - Natalie Portman - "Black Swan"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Christian Bale - "The Fighter"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Melissa Leo - "The Fighter"
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS - Hailee Steinfeld - "True Grit"
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE - The Fighter
BEST DIRECTOR - David Fincher - "The Social Network"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - "The King's Speech" - David Seidler
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - "The Social Network" - Aaron Sorkin
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - "Inception" - Wally Pfister
BEST ART DIRECTION - "Inception" - Guy Hendrix Dyas and Larry Dias & Doug Mowat
BEST EDITING - "Inception" - Lee Smith
BEST COSTUME DESIGN - "Alice in Wonderland" - Colleen Atwood
BEST MAKEUP - Alice in Wonderland
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - Inception
BEST SOUND - Inception
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Toy Story 3
BEST ACTION MOVIE - Inception
BEST COMEDY - Easy A
BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION - The Pacific
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Waiting for 'Superman'
BEST SONG - "If I Rise" - performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong - 127 Hours
BEST SCORE - "The Social Network" - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Denver Film Critics Society Nominees

Nice nod for Blue Valentine

Best Film:
Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky
Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance
The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper
The Social Network, directed by David Fincher

Best Director:
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jackie Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Matt Damon, True Grit
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Animated Film:
How to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
The Illusionist, directed by Sylvain Chomet
Tangled, directed by Nathan Greno & Byron Howard
Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unkrich

Best Screenplay (Original):
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Holofcener, Please Give
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David Seidler, The King’s Speech

Best Screenplay (Adapted):
Ben Affleck, Peter Craig & Aaron Stockard,The Town
Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Documentary:
Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by Banksy
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, directed by Ricki Stern & Annie Sundberg
Restrepo, directed by Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger
Waiting for Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim

Best Foreign Language Film:
Biutiful, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
I Am Love, directed by Luca Guadagnino
Mother, directed by Joon-ho Bong
White Material, directed by Claire Denis

Best Original Song:
John Legend, Shine, Waiting For Superman
Chris Martin, Me and Tennessee, Country Strong
Randy Newman, We Belong Together, Toy Story 3
A.R. Rahman & Dido, If I Rise, 127 Hours

Best Original Score:
Carter Burwell, True Grit
Daft Punk, Tron: Legacy
Clint Mansell, Black Swan
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network

ACE Eddie Nominations

The Eddies are a very important indicator of the top Oscar contenders, and it is no surprise that the five films that have dominated the season got the five dramatic nominees. Also, if the Golden Globes Comedy category had looked like this, I think we would all be much happier. Nice to see some love for Made in Dagenham and Easy A.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
Black Swan, Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.
The Fighter, Pamela Martin
Inception, Lee Smith, A.C.E.
The King’s Speech, Tariq Anwar
The Social Network, Angus Wall, A.C.E. & Kirk Baxter

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
Alice in Wonderland, Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E.
Easy A, Susan Littenberg
The Kids Are All Right, Jeffrey M. Werner
Made in Dagenham, Michael Parker
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Jonathan Amos & Paul Machliss

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Despicable Me, Gregory Perler & Pam Ziegenhagen
How To Train Your Dragon, Maryann Brandon, A.C.E. & Darren T. Holmes, A.C.E.
Toy Story 3, Ken Schretzmann & Lee Unkrich, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY:
Exit Through the Gift Shop, Tom Fulford & Chris King
Inside Job, Chad Beck & Adam Bolt
Waiting For “Superman”, Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., Greg Finton & Kim Roberts

Iowa Film Critics Winners

Best Film - “The Social Network”
Best Director - David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Best Actor - Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
Best Actress - Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Best Animated Film - “Toy Story 3″
Best Film That Has Yet to Open in Iowa - “Another Year”

BFCA Critics Choice Awards Predictions

The Critics Choice Awards will be announced live tomorrow night at 9 on Vh1 I believe. So tune in!

Best Picture – The Social Network
Runners Up – The King’s Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter
Commentary - The BFCA tends to try to fit in with what is the perceived frontrunner/future winner at the Oscars, and although The King’s Speech could take the prize, my guess is that TSN continues its streak of critical success.

Best Director – David Fincher “The Social Network”
Runners Up – Christopher Nolan “Inception”, Darren Aronofsky “Black Swan”
Commentary – I feel that no matter what happens with Best Picture that Fincher is going to win this award all the way down the line.

Best Actor – Colin Firth “The King’s Speech”
Runners Up – James Franco “127 Hours”, Jesse Eisenberg “The Social Network”
Commentary – While the young guns, Franco and Eisenberg, have gotten a lot of attention, this is Firth’s year.

Best Actress – Natalie Portman “Black Swan”
Runners Up – Annette Bening “The Kids Are All Right”, Jennifer Lawrence “Winter’s Bone”
Commentary: While I still think that Bening may pull off the SAG, and eventually the Oscar, I feel that Portman is going to win here with the Critics. Although don’t put it past them to have a tie like last year, as they are notorious for not making up their minds in close races.

Best Supporting Actor – Christian Bale “The Fighter”
Runners Up – Geoffrey Rush “The King’s Speech”
Commentary: The only person outside of Bale I could see winning is Rush, but I think that even that is a small chance, as Bale has been the only dominant in the acting categories.

Best Supporting Actress – Melissa Leo “The Fighter”
Runners Up – Hailee Steinfeld “True Grit”, Amy Adams “The Fighter”, Helena Bonham Carter “The King’s Speech”
Commentary: This is a tough one, as the top four contenders all seem to be legitimate threats for the prize. I’m going with Leo because she has had the most attention, with Steinfeld being next in line. However, don’t discount Adams or Carter, or hell even Weaver, in this unpredictable race.

Best Acting Ensemble – The Fighter
Runners Up – The King’s Speech, The Social Network
Commentary: I think they will think outside the box and go with a movie who derives its strength from its cast like The Fighter.

Best Original Screenplay – David Seidler “The King’s Speech”
Runners Up – Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception
Commentary: I’m sure a lot of people are going to go with the more hip choices of The Fighter or Black Swan, but I think that The King’s Speech will surprise and overcome WGA eligibility to become the frontrunner again for Original Screenplay.

Best Adapted Screenplay – Aaron Sorkin “The Social Network”
Commentary: Duh

The other categories, I’m simply going to give a prediction, as I have no clue which way they are going to go, or they are pretty obvious.

Best Cinematography – True Grit
Best Art Direction – Alice in Wonderland
Best Film Editing – The Social Network
Best Costume Design – Black Swan
Best Makeup – Black Swan
Best Visual Effects – Inception
Best Animated Feature – Toy Story 3
Best Young Actor/Actress – Jennifer Lawrence “Winter’s Bone”
Best Sound – Inception
Best Action Movie – Inception
Best Comedy Movie – Easy A
Best Foreign Language Film – Biutiful
Best Documentary Feature – Waiting For ‘Superman’
Best Song – Shine from “Waiting for ‘Superman’”
Best Score – Inception

NAACP Image Awards

The Image Awards continue to be a place to honor underrated black actors, and although their nominations are sometimes not the best quality it is nice to see talented actors in excellent roles such as Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, and Anika Noni Rose, who have been absent during the Oscar season get some overdue recognition. The film nominees are listed below, and the other categories can be found at their website: http://www.naacpimageawards.net/42/nominees-and-honorees/

Outstanding Motion Picture

For Colored Girls
Just Wright
The Book of Eli
The Kids Are All Right
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Anthony Mackie - Night Catches Us
Common - Just Wright
Denzel Washington - The Book of Eli
Jaden Smith - The Karate Kid
Morgan Freeman - Red

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Halle Berry - Frankie & Alice
Janet Jackson - Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?
Kerry Washington - Night Catches Us
Queen Latifah - Just Wright
Zoe Saldana - The Losers

Outstanding Support Actor in a Motion Picture

Don Cheadle - Brooklyn's Finest
Idris Elba - Takers
Justin Timberlake - The Social Network
Michael Ealy - For Colored Girls
Samuel L. Jackson - Mother and Child

Outstanding Support Actress in a Motion Picture

Anika Noni Rose - For Colored Girls
Kimberly Elise - For Colored Girls
Phylicia Rashad - For Colored Girls
Jill Scott - Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?
Whoopi Goldberg - For Colored Girls

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

Conviction
Frankie & Alice
La Mission
Mother and Child
Night Catches Us

Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture

A Barefoot Dream
Biutiful
Four Lions
Mother
Outside the Law

Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television)

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
If God is Willing and the Creek Don't Rise
Waiting for Superman

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)


Mary King, Anna Waterhouse, Joe Shrapnel, Marko King, Jonathan Watters, Cheryl Edwards - Frankie & Alice
Michael C. Martin - Brooklyn's Finest
Michael Elliot - Just Wright
Rodrigo Garcia - Mother and Child
Tyler Perry - Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)

 
Geoffrey Sax - Frankie & Alice
George Tillman, Jr. - Faster
Tanya Hamilton - Night Catches Us
The Hughes Brothers - The Book of Eli
Tyler Perry - For Colored Girls

DGA Documentary Nominees

Well, it seems that Inside Job, Restrepo, and Waiting for 'Superman' are in. Last Train Home is not a finalist for the Oscars, which is a shame, and Client 9 I think is shaky. My bets are that they are replaced by Exit Through the Gift Shop and The Tillman Story

LIXIN FAN – Last Train Home
CHARLES FERGUSON – Inside Job
ALEX GIBNEY – Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
DAVIS GUGGENHEIM – Waiting for “Superman”
TIM HETHERINGTON & SEBASTIAN JUNGER – Restrepo

Vancouver Film Critics Winners

The Social Network wins again.

BEST FILM - The Social Network
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - Carlos
BEST DIRECTOR - David Fincher, The Social Network
BEST ACTOR - Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
BEST ACTRESS - Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Christian Bale, The Fighter
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
BEST SCREENPLAY - Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
BEST DOCUMENTARY - Exit Through the Gift Shop
BEST CANADIAN FILM - Incendies
BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM - Denis Villeneuve, Incendies
BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM - Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version
BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM - Lubna Azabal, Incendies
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM - Dustin Hoffman, Barney’s Version
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM - Delphine Chaneac, Splice
BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM - Fathers & Sons
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Chris Haddock

ASC Nominations

Nothing particularly shocking here, as these seem to be the five most likely nominees. Also we see a continued domination of the same 5-6 films (in this case excluding The Fighter), and will probably see them dominate come Oscar nomination morning.

Matthew Libatique, ASC (Black Swan)
Wally Pfister, ASC (Inception)
Danny Cohen, BSC (The King’s Speech)
Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (The Social Network)
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC (True Grit)

7 Finalists for Makeup

Three of these will end up with nods. I'm glad to see some recognition for The Way Back, but I think it might not make the cut. My guess is that Alice in Wonderland is in, but the other two are up in the air for me. They usually go with one bad film so maybe The Wolfman? Finally I'll go with True Grit, for shits and giggles.

"Alice in Wonderland”
“Barney’s Version”
“The Fighter”
“Jonah Hex”
“True Grit”
“The Way Back”
“The Wolfman”

The Alliance of Women in Film Journalism Winners

Apparently, males and females loved The Social Network. Also lots of overdue love for TKAAR.

Best Film: The Social Network
Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Best Director: David Fincher – The Social Network
Best Screenplay, Original: The Kids Are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
Best Screenplay, Adapted: The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin
Best Documentary: Inside Job – Charles Ferguson
Best Actress: Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
Best Actor: Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale – The Fighter
Best Ensemble Cast: The Kids Are All Right
Best Editing: TIE Black Swan – Andrew Weisblum and Inception – Lee Smith
Most Beautiful Film: I Am Love
Best Cinematography: Black Swan – Matthew Libatique
Best Film Music Or Score: The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Best Non-English-Language Film: Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Niels Arden Oplev, Denmark

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

Best Woman Director: Debra Granik – Winter’s Bone
Best Woman Screenwriter: Lisa Cholodenko – The Kids Are All Right
Best Female Action Star: Noomi Rapace – Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Best Animated Female: Astrid – How To Train Your Dragon
Best Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Women’s Image Award: Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Perseverance Award: Joan Rivers
Actress Defying Age and Ageism: Helen Mirren
Sexist Pig Award: Mel Gibson
This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry: Debra Granik for Winter’s Bone

Lifetime Achievement Award: TIE
Claire Denis
Helen Mirren
AWFJ Award For Humanitarian Activism: TIE
Sandra Bullock
Sean Penn

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

AWFJ Hall Of Shame Award: Sex and The City 2, Michael Patrick King, Sarah Jessica Parker, cast and crew
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent: Jennifer Aniston
Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn‘t: For Colored Girls
Unforgettable Moment Award: Black Swan – Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) sprouts black wings and final dance performance.
Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction: The Kids Are All Right
Sequel That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award: Sex and The City 2
The Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award: Clash of the Titans
Cultural Crossover Award: The Kids Are All Right
Bravest Performance Award: Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest Award: Solitary Man – Michael Douglas and Imogen Poots (45 years)

DGA Nods

So, I figured that Fincher, Hooper, Aronofsky, and Nolan were in, but the fifth spot was up in the air. While I think that Russell is the weakest, and could easily get replace by the Coens or Boyle, or maybe even Granik at the Oscars, this speaks loud volumes for the popularity of The Fighter, and it is clear that these five are the top films of the year, and are the ones that will probably rack up the most nods/wins come Oscar time.

David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Christopher Nolan, Inception

Visual Effects Society Awards

Inception leads in nominations, which is no surprise, and will  most likely win big on Feb. 1st here, and the Visual Effects Award at the Oscars.

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual-Effects Driven Feature Motion Picture
Inception
Iron Man 2
TRON: Legacy
Alice In Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Green Zone
SALT
Hereafter
Black Swan
Robin Hood

Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Tangled
How to Train Your Dragon
Toy Story 3
Shrek Forever After
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Last Day of the Dinosaurs
Inside The Perfect Predator
The Pacific
Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa
America - Story of US

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
Caprica
No Ordinary Family
V
The Event
Stargate: Universe

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
The Walking Dead
Human Target
Undercovers
Boardwalk Empire
Lost

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short
Looney Tunes - Coyote Falls
Day &Night
Paths of Hate
Tick Tock Tale
Cat Shit One - The Animated Series

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Live Action Commercial
Wrigley's 5 Gum - React
DirecTV "Ice Cream"
Barclaycard Rollercoaster
Halo: Reach
Verizon – Towers

Outstanding Animated Commercial
World of Warcraft
Dante's Inferno: Hell Awaits
Target "A Better Bullseye"
Andrex
Cadbury's Spots V Stripes

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
City of Ruins
King Kong 360 3D
Flight of the Dragon
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Outstanding Real-Time Visual Effects in a Video Game
StarCraft II
Need for Speed
Halo: Reach
Kinectimals

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Video Game Trailer
World of Warcraft
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Old Republic 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader – Reepicheep
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – Dobby
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore - Kitty Galore
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - Kreacher

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole - Digger
How to Train Your Dragon – Toothless
Tangled – Rapunzel
Megamind – Minion

Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Citron C3 The Spacebox – Citro
Cadbury - Freida Steer
Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa – Lanny
Logitech – Robot

Outstanding Animated Character in a Video Game
Halo: Reach – Kat
Kinectimals - Cub
StarCraft II - Sarah Kerrigan
Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Shrek Forever After
How to Train Your Dragon
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Toy Story 3

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Iron Man 2 - Stark Expo
TRON: Legacy – Disc Game
Inception - Paris Dreamscape
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Sand Room

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Broadcast Program
Boardwalk Empire – Boardwalk
The Event - To Keep Us Safe
The Pacific - The Battle of Iwo Jima
Boardwalk Empire - Family Limitation
Outstanding Models & Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture
Shutter Island – Ward-C Int./Ext. Lighthouse Int./Ext.
Iron Man 2 – Hammer Military Drones
The Expendables - The Palace Explodes
Inception - Hospital Fortress Destruction

Outstanding Models & Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Family Guy - Brian Griffin's House of Payne
Boardwalk Empire - The Ivory Tower

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
TRON: Legacy
Alice In Wonderland - Stolen Tarts
Inception
Hereafter - Tsunami Sequence
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Drench Cubehead
Boardwalk Empire - Episode 1
Travelers "Watering Hole"
The Pacific - Peleliu landing

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
LOOM
Time For Change
Das Tub
Nuisible(s)

National Society of Film Critics Winners

They tend to pick some interesting contenders, which they did, but also fall in line with the rest of the critics in terms of Picture/Director.

BEST PICTURE

*1. The Social Network 61
2. Carlos 28
3. Winter’s Bone 18

BEST DIRECTOR
*1. David Fincher 66 – The Social Network
2. Olivier Assayas 36 – Carlos
3. Roman Polanski 29 – The Ghost Writer

BEST ACTOR
*1. Jesse Eisenberg 30 – The Social Network
2. Colin Firth 29 – The King’s Speech
2. Edgar Ramirez 29 – Carlos

BEST ACTRESS
*1. Giovanna Mezzogiorno 33 – Vincere
2. Annette Bening 28 – The Kids Are All Right
3. Lesley Manville 27 – Another Year

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
*1. Geoffrey Rush 33 – The King’s Speech
2. Christian Bale 32 – The Fighter
3. Jeremy Renner 30 – The Town

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
*1. Olivia Williams 37 – The Ghost Writer
2. Amy Adams 28 – The Fighter
3. Melissa Leo 23 – The Fighter
3. Jacki Weaver 23 – Animal Kingdom

BEST NONFICTION
*1. Inside Job 25 (Charles Ferguson)
2. Exit Through the Gift Shop 21 (Banksy)
3. Last Train Home 15 (Lixin Fan)

BEST SCREENPLAY
*1. Aaron Sorkin 73 – The Social Network
2. David Seidler 25 – The King’s Speech
3. Roman Polanski and Robert Harris 19 – The Ghost Writer

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
*1. Carlos 31
2. A Prophet 22
3. White Material 16

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*1. True Grit 31 (Roger Deakins)
2. Black Swan 27 (Matthew Libatique)
3. Somewhere 18 (Harris Savides)

FILM HERITAGE AWARDS:
1. “The Film Foundation (20-year anniversary)
2. “Chaplin at Keystone” Flicker Alley
3. “Elia Kazan Collection” (Fox)
4. “Upstream,” rediscovered 1927 film dir. by John Ford. (National Film Preservation Foundation. )
5. “On the Bowery” (Milestone)
6. “Word Is Out” (Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and distributed by Milestone)

BAFTA Long List

Some interesting British choices, and a lot of love for The Girl With Dragon Tattoo, but overall, a pretty standard long list for this year. Also, if the 127 Hours love continues with the nominations, then I say it is in at the Oscars.

Best Film
127 Hours
Another Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Barney’s Version
Brighton Rock
Despicable Me
The Ghost Writer
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Never Let Me Go
Rabbit Hole
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Director
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Another Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Original Screenplay
Another Year
Biutiful
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
The Disappearance Of Alice Creed
The Fighter
Four Lions
Get Low
Hereafter
I Am Love
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Of Gods and Men

Make Up & Hair
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
Brighton Rock
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
I Am Love
Inception
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
The Social Network
True Grit

Special Visual Effects
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
How To Train Your Dragon
Inception
Iron Man 2
Kick-Ass
The King’s Speech
Monsters
Shutter Island
Toy Story 3
Tron Legacy

Sound
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
Brighton Rock
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Editing
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Costume Design
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
Brighton Rock
Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
I Am Love
Inception
Kick-Ass
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
The Social Network
True Grit

Production Design
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
Brighton Rock
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
I Am Love
Inception
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
The Social Network
True Grit

Cinematography
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
I Am Love
Inception
The King’s Speech
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Animated Film
Chico & Rita
Despicable Me
How To Train Your Dragon
Illusionist, The
Toy Story 3

Original Music
127 Hours
Alice In Wonderland
Biutiful
Brighton Rock
Despicable Me
The Ghost
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
How To Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Never Let Me Go
The Social Network
The Town

Leading Actor
Aaron Eckhart (Howie) – Rabbit Hole
Ben Affleck (Doug MacRay) – The Town
Colin Firth (King George VI) – The King’s Speech
James Franco (Aron Ralston) – 127 Hours
Javier Bardem (Uxbal) – Biutiful
Jeff Bridges (Marshal Reuben J Cogburn) – True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg) – The Social Network
Jim Broadbent (Tom) – Another Year
Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter) – Alice In Wonderland
Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb) – Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio (Teddy Daniels) – Shutter Island
Mark Wahlberg (Micky Ward) – The Fighter
Paul Giamatti (Barney Panofsky) – Barney’s Version
Robert Duvall (Felix Bush) – Get Low
Ryan Gosling (Dean) – Blue Valentine

Leading Actress
Andrea Riseborough (Rose) – Brighton Rock
Annette Bening (Nic) – The Kids Are All Right
Carey Mulligan (Kathy) – Never Let Me Go
Gemma Arterton (Alice) – The Disappearance Of Alice Creed
Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe) – Tamara Drewe
Hailee Steinfeld (Mattie Ross) – True Grit
Jennifer Lawrence (Ree) – Winter’s Bone
Julianne Moore (Jules) – The Kids Are All Right
Michelle Williams (Cindy) – Blue Valentine
Natalie Portman (Nina Sayers / The Swan Queen) – Black Swan
Nicole Kidman (Becca) – Rabbit Hole
Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander) – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Rosamund Pike (Miriam Grant-Panofsky) – Barney’s Version
Sally Hawkins (Rita O’Grady) – Made In Dagenham
Tilda Swinton (Emma Recchi) – I Am Love

Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) – The Social Network
Andrew Garfield (Tommy) – Never Let Me Go
Ben Kingsley (Dr Cawley) – Shutter Island
Bill Murray (Frank Quinn) – Get Low
Bob Hoskins (Albert) – Made In Dagenham
Christian Bale (Dicky Eklund) – The Fighter
Dustin Hoffman (Izzy Panofsky) – Barney’s Version
Geoffrey Rush (Lionel Logue) – The King’s Speech
Guy Pearce (King Edward VIII) – The King’s Speech
Jeremy Renner (James Coughlin) – The Town
Justin Timberlake (Sean Parker) – The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo (Paul) – The Kids Are All Right
Matt Damon (La Boeuf) – True Grit
Pete Postlethwaite (Fergus ‘Fergie’ Colm) – The Town
Vincent Cassel (Thomas Leroy / The Gentleman) – Black Swan

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Charlene Fleming) – The Fighter
Barbara Hershey (Erica Sayers / The Queen) – Black Swan
Ellen Page (Ariadne) – Inception
Geraldine James (Connie) – Made In Dagenham
Helena Bonham Carter (Queen Elizabeth) – The King’s Speech
Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) – Alice In Wonderland
Lesley Manville (Mary) – Another Year
Marion Cotillard (Mal) – Inception
Melissa Leo (Alice Ward) – The Fighter
Mila Kunis (Lily / The Black Swan) – Black Swan
Miranda Richardson (Barbara Castle) – Made In Dagenham
Olivia Williams (Ruth Lang) – The Ghost
Rebecca Hall (Claire Keesey) – The Town
Rosamund Pike (Lisa Hopkins) – Made In Dagenham
Winona Ryder (Beth Macintyre / The Dying Swan) – Black Swan

Central Ohio Critics Winners

Inception wins big getting picture, director, original screenplay, and score.

Best Film
1. Inception
2. The Social Network
3. The King’s Speech
4. Black Swan
5. Toy Story 3
6. True Grit
7. 127 Hours
8. The Fighter
9. Winter’s Bone
10. Exit Through the Gift Shop

Best Director
• Christopher Nolan – (Inception)
• Runner-Up: David Fincher – (The Social Network)

Best Actor
• James Franco – (127 Hours)
• Runner-Up: Colin Firth – (The King’s Speech)

Best Actress
• Natalie Portman – (Black Swan)
• Runner-Up: Jennifer Lawrence – (Winter’s Bone)

Best Supporting Actor
• Geoffrey Rush – (The King’s Speech)
• Runner-Up: Christian Bale – (The Fighter)

Best Supporting Actress
• Hailee Steinfeld – (True Grit)
• Runner-Up: Amy Adams – (The Fighter)

Best Ensemble
• The Fighter
• Runner-Up: True Grit

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
• James Franco – (127 Hours, Date Night, Eat Pray Love, Howl)
• Runner-Up: Chloe Moretz – (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kick-Ass, Let Me In)

Breakthrough Film Artist
• Chloe Moretz – (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kick-Ass, Let Me In) – (for acting)
• Runner-Up: Jennifer Lawrence – (Winter’s Bone) – (for acting)

Best Cinematography
• Roger Deakins – (True Grit)
• Runner-Up: Matthew Libatique – (Black Swan)

Best Adapted Screenplay
• Aaron Sorkin – (The Social Network)
• Runner-Up: Michael Arndt – (Toy Story 3)

Best Original Screenplay
• Christopher Nolan – (Inception)
• Runner-Up: Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, and John McLaughlin – (Black Swan)

Best Score
• Hans Zimmer – (Inception)
• Runner-Up: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – (The Social Network)

Best Documentary
• Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Runner-Up: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Best Foreign Language Film
• Mother (Madeo)
• Runner-Up: The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte)

Best Animated Film
• Toy Story 3
• Runner-Up: Despicable Me

Best Overlooked Film
• Please Give
• Runner-Up: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Cinema Audio Society Nominees

I think that out of all of them, the Social Network nod is the most interesting of them all. I have said since the beginning, that while subtle, the sound in the movie was phenomenal, but I am surprised that flashier movies didn't get in instead. My guess is that in the end The Social Network won't get this nod, and instead something like Tron, Alice, or another effects heavy film will get in instead. However, it is very telling that even the technical guilds are going for it. I also think that Shutter Island is getting a lot of attention, and could sneak in for a surprise picture nod, if there is enough low-key broad support across all the guilds. Hey stranger things have happened (The Blind Side, The Reader).

Motion Pictures:

Black Swan
Inception
Shutter Island
The Social Network
True Grit

Television Movies and Mini-Series:

The Pacific Part 2
The Pacific Part 5
The Pacific Part 8
The Pacific Part 9
Temple Grandin

Television Series:

24 (3:00PM – 4:00PM)
Boardwalk Empire (A Return to Normalcy-Episode 12)
Dexter (Take It)
Glee (The Power of Madonna)
Modern Family (Chirp)

Visual Effects Bake Off

Apparently, the Academy feels the need to narrow down the Visual Effects category even more, but only five out of the seven will make it.

"Alice in Wonderland,"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,"
"Hereafter,"
"Inception,"
"Iron Man 2,"
"Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"
"Tron: LEGACY."

My guess is that Hereafter and Scott Pilgrim will be on the outside looking in.

USC Libraries Scripter Award Finalists

Always an interesting group of nominees as they honor both the original authors and the screenwriters. A nice choice in The Ghost Writer, who may surprise and sneak in come Oscar morning

“The Ghost Writer”
Roman Polanski, screenwriter
Robert Harris, author (novel, “The Ghost”)

“127 Hours”
Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy, screenwriters
Aron Ralston, author (novel, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”)

“The Social Network”
Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter
Ben Mezrich, author (book, “The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex,Money, Genius and Betrayal”)

“True Grit”
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, screenwriters
Charles Portis, author (novel, “True Grit”)

“Winter’s Bone”
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, screenwriters
Daniel Woodrell, author (novel, “Winter’s Bone”)

Art Directors Guild Nominees

While the nods for the Contemporary category are nice, the Academy tends to go with the Period/Fantasy ones instead.

Here are my predictions for Best Art Direction as we speak:

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Commentary: I think that Alice, Inception, King's, and True Grit are locked and loaded, and I'm going with HP as a lucky guess

Contemporary Film

127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Social Network
The Town

Period Film

Get Low
The King’s Speech
Robin Hood
Shutter Island
True Grit

Fantasy Film

Alice in Wonderland
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One
Inception
Tron Legacy

Vancouver Film Critics Circle Nominees

If you are interested in Canadian films then check out the Canadian nominations. Otherwise, only three nods doesn't tell us much.

BEST FILM

The Social Network
True Grit
Black Swan

BEST ACTOR

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

BEST ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher, The Social Network
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Waiting for “Superman”

BEST SCREENPLAY

Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

BEST CANADIAN FILM

Incendies
Last Train Home
Trigger

BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM

Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version
Paul J. Spence, Fubar II
Jay Baruchel, The Trotsky

BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM

Lubna Azabal, Incendies
Molly Parker, Trigger
Tracy Wright, Trigger

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM

Jay Brazeau, Fathers & Sons
Maxim Gaudette, Incendies
Dustin Hoffman, Barney’s Version

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM

Delphine Chaneac, Splice
Minnie Driver, Barney’s Version
Mélissa Désormeaux Poulin, Incendies

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM

Denis Côté, Curling
Bruce MacDonald, Trigger
Denis Villeneuve, Incendies

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM

Fathers & Sons
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie
Mighty Jerome

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Carlos (France/Germany)
The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina/Spain)
Mother (Korea)
Un Prophète / A Prophet (France/Italy)

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE FILM INDUSTRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Chris Haddock

WGA Nominations

Finally, the WGA has posted its nods. I am thrilled that I got the Please Give nod correctly, but who saw the I Love Phillip Morris nod coming? I guess that is what happens when you deem so many scripts ineligible. When it comes to Oscar nods though, the surprise will probably end as Winter's Bone and Toy Story 3 enter the race. In terms of the Original Category, The King's Speech will most likely take out Please Give, and Another Year could sneak in, but at this point, I think it has lost too much steam to even get what used to be an assured screenplay nod.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Black Swan, Screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin; Story by Andres Heinz; Fox Searchlight
• The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Paramount Pictures
• Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.
• The Kids Are All Right, Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg; Focus Features
• Please Give, Written by Nicole Holofcener; Sony Pictures Classics

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• 127 Hours, Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy; Based on the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston; Fox Searchlight
• I Love You Phillip Morris, Written by John Requa & Glenn Ficarra; Based on the book by Steven McVicker; Roadside Attractions
• The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures
• The Town, Screenplay by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard; Based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan; Warner Bros.
• True Grit, Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Based on the novel by Charles Portis; Paramount Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

• Enemies of the People, Written, Directed, Filmed and Produced by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath; International Film Circuit
• Freedom Riders, Written, Produced and Directed by Stanley Nelson; International Film Circuit
• Gasland, Written and Directed by Josh Fox; HBO Documentary Films and International WOW Company
• Inside Job, Produced, Written and Directed by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classics
• The Two Escobars, Written by Michael Zimbalist, Jeff Zimbalist; ESPN Films

London Evening Standard Awards - Nominees

Not really important, but interesting to see what the British think, and which of their films are the most prominent this year.

BEST FILM

Another Year (director Mike Leigh)
The Arbor (director Clio Barnard)
The Illusionist (director Sylvain Chomet)
Kick-Ass (director Matthew Vaughn)
The King’s Speech (director Tom Hooper)
Neds (director Peter Mullan)
Never Let Me Go (director Mark Romanek)

BEST ACTOR

Riz Ahmed (Four Lions)
Jim Broadbent (Another Year)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Never Let Me Go)
Eddie Marsan (The Disappearance Of Alice Creed)
Ewan McGregor (The Ghost)
Sam Riley (Brighton Rock)

BEST ACTRESS

Brenda Blethyn (London River)
Rebecca Hall (Please Give)
Sally Hawkins (Made In Dagenham)
Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go)
Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go)
Kristin Scott Thomas (Partir)
Ruth Sheen (Another Year)
Tilda Swinton (I Am Love)
Olivia Williams (The Ghost)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)
Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill (Down Terrace)
Robert Harris (The Ghost)
Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass)
Clio Barnard (The Arbor)
Alex Garland (Never Let Me Go)

LONDON FILM MUSEUM TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Gareth Edwards for his cinematography, production design and visual effects on Monsters
Jenny Beavan for her costume design for The King’s Speech
Dick Pope for his cinematography on Another Year
Andrew McAlpine for his production design for Made In Dagenham
Dickon Hinchliffe for his score for Winter’s Bone
Mark Tildesley for his production design for The Killer Inside Me

PETER SELLERS AWARD FOR COMEDY

Roger Allam for his performance in Tamara Drewe
Omid Djalili for his performance in The Infidel
Ed Gaughan for his performance in Skeletons
Robin Hill for his performance in Down Terrace
David Thewlis for his performance in London Boulevard

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

J Blakeson writer/director of The Disappearance Of Alice Creed
Tuppence Middleton (for her performances in Skeletons and Chatroom)
Nick Whitfield, director of Skeletons
Ben Wheatley, co-writer and director of Down Terrace
Conor McCarron for his performance in Neds

BEST DOCUMENTARY

A Day In The Life by John Krish
Oil City Confidential by Julien Temple
Enemies Of The People by Thet Sambat and Rob Lemkin
Exit Through The Gift Shop by Banksy
Land Of The Free by Vadim Jean
No Greater Love by Michael Whyte