If I Were An Academy Voter - 2010 Part I

So I am starting a new series, where I look back at previous ballots for the Academy Awards and show you how I would have voted had I been an Academy member. It seems fitting to start with this year's awards. For each year I will post Parts I and II, the first part for the main awards, and the second part for the technical merits.

Best Picture

My Rankings

1. The Social Network

2. The King's Speech

3. The Kids Are All Right

4. Inception

5. Toy Story 3

6. The Fighter

7. True Grit

8. 127 Hours

9. Black Swan

10. Winter's Bone

Commentary - I have decided that The King's Speech probably won this award based more on number 2-5 votes, than on #1 votes. Cause after I put The Social Network at number 1, I automatically went for The King's Speech at number 2. It might not be as dynamic as TSN, but it was an excellent film, and in a ranking system, many people would probably feel the same way. I put The Kids Are All Right at #3 because I simply loved it and thought it was original and funny. The rest are simply in order of preference (duh?), overall though it was hard to put some movies above others in this incredible year for movies.

Best Director

Academy Winner - Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"

My Pick - David Fincher "The Social Network"

Commentary - I was not that dissappointed that Tom Hooper won, as he is a nice guy and I did enjoy The King's Speech. But if I were voting, my vote would have gone to David Fincher, who made a courtroom drama about a computer website one of the most thrilling and exciting movies that has come along in a long time.

Best Actor

Academy Winner/My Pick - Colin Firth "The King's Speech"

Commentary - Was there really any other choice? Firth was so close to winning last year until the great Jeff Bridges came blazing into the race in the last mintue. But this year, there was no one stopping King Colin. Plus, he happened to be incredible, and the best performance of the bunch.

Best Actress

Academy Winner - Natalie Portman "Black Swan"

My Pick - Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"

Commentary - I was thrilled for a ready-to-pop Natalie Portman, but if I had voted, my vote would have gone to the wonderful Annette Bening. Her performance was subtle compare to Portmans, but that does not mean it was of lesser quality. Bening was so real, honest, and emotional as Nic, and it made me remember why I love her as an actress so muhc.

Best Supporting Actor

Academy Winner/My Pick - Christian Bale "The Fighter"
Commentary  - It wasn't until they included the real footage of Dickey at the end of The Fighter, that I realized just how fantastic Christian Bale was. After years of being ignored by the Academy, this was his time to shine, and he would have gotten my vote.

Best Supporting Actress
Academy Winner - Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
My Pick - Amy Adams "The Fighter"

Commentary - While I still love me some Melissa Leo (despite her bizarre acceptance speech), my vote would have gone to the sensual Amy Adams. She has been an excellent in so many films, but the range that she showed this year in The Fighter proved she is capable of anything. She would have won my vote.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Academy Winner/My Pick - Aaron Sorkin "The Social Network"

Commentary - Finally, this man gets the Oscar nod he deserves. He could rewrite Sesame Street and I think I would vote for one of his scripts. On a more serious note, he truly wrote the best script of the bunch, and created a modern masterpiece.

Best Original Screenplay

Academy Winner - David Seidler "The King's Speech"

My Pick - Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg "The Kids Are All Right"

Commentary - I was thrilled when David Seidler won, simply because of his awesome acceptance speech. But if I were a voter, I would have gone with the honest family dramedy The Kids Are All Right for sentimental reasons.

Best Animated Feature

Academy Winner/My Pick - Toy Story 3

Commentary - One day Pixar will win the Best Picture Oscar, until then it will be relegated to this category. In my mind there was no other competition this year.

Best Documentary Feature

Academy Winner - Inside Job

My Pick - Exit Through the Gift Shop

Commentary - Inside Job was nice, but for my money, I would have loved to have seen Bansky accept the Academy Award. Plus it was simply the superior film of the bunch. For the record, the Joan Rivers doc should have been nominated, and the rest would have been moot.  

Best Foreign Language Film

Academy Winner - In a Better World

My Pick - Dogtooth

Commentary - I liked In a Better World, but my vote would have gone to Dogtooth, which I was thrilled got a a nomination in the first place.