Oscar 2010: Sight Unseen

It's been a slow news day, so consider this me trying to make up for the lack of activity. We have a good three weeks or so until the end of the year, so expect me to be flailing around to get to seeing all the films that are likely to be nominated for Best Picture. In terms of what I have predicted, I've seen about six out of ten. There are films that are still in competition for a slot in the top ten, and nothing's set in stone. Winter's Bone has been making it's way on and off my list for some time now. Its success at the Gotham Awards proved that the film still has a fighting chance, but how much so? I'll be renting the film again this weekend just so I can recollect my thoughts on it.

The Way Back is an outside presence at the moment, and I doubt it will be making much of a dent in the nominations this year. It's really hard to say seeing as we've seen so little of it. There hasn't been much talk about it, and the campaign for the film hasn't been too warm lately. I don't think it'll be one of the films making the cut this year, and I definitely won't be able to see it by the time the year is out. The final film that lies just outside the race is Black Swan, and I should be able to see it around Christmastime this year. It's been getting a few nominations here and there, most notably with the D.C. Area Critics Awards. However, it's going to have to fight genre conventions to make it in with the Academy.

As far as what I have seen that I believe will make it into the Oscar race this year, The Social Network is right at the top as of present. The King's Speech did seem like a rather solid bet, and it still does in some ways. Unfortunately, the solid ground it was standing on has unexpectedly given way, and critics haven't really been siding with British Drama too much. That's not to say that I have much trouble with David Fincher's film taking the top prize. On the contrary, I'd recommend it. The film has been growing more on me for the past week, and all the reasons why the film was so successful keep representing themselves in my mind. I think that the tides have changes in Fincher's favor.

Remember long ago when Inception was thought to be lingering on the tenth slot in terms of Oscar predictions? Well that time is irrelevant now, as many are placing Christopher Nolan's film as the #3 film in terms of this race. If the nominations were down to five this year, I think this one would have a better chance than The Dark Knight did two years ago. I'm not saying Inception is better than the famous Batman feature, but the Academy has grown a little friendlier in the past two years, and probably for the better. I'm still not quite sure if the ten nomination thing will last, but it's clear that Nolan is a constant presence in this race.

Toy Story 3 has been making the rounds and solidifying its status as a sure fire nomination. However, Bill Ross of Disney seems to think that it has the potential to win the race altogether, saying that if Pixar doesn't win the race this year, it never will. Perhaps that's a truth, and I'm surprisingly fine with it. The animated film genre has worked long and hard to get to the point where it is respected, sometimes more than live-action films. So I'm content with Toy Story 3 landing a nomination, and winning the Best Animated Feature race. The Town is a film that will be lucky if it gets a nomination, and that's an honor upon itself. I think Ben Affleck's film will make it in the end, so long as they keep the buzz and anticipation alive until January.

Another Year is also drifting on the verge of being snubbed, which is to be expected of a film that hasn't been released yet. It's surprising that True Grit was never on that verge, because everyone always had faith in the Coen brothers, except for me. I wasn't sure their latest would actually work, but according to critics it has, so expect it to have a presence in the awards race. I still don't have much faith in The Fighter, but let's face facts. That will probably change when I've actually seen the film. I'm still firmly against the film, but I want to be proven wrong, so that may be the key to my undoing.

I still have yet to see 127 Hours, but it's only a matter of time before it's playing in my area, and when it is, it should only take about 90 minutes to see it. I don't think Danny Boyle has ever made a shorter film. It will probably be the shortest film in the race this year. Finishing things off is the often overlooked The Kids Are All Right, which is on an unfortunate course to be ignored by the awards race. It will be nominated for plenty, but the only chance this film has at a win is Best Actress for Annette Bening, and if she doesn't win, it will be a huge disservice. So there are a few films I still need to witness, and when I do, you can trust me to have a review down quickly as possible.