THE LISTS: Best below-the-line elements in Christopher Nolan's films

It's rather easy to underestimate how suffocating the cloud of hype for "The Dark Knight Rises" can be, even if you're trying to ignore it. Fact of the matter is that they simply didn't have a midnight screening for "Alps" for me to get excited about, so what else is a man supposed to do with his life except delve back into Nolan's filmography? Plenty ideas crossed my mind when deciding on where to focus my energies, one being the performances across Nolan's now eight films, but that's really something that requires much more time and further films in order to pick out the best. It's inferred that Nolan has plenty left in him.

At this moment, what seemed rather appropriate to do was go below-the-line with Nolan's films, especially considering how "The Dark Knight" achieved a rather difficult across the board perfection of sorts which this sequel hopes to continue. Nolan has worked with a lot of the same people across his career, switching up partners every once in a while when it seems prudent, and he's rather likely to find even more collaborators over the rest of his career, as well as continue the ones he has made. Given that we don't know what the future holds for him after "The Dark Knight Rises", which more and more is seemingly like a cutting point in Nolan's career, now is a rather good time to consider his collaborations thus far.

"The Man Dresses Up Like a Bat. Clearly He Has Issues."

I feel like Christopher Nolan could craft this into the plot for Inception 2, if he were ever to make one. In any case, this is a really fun interesting fan item.

Oscar 2010: Final Words

"At the end, he called me to his deathbed. He could barely speak, but he took the trouble to tell me one last thing. He pulled me close, and I could only make out one word. 'Disappointed'." - Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) from Inception

We can now leave 2010 to the past, and stop dwelling in it with anger and desperation. The awards season is over, and much like Maurice Fischer in Inception, I am too am disappointed. If there's one thing that last night's Oscar telecast showed us, it's how pathetic 2010 in film was compared to 2009. I was part of the most delusional Oscar party in America, with people who honestly felt that 2010 was a modest improvement, both in respects to the films and the ceremony. I wasn't a fan of 2009's mixed up and frantic show, last night's show was all over the place. It was as corny and frantically emotional as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, the second worst Oscar winning film of this year. But thinking back to the films released, there is a noticeable rift in quality.

The King's Speech and Inception both walked away with four nominations, the latter in all technical categories and the former only in the big eight categories. The Social Network only walked away with three, all of which were well deserved awards. Some of the most disappointing awards decisions were based solely on the politics of the show. Banksy definitely deserved to win for Exit Through the Gift Shop, but the Academy was without a doubt fearful that he would ruin their precious little show, as if they needed any help with that. I'm a moderately understanding person, but I just don't stand for giving awards out to anything less than the best in each category. It didn't help that there just weren't many interesting films out this year. Probably the most disappointing upset was Roger Deakins being snubbed from Best Cinematography once again. The man just can't seem to catch a break, even after all these years.

I guess that's the way things are meant to go. The best films of the year go by under-appreciated, and the obvious crowd-pleasers are the victors. It wasn't always like this, as the Academy decided in the past two honor the best, not compromising for the sake of flash. 2007 may have been the best Oscar year in the past ten years, with films like Juno, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood pushing audiences once again to widen their horizons. If this year were more like that year, the five nominees for Best Picture would be Winter's Bone, Black Swan, The Social Network, True Grit, and The Fighter, not even mentioning The King's Speech. Those great days are past us, but I sill manage to hope that changes this year.

If things seem somewhat sparse here for the next week, it's because I'm quite honestly busy catching up with my real life. I need a break from this mania, and what better way to do it than immerse myself completely in this year. The next month offers some exciting features, and even if they turn out to be merely unintelligent diversions, that will be a welcome break from the over-intellectualized ramblings we Oscar prognosticators have been partaking in over the past few months. It all boils down to one night, and that night has to deliver. This year, it just didn't. I leave you with my guiltiest pleasure from last night's show.

Oscar 2010: The Glitz. The Glamour. The Horror.

This is as mixed an Oscar ceremony as there's ever been, in some ways better, and in some ways far worse than last year's messy ceremony. The evening started out promising with a fantastic opening montage of the ten Best Picture nominees. Then Anne Hathaway and James Franco came on, and the MTV Movie Awards style film tribute began. It was distracting, and an omen of terrible things to come. The monologue wasn't that great either, with most of the jokes landing flat on the ground. To her credit, Anne Hathaway did a great job whenever she was on the stage alone, which was sadly most of the time. I can't tell why James Franco decided to sit out most of the ceremony. He made such a big deal about it for the past month. Did anyone else think he was getting high backstage?

The winners started out optimistically, with Alice in Wonderland taking Best Art Direction and Inception taking Best Cinematography. It was enough to suggest that perhaps a major upset was in store for The King's Speech. Instead, as we reached the end, it sunk in that this was just a major misfire. Most of the deserving films and filmmakers in each category weren't rewarded, such as Roger Deakins for True Grit, or Banksy for Exit Through the Gift Shop. True, there were some rewarding winners, such as Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Melissa Leo and Christian Bale for The Fighter, and Wally Pfister for Inception, but none of those could stop The King's Speech from walking away with an undeserved Best Picture win. Much worse, Tom Hooper won Best Director, stealing it away from five more deserving nominated directors, and countless others who weren't nominated. Will Gluck was more deserving for his work on Easy A. That's where I am?

So what did I enjoy about the show? Well, there's the aforementioned opening montage, as well as the montage for Best Picture. Those were effective, but the latter wreaked of The King's Speech. Even the producers of the show knew it was going to win. I'm probably the only one who loved the auto-tune segment, which was hilarious and off-kilter in the best way possible. I just loved it. What was the absolute best part of the show? Kirk Douglas' extended segment, obviously. The man is well past his prime, and that's the best thing about him. He just went on so hilariously, and it was hard not to burst into hysterical laughter at times. However, most times during the show, including those chanting children at the end, were overkill to the nth degree. For that, this is one of the worst shows in recent memory. Perhaps ever. It's something you didn't notice until all the proceedings were done with. Please comment below on your thoughts from the ceremony. Good? Atrociously and irreparably awful? Have at it!

D-

Oscar 2010: And The Winners Are...

Best Picture: The King's Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Director: Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
Best Original Song: "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3

Best Editing: The Social Network
Best Visual Effects: Inception
Best Documentary Feature: Inside Job
Best Live-Action Short: God of Love
Best Documentary Short Subject: Strangers No More
Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Best Makeup: The Wolfman
Best Sound Editing: Inception
Best Sound Mixing: Inception
Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Foreign Language Film: In A Better World
Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler (The King's Speech)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Animated Short: The Lost Thing
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Cinematography: Wally Pfister (Inception)
Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Picture

The votes have been tallied, and there's nothing I can say now that can change any heads about where they're going. So going into this evening, there's a great chance that the inevitable winner of this prize is going to be The King's Speech. Even after everything, I can still say I at least like the film, because it is inspirational and funny, but a feat of immense filmmaking, it is not. All the same, if by some miracle The King's Speech doesn't win, I don't think we'll be able to predict which feature will win. Sure, The Social Network is runner-up in the books, but things have changed so immensely that I can't tell what will happen.

What I truly hope happens, and this is if only the wildest of dreams come true, is that Black Swan takes home Best Picture, matching it up with its Indie Spirit Award last night. The film is an undeniable feat of advanced filmmaking that shakes you to your core, which is what a film should do. Although, the Academy may still be too apprehensive to let such an off-the-wall trinket as this walk away with the top prize. To be honest, I feel like the odds for an upset would be in The Fighter's favor, and I think that I'd be fine with that. Sure, I'm not a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg, but everyone else in the cast gives tops performances, it's nicely directed, and aggressively edited. My mindset is in the mood for a change.

Of course, The Social Network isn't totally out of the cards. They amassed a ridiculous amount of critics awards, and that heft should be able to push them over the threshold. There are probably a few Academy members who are out rooting for Fincher's film to win. It's a little strange how I'm not one of them. True Grit is another potent possibility, given the authentic nature of it, it seems like exactly the sort of carefully drawn out film that the Academy would honor. I'm sure it's not going to happen, but I think it'd definitely be nice. Toy Story 3 has been gaining some steam that hasn't really gone anywhere. If tonight were the night that the first animated feature took home Best Picture, I think there'd be more rapturous applause. And I quite honestly don't see a reason why it shouldn't be in the cards. It's one of the best features of 2010. That's undeniable. What's with the apprehension?

The rest of the field is filled out by films that don't really stand a chance. 127 Hours was perhaps as great as any film this year, but it's all packed into a smaller package, and I think the Academy would go for something bigger. I'm sure that the Academy isn't exactly a bunch of Inception fans, seeing as they didn't see fit to nominate Nolan for Best Director. I don't see much success for the film beyond the technical categories, sad as it is to say. The Kids Are All Right would be a sweet winner, but does anybody really believe this could happen? Same answer for Winter's Bone, as unfortunate as that is. It's a shame how sometimes the best aren't recognized as such through strange technicalities.

1. Black Swan
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. Winter's Bone
4. The Social Network
5. Toy Story 3
6. True Grit
7. The Fighter
8. Inception
9. 127 Hours
10. The King's Speech

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win (My Pick): Black Swan
Potential Upset: The Social Network
Should Have Been Nominated: The Illusionist

Awards 2010: Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Go With "True Grit"

Adding another standoff to this year's Academy Awards, True Grit has beat out Inception for the CAS award for outstanding achievement in sound mixing. I still haven't a clue how to work out what happens in this race, but I think we were all under the assumption that Inception had this race in the bag. It turns out that we may be wrong, but I'm not too willing to adjust my predictions because of this. I think Nolan's film will take the win come next Sunday, but be ready in case there is an upset.

SoundWorks Collection: The Sound of "True Grit" from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Original Screenplay

Here is yet another case of determining what should win in opposition to what actually will win. The only film nominated for Best Original Screenplay that I haven't seen is Another Year, and as things are right now, most people haven't gotten around to it. That's probably the main reason it didn't get any more nominations than this, and that's clearly a shame. However, we can't really do anything about that now, so we can only deal with what we've been given. The film that's undoubtedly going to win is The King's Speech, which is prepping to tie with Inception and The Social Network for most wins next Sunday. Going over the film again, things are rather predictable, and the dialogue a bit forced. It has the touch of experience from a former stammerer, but not much more than that.

There is a chance that Inception could come in for the win here, seeing as it already won the WGA award about two weeks ago. That was the greatest glimmer of light in this predictable awards season, and if anything's going to upset The King's Speech, it will be Nolan's film. That's something I'm desperately hoping for. If the world were to go by my own specific plan, as I sometime imagine it should, The Kids Are All Right would walk away with this specific prize. Across the past several months, the one thing that has stayed a constant is Lisa Cholodenko's suburban comedy, and I remain steadfastly in love with the film. The only lacking bit of the script is Julianne Moore's still heart-rendering confession to the family at the end of the film, but everything other than that is gold.

The only other contender in this race, and the one that doesn't stand a single chance in hell, is The Fighter. Since seeing the film, I have greatly lightened up on it, and it's been making its way up the ranks over the past few weeks, but the predictable story remains predictable. I would much rather have had Black Swan be nominated here, because there are some wonderfully original ideas employed in Aronofsky's latest work of art. It's a pity that isn't nominated.

1. The Kids Are All Right
2. Inception
3. Another Year
4. The King's Speech
5. The Fighter

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: The Kids Are All Right
Potential Upset: Inception
Should Have Been Nominated: Black Swan

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Cinematography

Coming on the heels of yesterday's announcement of Wally Pfister taking the ASC win for Inception, the Oscar for Best Cinematography is very much a two horse race now. At the top of my list, and the person I'm personally rooting for, Roger Deakins for True Grit. Authenticity is something I really go for in terms of cinematography, so films of a more fantastical nature like Inception tend to be lower down on my list. It's not that Wally Pfister didn't do a fantastic job, but the coats of computer generated visuals are mostly responsible for the awe that the audiences feel.

What Roger Deakins did with Joel & Ethan Coen's western was take some down-to-earth sets and landscapes, and show how textured and beautiful they can be. There's not a shot of the film in which I can truly say I was dissatisfied, from start to finish. One of the less obvious treasures in this race is Matthew Libatique's work on Black Swan. The combination of the set design and the way the film is shot creates a visceral and reality-grounded experience, and as Nina descends into madness, the camera goes into a marvelous freely spinning routine that rivals the dancers on screen. It's not going to take the prize, but it is worth noting that it got the nomination. The last two film in the race as The Social Network and The King's Speech, neither of which are truly deserving of any acknowledgment. If I were to place a bet on which of these is most likely to pull an upset, I'd go with the former.

1. True Grit
2. Black Swan
3. Inception
4. The Social Network
5. The King's Speech

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: True Grit
Potential Upset: The Social Network
Should Have Been Nominated: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Awards 2010: American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Goes For "Inception"

We're now under two weeks away from Oscar night, and it's starting to look like more of a surprising affair than originally assumed. The King's Speech has Best Picture all locked up in a nice little basket, but there are quite a few intense races still ahead. Amongst them is the cinematography race, which for a while felt like it was locked up for Roger Deakins of True Grit. Then Wally Pfister took his first ASC win last night for his work on Inception, effectively casting doubt on some of Deakins' chances. Pfister has a grand total of four consecutive nominations, while Deakins has accumulated nine nominations with zero wins. Somebody is going to get their first statuette this year, and I honestly hope it will be Deakins. He definitely deserves it.

Awards 2010: BAFTA Winners

The BAFTA awards took place today, and I just knew that The King's Speech was going to be the main player. They're biased when it comes to that film, so I can't say this is a totally reliable ceremony when it comes to what's actually going to win on Oscar night. Early on, it felt like perhaps the British period piece wouldn't be the strongest winner of the ceremony. No such luck, as the film later picked up acting wins for Rush, Carter, and Firth in their respective categories. I was surprised Alice in Wonderland won as much as it did, seeing as it's been on the decline for some time now. Natalie Portman won Best Actress, effectively snuffing out any hopes Annette Bening had of winning. Perhaps the most telling win of this ceremony was David Fincher for Best Director. It offers just enough to say that Tom Hooper is not the frontrunner has most have pegged him.

Best Picture: The King's Speech
Best British Film: The King's Speech
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Best Original Screenplay: The King's Speech
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Cinematography: True Grit
Best Visual Effects: Inception
Best Production Design: Inception
Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Best Foreign Language Film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Makeup: Alice in Wonderland
Best Editing: The Social Network
Best Sound: Inception
Best Original Score: The King's Speech

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Costume Design

I can't say I'm a reliable source when it comes to placing bets on this specific battle. I was actually hoping for Inception to make it amongst the nominations, with all the crazy rumblings going on in my head. I was just fascinated by the specificity of the several different costumes for each character. Cobb, Saito, and Arthur have such subtle differences in their seemingly uniform suits. There's a uniqueness about Eames' different outfits, and Ariadne had some lovely little outfits. Mal steals the show, and she's pretty much the entire backing of my love in this particular category.

This is one of the only categories that The King's Speech actually deserves to win. Of all the aspects of the film, I especially appreciated the costumes. I haven't actually seen I Am Love, but from the bits and clips I've seen, the costumes are pretty damn stunning, so if this comes in for a surprise win, all the better. The Tempest was also intriguing when it came to what the characters wore, but everything else fails to match up. I'm not about to jab Alice in Wonderland for the costumes in it, because that was one of the few things I truly enjoyed about the film. True Grit, while perhaps the strongest film of the bunch, is the weakest link in this category. It doesn't do much that I haven't seen before or that truly stuck out to me. This category is quite clear cut if you ask me.

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Art Direction

If it seems like I'm pegging The King's Speech as the potential upset in most categories it's nominated for, that's because I am. When it comes down to it, there are only two categories that Tom Hooper's film deserves to win for, and the rest are undeserving. I'd be a little lighter on it in terms of this category if there wasn't such vivid competition. The visuals in the film are only occasionally inspiring, but definitely not more than the other nominees. Alice in Wonderland, while rendered hideously revolting by the visual effects, has some of the most stunning and colorful art direction of 2010. That being said, it's chances are squashed by the end product.

As far as period films go, Joel & Ethan Coen's True Grit has the upper hand in terms of visualization, although much of that is due to Roger Deakins' cinematography. I don't expect much in terms of art direction. The film I think is most deserving of the win is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The sets they built for Malfoy Manor, the Weasley Wedding, and the Ministry of Magic, along with the unprecedented scope of the set design really should put this at the head of the pack. Somehow it doesn't, so I'm going to say the film that most likely will win is Christopher Nolan's Inception. In a film entirely dependent on elaborate architecture, the prowess is brought much closer to the surface by Ariadne's character. You look around at the surroundings because it's part of her creation. The King's Speech might take that away, but I dearly hope not.

"Enveloped In His Rapture"

It's a bit too easy to forget why Inception was such a towering achievement, so consider this a healthy reminder.

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Original Score

Definitely one of the most competitive competitions this year is for Original Score, and even though this should be a two horse race, somehow it's been made into something more by The King's Speech. I'm not going to lie due to my affinity towards Alexandre Desplat, because The King's Speech is the least deserving score on this slate. I take into account 127 Hours, whose sole melody I remember "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers. Desplat's work on the film boiled down to the simple suites that he's been doing for year, and it was nowhere near as expansive and emotional as his work on Deathly Hallows: Part 1, nor anywhere close to the originality he brought to The Ghost Writer. I absolutely adore Desplat's work, which is the main reason I acknowledged him as the greatest contributor of 2010. He deserves to receive recognition, but not this year, and not for this score. He's got better work on the horizon, most notably Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and The Tree of Life.

How to Train Your Dragon was John Powell's greatest achievement in years, weaving so many memorable themes that equal the works of John Williams in his heyday. That being said, he's not going to take the gold with this particular work. The two scores in this race with the greatest chance at victory utilized the electronic in a fascinating way. My personal pick is quite obviously Inception, which is Hans Zimmer's most original score in years. Nobody else could have done it like him. The other is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' work on The Social Network. Whoever has griped at the score not expanding the feel of the film should shut it. They're only pissed that TRON Legacy didn't get in, and while I appreciate Daft Punk's work, I didn't realize until just recently how similar their score is to the score for The Dark Knight. Getting back to Reznor and Ross, their score defined our generation in a way that the film came just short of, not that they were aiming at capturing that. The Golden Globe win in favor of The Social Network raised the stakes of this particular race, and it'll be interesting to see what goes down later this month.

1. Inception
2. The Social Network
3. How to Train Your Dragon
4. 127 Hours
5. The King's Speech

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Inception
Potential Upset: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Nominated: The Ghost Writer

Awards 2010: Art Director's Guild (ADG) Winners

After the fantastically rewarding events of the Writer's Guild Awards, we're thrown slightly back into the fray. The ADG winners weren't altogether surprising, mostly because there weren't any contemporary films nominated for the Oscar. So the fact that Black Swan won the contemporary field really makes sparse difference. It's a two horse race between Inception and The King's Speech, both of which took their respective honors last night. Alice in Wonderland failed to achieve a win from the Fantasy category, so the film may indeed walk away empty handed on Oscar night. Against all predictability, dreams really do come true, kinda.

Period Art Direction: The King's Speech
Contemporary Art Direction: Black Swan
Fantasy Art Direction: Inception

Awards 2010: Writer's Guild of America Winners

This week, I did something that I haven't done since late 2009. I sat down and watched Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight from start to finish. I'd seen fragments of it on television, usually during the ambitious gotham city car chase that takes place in the middle of the film. I can honestly say that I've never fully realize the full scale of Nolan's accomplishment until just now. At face value, it's a dark crime thriller with some breathtaking action set-pieces propelling it, but what always shook me to my core was that final 25 minutes. The Joker had already made it abundantly clear of his intention to show the citizens of Gotham as the murderous fiends they truly are. Ultimately what that final showdown, and what the entire film actually boils down to is the struggle to keep hope alive at whatever the cost. The stakes are made so personal by the face-off between Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon, and that menace shows how painful it is to live in a world with absolutely no hope. That was what made the film so unforgettable.

With that said, Inception is never going to come close to what that film meant and what that film did. To even suggest that is crazy, because Nolan creates a softer film with less emotional stakes. It's dazzlingly well crafted with a powerful and under-appreciated supporting turn from Marion Cotillard, but it won't be what Nolan is remembered for. Recently I have been twisting and turning at how unbearably predictable the Oscar race has become, and it's so unbearable because it's currently in favor of The King's Speech, which is quickly becoming my least favorite film of the bunch, aside from The Fighter. It's amazing how unanimous praise can expose your despise for a film.

Yet this evening we got a glimmer of hope that maybe everything isn't set in stone. Inception took home the WGA award for Best Original Screenplay, making it Nolan's first win at the prestigious awards. For the past seven years the WGA has been spot on in predicting the outcome of the race, despite the strict rules of qualification. This year, The King's Speech was cut out of the race because of such technicalities, so this could break the WGA's streak of voting so correctly. However, I manage to believe that Nolan still has a shot at the win. The message of outcry amongst the fans at Nolan's omission from Best Director has been heard, so voting for Inception could also work as a bit of damage control.

Of course Aaron Sorkin also took the obvious win for his precise screenplay for The Social Network, which has a much greater struggle for the win in Best Picture. It'll be a struggle for David Fincher to recieve his deserved Best Director win against the undeserving Tom Hooper. I feel a greater stream of optimism this evening than I have in a long time. I've adjusted my Oscar Predictions page, so check it out. The winners are listed below.

Best Original Screenplay: Inception
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Documentary Writing: Inside Job
Miniseries/TV Movie Adapted Screenplay: The Pacific
Miniseries/TV Movie Original Screenplay: The Special Relationship
Episodic Comedy: Modern Family
Episodic Drama: Mad Men
New Series: Boardwalk Empire

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Film Editing

One of the slightly butchered categories at this year's Academy Awards has to be Best Film Editing, if only because it seems that they don't know what they're awarding anymore. Three years ago, The Bourne Ultimatum won this category, and it wasn't nominated for anything above the technical level. It won because it displayed excellence in the craft for which it was nominated. I have my doubts in the Academy's ability to properly judge the race this year, strictly because of what wasn't nominated. I know that many are obsessed with Christopher Nolan being shut out of Best Director, but I'm far more shocked by Inception's omission from Best Film Editing.

Anybody who saw Inception would agree that Lee Smith's editing is second to perhaps only one. It takes a lot of work to blend the several layers of the dream world together in a way that doesn't break the trance the film has on the audience, but Smith did it. Now that he's inexplicably out of the race, there should be only one reasonable alternative, and that's Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter for The Social Network. The film is briskly paced, and the editing moves things forward in a wondrously organic way. It never feels slow, and it never feels unnecessary. It's a work of pure precision.

That should be the end of it, but somehow it just isn't. The film that was pretty much destined to be nominated, though I don't think it deserved to be, was The King's Speech. The other films nominated really displayed a unique craft, with 127 Hours' hyper-kinetic split-screens, Black Swan's dark and elegant subtlety, and The Fighter's raw brutality. They all earned their place in this field, but The King's Speech didn't display much craft in the editor's approach. It's plain and straightforward, much like everything else in the film. The weight of how many nominations it pulled off brings into question whether or not that will be enough to win. I certainly hope not, but there have been far too many unhealthy surprises this season. Why not another?

1. The Social Network
2. The Fighter
3. Black Swan
4. 127 Hours
5. The King's Speech

Should/Will Win: The Social Network
Possible Upset: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Nominated: Inception

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Visual Effects

It's about time I start laying out my predictions for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, but I really don't see the point. I don't remember the last time I just didn't care about the outcome of the Oscars. It's probably because The King's Speech is the frontrunner to win Best Picture, and it's pretty unlikely for any other outcome to become truth. Fortunately, this is one of the categories that Tom Hooper's film wasn't nominated for, so it will be a bit of a refresher. On the other hand, it's not that difficult to predict the winner of this one, because there's only one way that the Academy can go. One could have wished for them to start on five nominations in a year when there were more films worth nominating.

There's not a chance in hell that Inception is not going to go away with this award, because it's the only film that constantly pushed the visuals beyond the necessary quota. If I were to say any other film that managed equal ocular wonder, it would actually be Hereafter. I know that many are chastising it for stealing a nomination from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or TRON Legacy, but in terms of the quality of the visuals, the tsunami sequence was one of the best. I never saw the entire film, but that sequence was such a visual feast, and it makes me want Clint Eastwood to do more visual effects driven films. I was more captivated by the effects of that one scene than I was by any of the flourishes of Avatar.

If this was a three nominee race, which I really think it should've been, I'd give the third slot to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Along with the contributions from Nolan and Eastwood, it was the only one that didn't have me gagging over the clunky visuals. The way the wonderful art direction was presented by the visual effects in Alice in Wonderland made it look simply hideous. As for Iron Man 2, it just felt cold and clunky in the execution of the visuals, which reminds me of why I didn't appreciate the visuals of Transformers 2 last year. Either of those two could've been left off the list, and I'd have been glad. So here is how I rank the nominees.

1. Inception
2. Hereafter
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
4. Iron Man 2
5. Alice in Wonderland

Should/Will Win: Inception
Could Upset: Hereafter
Should Have Been Nominated: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Oscar 2010: The World vs. "King's Speech" vs. "Social Network"

Now that it's not been nominated for any Academy Awards and was completely ignored in the box office, I'm going to say that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the outcast gem of 2010. However, I'm clearly not here to discuss the several awards that Edgar Wright's action-comedy deserved by didn't get. This Tuesday morning's Oscar nominations drew quite a lot of debate and distractions, mostly from Christopher Nolan's disheartening snub from the Best Director field. It's the category Inception most deserved to snag a nomination in, and yet it didn't. It all serves to draw attention away from the real matter at hand, and that is the completely changed Best Picture race.

First off, I'd like to take the time to comment on something that I did not comment on when the nominations were announced on Tuesday, and that is my predictions from a year ago. There more than a few that I obviously got wrong, because some films just failed to deliver on their promise. I thought that The American would add another nomination to George Clooney's resume, How Do You Know would be a return to form for James L. Brooks, and Hereafter would be Clint Eastwood's most widely adored film since Million Dollar Baby. I don't have to say it for everyone to know I was wrong, because I even expected Iron Man 2 to be nominated. The first one was so surprising in a great way, but the second proved to be surprising in a negative fashion. I'm not going to blame myself for supporting Harry Potter and Blue Valentine, because in an ideal world they would've been nominated this year. However, I was right about Inception, True Grit, Toy Story 3, and The Social Network, so four out of ten isn't anything to wine about.

Back to the present, or rather the more recent past, months ago we thought that there was no excitement left in this year's Oscar race. It seems we were wrong, and painfully so. The King's Speech came out with 12 Oscar nominations this Tuesday, a rather astounding total for a British period drama. I'm not going to start pretending that it deserved all those nominations, because it didn't. The cinematography for the film, well done as it may have been, wasn't as good as other contenders like Let Me In and Deathly Hallows: Part 1. I don't even know what to say about Sound Mixing, but even though Tom Hooper did an honest job of directing, he lacked the unique creative vision of some of the other contenders. This is coming from somebody who absolutely adored the film, so don't lose sight of that.