Now on DVD & Bluray: "Another Year", "True Grit", & More

I don't always get the chance to catch films while they're in theaters, either by choice or by unfortunate circumstance. The ignorance of today's modern culture scorning the theatrical experience as something lesser is something I've commented on numerous times. Yet there is merit in the home viewing experience as well, because it's the ultimate test for any film. While blockbusters are usually better suited to the big screen, they often are diminished by the transition to the small, as Inception fell most victim to this past year. So, I introduce this weekly segment where I bring in the DVD/Bluray releases that are most worth checking out.

On the top of my list is Another Year, which is one that I had the unbelievable good fortune of seeing before it came to home video. However, I still feel a stroke of bad luck for having not seen it in time to slide it into my "Best of 2010" list, because the way things are stacking up, it would've landed somewhere near the top. It's a film that devastated me in the theater, and that continues to affect me upon renewed viewings. This is something you should make an effort to see.

A film that did make it on my end of year list for 2010, much higher than it should have been in retrospect, is True Grit. Joel and Ethan Coen are two of the best working directors out there right now, and they're work as a duo has been immaculate thus far, for all I know. I haven't seen Ladykillers, so that's probably the biggest gap in my knowledge of the two. This one, after months of recall, sits proudly below A Serious Man in terms of excellence. That may sound bad since I like Burn After Reading and No Country for Old Men better, but it's still a badge of honor, and an aesthetically pleasing film I'd gladly see again.

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!

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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

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Director

It's widely assumed that the winner of Best Picture usually comes out with the Oscar for Best Director as well, and it's happened so often that it's become difficult to diverse the two. Based on that assumption, Tom Hooper should by all means be going home with the Oscar tomorrow for The King's Speech, and I pray that that does not happen. That would be a catastrophic blow to the Academy's reputation, because Hooper is completely new to the awards field, and that's beside the fact that his direction doesn't leave any imprint on the feature. It's quite obviously plain and indistinct in appearance, which obviously works for the average moviegoer, but doesn't work with the quality obsessed.

To be honest, I didn't believe that Hooper would even be nominated, because there were such dynamic impressions that the other directors this year gave within their films. I expected Danny Boyle to make it in for carrying 127 Hours right along with Franco. Even more than that, I expected Christopher Nolan to be nominated for Inception, as most others did. The man has created such a wide diversity of moods and expressions across his career, and whenever we felt lost during Inception, he brought the vision to show us the way. There was a forward motion to his direction that kept the project together.

David O. Russell has me in a divided place, because while I have massively lightened up on The Fighter, I still think that he was missing his own personal groove. It was closer to distinction than Hooper achieved. I'll give him that. I'm still greatly impressed with Joel & Ethan Coen's work on True Grit, keeping a streak of gritty authenticity that the film would have been lost without. And David Fincher? Well, seeing as he's the most likely to win this Sunday, he quite obviously brought the goods to the job. He truly reinvented himself, drawing a line away from his past films like Fight Club and Se7en. In every single scene of The Social Network, you can see an attention to detail far beyond any other. To not reward that would be a shame.

Personally, my own interests skew darker than that, and I'm put in favor of Darren Aronofsky for his work on Black Swan. It's quite possibly the most impressive directing job of his career, because I wasn't taken with The Fountain, and The Wrestler was mostly a showcase for Mickey Rourke. Black Swan brims with distinction, creating a fine conceivable line between the two sides of each character and pushing towards the heart of the matter. It's highly meticulous emotional territory, not to mention the specificity required in the world of ballet. Aronofsky no doubt had to take a crash course in ballet like all the actors in the film, just to get into the heart of the world he was creating. It's an emotional feast in the most subtle of ways, always straying away from being too obvious. Unfortunately, this isn't the year Aronofsky wins, and we'll have to wait for that to happen.

1. Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
2. David Fincher (The Social Network)
3. Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)
4. David O. Russell (The Fighter)
5. Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

Will Win: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Should Win: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Potential Upset: Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
Should Have Been Nominated: Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Lead Actor

By now it's an undisputed fact that Colin Firth's performance in The King's Speech is the best of 2010, and there's no denying that fact. It almost makes it difficult to accept that in a race this clean, but Firth really deserves it. I think he probably deserved it more for his role in A Single Man last year, but better for him to receive recognition now than to never receive it at all. And what of the rest of the field? They could be mere flies on a windshield up against Firth, but they're actually pretty close and fantastic performances in my opinion. The only one I can't comment on is Javier Bardem, because, like many Americans out there, I still haven't seen Biutiful. I know. I'm a massive failure.

Probably the actor who I truly wish was nominated this year was Aaron Eckhart for Rabbit Hole, and I ride on the same current as most people. Nicole Kidman is great in that film, but I found that the rollercoaster heart of the piece was Eckhart's rigorous emotionality. Instead, Jeff Bridges was nominated for True Grit, and I'm only slightly not okay with that. I think his performance in the film was great, and I almost got to wishing he would win this year and Firth had won last year. What stopped me was that this really isn't the main attraction. This is a supporting performance meant to serve Hailee Steinfeld's leading work as Mattie Ross. I also kind of wish Matt Damon was nominated for his work as Labeouf, but that is undisputably supporting in any case, and the supporting branch is packed as it is.

A month back, I would've said that Jesse Eisenberg was going to steal the gold from Colin Firth, and my reason for that was that he was gaining some traction in the critics awards, and if there's any performance that impressed as much as Firth's, it was Eisenberg's in The Social Network. Nobody would have thought that the Michael Cera look alike would have so much to offer, but he really hit it out of the park in a way that nobody expected, even after they'd seen the film. If Firth didn't have this locked up, I'd say Eisenberg would be the one to steal it. The actor I kind of pegged as the underdog was actually James Franco. Before I saw 127 Hours, I felt like it was a bit overblown. I couldn't have been more wrong, because Franco does deliver some brave work as Aron Ralston, and manages to translate his journey emotionally. That's the best an actor can aspire to.

1. Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
2. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
3. James Franco (127 Hours)
4. Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
5. Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

Will & Should Win: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Potential Upset: Are you serious? No way!

Should Have Been Nominated: Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole)

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Adapted Screenplay

This is the most set in stone race of this year's Oscar ceremony, because by now there isn't anything that could possibly stand in the way of Aaron Sorkin winning for The Social Network, as he deserves. The dialogue moves at such a clip that you almost look over how articulate, precise, and witty it is, not to mention the emotional journey it carries the characters on so wonderfully. If Sorkin can bring this level of success to everything he does from here on out, we're looking at a full and prosperous late career. However, for my part, I skew towards something a bit more off the beaten path. There was just so much that I loved about the screenplay for Winter's Bone, and though the performances were top notch, they'd have crumbled if not allied by such a strong script. I may be the only one who believes that, but that's my position.

The rest might as well be manure, but they're worth mentioning anyway. Toy Story 3, despite a few predictable jokes here and there, managed to maintain the quality of the previous two, as well as push the emotional potential of the story to new heights. True Grit succeeded in being the funniest film of the year with some of Joel & Ethan Coen's wittiest monologues and conversations to date. 127 Hours, in my opinion, isn't all that deserving of this spot, but it still did its part to bring us into Aron Ralston's crisis.

1. Winter's Bone
2. The Social Network
3. Toy Story 3
4. True Grit
5. 127 Hours

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Winter's Bone
Potential Upset: NONE
Should Have Been Nominated: Rabbit Hole

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: Makeup

I'm not going to deny that Alice in Wonderland's absence from the makeup nominations didn't shock me a bit. I'm not going to say that I appreciated it on an artistic level, but with all the buzz that's been going for it in the precursors, I totally expected it to make an appearance here. I'm not upset that the film now stands little to no chances of winning anything on Oscar night, but it complicates the race a bit. It makes me wonder exactly what film will win, based on the Academy state of mind. What would seem like the initial winner, and is indeed what most people are pegging for the win, is The Wolfman, but I'm not so sure.

The lack of Alice in Wonderland in this category clearly shows the Academy's adherence to quality, and not obvious appeal. The only makeup job that comes to mind in terms of The Wolfman is the titular creature, and I don't think I'm alone when I talk about how cheesy and stupid it looks. I wouldn't vote for that, and certainly not against some of the other clear choices. The Way Back has its only nomination here, so the Academy may indeed point their attention there, giving the overlooked treasure some recognition. The film I'd like to see win, and is fully deserving of it, is Barney's Version. It surprised us with its inclusion on the shortlist, and later when it actually made it into the nominations. I think that it could go all the way to the win. It's the film I'm predicting to win, because I want the bragging rights. I'm predicting a surprising Oscar night, which may or may not happen.

1. Barney's Version
2. The Way Back
3. The Wolfman

Will/Should Win: Barney's Version
Potential Upset: The Wolfman
Should Have Been Nominated: True Grit

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.

Box Office Update: Sandler ≥ Bieber

After several depressing weekends at the box office, none of which were boosted by any bouts of quality cinema. In at least one respect, this weekend was a step in the right direction. It was a tight race for the top spot, and Adam Sandler came out on top of the Valentine's Day box office with the romantic comedy Just Go with It. There was a pretty modest increase from Friday to Saturday, so it's a safe bet that it'll persevere through the coming weeks. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never came rather front-loaded on Friday, causing an 11% drop on Saturday. Concert films like this are usually hits for one week before generally disappearing, so I'd expect a similar outcome here.

The real surprise of the weekend was Gnomeo and Juliet coming in third with $25.5 million, making it the highest grossing narrative 3D of this year so far. That's not necessarily saying much, but if kids keep heading out to see it, as we know they will, it shouldn't drop more than 30% per week. The weakest of the new releases was The Eagle, so it seems that Channing Tatum's grizzled exterior can only do so much to draw in the female audience members, and the promise of a roman action film has lost its taste on young men. Most traces of the post-2010 Oscar film boost has faded from the top ten, aside from Best Picture frontrunner The King's Speech. Ultimately, this weekend was still down nearly 30% from where it was last year, when Valentine's Day opened in first, but it's headed in the right direction towards rejuvenation. It's going to be an uphill battle from here on out.

1. Just Go with It (First Weekend; $31 million)
2. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (First Weekend; $30.2 million)
3. Gnomeo and Juliet (First Weekend; $25.5 million)
4. The Eagle (First Weekend; $8.6 million)
5. The Roommate (Second Weekend; $8.4 million)
6. The King's Speech (Twelfth Weekend; $7.4 million)
7. No Strings Attached (Fourth Weekend; $5.6 million)
8. Sanctum (Second Weekend; $5.1 million)
9. True Grit (Eight Weekend;$3.7 million)
10. The Green Hornet (Fifth Weekend; $3.6 million)

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.

Box Office Update: Running Out Of Ideazzzz...

I don't know how I can possibly be surprised about the negative turn of events in the box office recently. When the only films you release are a poor-CG disaster film from James Cameron and The Roommate, you're going to get what you deserve. We don't have any incentive to go out to the theaters, least of all this weekend. I've seen two new films release this year, and I must say that I lucked out. No Strings Attached was mildly likable romantic comedy, just as long as expectations are kept low, and The Green Hornet may have only been worth it for Christoph Waltz's performance, but what a performance it was. Search online for every scene with him in it, and nothing else. You'll be satisfied.

The Roommate managed the top spot this weekend, much like The Rite nabbed the top spot last weekend. It was based on star power alone, and Leighton Meester is a decent draw for the right demographic. Expect a sizable drop next weekend, seeing as The Rite dropped 62.4% from its opening. The King's Speech, True Grit, and Black Swan continue to soldier on toward impressive totals. That doesn't mask the depression in the box office. So far this year, the box office is a whopping 34.8% lower than it was at this point last year. We can't blame the lack of Avatar anymore. We blame the lack of anything worth our time. I can't wait for the promises of next weekend, but not in terms of quality. A weekend with new releases from Channing Tatum, Adam Sandler, and Justin Bieber is almost guaranteed for success.

1. The Roommate (First Weekend; $15.6 million)
2. Sanctum (First Weekend; $9.2 million)
3. No Strings Attached (Third Weekend; $8.4 million)
4. The King's Speech (Eleventh Weekend; $8.3 million)
5. The Green Hornet (Fourth Weekend; $6.1 million)
6. The Rite (Second Weekend; $5.6 million)
7. The Mechanic (Second Weekend; $5.4 million)
8. True Grit (Seventh Weekend; $4.8 million)
9. The Dilemma (Fourth Weekend; $3.5 million)
10. Black Swan (Tenth Weekend; $3.4 million)

The Cinematography of "True Grit"

If there's one quality I most admire about the Coen brothers' latest film, it's probably the cinematography. I love films that have a warm and authentic visual feel to them, which is one of the reasons I was so taken with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The visuals in that piece had such a layered and painterly feel to them, and I always find myself disappointed that Bruno Delbonnel didn't take home the Oscar last year instead of the hardly deserving Avatar. True Grit has that same look about it, like each frame had such detail put into it, and Deakins deserves the win for his work.

Box Office Update: In the Depths of Hell

As grim as the outlook may be for the next month, take solace in the fact that it could never be as underwhelming as January 2011 was. We have some heavy catching up to do for the rest of the year. I know that many perceive the weekend of Season of the Witch to be the lowest our year has ever sunk, but I beg to differ, offering this weekend as a substitute. I'm just so underwhelmed by the box office performances that we've endured. Obviously the Oscar prevalent contenders are doing as well as always, with Black Swan looking to be the next film to break the $100 million barrier. The new releases of this year could use some improvement.

This week's new releases were The Rite and The Mechanic, but I honestly didn't notice until I had to comment on my expectations for them this weekend. Based on reviews, you'd expect the Jason Statham vehicle to do better in the box office, but that doesn't seem to be the way the world works. Instead, Anthony Hopkins garnered a short opening of $15 million, which should be easily overtaken next weekend. At this point, I still need to see No Strings Attached, but it's been doing fine enough for itself in the paltry competition it's had thus far. The only real question I have is why Yogi Bear is still in the top ten. Is the world really that pathetic?

1. The Rite (First Weekend; $15 million)
2. No Strings Attached (Second Weekend; $13.7 million)
3. The Mechanic (First Weekend; $11.5 million)
4. The Green Hornet (Third Weekend; $11.5 million)
5. The King's Speech (Tenth Weekend; $11.1 million)
6. True Grit (Sixth Weekend; $7.6 million)
7. The Dilemma (Third Weekend; $5.5 million)
8. Black Swan (Ninth Weekend; $5.1 million)
9. The Fighter (Eighth Weekend; $4.1 million)
10. Yogi Bear (Seventh Weekend; $3.2 million)

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.

What's Next?: Best Supporting Actress

The Oscar nominations were announced Tuesday, and they brought the same serving of unusual surprises that we expect from them. I've already gone over what I happy and disappointed about, so that's not what this series is about. This is looking beyond the night of the ceremony and into the horizon at what the actors, actresses, writers, and directors will be doing in the coming months. It's a tad bit difficult, because the actors don't always make plans right away. For the most part, however, they usually have one or two films already down the pike for that year.

Amy Adams, nominated for the role of Charlene in The Fighter, has two films ahead of her this year, but both radically different in approach. One is a supporting role in On the Road, a film about a young man setting out on the roads and railways of America. The film is directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), and written by Jose Rivera (Letter to Juliet). Without having seen any footage from the film, I doubt that I'll be standing in line to see it. On the other hand, Adams is also starring alongside Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) in the highly-anticipated family film, The Muppets. She's not likely to grab another nomination anytime soon, but she's got a pretty solid post-Oscar plan ahead of her.

Helena Bonham Carter has only one film to look forward to this year, but seeing as it's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I don't think she'll be too torn up over it. Melissa Leo always keeps a packed schedule of films each year, which could potentially aid in her getting another nomination this year. For one thing, she's got the Kevin Smith horror feature Red State on the way, even if it'll take a hell of a long time to get here. She's appearing in the title role of a mystery project called Francine, and taking a starring role in another mystery project called Seven Days in Utopia from first time director Matt Russell. No word on if there's any relation whatsoever to The Fighter director David O. Russell, but I wouldn't count on it

The other two actresses in the category don't yet have anything on the table in the foreseeable future, although I suspect Hailee Steinfeld should be getting an offer or two once she wins the Academy Award next month. The fifth slot was a competition between Mila Kunis and Jacki Weaver, and the latter was the ultimate victor. Though it's not quite related, Kunis is next slotted to appear in Friends with Benefits, the Black Swan twin of Portman's No Strings Attached. As for Jacki Weaver, we have no idea what she's doing next, but there are some ideas out there.

Images (In Order): Melissa Leo in Red State; Amy Adams in The Muppets

Oscar 2010: 83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Here we are, right up in the morning for the hectic awesomeness of the Academy Award nominations, and they didn't skimp on more than a few surprises. I'll comment on those later on this morning, but for now, here are the nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards!

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 & 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")

Oscar 2010: Final Oscar Predictions (Part 3: Films, Writers, and Directors)

The nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards are announced early tomorrow morning, and seeing as I don't have to be up early tomorrow morning, expect me to report on those around noon. There's bound to be more than a few surprises, omissions, and upsets, but I can't say I'm really planning for those. I'm predicting what I think has the greatest chance at being nominated, so it's probably easiest to start at the top, because the nominations are pretty much locked in for Best Picture. Black Swan, Inception, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, and True Grit are all sturdy bets in terms of nominations. It's that tenth spot you have to worry about, and anything other than The Town or Winter's Bone would be a surprise. I'm betting on the latter, leaving Ben Affleck out in the cold.

The easiest category to predict is animated feature, seeing as there will only be three nominees. Toy Story 3 will make it in without a doubt, and How to Train Your Dragon still has some heat going towards a nomination. That leaves the final slot up to The Illusionist and Tangled, and I'd expect Sylvain Chomet's silent traditionally animated film to make the cut. Tangled seems just a bit too modern and new age for the Academy, and I expect them to go for something a bit more authentic. I'd really like for Megamind to be nominated, but the horrible choice of songs in the film kind of alienates those chances. As for Foreign Language Film, do you honestly expect me to make an informed decision on this one? I haven't seen any of these films, so that's truly impossible. Therefore, I'm just going to make a wild guess and say that Incendies, In A Better World, Dogtooth, Biutiful and Life, Above All will be nominated. It's going to be really funny if those all end up being nominated.

The documentary race is especially competitive this year, and yet I still haven't seen most of the films that have been shortlisted. It's pretty straightforward that Waiting for "Superman" and Inside Job will make it in, although I realize that any prediction I make in this case will be slightly off. I'm going to take a guess that the Academy reacted to Exit Through the Gift Shop the same way I did. I hardly believe it to be close to the best film of the year, despite how true it may be, so I'm going to say that Gasland, Restrepo, and The Tillman Story fill out my list. I'm keeping Waste Land in the back of my mind as an alternate, but I'm not counting on it.

The race for Best Director is a little more clear cut, because it was obvious this year which films had a powerful vision. Technically speaking, Tom Hooper shouldn't even be nominated for this, because he barely had any presence in The King's Speech. The ones that should be locks are David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle, and Christopher Nolan. David O' Russell could be an alternate, but everything in The Fighter lacks that uniqueness that is required to make it in this category. I'm pulling for Aronofsky to come out on top with the win for Black Swan, but there's quite some unlikelihood of that actually happening. The last two races are for the screenplay categories, and though that seems like a less climactic end than Best Picture, this year's nominations for that category aren't all that climactic.

In the Original Screenplay race, the two films fighting for the win are Inception and The King's Speech, so they are both reasonable locks. Black Swan may have less to go with in terms of dialogue, but the ideas presented in the screenplay are spectacular enough to merit a nod. The Kids Are All Right should make it in for the authentic and fun dialogue, as well as the sprightly and unconventional narrative. I'd like to say that Another Year should fill out this category, but that film has been disappearing at an alarming rate. The next film after that would be The Fighter, so I'm sticking to my guns in hope that Mike Leigh's British drama makes the cut. As for Adapted Screenplay, it's pretty impossible for any other film to beat out Aaron Sorkin's flawless screenplay for The Social Network, but those slots nonetheless need to be filled. Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter's Bone are all practically locks for the category, which leaves that much maligned fifth slot. Even though most expect 127 Hours to come through with that nomination, I expect Rabbit Hole to surprisingly end up making the cut, or at least I'm hoping it does. We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see if I'm right.