2011 Oscar Preview

by Adam Chitwood    Posted:November 26th, 2010

Best Picture
Frontrunners:
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
127 Hours
Likely to be nominated:
Black Swan
Inception
Toy Story 3
The Kids are All Right
True Grit
The Fighter
Outside contenders:
Blue Valentine
The Town
Winter’s Bone
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
The Best Picture race has been a dogfight between The King’s Speech and The Social Network for the past couple of months, but since 127 Hours started screening in the last few weeks, the flick has been moving up the list fast. The King’s Speech is the typical Oscar-bait juggernaut: it’s a period piece, it involves a disabled person overcoming obstacles, and it’s set in England; not to mention, it’s one hell of a film. The Social Network is the film that’s had everyone talking. It invaded the zeitgeist with its generation-defining story, one of the most respected directors in the business, and quite possibly the best script Aaron Sorkin has written (which is really saying something). Before its release, early word on 127 Hours was good, but the film has gained some serious traction since it started screening a couple of weeks ago, particularly in James Franco’s powerhouse performance. Could the Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winning duo of Director Danny Boyle and Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy have another surprise win on their hands? At this point, it’s a little too early to tell, but if anything was going to spoil King’s Speech or Social Network right now, it would be 127 Hours.  Black Swan is another serious contender, but there’s fear that its intensity may be too much for some of the older voters in the Academy. But there’s no denying that the film has its passionate advocates.  Inception was refreshingly original in a summer full of duds, but it may be seen as too commercial for the big win. Disney-Pixar is aiming for the top prize with Toy Story 3, but it’s also a bit of a long shot to win. It just doesn’t seem to have the muscle to elbow out some of the bigger films, even though it may have garnered the most emotional response out of viewers of any film this year. As for True Grit, nobody has even seen the film yet. But if one thing can be learned from Oscar seasons past, never count out the Coen brothers. So let’s just say we’re cautiously optimistic at the moment.

http://www.collider.com/2010/11/26/2011-oscar-preview/#more-62096