Best Motion Picture of the Year

the nominees:
• 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

my pick:
The Social Network
I appreciate every film in this category and that’s unusual for me. I thought it a weak year in film. The Social Network really represents the time we live in NOW. The lack of privacy. The incestuous relationships between Google and Facebook and Twitter and others. Everything’s connected. Nothing remains private. The Social Network is an effectual, creepy telling of the infiltration of social media onto our lives. I left the theater wanting to delete my Facebook profile but unfortunately for me, and to Facebook’s benefit, it’s my only way to stay connected to my high school class and some other people and organizations.

Achievement in Directing

the nominees:
• Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
• David O. Russell, The Fighter
• Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
• David Fincher, The Social Network
• Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit

my pick:
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Such an exquisite film and a perfectly imperfect performance by Colin Firth as King George. Magnificent cast and genuine story. A little film with massive heart.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

the nominees:

• Javier Bardem, Biutiful
• Jeff Bridges, True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
• Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
• James Franco, 127 Hours

my pick:
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
So credible. So regal. Loved him last year in A Single Man. And if you saw that film and the Bridget Jones movies, you know the range this actor possesses.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

the nominees:

• Christian Bale, The Fighter
• John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
• Jeremy Renner, The Town
• Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
• Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

my pick:
Christian Bale, The Fighter
He morphed into a drug-addled townie.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

the nominees:

• Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
• Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
• Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
• Natalie Portman, Black Swan
• Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

my pick:
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
This might be one of the toughest categories. Kidman excels at grief in The Rabbit Hole, Michelle Williams spans decades through a challenging marriage in Blue Valentine, Natalie Portman goes from perfect to paranoid in The Black Swan, Jennifer Lawrence captivates in Winter’s Bone but Annette Bening really shines in The Kids are All Right.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

the nominees:

• Amy Adams, The Fighter
• Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
• Melissa Leo, The Fighter
• Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
• Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

my pick:
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
I’m going out on a limb for Hailee Steinfeld, the youngest nominee. Without her and her gutsy, bold performance for the Coen Brothers, there’d be no True Grit. But in the end, it’ll go to Melissa Leo.

Original Screenplay

the nominees:

• Another Year, Written by Mike Leigh
• The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. Story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
• Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan
• The Kids Are All Right, Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
• The King’s Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler

my pick:
David Seidler, The King’s Speech

Adapted Screenplay

the nominees:

• 127 Hours, Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
• The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
• Toy Story 3, Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
• True Grit, Written for the screen by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
• Winter’s Bone, Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

my pick:
I know EVERYONE adores Aaron Sorkin but I’d like to see Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for the harrowing Winter’s Bone.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
• Biutiful (Mexico)
• Dogtooth (Greece)
• In a Better World (Denmark)
• Incendies (Canada)
• Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi, Algeria)

my pick:
Dogtooth.
unbelievably creepy and disturbing.