Academy Award Nominees for 2011

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 Actor

Javier Bardem in Biutiful

Jeff Bridges in True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network

Colin Firth in The King's Speech

James Franco in 127 Hours

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale in The Fighter

John Hawkes in Winter's Bone

Jeremy Renner in The Town

Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right

Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams in The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech

Melissa Leo in The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit

Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom

Best Animated Film

How to Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Toy Story 3

Best Art Direction

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Inception

The King's Speech

True Grit

Best Cinematography

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

True Grit

Best Costume Design

Alice in Wonderland

I Am Love

The King's Speech

The Tempest

True Grit

Best Directing

Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky

The Fighter - David O. Russell

The King's Speech - Tom Hooper

The Social Network - David Fincher

True Grit - Joel and Ethan Coen

Best Documentary Feature

Exit through the Gift Shop

Gasland

Inside Job

Restrepo

Waste Land

Best Documentary Short

Killing in the Name

Poster Girl

Strangers No More

Sun Come Up

The Warriors of Oiugang

Best Film Editing

Black Swan

The Fighter

The King's Speech

127 Hours

The Social Network

Best Foreign Language Film

Biutiful

Dogtooth

In a Better World

Incendies

Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)

Best Makeup

Barney's Version

The Way Back

The Wolfman

Best Original Score

How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell

Inception - Hans Zimmer

The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat

127 Hours - A. R. Rahman

The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Attiticus Ross

Best Original Song

"Coming Home" from Country Strong

"I See the Light" from Tangled

"If I Rise" from 127 Hours

"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3

Best Animated Short Film

Day & Night

The Gruffalo

Let's Pollute

The Lost Thing

Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)

Best Live Action Short Film

The Confession

The Crush

God of Love

Na Wewe

Wish 143

Best Sound Editing

Inception

Toy Story 3

Tron: Legacy

True Grit

Unstoppable

Best Sound Mixing

Inception

The King's Speech

Salt

The Social Network

True Grit

Best Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Hereafter

Inception

Iron Man 2

Best Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours - Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy

The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt

True Grit - Joel and Ethan Coen

Winter's Bone - Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

Best Original Screenplay

Another Year - Mike Leigh

The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson

Inception - Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg

The King's Speech - David Seidler

Another year, another 10 Best Picture nominees, another chance for great talent and great snubs.

This year had quite a few great snubs if you ask me. The Academy voters forgot to see that Inception had great editing to match its great screenplay. So, they would rather nominate 127 Hours. I believe the only thing that made Inception a great film - besides Nolan's screenplay - was the editing. Let's not forget the star of Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio. I thought that he was a sure thing to be nominated for either Inception or his earlier, Scorsese picture, Shutter Island. He delivered a truly powerful performance in both films.

Tron: Legacy might not have been my favorite film of 2010, but the CGI effects that helped create the program world of Tron were very impressive. The soundtrack was also pretty awesome too.

For Best Picture, one of the sure bets is The Social Network. Critics have eaten it up with a spoon. I personally thought The Social Network was kind of a bland film. It plays like a hip version of Dead Poet's Society and Good Will Hunting without Robin Williams. But, there are some cultural messages in the narrative that puts the film over most other movies that came out in 2010. It's just not the movie I'm rooting for Best Picture.

Like a lot of fans, I kind of want Inception to take Best Picture. But, since the director, Christopher Nolan wasn't nominated, I don't think that's going to happen. Plus, Inception is a sci-fi action film. Judging by the Academy voters reaction to last year's snub, Avatar, Inception doesn't have the best chance by design.

If it doesn't go to Inception, I'm rooting for Black Swan. It's a very unusual and surreal experience. You actually get into the mind of obsession. You actually grow to understand the mind of the paranoid and delusional. That could easily be all due to Natalie Portman's incredible performance as the struggling ballet star, Nina Sayers. She lead a good cast of players that danced across the screen as the director, Darren Aronofsky pans around each room more than any ballerina has ever spun in circles. As much as I admire the film, I think the direction of Aronofsky is also very impressive.

For Best Actor, I think the award totally belongs to Colin Firth for his wonderful portrayal of the former King of England, who had quite the bad speech impediment. Along with the stuttering genius of Firth, Jeff Bridges was nominated for the remake of True Grit, a story that won Best Actor for John Wayne many years ago. I think adding Bridges to the list and not DiCaprio is insulting. Jesse Eisenberg also did a wonderful job in The Social Network, but nothing as impressive as Firth's King George VI.

Best Actress will either go to Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right or Natalie Portman for Black Swan. I'm hoping for the latter. This may be the only Oscar Portman is ever nominated for - let alone, win. Her performance as the young ballerina is stellar. So, why not?

Best Supporting Actor will be a toss-up. It will either be Christian Bale for The Fighter or John Hawkes in Winter's Bone. I'm personally hoping they give the award to Geoffrey Rush, who perfectly compliments Colin Firth's wonderful performance in The King's Speech. What more can you ask from a supporting actor?

Best Supporting Actress will no-doubt go to one of the ladies in The Fighter. I've got my fingers crossed for Amy Adams, but Melissa Leo has already won numerous awards for her role. But, I can't help but feel like Adams deserves it more. She literally became the fire in The Fighter, when she takes on a group of burly, raging mad women and comes out on top.