Best Picture Award for the Academy Awards 2011

The Academy Awards this year are, in a word, riveting. The range of films, the acting, writing, filming and directing is as exciting as it gets. Especially the Best Picture nominees. We are blessed with a year in which the cup overflows.

For Academy Awards 2011 there are ten nominations for Best Picture. That should make everyone sit up and take notice of more than just the red carpet. This year it's the cake The Academy wants, not just the icing. Below are the movie nominees ranked from most deserving of Best Picture to least deserving. Voice your choice, then watch and see who will take Oscar home!

1.The King's Speech - Any movie which brings a smile to Queen Elizabeth's usually so serious face is a winner. This picture has it all: a superb cast, rich filming, brilliant direction, and the story of Her Majesty's father is so powerful. Every element in this film carries its own weight like a shining star. This is our choice for Best Picture.

2. Black Swan - We so wish The King's Speech wasn't up against our darling Natalie Portman. This is indeed her year! Another brilliantly acted, directed, and written movie. Such a delight and study of talent, discipline, and contrasts. This movie should be raved about, and is in our number two spot.

3.Inception - Keeping brisk time in step with Black Swan's stark and brutal beauty is the surreal thunder of Inception. Leo DiCaprio is marvelous in this picture, wowing us again and again. Every time you watch this picture you see something you missed the time before. So glad the Academy included this deserving film.

4. The Social Network - Facebook crept up on the world, and then took over. The movie telling its story does the same thing. Here the acting is wonderful, the story compelling, and the direction brilliant. This nomination is wonderfully deserved.

5. True Grit - Even critics fell in love with this movie over Christmas weekend. Hailee Steinfeld took our breath away. The genius of the Coen Brothers, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon round out the talent offered up stunningly in this film. What a gift.

6. 127 Hours - James Franco's ravishing performance takes our breath away. This movie from the directors of Slumdog Millionaires is one of the finest films ever made. The visuals are stunning, the story true, and a testament to the human spirit and its ability to survive. A clear winner.

7. Toy Story - Our favorite Pixar chums were back to wow us with their banter and lighthearted humor. The balance and beauty of devotion and humanness hangs in a delicate balance of animation, acting, directing, and the spirit of true friendship. The story keeps going, and we keep showing up.

8. The Fighter - Portraying the grittiness, tradition, and loyalty of boxing families and culture, this movie emerges as a top contender this year with a fantastic, heartbreaking story, fantastic acting, true-to-life filming and direction. A champ.

9. The Kids Are Alright - Lesbian couples are no longer groundbreaking. That happened with Cher several decades ago, but Annette Benning and Julianna Moore are delightful in this movie. They add warmth, humor, and stability to this film, moving it right on into the center of culture and real conversations. Amazing films do this.

10. Winter's Bone - For those of you who have never seen the Missouri Ozarks in the winter, this movie shows the real thing. It's a stark place where survival is the ongoing and only language;. This film is superbly executed and suspenseful, the acting so good you'll sit on the edge of your seat the entire time, and you won't soon forget it, either.

Whether the Academy Awards means staying in for a quiet night to you, or a black-tie affair, this year's nominated films are all worth voting for. Cast your vote, too, on Oscar.go.com. See you on the red carpet.