Oscar Predictions 2011
It’s time for Oscar predictions 2011, as the 83rd Academy Awards are right around the corner. The big event occurs on February 27th, 2011, while the nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 25th. This year’s hosts for Hollywood’s biggest award show will be James Franco and Anne Hathaway, a first for both. Here’s hoping that Franco does half the show in his persona of Saul Silver, the likable pot dealer from Pineapple Express.
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Below, I’ve made my Oscar predictions 2011 for most of the major categories, and I’ve also provided a bit of commentary, as well as my picks for the eventual winners. If you disagree, I invite you to weigh in with your own opinions in our comments section. After all, that’s what it’s there for.
And if you really want a laugh, be sure to look at the 2011 Oscar Predictions article I wrote a few years ago. I was grasping at straws at the time, and it looks as though performers like Kid Rock, Megan Fox, and Daniel Day-Lewis didn’t come through for me. 🙁
Best Picture Oscar Predictions
- The Kids Are All Right
- Toy Story 3
- The Social Network
- The King’s Speech
- Inception
- The Fighter
- Black Swan
- 127 Hours
- True Grit
- Winter’s Bone
Comments: Opening the Best Picture category up to 10 nominations has been a massive success in my opinion. Sure, there may still be a snub from time to time, but overall it ensures that the most talked-about films of the year at least have a shot at glory. Take a deserving indie film like Winter’s Bone, for example. Under the old system, it’s unlikely that it would’ve been nominated over motion pictures such as Inception and The Fighter. But now, even if it loses, it’s received important exposure that will help bring in new viewers and greater revenue.
Predicted Winner: I’m going to go with The Social Network. It was a success with critics and at the box office, plus it allows the members of the Academy to show that they’re hip to the times. Besides, imagine all the online publicity a film about social networking will get both before and after the Oscars. The King’s Speech should be a strong contender, but the decidedly American quality of The Social Network will allow it to come out on top over a film about royalty.
Best Director Oscar Predictions
- Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
- David Fincher, The Social Network
- Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
- Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit
- Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Comments: The are a number of deserving candidates for Best Director this year, which means a few will have to be left off the ballot. Sadly, I’m predicting that two of those will be Debra Granik for Winter’s Bone and Christopher Nolan for Inception. The Coen brothers seem to be perpetually included on this list these days, whether they deserve it or not. And it’s nearly impossible to pass over past nominees and/or winners like Danny Boyle and David Fincher.
Predicted Winner: David Fincher. He lost out on this award for the critically-acclaimed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and he’s turned out entertaining films such as Fight Club, Seven, and The Game. The is the year the Academy rewards him for his efforts, especially since there’s a strong chance his film will also win Best Picture.
Best Actor Oscar Predictions
- Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
- James Franco, 127 Hours
- Jeff Bridges, True Grit
- Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
- Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Comments: A talented and diverse group of actors this year, from newcomers like to Jesse Eisenberg to old pros–and last year’s winner in the category–Jeff Bridges. While there’s no way Bridges pulls a Tom Hanks or Spencer Tracy, the nomination is appropriate due to his taking an iconic John Wayne role and making it his own. James Franco is also a welcome addition, as he’s quietly been compiling an impressive resume of work since his days spent menacing Spider-Man.
Predicted Winner: The hands-down winner for Best Actor will be Colin Firth for The King’s Speech. He was up for last year’s A Single Man, but he suffered the misfortune of going up against the performance–and lengthy career–of Jeff Bridges. Now that Bridges has received his little golden man, it’s Firth’s turn.
Best Actress Oscar Predictions
- Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
- Emma Stone, Easy A
- Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
- Natalie Portman, Black Swan
- Halle Berry, Frankie & Alice
Comments: Halle Berry gets a nomination thanks to the Academy’s obsession with honoring actresses who either (a) wear little to no make-up, or (b) play a crazy person. Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence are welcome additions to the list, and hopefully we’ll be seeing their names for years to come. Bening is always a class act, and Portman benefits from also playing someone who’s losing her mind.
Predicted Winner: Lawrence is an unknown in an indie film, and Stone starred in a comedy aimed at a younger demographic. While Portman would probably win in any other year, she going up against Bening, a well-liked actress who’s been passed over for an Oscar on three previous occasions. This is the year that the Academy makes things right. Portman, meanwhile, will have plenty of other opportunities to bring home the gold.
Best Supporting Actor Oscar Predictions
- Christian Bale, The Fighter
- Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
- Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
- John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
- Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Comments: There have to be a few dark horse candidates to make things interesting, so why not John Hawkes? He’s been in the business for a long time, and his role as the menacing Teardrop won him loads of critical praise. I don’t expect him to win, but I do expect the nomination to allow him to get ever better roles. At the Academy Awards, you often win even when you lose.
Predicted Winner: It’ll be close between Geoffrey Rush and Christian Bale, but I’m giving the edge to Bale because he’s never even been nominated for an Oscar before. He’s starred in everything from blockbusters to indie films, so this is the year the Academy throws him a bone. Hopefully, a Best Actor nomination will be in his immediate future.
Best Supporting Actress Oscar Predictions
- Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
- Dianne Wiest, Rabbit Hole
- Barbara Hershey, Black Swan
- Melissa Leo, The Fighter
- Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Comments: There are a lot of new female faces getting nominations this year, which is always nice to see. Young Hailee Steinfeld joins a selection of veteran actresses who include Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest, Melissa Leo, and Helena Bonham Carter. It’s a shame that each and every one of these talented ladies can’t be winners this year, but there can be only one (thanks, Christopher Lambert). So…
Predicted Winner: I hate to keep picking my winners based largely on who’s won before and who hasn’t, but I remain convinced that such factors play a huge part in the mind of the voters. After all, how else can you explain Pacino winning for Scent of a Woman and Scorsese for The Departed? For this reason, I’m giving the win to Barbara Hershey, a phenomenal actress who’s long overdue for an Oscar.
Best Documentary Oscar Predictions
- Exit through the Gift Shop, Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
- The Lottery, Madeleine Sackler, director (Great Curve Films)
- Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)
- The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev, director (Passion Pictures/Axis Films)
- Waiting for ‘Superman’, Davis Guggenheim, director (Electric Kinney Films)
Comments: It was a great year for documentary nominations, although I was disappointed to see that the deserving Joan Rivers film wasn’t eligible. Still, there are some powerful commentaries on war, education, and art being offered up this awards season. The voters will have their hands full.
Predicted Winner: While they’re all deserving, two of the films are about American soldiers fighting abroad, and two others are about education. I’m guessing these films will split the votes, leaving the winner as Exit through the Gift Shop. The biggest question is, will the mysterious Banksy actually show up to accept the award?
Best Animated Feature Oscar Predictions
- Tangled
- Toy Story 3
- How To Train Your Dragon
Comments: It looks like only three animated films will be nominated this year, which means someone will have to miss the cut. I’m counting on it being The Illusionist. It did draw praise from certain corners, but it also got enough criticism to warrant it being excluded from a possible Oscar win. That leaves animated films from Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks to battle it out.
Predicted Winner: While all three films struck gold at the box office, Toy Story 3 will get the nod due to this being the final story of Buzz, Woody, and the gang. It doesn’t hurt that the animation is crisp and seamlessly executed, the screenplay offers something for both kids and adults, and the voice talents feature everyone from Michael Keaton to Ned Beatty.
So there you have it–my Oscar Predictions 2011. I’m no doubt way off on a bunch of these, so keep an eye out for another post on the subject when the real nominations are announced on January 25th. In the meantime, feel free to visit the comments section and chime in with your own opinions. And if you’re really into the Oscars, here are some other OGM articles you’ll want to take a look at:
- Top Academy Awards Dresses
- The Academy Awards Ballot
- 2012 Oscar Predictions
- 2011 Golden Globe Nominations
- Streaming Movies
- Watch Free Movies Online
- How to Write a Screenplay for Dummies
Other Sites
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 at 11:33 am and is filed under Academy Awards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
11 Responses to “Oscar Predictions 2011”
I hope that Christopher Nolan will at least get nominated for Inception. That movie was simply amazing. Other people think that he will get the nomination I have my fingers cross. Although he’s not likely to win in that category. I think that its most likely he’ll win in the best original screenplay category. Although its still kind of a long shot(not that much) I hope he’ll end up with something. Mr.Nolan really needs an Oscar. He deserves one and everyone knows it.
are u nuts? Not even a nomination for nolan, leave aside winning. The direction and screenplay was d best of last year.
http://getinmedia.com/oscars has an oscar prediction ballot. Are there any other sites that have these?
You selected as a winner an actress that is not even nominated! Barbara Hershey, the correct nominated is Amy Adams.
Joel, you might note that this article was written before the Oscar nominations were announced. I was trying to predict the people who would be nominated, and I based the subsequent winner predictions off of that list. There’s a whole other article that deals with my predictions after the nominations were announced. Hope that clears things up for you.
I agree with all of your prediction winners except for best supporting actress, I have to give it to Melissa Leo in The Fighter.
Andrew, I think you may be right the more that I reflect on it. It was interesting to see Helena Bonham Carter win at the BAFTAs, so maybe she has an outside chance, as well.
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gosia2326
I agree with almost everything. In best director category I just wish Christopher Nolan win. Inception is genius.
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