2011 Oscar Nominations – 2011 Academy Award Predictions

Early this morning, the 2011 Oscar nominations were read aloud by last year’s Best Supporting Actress winner, Mo’Nique, and the oddly attired Academy president, Tom Sherak. The King’s Speech led the pack with 12 nominations, while critical darlings the Coen brothers picked up 10 nominations for their remake of True Grit. Third place went to The Social Network, a film that many feel is the favorite for the Best Picture Oscar when awards are handed out on Sunday, February 27th at 8pm.

Below, I’ve included a complete list of all the major 2011 Academy Award nominations, and I’ve thrown in a bit of commentary and prediction at no extra charge. A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at picking who would receive the nominations, so I’ll also be looking back to see how I fared.

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Once you’ve read the complete list of 2011 Oscar nominations, be sure to head to the comments section below the article and start making your own predictions. After that, it’s a matter of treading water until the 83rd Academy Awards air in about a month (with James Franco and Anne Hathaway serving as this year‘s hosts).

Best Picture

• The King’s Speech
• The Kids Are All Right
• Black Swan
• Inception
• The Fighter
• 127 Hours
• Toy Story 3
• The Social Network
• True Grit
• Winter’s Bone

Thoughts: I went 10 for 10 on my 2011 Oscar predictions for this category. I was especially pleased to see Winter’s Bone snag a nomination, while I was surprised by the amount of love True Grit received from the Academy. Toy Story 3 was a lock after everyone raised a stink over WALL-E being omitted a few years back, and Black Swan represents the artsy pick that doesn’t have a chance in hell. Danny Boyle continues his impressive streak.

Prediction: I’m still going with The Social Network. Director David Fincher is respected as a filmmaker, it did well at the box office, and the subject of the story was voted as Time’s Man of the Year. How can it be denied?

Best Director

• 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

Thoughts: I went four out of five on my predictions for this category, with my only miss being David O. Russell’s inclusion for The Fighter. I had Danny Boyle on the list instead, as I felt his skill at making a compelling story about a guy stuck between two rocks was beyond impressive. I thought True Grit was a solid piece of cinema, but I get the feeling that the Coen brothers just get nominated for anything they do these days. I can live with this list though.

Predictions: He’s been passed over before, but this year his film has a high chance of taking home a Best Picture Oscar. Give the long overdue win to David Fincher. In my own bizarro universe, he would already have a trophy resting on his mantle for Seven.

Best Actor

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

Thoughts: I went five for five again, and this category held no surprises. I’m glad to see James Franco pick up the first of many nominations. Hopefully, Jesse Eisenberg (or, as I call him, “Michael Cera II”) won’t get too used to the view from up there. Bridges had to be nominated for his scenery-chewing performance in True Grit, but it’s hard to see him pulling off back-to-back wins (a feat last accomplished by Tom Hanks).

Prediction: I would bet money on this one. Colin Firth walks away with the Oscar for his magnificent performance as a monarch with a speech impediment.

Best Actress

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

Thoughts: I got three of the five right. I can live with Halle Berry being left off the list this year, but I’m surprised voters didn’t bite on her portrayal of a woman with multiple personalities in Frankie & Alice. I must, however, protest Emma Stone’s exclusion for her role in Easy A. She turned in a perfectly timed comedic performance.

Prediction: Natalie Portman. She plays an artist who goes crazy due to her dedication. No way Academy voters aren’t going to identify with that one.

Best Supporting Actor

• 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

Thoughts: The Town’s Jeremy Renner got the nod over The Social Network’s Andrew Garfield, which was a surprise. Still, I’m always happy to see Renner get a nomination, as I’ve been a fan ever since catching him in movies such as SWAT and Dahmer. I got four out of five, and I’m pleased to see that I hit on John Hawkes’ nomination as Uncle Teardrop from Winter’s Bone. He’s come a long way since the days of Benny’s House of Blood.

Predictions: Geoffrey Rush has a chance for the win, but I’ve got to go with Christian Bale in another one of his chameleon-like performances. This is his first nomination, and he’s been around ever since he was a kid (Empire of the Sun). He’s long overdue for an Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress

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

Thoughts: I predicted that Dianne Wiest and Barbara Hershey would make the cut, but they were replaced instead by Jacki Weaver and Amy Adams. Hailee Steinfeld’s stock shoots through the roof after starring in only a handful of kiddie films prior to True Grit. And it’s nice to see Helena Bonham Carter in a role where she isn’t looking like a freak (which is becoming more grating as she ages).

Prediction: Melissa Leo has already picked up a Golden Globe for her performance as a manipulative harpy in The Fighter, so I’ll make her my pick. I’m a fan of character actors getting their moment in the sun.

Best Animated Feature Film

• How to Train Your Dragon – Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
• The Illusionist – Sylvain Chomet
• Toy Story 3 – Lee Unkrich

Thoughts: I predicted Tangled would get a nomination, if for no other reason than it was the most expensive animated film ever made. Instead, The Illusionist got the nod.

Prediction: Toy Story 3. When an animated film gets nominated for Best Picture, you can count on it losing in that category and winning in this one.

Best Documentary

• Exit Through the Gift Shop – Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
• Gasland – Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
• Inside Job – Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• Restrepo – Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
• Waste Land – Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Thoughts: I hated to see that The Tillman Story missed out on a nomination, but its exclusion should give Restrepo a much better chance of winning. Where’s Waiting for Superman?

Prediction: It’s had the momentum all year, so I’ll go with Exit Through the Gift Shop. Expect graffiti artist (and director) Banksy to pull off an acceptance that leaves members of the Academy confused and speechless.

Foreign Language Film

• Biutiful – Mexico
• Dogtooth – Greece
• In a Better World – Denmark
• Incendies – Canada
• Outside the Law – Algeria

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

Best Adapted Screenplay

• 127 Hours – Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy
• The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin
• Toy Story 3 – Michael Arndt
• True Grit – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
• Winter’s Bone – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

Best Documentary Short

• Killing in the Name – Jed Rothstein
• Poster Girl – Sara Nesson
• Strangers No More – Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
• Sun Come Up – Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
• The Warriors of Qiugang – Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Best Live Action Short

• The Confession – Tanel Toom
• The Crush – Michael Creagh
• God of Love – Luke Matheny
• Na Wewe – Ivan Goldschmidt
• Wish 143 – Ian Barnes

Best Animated Short

• Day & Night – Teddy Newton
• The Gruffalo – Max Lang and Jakob Schuh
• Let’s Pollute – Geefwee Boedoe
• The Lost Thing – Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan
• Madagascar, a Journey Diary – Bastien Dubois

Best Original Score

• 127 Hours – A.R. Rahman
• How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell
• Inception – Hans Zimmer
• The King’s Speech – Alexandre Desplat
• The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Original Song

• “Coming Home” from Country Strong – Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges
• “If I Rise” from 127 Hours – A.R. Rahman, Rollo Armstrong and Dido
• “I See the Light” from Tangled – Alan Menken, Glenn Slater
• “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 – Randy Newman

Best Sound Editing

• Inception – Richard King
• Toy Story 3 – Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
• Tron: Legacy – Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
• True Grit – Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
• Unstoppable – Mark P. Stoeckinger

Best Sound Mixing

• Inception – Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
• The King’s Speech – Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
• Salt – Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
• The Social Network – Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
• True Grit – Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Best Art Direction

• Alice in Wonderland – Art Direction: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – Art Direction: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• Inception – Art Direction: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias & Doug Mowat
• The King’s Speech – Art Direction: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
• True Grit – Art Direction: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Best Cinematography

• Black Swan – Matthew Libatique
• Inception – Wally Pfister
• The King’s Speech – Danny Cohen
• The Social Network – Jeff Cronenweth
• True Grit – Roger Deakins

Best Makeup

• Barney’s Version – Adrien Morot
• The Way Back – Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
• The Wolfman – Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Best Costume Design

• Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
• I Am Love – Antonella Cannarozzi
• The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
• The Tempest – Sandy Powell
• True Grit – Mary Zophres

Best Film Editing

• Black Swan – Andrew Weisblum
• The Fighter – Pamela Martin
• The King’s Speech – Tariq Anwar
• 127 Hours – Jon Harris
• The Social Network – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Best Visual Effects

• Alice in Wonderland – Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
• Hereafter – Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
• Inception – Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
• Iron Man 2 – Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

My final score in predicting Oscar nominees was 33 out of 43.

We have lots of future posts planned about the Academy Awards, so stay tuned.

See also:

1. Oscar Predictions 2011
2. 2011 Oscar Predictions
3. Thoughts on the 2010 Oscars
4. List of 2010 Oscar Winners
5. Best Oscar Speeches
6. 2011 Razzie Nominations
7. 2011 Golden Globe Winners
   

 

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