BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
WINNER
THE KING'S SPEECH
NOMINEES:
127 HOURS
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER'S BONE
VIEWPOINT:
Traditionally, the movie which has won Best Director will normally go on to win Best Picture. I was really hoping that THE SOCIAL NETWORK scored a minor upset here but THE KING'S SPEECH is simply unstoppable. The movie's eventual Best Picture win is inevitable, considered it has nabbed PGA and BAFTA -- two surefire tickets for an automatic victory in the Oscar award.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
WINNER
Tom Hooper (THE KING'S SPEECH)
NOMINEES:
Darren Aronofsky (BLACK SWAN)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (TRUE GRIT)
David Fincher (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
David O. Russell (THE FIGHTER)
VIEWPOINT:
This is where the real battle begins! This category is nevertheless a split 50-50 vote between Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH and David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK. Personally, David Fincher should have win this category instead for his vividly compelling direction in THE SOCIAL NETWORK which also served as his another breakthrough, after his equally remarkable 2008's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
WINNER
Colin Firth (THE KING'S SPEECH)
NOMINEES:
Javier Bardem (BIUTIFUL)
Jeff Bridges (TRUE GRIT)
Jesse Eisenberg (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
James Franco (127 HOURS)
VIEWPOINT:
Any chance of a big upset in this category is definitely out of the question. Colin Firth's impeccable role as the king with a stammer is simply the finest acting performance of the year. He's already bagged the Golden Globe, SAG and of course, the BAFTA. Need I say more?
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
WINNER
Natalie Portman (BLACK SWAN)
NOMINEES:
Annette Bening (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT)
Nicole Kidman (RABBIT HOLE)
Jennifer Lawrence (WINTER'S BONE)
Michelle Williams (BLUE VALENTINE)
VIEWPOINT:
It's Natalie Portman vs. Annette Bening! But (everybody's) smart money is bet on Natalie Portman to bag her first Oscar for BEST ACTRESS. Her role is remarkably tour de force performance -- the kind of character is just too hard to ignore. She's totally deserved to win this category. (Maybe another time, Ms. Bening!)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
WINNER
Christian Bale (THE FIGHTER)
NOMINEES:
John Hawkes (WINTER'S BONE)
Jeremy Renner (THE TOWN)
Mark Ruffalo (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT)
Geoffrey Rush (THE KING'S SPEECH)
VIEWPOINT:
Just like Melissa Leo's win for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in THE FIGHTER, Christian Bale's win is also a shoo-in as well. His transformation role (where he loses weight to a skeletal frame) is vividly convincing while his top-notch performance is his finest acting he's ever had.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
WINNER
Melissa Leo (THE FIGHTER)
NOMINEES:
Amy Adams (THE FIGHTER)
Helena Bonham Carter (THE KING'S SPEECH)
Hailee Steinfeld (TRUE GRIT)
Jacki Weaver (ANIMAL KINGDOM)
VIEWPOINT:
This category is a no-contest result. Melissa Leo's vividly colorful performance as the outspoken Alice in THE FIGHTER is a shoo-in win for her much-deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar win.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
WINNER
TOY STORY 3
NOMINEES:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST
VIEWPOINT:
It's expected. Pixar hits jackpot again with more Best Animated Feature win, and this time it's their biggest box-office hit to date -- TOY STORY 3.
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN
WINNER
David Seidler (THE KING'S SPEECH)
NOMINEES:
Mike Leigh (ANOTHER YEAR)
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington (THE FIGHTER)
Christopher Nolan (INCEPTION)
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT)
VIEWPOINT:
Of all the five nominees for BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, Christopher Nolan's screenplay for INCEPTION is the most strikingly original and innovative storyline ever conceived. And frankly, Christopher Nolan deserved to be won for this category. But likewise, the Oscar voters goes for a "safer" route: by awarding David Seidler's inspiring screenplay in THE KING'S SPEECH.
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED
WINNER
Aaron Sorkin (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
NOMINEES:
Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (127 HOURS)
Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich (TOY STORY 3)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (TRUE GRIT)
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini (WINTER'S BONE)
VIEWPOINT:
Yet another shoo-in win for this category. Aaron Sorkin's irresistible screenplay in THE SOCIAL NETWORK is simply too good to be ignored.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
NOMINEES:
Jon Harris (127 HOURS)
Andrew Weisblum (BLACK SWAN)
Pamela Martin (THE FIGHTER)
Tariq Anwar (THE KING'S SPEECH)
VIEWPOINT:
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall's airtight editing in THE SOCIAL NETWORK is certainly one of the main factors that made this dialog-heavy movie so seamlessly executed, yet full of energy. No doubt they are pretty much deserved for the Oscar win in this category.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
NOMINEES:
A.R. Rahman (127 HOURS)
John Powell (HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON)
Hans Zimmer (INCEPTION)
Alexandre Desplat (THE KING'S SPEECH)
VIEWPOINT:
The Oscar voters have somehow goes hip here by (surprisingly) awarded Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's electronic score for THE SOCIAL NETWORK. The win could have gone sideways though, with Hans Zimmer's superb horn-inspired score for INCEPTION being the better bet.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER
WINNER
Wally Pfister (INCEPTION)
NOMINEES:
Matthew Libatique (BLACK SWAN)
Danny Cohen (THE KING'S SPEECH)
Jeff Cronenweth (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
Roger Deakins (TRUE GRIT)
VIEWPOINT:
I'm sure a lot of critics and peoples out there are expecting veteran Roger Deakins to finally land his long overdue Oscar for his moody cinematography of the untamed Old West in TRUE GRIT. But if he's win, that will be more of a sympathy win because frankly, Deakins' much-praised cinematography here is very overrated. Kudos goes to the Oscar for making the right choice of awarding Wally Pfister's majestic cinematography in INCEPTION instead!
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
WINNER
Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara (ALICE IN WONDERLAND)
NOMINEES:
Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1)
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas A. Mowat (INCEPTION)
Eve Stewart, Judy Farr (THE KING'S SPEECH)
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh (TRUE GRIT)
VIEWPOINT:
Now this is not surprising, considering the elaborate fanciness Robert Stromberg and Karen O'Hara has successfully achieved in ALICE IN WONDERLAND. But personally, I would have hope INCEPTION would have bagged the award instead for its meticulous and complex art direction.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER
Coleen Atwood (ALICE IN WONDERLAND)
NOMINEES:
Antonella Cannarozzi (I AM LOVE)
Jenny Beavan (THE KING'S SPEECH)
Sandy Powell (THE TEMPEST)
Mary Zophres (TRUE GRIT)
VIEWPOINT:
It's either ALICE IN WONDERLAND or THE KING'S SPEECH. But Coleen Atwood's lavishly colorful costume design tops them all with such eye-catching result it's simply a visual feast.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER
Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin (INCEPTION)
NOMINEES:
Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas, Sean Phillips (ALICE IN WONDERLAND)
Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz, Nicolas Aithadi (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1)
Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky, Joe Farrell (HEREAFTER)
Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright, Daniel Sudick (IRON MAN 2)
VIEWPOINT:
What more can I say? The visual effects in INCEPTION is as seamless as it's visually stunning and particularly innovative as well. Such case is the iconic scene where Ariadne (Ellen Page) tests her architectural skills by imagining a busy cityscape folding on top of itself. Now that's what I called a true masterpiece.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
WINNER
Rick Baker, Dave Elsey (THE WOLFMAN)
NOMINEES:
Adrien Morot (BARNEY'S VERSION)
Edouard F. Henriques, Greg Funk, Yolanda Toussieng (THE WAY BACK)
VIEWPOINT:
The most striking one win. And it is none others than Rick Baker and Dave Elsey's superbly frightening makeup in THE WOLFMAN.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
WINNER
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick (INCEPTION)
NOMINEES:
Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, John Midgley (THE KING'S SPEECH)
Jeffrey J. Haboush, William Sarokin, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell (SALT)
Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Mark Weingarten (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland (TRUE GRIT)
VIEWPOINT:
Nothing is more compelling in terms of achieving great sound effects than last year's surprise box-office hit, INCEPTION. Nuff' said.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
WINNER
Richard King (INCEPTION)
NOMINEES:
Tom Myers, Michael Silvers (TOY STORY 3)
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Addison Teague (TRON: LEGACY)
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey (TRUE GRIT)
Mark P. Stoeckinger (UNSTOPPABLE)
VIEWPOINT:
Again, like Best Sound Mixing's win in INCEPTION, this category is a shoo-in.