Per Cinema Blend here are the nominees:
*Vote for your favorite in the Hidefninja Oscar Poll*
AMC Theaters will be having a 2 day event, where you can see all "Best Pic" nominees over 2 days (some locations have 24 hour marathons). Event held Sat 2/19 and 2/26. Details will be announced by 1/28 at http://www.amctheaters.com/bps
Best Picture Nominees
Black Swan:
Only Darren Aronofsky could have taken this much emotional turmoil and turned it into a surprise holiday hit. Not that I'm complaining. With one brilliant acting performance, at least three other very good acting performances and a brilliant score that samples heavily from Tchaikovsky, Black Swan is, by all accounts, too sadistic and weird for most of America; yet, the whole thing somehow caught on to the point of a Best Picture nomination. Stranger things have happened, but barring two independent, out of nowhere epic scandals for The Social Network and The King's Speech, it's unlikely Black Swan has any real hope of winning. Still, it's got a better shot than seven other films, and something tells me no one involved is complaining about those odds.
The Fighter:
The Fighter has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. The complaints have ranged from questionable handling of the boxing scenes to overacting to lack of a charismatic main character, but those who truly got on board, me included, found plenty of reasons to root for David O. Russell's film. There's a certain charm amidst all the haymakers and crack smoking. Like its hero, The Fighter languished in development for years, but when it did emerge, it was with the right director and the right cast. It may very well clean up in the acting categories, but it's pretty behind on points in the Best Picture race.
Inception:
Even though pundits have been predicting a Best Picture nod for months now, most of us well aware of the academy's propensity to bypass summer blockbusters can finally breathe a sigh of relief. It's not just that Inception delivered in a way most big budget action films don't, it's that it was every bit as careful, thought out and interesting as it was fast-paced, exciting and spectacular. If the people had a say, we could go ahead and knock up Inception into legitimate contender status, but as it stands, the nomination itself is the cause for celebration.
The Kids Are All Right:
Not quite a real contender but far from a surprise this morning, The Kids Are All Right recently took home the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy, as well as an acting statue for star Annette Bening. She has a better chance of repeating at the Oscars than the film itself, but for a four million dollar flick about a lesbian couple, their sperm donor and two upperclass kids, it's hard to find any disappointment here.
The King's Speech:
The most realistic of all the contenders, The King's Speech may currently sit in second place, but it is a clear second place. If anyone can mount an assault on Mark Zuckerberg, it's King George V's stammer-ridden speech patterns. Never underestimate Harvey Weinstein's aggressive Oscar campaigns. Even if he fails to gain any traction though, the movie's numerous nominations and almost 100 million in worldwide grosses have to be considered a coup for a British art film made on a measly fifteen million.
127 Hours:
For all the talk about voters shying away from 127 Hours because of the arm cutting scene, the drama apparently didn't end up mattering. At this point, you'd have to think the rest would sit down and watch, right? Even if they don't, the real prize here will come from regular Joes making it out to the theater to finally see this. All of the other films on this list were, to an extent, box office successes, but more was expected from 127 Hours, especially after critics started buzzing about James Franco's brilliant acting performance. Maybe those expectations will finally be matched.
The Social Network:
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would be a shock if The Social Network didn't take home the ultimate prize at this year's Academy Awards. Many initially questioned whether the film had been released too early, but with buzz still as strong as when David Fincher's film first hit theaters in early October, most of the naysayers are fast re-evaluating their early slanders. The Social Network won't sweep the top categories like Silence Of The Lambs, but as far as sure things go, this category is probably the closest.
Toy Story 3:
It is an absolute travesty Toy Story 3 has absolutely no chance at winning. With another nomination in the Best Animation category, it'll go home with a statue on awards' night, but frankly, that's not enough. The highest grossing film of the year was deserving of every cent it earned. With a nostalgic, sad beginning, a fun, adventurous middle and a heartbreaking closer, Toy Story 3 was a revelation. It may not have been the best film of the year, but it was close, close enough to be drawing real heat about whether it would be the first animated film ever to take home the coveted Best Picture. Never underestimate the animation bias.
True Grit:
Perhaps a little too close to the original for plenty of John Wayne-loving Oscar voters, True Grit is nonetheless a brilliantly executed film by two brothers fast settling among Hollywood's most steady and reliable visionaries. One needs to look no further than the brilliant horse haggling scene to understand just how effortless the Coen's can make it look. No word out of place, no camera angle without reason. True Grit has been pushing aside more expensive and more publicized efforts for weeks now at the box office, and while it's unlikely to do the same with The Social Network, it'll likely get an impressive share of first place votes.
Winter's Bone:
Debra Granik's wonderful independent may not have the polish of the other nominees, but that doesn't mean it's any less moving. Most of these other films talk at you. They floor viewers with their sophisticated camera techniques and multi-layered scripts, but Winter's Bone is a lot quieter than that. It immerses itself in its surroundings, making you work to understand the subtle nuances of life in remote Appalachia, rather than cutting corners to make a more audience-friendly, fabricated product.
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