OSCAR WATCH: SAG Awards

Folks, the race is over. This year's Oscar winner will be "The King's Speech" after it concluded its sweep of the major guilds (Producers, Directors and now Screen Actors). We were fooled early on, when "The Social Network" took every critics award in sight and then Critics Choice and Golden Globes, but "The King's Speech" hit back like a freight train. Here are last night's winners:

Ensemble (equivalent to the Best Picture Award)
The King's Speech

Actor
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

OSCAR WATCH: SAG Predictions

Here we go, the first post-Oscar nominations awards show. The Screen Actors Guild will air its awards ceremony tomorrow night (Jan 30) on TNT and TBS. The Ensemble prize is a tough call this year, with so much great ensemble work this year. My gut feeling tells me I should pick "The Fighter". A brave choice, but definitely possible. We'll see how it all plays out tomorrow.

Ensemble (equivalent to the Best Picture Award)
The Fighter

Actor
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

A ROTTEN TOMATO: The Barbarian Invasions

"The Barbarian Invasions" is yet another critically-acclaimed foreign film (2004 Academy Award winner) which I didn't get at all. The plot just seemed incoherent and the editing was terrible, with poor transitions between scenes.

A ROTTEN TOMATO: Dogtooth

This might be the most bizarre, disturbing film I have ever seen. The story is about a demented family where the parents imprison the children in their home and brainwash them.I was so interested in watching this, after so many people were so shocked that it got nominated for Best Foreign Language film yesterday. Now I fully understand the surprise. I really don't know how this film picked up enough votes to become nominated. Absolutely shocking.

Inception in a nutshell

Haha, this is hilarious. What makes it even more amusing is the fact that they actually do say all of this movie! I'm still bitter that Christopher Nolan didn't get a Best Director nomination, but I think this basically indicates how the old "fuddy-duddy" Academy voters probably just didn't get the movie at all.

OSCAR WATCH: OSCAR Nominations

Here they are folks. Mostly according to plan, although it seems the tide may be shifting towards a "King's Speech" win. The nominees for the Academy Awards are...

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

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
James Franco, 127 Hours
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Best Supporting Actor
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: A Very Long Engagement

This movie was just so beautiful. It had that typical French quirkiness that fit in perfectly with Audrey Tautou, in a very Amelie-esque role. Marion Cotillard was once again astonishing as the femme fatale. The cinematography was fantastic and the story was intriguing from beginning to end.

OSCAR WATCH: Blue Valentine

"Blue Valentine" is an interesting movie about love, marriage and the bumps along the way. It is powered by the outstanding performances of lead actors Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. The film was a very realistic portrayal of the difficulties of marriage. I felt however, that the film could have delved a bit deeper into the post-marriage relationship, in order for the viewer to fully understand how they fell out of love. There was too much emphasis on the pre-marital, falling in love stage. In terms of Oscar potential, I think Gosling and Williams could spring up when the nominees are announced. Funny enough, I feel like they almost acted too well, as there were no grand bravura moments to remember them by. It was like you were watching a real couple go through their lives on screen. There is also a very slight possibility of a Best Picture nomination, but I wouldn't bet on it. I recommend this film to those who can appreciate a very subtle, realistic portrayal of life.

OSCAR WATCH: BAFTA Nominations

The very interesting BAFTA nominees have just been announced. Kudos to them for refusing to simply copy the American consensus picks. Check them out:

Best Picture
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Best British Film
127 Hours
Another Year
Four Lions
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham

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

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Noomi Rapace, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Pete Postlethwaite, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Barbara Hershey, Black Swan
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Miranda Richardson, Made In Dagenham

Director
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David Fincher, The Social Network

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Casino

"Casino" is a pitch-perfect mobster drama, a Scorcese classic. It reminds us of the days when screenplays were rich enough to warrant a 3-hour runtime. The story was very compelling and with De Niro and Pesci showing why they command so much respect in the film industry. It was probably the only time where I completely empathize with one of the "bad guys" (De Niro's character). In my eyes, he was the hero of the movie. I was surprised that Sharon Stone (who did a good job basically playing a crazy biatch) was the only person who got Oscar attention, as this really was a man's film.

OSCAR WATCH: Hereafter

I always love Clint Eastwood's movies (in fact, I have 5-starred all of his films that I've seen), but this one felt lacking. "Hereafter" had a lot of potential, but it just seemed like an unfinished product. The tone was consistently sombre throughout the film and there were no real peaks. The cast tried their best with the material given (the scenes where Damon's character connects with the dead are all quite heartbreaking) but I think maybe the overall narrative let them down in the end. The ending itself really ruined it (straight from the corniest of romance films). Throughout the film as well, I felt like the story was really too forced, with simply too many inconceivable coincidences. This won't feature anywhere at the Oscars, but may pop up in the Visual Effects category for its recreation of a tsunami.

OSCAR WATCH: Golden Globe Awards

The second test is over and once again "The Social Network" passed with flying colours. Consensus is really starting to kick in, with many of the Critics Choice winners repeating their wins here. I don't know how any experts will be able to predict "The King's Speech" to take the Oscar now. This year's Golden Globes were much more predictable than previous years. I personally got 12 out of 14 correct! Here is how it all went down:

Best Picture (Drama)
The Social Network (pictured above)

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
The Kids Are All Right

Best Actor (Drama)
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version

Best Actress (Drama)
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network

OSCAR WATCH: Golden Globe Predictions

Critics Choice just finished, now on to the next one. Here are my predictions for the Golden Globe awards tomorrow. I have changed some of my categories after last night, but the Golden Globes are famous for being unpredictable.

Best Picture (Drama)
The Social Network

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
The Kids Are All Right

Best Actor (Drama)
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version

Best Actress (Drama)
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network

OSCAR WATCH: Critics Choice Awards

Well, there ya have it. "The Social Network" is the one to beat. In addition to Best Picture(pictured above), the film also won for Best Score (slight surprise, beating the more "showy" scores of Black Swan and Inception), Director and Screenplay. My predictions weren't too bad, I got 15 out of 24. I got most of the major categories correct except for Original Screenplay which surprisingly went to "The King's Speech". Like "Avatar" last year, "Inception" won the most awards due to a sweep of the more technical categories (winning the same 6 categories as Avatar). The Fighter is also looking very strong in the acting categories, winning the supporting awards and ensemble, which bodes well for its SAG chances. "The Social Network" is the clear frontrunner, but "The Fighter" is a real dark horse in this race and the Globes may still go for "The King's Speech" at the Globes tomorrow. And the winners were:

Best Picture
The Social Network

Best Actor
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network

OSCAR WATCH: Critics Choice Predictions

After all the months of speculation, it's finally awards time. First up is the Critics Choice Awards on VH1 tomorrow night (which I unfortunately won't be able to watch, due to the lack of cable tv). Here are my first set of predictions, at least half of which I will probably get wrong. Nevertheless, it's fun to pretend like I know something about how these voters think.

Best Picture
The Social Network

Best Actor
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network

A ROTTEN TOMATO: Brick

This movie sucks. Too hard to understand. I lost the plot half-way through.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK/OSCAR WATCH: The Fighter

"The Fighter" is a complete knockout. I'm so pleased that this passion project of Mark Wahlberg was made. This could really be a dark horse in this Oscar race. The casting was just perfect. This is a real actor's film. Everyone (even the crazy sisters) was magnificent in their roles. Amy Adams showed her range, straying away from her usual cutesy, barbie doll persona. Melissa Leo was also really good as the overbearing mother and could definitely win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Christian Bale gave yet another committed performance and also stands a good chance of a win. No matter how detrimental their tight grip on Micky was, you could still see the immense love they all had for him and each other. I must single out Mark Wahlberg though, since nobody seems to be talking about him. I thought he was equally Oscar-worthy in his role. All the pressure he felt from all corners was just so evident in his face. This is a compelling, earnest drama but there were even some scenes that had me rolling with laughter. David O'Rusell should definitely get a Best Director nomination for his work here.

OSCAR WATCH: True Grit

"True Grit" is another one of those crowd-pleasing films in this Oscar race. The broad appeal may actually be one of the only issues I have with the film, as it wasn't as dark as the trailer made it seem. It felt like a Disney version of a Coen brothers film, which is evident in its PG-13 rating. Apart from this, I thought the story was well laid out and the performances by the trio of Steinfeld, Bridges and Damon were outstanding. All deserving of Oscar nominations, but I don't see them winning (except maybe for Steinfeld in Supporting Actress). Overall, another job well done by the Coen brothers in creating a surprisingly authentic western film. In addition to the acting categories, should definitely get nominations for Best Picture and possibly Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography and Art Direction.

2010...A Great Year For Film

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Elf

This is the perfect holiday movie. I am a big Will Ferrell fan and this is him at his best. Only he could have pulled this off, as he was completely believable as the oversized elf. If you don't like this movie, you have no heart.