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The year is winding down. Today, as part of the week’s on-going year-in-review specials, I’m offering up my annual “if I had a ballot” post.
In years past I’ve tended to defer to studio campaigns for category placement, but this year I figured, “Screw it.” After all, if I actually had a ballot I could call the shots. So I have.
You’re familiar with my Best Picture line-up by now. I’ve opted out of the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary categories because there are a few films I’d rather have seen before making that call, but otherwise, it’s the usual Oscar fields with an ensemble category tacked on.
Feel free to post up your own selections, if you have them, in the comments section below. And remember to check back Friday as I close up shop on 2010 with my list of superlatives. For now, check out my personal ballot after the jump.
Best Picture
“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“Catfish” (Rogue)
“Enter the Void” (IFC Films)
“Exit Through the Gift Shop” (Producers Distribution Agency)
“A Prophet” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Shutter Island” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Social Network” (Columbia Pictures)
“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“The Way Back” (Newmarket Films/Wrekin Hill Entertainment)
Best Director
Mike Leigh, “Another Year”
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
Gaspar Noé, “Enter the Void”
Banksy, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”
Jacques Audiard, “A Prophet”
Best Actor
Javier Bardem, “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
James Franco, “127 Hours”
Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”
Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Julianne Moore, “The Kids Are All Right”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”
Best Supporting Actor
Niels Arestrup, “A Prophet”
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Colin Farrell, “The Way Back”
Andrew Garfield, “The Social Network”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”
Rebecca Hall, “Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974″
Bryce Dallas Howard, “Hereafter”
Lesley Manville, “Another Year”
Miranda Richardson, “Made in Dagenham”
Best Adapted Screenplay
“I Love You Phillip Morris” (Glenn Ficarra, John Requa)
“Shutter Island” (Laeta Kalogridis)
“The Social Network” (Aaron Sorkin)
“Toy Story 3” (Michael Arndt)
“True Grit” (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
Best Original Screenplay
“Another Year” (Mike Leigh)
“Black Swan” (Andres Heinz, Mark Heyman, John J. McLaughlin)
“Blue Valentine” (Joey Curtis, Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne)
“Four Lions” (Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell, Christopher Morris)
“A Prophet” (Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Nicolas Peufaillit)
Best Art Direction
“Alice in Wonderland” (Robert Stromberg; Karen O’Hara, Peter Young)
“Inception” (Guy Dyas; Lisa Chugg, Paul Healy, Douglas A. Mowat)
“The King’s Speech” (Eve Stewart; Judy Farr)
“Shutter Island” (Dante Ferretti; Francesca Lo Schiavo)
“TRON Legacy” (Darren Gilford; Lin MacDonald)
Best Cinematography
“Black Swan” (Matthew Libatique)
“Enter the Void” (Benoît Debie)
“127 Hours” (Enrique Chediak, Anthony Dod Mantle)
“A Prophet” (Stéphane Fontaine)
“Shutter Island” (Robert Richardson)
Best Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland” (Colleen Atwood)
“Robin Hood” (Janty Yates)
“The Tempest” (Sandy Powell)
“TRON Legacy” (Michael Wilkinson)
“True Grit” (Mary Zophres)
Best Film Editing
“Black Swan” (Andrew Weisblum)
“Exit Through the Gift Shop” (Tom Fulford, Chris King)
“Inception” (Lee Smith)
“127 Hours” (Jon Harris)
“Shutter Island” (Thelma Schoonmaker)
Best Makeup
“Shutter Island”
“The Way Back”
“The Wolfman”
Best Music (Original Score)
“How to Train Your Dragon” (John Powell)
“The Illusionist” (Sylvain Chomet)
“Inception” (Hans Zimmer)
“The Social Network” (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross)
“TRON Legacy” (Daft Punk)
Best Music (Original Song)
“Me and Tennessee” from “Country Strong”
“I See the Light” from “Tangled”
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″
“Shine” from “Waiting for Superman”
Best Sound Editing
“Black Swan”
“Inception”
“127 Hours”
“Robin Hood”
“TRON Legacy”
Best Sound Mixing
“Black Swan”
“Inception”
“The Social Network”
“TRON Legacy”
“The Way Back”
Best Visual Effects
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Black Swan”
“Enter the Void”
“Inception”
“TRON Legacy”
Best Animated Feature
“How to Train Your Dragon” (DreamWorks SKG)
“The Illusionist” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Best Ensemble
“Another Year”
“Four Lions”
“Shutter Island”
“The Social Network”
“The Way Back”
Tally
“Black Swan” – 9
“Shutter Island” – 7
“Inception” – 6
“A Prophet” – 6
“The Social Network” – 6
“TRON Legacy” – 6
“Another Year” – 5
“The Way Back” – 5
“Enter the Void” – 4
“127 Hours” – 4
“Toy Story 3″ – 4
“True Grit” – 4
“Alice in Wonderland” – 3
“Blue Valentine” – 3
“Exit Through the Gift Shop” – 3
“Four Lions” – 2
“How to Train Your Dragon” – 2
“The Kids Are All Right” – 2
“Biutiful” – 1
“Winter’s Bone” – 1
“Catfish” – 1
“Country Strong” – 1
“The Fighter” – 1
“Hereafter” – 1
“I Love You Phillip Morris” – 1
“The Illusionist” – 1
“The King’s Speech” – 1
“Made in Dagenham” – 1
“Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974″ – 1
“Robin Hood” – 1
“Tangled” – 1
“The Tempest” – 1
“Waiting for Superman” – 1
“The Wolfman” – 1
[Photo: Paramount Pictures]
73 responses so far
1 12-15-2010 at 9:11 am
ann said...
lool we’re totally have different ballots but it’s nice to see something different from the usual oscar contenders.
2 12-15-2010 at 9:25 am
Robert Hamer said...
Whoa, haven’t seen Rebecca Hall on anyone’s ballot yet. Interesting pick.
The choice I most disagree with (besides Shutter Island for Best Picture, and I swear I’m getting off that tangent), are all of your technical nods for Alice in Wonderland; the visuals of that disastrous film were terrible meets awful. I beg you to reconsider. How about How to Train Your Dragon for Best Art Direction, I Am Love for Best Costume Design, The Way Back for Best Makeup, and The Social Network for Best Visual Effects? Please???
3 12-15-2010 at 9:26 am
Sarah El said...
Would A Prophet be technically eligible since it was nominated last year in the Best Foreign Language Film category? Not that I object, but just wondering.
4 12-15-2010 at 9:28 am
Andrej said...
Putting the Oscar race aside, you don’t feel that strong about The King’s Speech’s artistic and creative merits? For such a constantly raved movie, I expected that you’d consider it for at least some acting awards.
5 12-15-2010 at 9:29 am
Hero said...
No Peter Weir? That’s surprising.
Also, is Red Riding eligible? I didn’t think it was.
6 12-15-2010 at 9:32 am
Hero said...
Sarah,
A Prophet was submitted by France for the Foreign race last year, but wasn’t eligible for any other category until it received an American release this year.
7 12-15-2010 at 9:36 am
Guy Lodge said...
Bravo — would that every one of your peers at the BFCA had this level of ingenuity. (And thank you for not falling prey to the Hailee Steinfeld supporting campaign.)
Couldn’t agree more with your selection of Rebecca Hall, though I now feel doubly bad for not including her in my First-Half FYC column two weeks ago. I was limiting myself to Oscar- eligible work, but she deserves the shout-out — indeed, she’s had rather a good 2010 overall.
8 12-15-2010 at 9:37 am
Guy Lodge said...
Sarah/Hero: “A Prophet” isn’t eligible for any Oscar consideration this year, sadly. But good on Kris for sticking by it on principle.
9 12-15-2010 at 9:41 am
Kristopher Tapley said...
Sarah: No, it wouldn’t (since it was nominated last year, it’s out, but if it hadn’t been, it would be good to go), but that’s a dumb rule and I’m taking a stand.
10 12-15-2010 at 9:41 am
Hans said...
No, I’m pretty sure that since it was nominated last year in the Foreign Language Film category, it was thus eligible for all the other categories (e.g. White Ribbon in Cinematography). It’s thus ineligible this year.
Anyway, I totally understand and respect your opinion on Inception, Kris, but your ballot does make me happy in that Inception will still likely be receiving a healthy haul of nominations, even from those who less-than-rave such as yourself.
11 12-15-2010 at 9:42 am
Hero said...
Guy,
Really? I thought for sure it was. If that’s the case, I’d love to see Kris’s ballot with only films that actually qualify, but that’s just my perference.
12 12-15-2010 at 9:50 am
Ben M. said...
I’ll do the top 8 (knowing that some of these are ineligible and I’m placing a couple of actors in categories other than were they campaigned)
Picture
The Secret in their Eyes
Toy Story 3
Let Me In
Another Year
The Ghost Writer
Red Riding
The Tillman Story
A Prophet
Tangled
The Kids Are All Right
Director
Matt Reeves, Let Me In
Mike Leigh, Another Year
Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Juan José Campanella, The Secret in their Eyes
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Actor
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, Howl
John C. Reily, Cyrus
Sean Penn, Fair Game
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Actress
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Naomi Watts, Fair Game
Soledad Villamil, The Secret in their Eyes
Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go
Catherine Keener, Please Give
Supporting Actor
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Guillermo Francella, The Secret in their Eyes
Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer
Armie Hammer, The Social Network
Supporting Actress
Anne-Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Rosemarie DeWitt, The Company Men
Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Original Screenplay
Another Year
The Kids Are All Right
Please Give
A Prophet
Tangled
Adapted Screenplay
The Secret in their Eyes
The Ghost Writer
Toy Story 3
Red Riding
Winter’s Bone
13 12-15-2010 at 9:53 am
Hans said...
Hmm, the Hailee Steinfeld mention makes me wonder: as an Academy member, if you’re faced with a category confusion contender that you still really want to see nominated, do you go with where she rightfully belongs, or do you go against your own feelings and, essentially, bow to the man?
14 12-15-2010 at 9:54 am
Guy Lodge said...
Hero: It’s one of the Academy’s most arcane rules. Films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film, but only released in the US the following year, are not eligible to compete in the general categories the next time round.
If a film is submitted but not nominated, however, then it is eligible for general-field nominations in the year of its US release — as happened with “City of God” in 2003.
Don’t try to understand it — there’s no rhyme or reason.
15 12-15-2010 at 9:58 am
Guy Lodge said...
Hans: No, it wasn’t eligible in any categories other than Best Foreign Language Film, because it wasn’t given a 2009 qualifying release. (“The White Ribbon” was.) In other words, “A Prophet” has never had an opportunity to be nominated in other categories, which is ludicrous.
The fact that so many of our readers are repeatedly confused about this issue shows just what a problematic system it is.
16 12-15-2010 at 10:00 am
Duncan Houst said...
Great choices, but you obviously haven’t seen “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″, which I highly suggest you do before you write your Top 10 shots of the year segment.
17 12-15-2010 at 10:00 am
Hero said...
Thanks for the explanation, Guy. Instances like City of God had me confused.
18 12-15-2010 at 10:02 am
Maxim said...
“The fact that so many of our readers are repeatedly confused about this issue shows just what a problematic system it is.”
How does the fact that regular readers are confused about rule make it problematic? If anything it makes it confusing for that particular part of population, which is a very different thing altogether since those people aren’t voting.
19 12-15-2010 at 10:05 am
Maxim said...
“Don’t try to understand it — there’s no rhyme or reason.”
Try thinking harder – the rule makes perfect sense and, if anything, it benefits the foreign films. Can you imagine how much harder it would be for a non-US released film to get support in other categories if that was the only year they were eligible for them?
At least, the Foreign branch is required to sit down and look at the contenders. How would you expect other branches to nominate something they didn’t get a chance to see?
20 12-15-2010 at 10:09 am
BrianA said...
Speaking of the rules, if you actually had a ballot, you’d have to rank these in order. Each voter only gets one vote, and that’s for their first choice. The lower choices only count if your first choice is dropped due to low ballot count or if your first choice is part of a landslide for a particular nominee, in which case, the surplus is reallocated among the second choices of those voting for that nominee.
I’m an accountant, so I get off on these arcane details!
21 12-15-2010 at 10:11 am
SammysRun said...
This is a great line-up. If only…
22 12-15-2010 at 10:14 am
average joe said...
Love all the nods for Shutter Island (my #2 behind Black Swan), but I’m suprised and a but disappointed that Scorsese and DiCaprio didn’t make the cut.
Also, am I the only one that would nominate Patricia Clarkson in Shutter Island for supporting actress? I know she was in it so briefly, but I thought she completely knocked it out of the park. Granted, I’ve yet to see The Fighter or Another Year
23 12-15-2010 at 10:15 am
Hans said...
Thank you, Guy, I thought I had a better grasp on that than I did.
24 12-15-2010 at 10:16 am
Chris said...
So happy to see I’m not the only one who thought Julianne Moore was the better of the leading ladies in “The Kids Are All Right”.
25 12-15-2010 at 10:22 am
rac said...
u don’t hav melissa leo!!!!!!!!!!!
Why?????????? Iam hopin she takes home d oscar…
Didn’t u like her?????
plz reply……….
26 12-15-2010 at 10:23 am
Loyal said...
No nominations for Best Original Screenplay or Best Actress for Catfish? Booo
Otherwise, solid ballot. I finally watched Exit Through The Gift Shop last week, amazing.
27 12-15-2010 at 10:30 am
Matthew Starr said...
Bryce Howard? Can’t agree with that one.
Very much like your best score nods.
No Roger Deakins? Earlier this year you said this will be the one he gets his award for. You still believe this is so?
28 12-15-2010 at 10:41 am
Kristopher Tapley said...
Average Joe: Sophie’s choice.
Matt: Yes I do.
29 12-15-2010 at 11:01 am
N8 said...
4 for “Alice in Wonderland”? Really?
30 12-15-2010 at 11:13 am
Benito Delicias said...
always nice to see somebody understand that it was Moore and not Bening who had the real good perfomance and the real good role on that movie.
Loved Bening in it, but the way Moore and co. are acting towards her performance is completely ridiculous.
31 12-15-2010 at 11:16 am
JJ1 said...
For as lamebrain as many feel Alice is – it DOES have great art direction, costumes, among other techs.
32 12-15-2010 at 11:20 am
N8 said...
I have to disagree about “Alice”. It’s hideous from top to bottom, inside and out.
33 12-15-2010 at 11:27 am
The InSneider said...
Nicely done, Kris. The only choice of yours I take issue with is The Way Back for Best Picture. I reeeallly wanted to like it but it was just so… boring. Well made, well acted, but the story just wasn’t one of the Top 10 stories I saw this year, which is weird because it’s a remarkable true story, yet something felt lost in translation.
34 12-15-2010 at 11:30 am
The InSneider said...
In other complaints, how the heck does Burn After Reading get more votes than Blood Simple for Best Coen Bros. movie? I thought the site’s audience to be savvier than that… BTW, my favorite is still Fargo. Love that movie. No clue how people are calling the True Grit remake the best of their career. That’s insane. No Country was definitely better.
35 12-15-2010 at 11:32 am
Mike_M said...
Kris, Exit Through the Gift Shop was released by Revolver Entertainment not IFC, right?
Hero, Red Riding had a run in LA and NYC earlier this year, so it should be eligible…
36 12-15-2010 at 11:40 am
AdamL said...
Have I missed something? A Prophet isn’t actually eligible is it?
Seems strange that if you had a ballot you would nominate ineligible films and performances.
This aside, interesting list.
37 12-15-2010 at 11:44 am
Mike_M said...
I think when it comes to these columns, in the past, Kris has always voted on movies he saw throughout the current year (please correct me if I am wrong), not taking into account if they are eligible or not via the Academy. A similar situation happened with Mongul I think, and he mentioned something along those lines.
38 12-15-2010 at 11:52 am
Robert Hamer said...
@ N8: I know, right?!?
39 12-15-2010 at 11:53 am
john t. said...
This year, Andrew Garfield gave his best performance in ” Red Riding” , and I truly hope many Academy members view his stellar acting turn in that film.
I still feel the most electric performance ( and the most challenging performance) in “The Social Network” was given by Armie Hammer. Armie made his characters very watchable and infused the roles with great nuance. He brought so much charisma to the screen, and he went from drama to comedy without missing a beat. It would be a happy surprised if he receives an Oscar nomination. Definitely, one of my favorite acting performances this year.
40 12-15-2010 at 11:57 am
eurocheese said...
Love the list Kris, especially since it gives me a good few films to check out. I found a few things interesting: it looks like Manville was in Supporting for you, and I’m wondering if AMPAS will move her there (or if she’ll miss a nod because of category confusion); Jim Carrey missing the cut after your review, though that is a very good group; and all the love for A Prophet. I snuck that into my own categories last year, but if I ruled the world the film, Audiard and Arestrup would be Oscar nodded and Rahim would be an Oscar winner. Love that both you and Anne spoke so highly of it in the podcast.
BTW, for anyone reading this, Exit Through the Gift Shop is available to watch instantly on Netflix as of yesterday.
41 12-15-2010 at 12:09 pm
Ibad said...
Andrew Garfield, Ryan Gosling, Lesley Manville and Michelle Williams mentions immediately makes this infinitely better than any lineup released by critics so far this year.
42 12-15-2010 at 12:10 pm
Ibad said...
John T. – I believe Red Riding is ineligible this year because of the whole thing about on-demand movies or something. Shame, though.
43 12-15-2010 at 12:15 pm
/3rtfu11 said...
If I had a ballot –
Black Swan would win Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and any possible sound nominations
Inception would only win for Best Visual Effects (for the zero gravity fight sequence alone)
The Social Network would win Best Director, Best Score, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor Andrew Garfield
Annette Bening would win Best Actress for TKAAR
44 12-15-2010 at 12:35 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Mike: Actually it was Oscilloscope. My mistake.
45 12-15-2010 at 12:44 pm
Marshall1 said...
Kris, I would personally nominate Rebecca Hall in the Town instead of Red Riding. I like the series, but the first one was a bit too “artsy” for me, all mood and not much else. She and Garfield are good, but I love the one with Paddy in it (the middle one?).
46 12-15-2010 at 12:47 pm
Rashad said...
Enough! A Prophet was released last year, and nominated. I’m sick of bloggers and critics putting films a year late.
Steinfeld gets my vote for Best Actress
47 12-15-2010 at 12:48 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Maxim: I realize you like to argue with every point I make, but if you can explain how never being eligible for general categories “benefits” a film like “A Prophet,” go for it.
Can you imagine how much harder it would be for a non-US released film to get support in other categories if that was the only year they were eligible for them?
You’re completely missing the point, which is that non-US released films that have been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film are not permitted to compete in other categories in the year of their eventual US release. Clearly, we’re both in favour of enabling these films to get support in other categories, so I have no idea what you’re arguing about.
48 12-15-2010 at 1:13 pm
Ben M. said...
I just wish the academy would go back to its old rules on Foreign Language films, it doesn’t seem to me to be that big a deal that films like 8 1/2 and Day for Night got FL noms and general Oscar noms in different years, and I hate the idea that a film is punished for getting a FL nomination.
49 12-15-2010 at 1:14 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
Exit Through the Gift Shop wasn’t released by IFC or Oscilloscope. It was an independent boutique company called Producers Distribution Agency. Oscilloscope only has the DVD rights.
50 12-15-2010 at 1:18 pm
Danny King said...
Kris, did you ever write up a reaction to Hereafter? Glad to see some recognition for it on here, though I’m curious to hear your thoughts of the film as a whole.
Also, I’m a bit surprised to see DiCaprio left off the Best Actor list, but I guess it is a pretty crowded lot.
51 12-15-2010 at 1:19 pm
Maxim said...
“You’re completely missing the point, which is that non-US released films that have been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film are not permitted to compete in other categories in the year of their eventual US release. ”
Guy, my sincere appologies this time. This rule is complete news to me. Needless to say it so dumb I would have never guessed it. I take back what I said. Rules need changed.
52 12-15-2010 at 1:21 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
I’ll get it right yet. Thanks Chad.
53 12-15-2010 at 1:22 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Danny: We talked about it on the podcast. Suffice it to say I did NOT like the film, but Howard really sparked for me.
DiCaprio and Scorsese really were close, but it was crowded terrain. It was between Marty and Aronofsky for the fifth director slot and between Leo and Bridges for the fifth actor slot. Tough choices.
54 12-15-2010 at 1:25 pm
Ken said...
I haven’t seen True Grit, Another Year, The Black Swan, The Way Back, The Inside Job, or Carlos, but have seen just about everything else. Not sure I should quite make a top 10 of the year yet, but I don’t think anything will be able to unseat Scott Pilgrim vs. The World which kind of amazed me with how much I loved that movie.
Looks like Of Gods and Men will be in the gray area, as it won’t get a US release this year and won’t be eligible next year (given that it’ll almost certainly be nominated in the Foreign Language category). But that’d be my #2 if it qualified.
55 12-15-2010 at 1:36 pm
Jeremy said...
Kudos on the Bryce Dallas Howard nod.
I’m assuming you haven’t seen “Harry Potter”? My fanboy bias aside, it’s my clear #1 for Art Direction, and it would easily make my top five for Cinematography as well.
56 12-15-2010 at 1:36 pm
SJG said...
The only category I have particularly strong feelings about this year is Best Actor, which should be (in order of preference):
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Shutter Island”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
James Franco, “127 Hours”
Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”
Screw nominating Duvall and Bridges just because they’re older and everyone likes them. Not that they gave bad performances, but this has been a particularly good year for actors, and I think it’s definitely unfair that Leonardo DiCaprio, who should win, has been almost totally left out of the discussion. Jesse Eisenberg is only gaining ground now because of how well the movie is doing with the critics awards, when he should be considered the clear frontrunner (even though DiCaprio should win).
And even though I haven’t seen The Fighter, I suspect Wahlberg should be getting more attention than he is and I would like to think that he deserves a nomination more than Gosling.
57 12-15-2010 at 1:39 pm
SJG said...
I just noticed my order of preference is also alphabetical. It’s destiny.
58 12-15-2010 at 1:49 pm
Rashad said...
“I hate the idea that a film is punished for getting a FL nomination.”
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
59 12-15-2010 at 2:11 pm
Lance said...
They should really push for Bankse to get nominated. I believe that would be the first time for a director of a documentary. What a story that would make. Are they even eligible?
60 12-15-2010 at 2:16 pm
Cinemateo said...
While I think Steinfeld is locked and ready to go in Supporting for the Oscars (mostly due to her young age), I can’t help but think Oscar voters will also place enough votes for Manville in Supporting to get her a nomination (as you’ve done here). Something similar (but opposite) to Winslet 2 years ago – b/c you can certainly argue her role is supporting and it’s looking more and more like she’s just not going to get in for lead.
61 12-15-2010 at 2:19 pm
Mike_M said...
Nice, Chad, way to correct us both… Revolver was the UK dist I think…
62 12-15-2010 at 2:29 pm
BrianA said...
@Rashad
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was fortunate enough to get a wide US release in the same year as its international release. It was also in a genre that is easier for US audiences to tolerate vis-a-vis subtitles. Most competitors in the foreign language category have not yet had a US release during their year of eligibility for the Best Foreign Language Film award.
The point is that submitted films that are NOT nominated are eligible in a subsequent year when they get their US release. But those that ARE nominated are ineligible when released subsequently in the US. This, in effect, penalizes the nominees in comparison with submitted-but-not-nominated films.
63 12-15-2010 at 3:16 pm
Robert Hamer said...
@ Banksy: Errol Morris, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore and Werner Herzog couldn’t even manage Best Director nominations for their documentaries. What chance does Banksy have?
64 12-15-2010 at 3:17 pm
Robert Hamer said...
Whoops, I meant @ Lance.
65 12-15-2010 at 5:31 pm
Jasper said...
While I disliked Catfish and absolutely hated Enter the Void (except for its excellent cinematography), I really do like these choices. I like seeing Steinfeld in the lead category (though I would have replaced her with Emma Stone, but whatever) and I’m super pleased to see Bryce Dallas Howard’s name show up too.
Also, did you see Splice? I feel like that should be a lock for make-up (along with The Wolfman and Alice), but it isn’t getting nearly enough attention as it deserves.
66 12-15-2010 at 5:51 pm
MCA said...
Still don’t get the appeal of Garfield in The Social Network. Every time I saw him on screen it was as if he was wearing a giant sticker on his forehead that read, “I’m acting.”
Other than that, some very inspired choices, Kris.
67 12-15-2010 at 6:20 pm
Douglas said...
No Jim Carrey??
68 12-15-2010 at 7:05 pm
billybil said...
Kris – have I told you lately I love you? I love you particularly for these nominations:
Best Picture: A Prophet
Best Director: Jacques Audiard
Best Actor: Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”
Best Actor: Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”
Best Actress: Julianne Moore, “The Kids Are All Right”
Best Supporting Actor: Colin Farrell, “The Way Back”
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Best Adapted Screenplay: I Love You Phillip Morris” (Glenn Ficarra, John Requa) [Gosh Darn I wish this was a year in which Carrey's performance could be getting more award attention!!]
Best Original Screenplay: “Four Lions” (Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell, Christopher Morris)
Best Original Screenplay: “A Prophet” (Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Nicolas Peufaillit)
Best Animated Feature: “Tangled” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Best Ensemble: “Four Lions” [I LOVE this movie getting recognized in this way! It seems the very definition of this award!]
Here’s where you bruised my love a little:
Best Supporting Actress: Miranda Richardson, “Made in Dagenham” [She's always great but no way was this top 5 the year for me.]
Best Costume Design: Robin Hood” (Janty Yates)
So obviously I’m feeling the love for you more than not right now.
69 12-15-2010 at 8:31 pm
RyanT said...
No Scott Pilgrim love even in the tech categories like Sound, Editing, or Visual Effects?
Other than that though, I kinda love your list.
70 12-15-2010 at 8:45 pm
Speaking English said...
Shocked, utterly shocked at no David Fincher. Waaaaaaah??? And I still remain flustered at all the “A Prophet” love. For me it’s plainly a 2009 film and it doesn’t come close to making the Top 15 there, although I do agree with you about Rahim.
And to the person up above who cited “Tangled” for Original Screenplay, I believe it would fall under Adapted.
71 12-16-2010 at 10:59 am
T.J. Larson said...
I still need to see Carlos, Enter The Void, Inside Job, True Grit, Mr. Nobody, Night Catches Us, Another Year, Amigo, The King’s Speech, Biutiful, The Way Back, Fair Game, Never Let Me Go, Tears of Gaza, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu, Tabloid, Monsters, Four Lions, I Love You, Philip Morris, The Fighter, Alamar, Wild Grass, Marwencol, Exit Through The Gift Shop, Uncle Boonme, Client 9, Buried, and Let Me In, among many more.
With that in mind:
BEST PICTURE
Lebanon (Samuel Maoz) *
Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance)
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (Frederick Wiseman)
Putty Hill (Matthew Porterfield)
A Prophet (Jacques Audiard)
Animal Kingdom (David Michod)
The Social Network (David Fincher)
Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik)
Boxing Gym (Frederick Wiseman)
Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)
BEST DIRECTOR
Samuel Maoz -Lebanon *
Matthew Porterfield -Putty Hill
Frederick Wiseman -La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet & Boxing Gym
Derek Cianfrance -Blue Valentine
David Michod -Animal Kingdom
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Ryan Gosling -Blue Valentine *
Tahar Rahim -A Prophet
Jesse Eisenberg -The Social Network
Casey Affleck -The Killer Inside Me
Aaron Eckhart -Rabbit Hole
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Michelle Williams -Blue Valentine *
Jennifer Lawrence -Winter’s Bone
Nicole Kidman -Rabbit Hole
Natalie Portman -Black Swan
Annette Bening -The Kids Are All Right
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Charles Sauers -Putty Hill *
John Hawkes -Winter’s Bone
Ben Mendehlson -Animal Kingdom
Niels Arestrup -A Prophet
Yoav Donat -Lebanon
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Jackie Weaver -Animal Kingdom *
Dale Dickey -Winter’s Bone
Julie Ferrier -Micmacs
Zoe Vance -Putty Hill
Olivia Williams -The Ghost Writer
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Blue Valentine -Derek Cianfrance *
Animal Kingdom -David Michôd
Lebanon -Samuel Maoz
Micmacs -Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Guillaume Laurant
Putty Hill -Matthew Porterfield
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Social Network -Aaron Sorkin *
Winter’s Bone -Debra Granik & Anne Rosselini
Toy Story 3 -John Lasseter, Michael Arndt, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
The Ghost Writer – Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
The American -Rowan Joffe
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Meek’s Cutoff -Chris Blauvelt *
Micmacs -Tetsuo Nagata
Black Swan -Matthew Libatique
Boxing Gym -John Davey
The American -Martin Ruhe
BEST EDITING
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet & Boxing Gym -Frederick Wiseman *
Lebanon -Arik Leibovitch
The Social Network -Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall
127 Hours -Jon Harris
Camp Victory, Afghanistan -Carol Dysinger
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Ghost Writer -Alexandre Desplat *
The Social Network -Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
The American -Herbert Grönemeyer
Micmacs -Raphaël Beau
Black Swan –Clint Mansell
Obviously was not a fan of Inception or Shutter Island and was underwhelmed by 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, Red Riding, and The Town.
72 12-18-2010 at 12:24 pm
john said...
In response to the argument over the ineligibility of foreign films which were nominated in the year prior, I have to agree with Maxim’s original argument that once they are nominated at the Oscars, they are ineligible to contend again. While this does result in a movie like A PROPHET getting cheated of a proper run at the Oscars, it has the consolation prize of the Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, which is a large part of the reason that so many people have seen it and can be angry about it not competing properly. Although I see the injustice that the movie never gets to take a proper run at the Awards gauntlet, it means we don’t get the syndrome of movies showing up two years in a row at the Oscars which happened all the time in the 60′s and 70s. When I was first getting into the Oscars, this trend always seemed weird to me, so I support the Academy’s current rule.
As it is, the Foreign film category forces its voters to see all the contending movies (as I understand the system), thus allowing movies which would never get attention a fair run at the category.
The category whose rules bug me these days are the Best Song category. First of all, the rule that a movie cannot contend if it was not written directly for the film is a bit strict. Certainly, if the song has debuted elsewhere, then sure, it shouldn’t be deemed Original. However, blocking songs which were purchased by the filmmakers and premeired in the film seems to be overreaching. COUNTRY STRONG, I believe, had been on somebody’s album two years ago, so fair game that it’s not eligible. On the other hand, “The Climb” was debuted in little Miley’s movie last year, so it should have had a fair shot at the win. Given that they have a hard enough time finding songs to nominate, I see no reason they should be thus keeping out competition. Also, the 8.25 rule seems a little steep. Sure, limit the number of nominees if there are not enough eligible songs, in the way the Animated Feature category limits itself. But if Bruce has a good eligible song in THE WRESTLER that doesn;t make the cut even though you’ve got two spots open, then there’s a problem.
Supoorting some of the shout-outs:
Loved the Make-Up in SPLICE. That should win.
Loved Rebecca Hall in THE TOWN, would like to see her int he running (Blake Lively was no slouch, either)
Did DiCaprio do something to pee off all critics, bloggers, and award-bestowers. He gave two of his best performances. The man deserves a fair shot at the Best Actor prize.
73 12-18-2010 at 12:38 pm
Mike_M said...
Distributors could release the foreign films the year they are (or hope to be) up for the Best Foreign Oscar though, if they feel they have a good enough movie that can stand on its own only without that om in its back pocket. For example, like, Crouching Tiger and Pan’s Labyrinth, they were both up for the best Foreign Oscar but had a full release that year doing very well (CTHD did extremely well) and got other “mainstream” noms and awards as well.