Oscar 2012 Predictions: Best Picture

Ha! The Oscars were nearly a week ago, and now I'm posting my Best Picture article? Sadly, yes. I have to admit, this blog is grossly neglected, and has become a bit of a liability amid so many other paid and high-profile responsibilities. But it's important to keep my work at one central hub.

(Photo collage courtesy of SouthPhillyReview.com)


So, behold my Best Picture roundup at South Philly Review. How'd I do? CLICK HERE. And please be sure to check out the category-by-category predictions we did over at Slant's The House Next Door. What a fun undertaking. CLICK HERE.

Oscar Predictions: Acting and Directing

For South Philly Review, I'm predicting the winners in Oscar's Acting and Directing categories. Some of these races are sewn up as tight as a corset, while others will be neck-in-neck right up to the big night.

Next week I'll take a closer look at the Best Picture lineup, but for now, see who I chose to take home the other major stauettes. It's all online at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE.

*And please, do check out the great work we've been doing over at The House Next Door, predicting the winners in every single Oscar category. I'm happy to be pitching in alongsode Ed Gonzalez and Eric Henderson, whose punchy commentary is some of the best on the internet. 

Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts Review

This week I served up a twist for South Philly Review, critiquing the five films nominated for Oscar's Live Action Short category. My runaway favorite is Norway's "Tuba Atlantic" (below), but it's not the candidate I expect to claim the prize.

Read more about "Tuba" and the other four shorts in contention in my special-edition review, now online at SouthPhillyReview.com. CLICK HERE.

Oscar 2012: Nomination Predictions

This year, my official Oscar nomination predictions (in select categories) have been published over at Slant Magazine's The House Next Door, where I've been giddily serving as Managing Editor since October. I wish I could tell you I feel rock-solid about all my predictions, but alas, 2011 is the freaking craziest year ever for the Oscars. Nonetheless, a lot of passion and punditry went into these posts, and I should hope they all make for fun reads. Below are links to the categories I covered. While over there, I suggest you poke around and take a peek at the fields assessed by my colleague, Eric Henderson. Man knows his stuff, and can turn a helluva snarky phrase:

BEST COSTUME DESIGN 
BEST MAKEUP
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST EDITING
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST PICTURE

Golden Globe Predictions 2012

For South Philly Review, I've predicted the winners of tomorrow night's Golden Globe Awards, all so you don't have to. Will it be Davis or Streep? Clooney or Pitt? Dujardin or Gosling? Okay, the last one isn't a contest, but humor the pairing anyway.

For complete predictions in all the film categories, CLICK HERE.

Oscar 2011: Nomination Predictions

Sadly, the more and more you keep your eye on the Oscar game, the less and less special the big show seems. That said, I still get extremely giddy when nomination day arrives (two days away!). I'm not always the most reliable pundit, but the predictions keep coming, out of admiration, tradition, obsession, etc. Here's what I'm thinking this year:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, "The Fighter"

Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"

Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"

Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"

Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

I still can't believe Mila Kunis is a serious contender, but here we are. Bonham Carter has been a safe lock since before the race began, yet she poses little threat to the "Fighter" gals, one of whom will win this thing. With a certain young prodigy presumably headed to lead, I'll give the fifth slot to Jacki Weaver, who's the most deserving of the entire group.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"

Jeremy Renner, "The Town"

Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"

Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Not much suspense here, especially since Bale is bound to march to the podium. I don't see any other candidate being vulnerable for a nom, though some are thinking Matt Damon has a shot for his work in "True Grit," while others  think the late Pete Postlethwaite ("The Town") or the recovering Michael Douglas ("Wall Street 2") have an outisde chance. My favorite? Garfield by a mile.

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"

Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"

Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"

I know what you're thinking: Steinfeld is going to land in supporting, and, besides, her inclusion here makes this category too, too young. But apart from the solid foursome of Bening, Kidman, Lawrence and Portman, no other actress has emerged as a major contender, and the very surprising success of "True Grit" has only brought more attention to Steinfeld's breakout turn. I'm thinking the voters will nudge her into lead.

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

Robert DuVall, "Get Low"

Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

James Franco, "127 Hours"

Yes, this is indeed the widely anticipate five, and unless Ryan Gosling can work some miracles, it's the five that will be invited to the Kodak. I can't say I agree that last year's winner Jeff Bridges deserves to be here again, but with all the "True Grit" success, he's practically a lock. Besides, if Steinfeld can get in, there's no way Bridges won't. I'd love to see an Eisenberg win, but no one's taking it from Firth.

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"

David Fincher, "The Social Network"

Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"

Christopher Nolan, "Inception"

David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

At this point, it seems best to go with the DGA top five, which surprisingly includes David O. Russell rather than the Coen boys. I'm all for Nolan, Aronofsky and Fincher making the cut, and everyone knew Hooper was a sure thing, but Russell nabbing the final slot seems so loony to me. I'd much rather see it go to one of 2010's high-achieving females, like Lisa Cholodenko or, better yet, Debra Granik.

BEST PICTURE

"Black Swan"

"The Fighter"

"Inception"

"The Kids Are All Right"

"The King's Speech"

"The Social Network"

"Toy Story 3"

"The Town"

"True Grit"

"Winter's Bone"

The most obvious snubbee here is "127 Hours," which started strong in the season, then continually lost steam. There's some talk about "Winter's Bone" getting bumped out, though I certainly hope not. This category needs a stronger indie presence desperately. As for the blockbuster end, "The Town" and "Inception" should fill that quota. Possible upset? I could see the doc "Waiting for 'Superman'" squeezing into the list, but it's not bloody likely. Tune in Tuesday morning to find out.

Golden Globe Predictions

As we get to the big night that wishes, with every ounce of its being, it were as big as the Big Night, I'm throwing out a few predictions. I'm only listing the predicted winners. If you want the nominations, you'll need to visit the official site of the Hollywood Far-out Picks Association.

Holy sh*t

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA: "The Social Network"
BEST PICTURE, COMEDY/MUSICAL: "The Kids Are All Right"
BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY/MUSICAL: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
BEST ACTOR, DRAMA: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
BEST ACTOR, COMEDY/MUSICAL: Johnny Depp, "Alice in Wonderland"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
BEST DIRECTOR: David Fincher, "The Social Network"
BEST SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: "Toy Story 3"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Biutiful" (Spain)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "The Social Network"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "I See the Light," from "Tangled"  -- OR -- "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" from "Burlesque."

I'm really hoping for that last one to go to "Burlesque" and thus maybe gift us with a Cher acceptance speech. It's bad enough we can't hear her sing (no performances at the Globes), and somebody's gotta give good speech, considering "T-Bone Streep" isn't up for anything.