83rd Academy Award Predictions

The Oscars will air in a couple hours, but before that I thought making a short predictions list of who I think will win and who I think should win the prestigious award. Now, I'm not a savvy pop-culturalists, but whatever.

Oh, and this is actually the first time that I saw every single Best Picture nominee - with the addition of Blue Valentine and Rabbit Hole, where both Michelle Williams and Nicole Kidman got a nod for Best Actress.

Without further ado, here are my predictions for the major awards!

It's pretty obvious that it's just going to be between The Social Network and The King's Speech. The critics love The Social Network, but the momentum is now with The King's Speech. It's tough, to be honest. Personally though, while The King's Speech was amazing with it's superb acting ensemble and effective storytelling, I'm still leaning towards The Social Network just because I felt that the film didn't have one major misstep. Clever narration. Excellent direction. Fantastic performances. Brilliant Script. Now, I have to throw in Inception here since I need to have another alternative. Yes, it's a long shot for this to win, but I think it deserves a little recognition.

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Social Network
WHO WILL WIN: The King's Speech

When I saw 127 Hours, I really thought that there's no freakin' way how someone could top James Franco's brilliant performance. Then came Colin Firth, who I thought gave a stupendous performance in The King's Speech. They way he portrayed his role was credible and overflowing of passion without reaching the theatrical exaggerations I occasionally find in period films. Jesse Eisenberg, on the other hand, can pull an upset with his subtle yet authentic performance, but I highly doubt it.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Colin Firth
WHO WILL WIN: Colin Firth

This is Natalie Portman's year, so I guess, this one's a bit of a no-brainer. Her closest competition would probably be Annette Bening just because her getting an Oscar is long overdue, but I don't think her performance was good enough to merit an Academy Award. Michelle Williams was absolutely incredible in her film, Blue Valentine, and I was thrilled that she got nominated for her raw performance. Too bad, this is Natalie Portman's award to lose.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Natalie Portman
WHO WILL WIN: Natalie Portman

Usually, whoever wins Best Director gets the Best Picture. So, since I'm still rooting for The Social Network - even if the momentum suddenly shifted to The King's Speech - I'm behind David Fincher on this one. Seriously. There's this high level of quality entertainment in all of his works and The Social Network was no exception. Tom Hooper also did good as he understood his film's fundamental core, but I love David Fincher. Ha! Now, I just have to mention Christopher Nolan here. I know. I know. He's not even nominated, but I really think he deserves, at least, a nomination from the Academy. I mean, if David O. Russell got nominated for The Fighter - a movie that was completely carried by the acting ensemble since the pacing of the film was jarring to me - why can't Nolan? To me, Inception was one of the most complex editing jobs Hollywood has ever seen. Oh well.

WHO SHOULD WIN: David Fincher
WHO WILL WIN: David Fincher / Tom Hooper

Yes, that's Christian Bale in the picture. Crazy no? While I loved Geoffrey Rush's inspired and brilliant portrayal of a freelance speech therapist in The King's Speech, Christian Bale's finely etched creation of his character in The Fighter was just phenomenal. He brought a lot of depth into the character and this is obviously method acting at its finest. It's a long shot for Jeremy Renner, but he too gave a stunning acting performance.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Christian Bale
WHO WILL WIN: Christian Bale

This is a tough one. I think Melissa Leo delivered a knock out performance in The Fighter. Her performance actually saved the film's believable yet cliched storyline from being just another walk in the park. She was amazingly detestable. Hailee Steinfeld, on the other hand, stole my heart with her youth and vitality while presenting a very credible portrayal of her role in True Grit. But while I think that she should've been nominated for Best Actress instead of being recognized in a supporting role, this actually gives her a bigger chance of winning an Oscar. So, who am I to complain right? Helena Bonham Carter was also good with a subdued approach to the role, but winning is unlikely.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Hailee Steinfeld
WHO WILL WIN: Melissa Leo

I love How To Train Your Dragon, but Toy Story 3 SHOULD win this one. I haven't seen The Illusionist, so no comment. Ha!

WHO SHOULD WIN: Toy Story 3
WHO WILL WIN: Toy Story 3

That's it.