This week is the final stretch until Oscar season. ?The final Academy votes are in, with the winners being announced this Sunday — but until then speculation and predictions galore will be invading entertainment news and the blogosphere. ?And we, the AU Film Society’s co-founders and board members are giving our opinions on the top six categories of the night.
Best Actor
Unfortunately for an armless James Franco and golden boy Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges’s gruff and gritty turn as Rooster Cogburn in the Coen brothers’ “True Grit” will bring him out on top over the stuttering Colin Firth. Hopeful eyes from the international community will be on dark horse nominee Javier Bardem to break the ice for a foreign language Best Actor in “Biutiful,” but their hopes would be better placed on the film’s run for Best Foreign Language Film.
-Emmett McGregor, AUFS Vice President
Best Actress
Some years we watch the Academy Awards with bated breath, waiting to find out which lucky actress will take home the Oscar. However this year you might be tempted to get up and pop another bag of popcorn, because Natalie Portman is the clear frontrunner for her turn as Nina Sayers in “Black Swan.”
She may not be as seasoned as fellow nominees Annette Benning and Nicole Kidman, but Portman has a very dear place in the hearts of today’s U.S. film audience as the girl we watched grow up on the silver screen. After recently announcing her pregnancy and marriage along with taking home Best Actress for both the Golden Globes and the SAG awards, it seems like everyone is rooting for Miss Portman.
-Meaghan Reynolds, AUFS Communications Director
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin’s masterpiece, “The Social Network,” has this one all wrapped up. Adapted from the book “The Accidental Billionaires,” this arguably fictional story of the creation of the largest social network in history that as of late is aiding in literal revolutions. However, this screenplay is revolutionary itself in that it surprisingly isn’t a movie about Facebook. Rather it is a film about archetypal struggles between everyday kids who quickly rise to fame and fortune, and the betrayals and jealousy that come with it. Impressively Sorkin chose not to even show an actual Facebook page until the last five minutes of the movie. This carefully crafted script blows the other nominees for best-adapted screenplay straight out of the water.
-James Paul, AUFS Treasurer
Best Original Screenplay
The battle for the Oscar for best original screenplay is not a clear K.O. for any of the nominees this year. “The King’s Speech,” an obvious Academy favorite period piece, will most likely take home the award. However, dark horse candidate “The Kids Are All Right” is a possibility as well. It is a great indie script that highlights the everyday struggles of a lesbian couple raising kids.
Academy members may be swayed just as they were for 2008’s “Milk,” which took home the Oscar for best original screenplay that year.
-James Paul
Best Director
Despite “True Grit’s” popularity, the Coen brothers aren’t the center of attention this year.
And while Tom Hooper put up a strong take with “The King’s Speech,” it seems the focus is more on Colin Firth than the directing. The same can be said for David O. Russell with “The Fighter,” which has been talked up for Christian Bale’s and Melissa Leo’s performances more than the rest the film.
While “The Social Network” is loved for practically every performance, it’s not going to be the year of David Fincher. And so Darren Aronofsky might finally walk away with best directing for crafting “Black Swan,” a psychological thriller that is known for flair, intense storyline and acting.
-Matt Gohn, AUFS Co-President
Best Picture
This year’s corral of nominees, while containing a significant percentage of art house indie fare, is the most entertaining in years. From the feel good of “The King’s Speech” to the adrenaline injected “Black Swan” and “The Fighter,” no one can accuse the Oscars of pandering to the stuffy upper crust.
Yet my pick for Best Picture is the surprisingly brooding Facebook movie. Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s score propels the murky trademark imagery of director David Fincher and West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin’s razor-sharp dialogue into this pulsating, Rashomon-style narrative.
And the performances from this cast of acting’s who’s who of up-and-comers beats every ensemble this year shy of “The Fighter.” But it is the personal connection any 20-year-old male striving to distinguish his worth can have with this film. “The Social Network” encapsulates with its nuance insecurity masked in man’s efforts of displaying dominance in this 21st century.
-Ryan Williams, AUFS Co-President
You can watch all our predictions come true (or not) at the Tavern with us this Sunday at 8 p.m when we broadcast the Academy Awards. You’ll also get the chance to test your own film knowledge, win cool prizes and meet the AU Film Society!
