Echo Staff Gives Oscar Predictions

Every January, movie buffs all over the world anticipate the Oscars which take place in February. On January 25, 2011, the list of nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards was released to the public, with more than a few surprises.

“I’m pretty interested to see what’ll win this year,” said Freshman Reanna Bear-Brister.

There are 24 categories that give recognition to the achievements of films made in the past year. Five films can be nominated for each category, except for the Best Picture award, which allows ten nominations. This year, the ten movies nominated for Best Picture are “Black Swan,” “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “The Kids Are Alright,” “The King’s Speech,” “127 Hours,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” and “Winter’s Bone.”

“The King’s Speech” directed by Tom Hooper, led the way with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Director. The movie stars Colin Firth, playing King George VI, who has stutters and thought of as unworthy of being king. The film beautifully reconstructs the England of the 1920s and 30s, while showing the king’s struggles and shows his interactions with his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).

“The Oscar race is over,” says Richard Corliss of Time Magazine on “The King’s Speech”. “It’s a biopic of a real person; it is set on or near World War II, with Hitler’s shadow looming; and it dramatizes a man’s heroic struggle over some physical or psychological infirmity.”

Natalie Portman bloomed into the horrifying role of a ballet dancer barely gripping the edge of sanity in “Black Swan.” She fully immersed herself into Nina Sayers, a dancer who could dance the delicate White Swan to perfection, but her attempts to discover her inner Black Swan, her mind began to see things, horrible things, beyond everyone else’s vision. This film is beyond eerie, leaving you feeling chills up your spine whenever passing a mirror, long after you have left the theater.

Many were surprised at “Inception’s” lack of impact, being passed by “The King’s Speech” and “True Grit” by number of Oscar nominations. In addition, this mind-bending production was notably beaten by “The Social Network” at the Golden Globe Awards in mid-January. When “Inception” first appeared in theaters, critics and viewers alike raved about its brilliance, but it seems the “dream within a dream” fascination has passed. Junior Scott Blanck disagrees that “Inception” wasn’t all that brilliant, “Inception was one of the greatest movies of the year and should definitely win,” he said.

Freshman Lauren Gable agrees, “Inception should win a Golden Globe because it is one of the most creative films to hit Hollywood in ages.”
The Coen Brothers have scored again with “True Grit,” after their memorable “No Country for Old Men” which won Best Picture in 2008. “True Grit” is a Western, starring Jeff Bridges, a mercenary with an eye patch, and Matt Damon, a blue-eyed Texan with a cowlick and jangling spurs. The almost comical characters and unconventional dialogue make an impressive and enjoyable production, receiving ten nominations.

We all cried in “Toy Story 3” as beloved toys Woody and Buzz were passed on to the next generation, but its unexpected nomination made it only the third animated movie in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for Best Picture.
Is this kid’s movie good enough to be nominated? Freshman Madison Harrison said, “I think it deserves the nomination. It was a good way to end the series, and they didn’t overdo it or anything.”
There was much buzz about Christian Bale’s role in “The Fighter,” where he played a twitchy crack head, so it was no surprise he was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Mark Wahlberg, the star, on the other hand, was passed over as the lead actor.

“The Kids Are Alright” told a story of a brother and a sister with lesbian parents, who seek out their sperm-donor father. This film was all about what true family and love is, but as far as being nominated for Best Picture, it was a bit undeserving of that recognition. This film almost fell short of the emotionally wrenching drama it had the potential to be.

The underdog of this year’s Best Picture nominations seemed to be “Winter’s Bone,” where Jennifer Lawrence (nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role) is a determined girl who is trying to find her father and keep her family intact. She has to break through dangerous family feuds to reach her goal. “Winter’s Bone should get the award because the acting in the movie is natural, and the suspense is very high.” WHO SAYS THIS???
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The Social Network” was a surprising success, mainly because many were reluctant to believe that a movie about Facebook could be so compelling. Jesse Eisenberg, who before was known for his roles in the comedies “Adventureland” and “Zombieland,” has bagged himself an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

James Franco starred in “127 Hours,” the grippingly nauseating true story of mountain-climber Aron Ralston, who spent over five days with his arm crushed under a boulder before he famously amputated his own limb to escape. This movie was shot beautifully under the direction of Danny Boyle, who’s “Slumdog Millionaire” won eight Oscars in 2008. The hallucinations alternating with the all too real looking gore leaves you squirming in your seat.

Students at UHS showed various opinions on what they think will succeed at the Oscars. Freshman Madison Harrison predicts that either “True Grit” or “the Kids Are Alright” will win for Best Picture, while Junior Scott Blanck believes in “Inception”s capability of triumphing. Most agree that “Toy Story 3” will win for Best Animated Feature Film, but freshman Makayla Perkins and sophomore Zippy Goldenfeld think that it has a good chance of reaching Best Picture. Who will win? No one will know for sure until February 27th.