And the Oscar goes to...

I have to acknowledge that it has taken me awhile to start writing here again, but I think I can safely say after completing some timely tasks I am back with force. I was a little underwhelmed with the films that came out in 2010, but will also say that a handful of very good work did come out this year. As the 2011 Oscars approach, I find myself reflecting on the categories and their potential new winners. So lets countdown until Sunday with some picks!

Best Picture Nominees:

• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King's Speech
• 127 Hours
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winter's Bone

My Prediction: The King's Speech

In all fairness to Winter's Bone I did not see it and if the Oscars are anything like the Grammy's perhaps all bets are off on guessing a winner. If we're trying to predict the Academy's vote however, I think The King's Speech will take Best Picture. A quick rundown on why I don't think the other films will or should not win:

Black Swan- Great performance by Natalie Portman, but compared to the other films on the list, this picture does not seem strong enough to take it. I will always have a soft spot for Vincent Cassel though.

The Fighter-Another good "performance" film. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo propel this film to another level in my opinion. I think their performances should be celebrated, but the overall production will unlikely be victorious on Sunday.

Inception & The Kids Are All Right: Audience movies. My comment is that if the category were not extended to have so many seats, these two would not have made the cut. Worth watching...doubtful either will win.

The King's Speech: This film screams oscar bait. With due respect however- acting was great, writing was amazing and directing was above par. The producers here knew what they wanted, how they wanted it and seemed to get all the pieces of the puzzle to come together and click.

127 Hours: I think this one does have a chance. Good acting, story and directing are all there. I just don't know if it will be the favorite- my gut still goes with the above.

The Social Network: Am I the only person in the world that did not think this movie was that good? Perhaps. Mediocre for me. Jesse Eisenberg does a great Mark Zuckerberg, but can someone explain to me why Rashida Jones is even in the film? Her character serves very little purpose. Sorry fans of this film- sure its with the times but I just don't feel like I ever need to see it again.

Toy Story 3: I would applaud for this to win- although I have not seen it, so I cannot cast my vote. I have only heard good things about this film, but I sense a discrimination against animation in the Academy and don't know if we've progressed to an age where this will come out as the winner.

True Grit: Amazing, amazing, amazing! Will it win? It is deserving, but I think it is at battle with King's Speech and something tells me Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are going to win the Academy over with their banter in the end.

Tomorrow's analysis: Best Actor & Actress in a Leading Role.