Hollywood on the Hill: Anticipated Winners at the 2011 Academy Awards

Hollywood on the Hill: Anticipated Winners at the 2011 Academy Awards

Anne Hathaway and James Franco will host the eighty-third Academy Awards this Sunday night. Who will take home the statues and be immortalized as Hollywood legends? Without further ado, here are my Oscar predictions.

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

Winner: This is a clear-cut two-way race between The King’s Speech and The Social Network. David Fincher’s film won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, but the British film has been catching up lately, winning Best Picture at the last three award shows. The King’s Speech is great, but it is not the classic film that Fincher’s is and I see The Social Network taking home the statue at the end of the night. It is perfectly acted, directed, scored and most importantly, is a film that defines its generation.

Best Director

Nominees: Darren Arnofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russel (The Fighter), Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech), David Fincher (The Social Network), Coen Brothers (True Grit)

Winner: David Fincher is almost a lock for this with only Arnofsky giving him any competition. Arnofsky’s Black Swan was incredibly well directed and kept viewers on the edge of our seats, but Fincher’s film is too perfect for him not to win.

Best Actress

Nominees: Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right), Ni­cole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Winner: Natalie Portman should and will win. From learn­ing how to dance ballet to making a ballerina into a monster, she had the female performance of the year.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Amy Adams (The Fighter), Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Hail­ee Steinfeld (True Grit), Jackie Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Winner: This is one of the most open races. Leo was getting most of the early buzz for her portrayal as a white trash mother in The Fighter, but the attention has now turned to the teenage Hailee Steinfeld who starred in True Grit. I see the Academy giving the award to Steinfeld as the Coen’s country film should not go home empty-handed.

Best Actor

Nominees: Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), James Franco (127 Hours)

Winner: While I truly believe that either Eisenberg or Franco deserve the award for most outstanding performance, Collin Firth is a lock for his portrayal of the stuttering King of England. He has won at every other award show, and has had too great of a career to not win.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Christian Bale (The Fighter), John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Jeremy Renner (The Town), Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are all Right), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

Winner: Christian Bale is a sure thing for his role as Dicky in The Fighter. He had the best performance of any actor or actress in Hollywood all year and secured himself as one of the best actors in Hollywood. He also lost 50 pounds for the role and convinced me that he was actually on crack.

Best Animated Feature Film

Nominees: How to Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist, Toy Story 3

Winner: Toy Story 3 will win out of respect for Pixar and for the fact that it was the only movie to make people cry all year.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: The King’s Speech, The Kids are all Right, Inception, The Fighter, Another Year

Winner: Christopher Nolan’s screenplay for Inception is one of the most original and groundbreaking screenplays in Hollywood history. The film was the perfect summer block­buster and had an incredibly cerebral script. Nolan will win this deservingly.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: Winter’s Bone, True Grit, Toy Story 3, The Social Network, 127 Hours

Winner: Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for The Social Network was fast paced, quick-witted, emotional and intense. Sorkin has been one of the best writers in Hollywood for nearly a decade and will win the Oscar.