An Amateur's Oscar Picks!

Hollywood's golden night is just 24 hours away; the Oscar race is about to cross the finish line. And as Hollywood Blvd. rolls out the red carpet and lines the street in front of Kodak Theatre with bleachers for fans lucky enough to get within inches of Hollywood royalty, these questions are on everyone's mind: Does early favored-to-win The Social Network have a chance at beating The King's Speech's late surge in popularity for Best Picture? Will Annette Bening score an upset and take home the statuette for Best Actress rather than front-runner Natalie Portman? Will Melissa Leo's controversial campaign ads cost her a Best Supporting Actress win? And can anybody beat Colin Firth for Best Actor?

With that, here are my promised Oscar win predictions for the top eight categories:
*Predictions are bolded.

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

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

BEST DIRECTOR
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)
Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)
Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)
Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini (Winter's Bone)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
David Seidler (The King's Speech)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right)
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (The Fighter)
Mike Leigh (Another Year)

Tune in to watch James Franco & Anne Hathaway co-host Hollywood's biggest night, the 83rd Academy Awards this Sunday, February 27 at 5pm PST. Good luck to all the nominees and here's to another year of Reel Reviews!

Oscar Nominee Kudos :) & Snubs :(

And so the Road to Oscar begins with the 83rd Academy Award Nominees! Looks like my predictions were spot on in almost all of the categories with few exceptions including Biutiful's Javier Bardem, Winter's Bone nominee John Hawkes, and Animal Kingdom's Jacki Weaver.

Congratulations are in order for The King's Speech which nabbed 12 nominations, more than any other Best Picture nominee. I salute thee! Cheers to my favorite film of the year!

And of course, like every year, the Academy pisses off moviegoers when it neglects to recognize popular talent. It's usually a blessing the average enthusiast can't vote (I'd curse the heavens if kudos were given to Robin Hood or Knight and Day) but maybe this year polling the public wouldn't have been such a bad thing. Below the list of Oscar nods in the Top 8 categories is my Top 10 list of most shameful snubs (Don't cry Mr. Nolan, we all thought you were a shoo-in too!).

BEST PICTURE

The Social Network

The King's Speech

Inception

The Fighter

Toy Story 3

Black Swan

True Grit

The Kids Are All Right

127 Hours

Winter's Bone

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

James Franco (127 Hours)

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Christian Bale (The Fighter)

John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)

Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)

Jeremy Renner (The Town)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Amy Adams (The Fighter)

Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)

Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

BEST DIRECTOR

David O. Russell (The Fighter)

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

David Fincher (The Social Network)

Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)

Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)

Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini (Winter's Bone)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

David Seidler (The King's Speech)

Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right)

Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (The Fighter)

Mike Leigh (Another Year)

AN AMATEUR'S TOP 10 OSCAR SNUBS (in order of most shameful!):

1. Christopher Nolan (Inception) - Best Director

2. Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right) - Best Actress

3. Robert Duvall (Get Low) - Best Actor

4. Mila Kunis (Black Swan) - Best Supporting Actress

5. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) - Best Supporting Actor

6. Ben Affleck (The Town) - Best Director

7. Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole) - Best Actor

8. Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) - Best Actor

9. Danny Boyle (127 Hours) - Best Director

10. Despicable Me - Best Animated Film

The week before the Academy Awards on February 27, I'll be predicting the winners so be sure to check back in with this Amateur in February. Until then, au revoir!

An Amateur's Oscar Nom Picks!

Ladies and Gents it's that time of year again... the Academy Award nominations!! Just like last year, I will play Oscarologist and try to predict the nominees before the official 5:30AM PST announcement tomorrow, January 25. And yes, for those who have asked (and need not have), I will be setting my alarm to watch the broadcast live from the Academy headquarter's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.

Without further adieu, I give you An Amateur's Oscar Nominations to the Top 8 categories*:

*Predictions based on Globe, SAG, and Broadcast Film Critics Association nods

BEST PICTURE

The Social Network

The King's Speech

Inception

The Fighter

Toy Story 3

Black Swan

True Grit

The Kids Are All Right

The Town

Winter's Bone*

*Other 10th Slot Possibles: 127 Hours, Blue Valentine, Rabbit Hole

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

James Franco (127 Hours)

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

Robert Duvall (Get Low)*

*Other 5th Slot Possibles: Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole)

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)*

*Other 5th Slot Possibles: Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right), Halle Berry (Frankie & Alice)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)

Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)

Jeremy Renner (The Town)*

*Other 5th Slot Possibles: Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Sam Rockwell (Conviction)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Amy Adams (The Fighter)

Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)

Mila Kunis (Black Swan)

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

BEST DIRECTOR

Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

David Fincher (The Social Network)

Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)*

*Other 5th Slot Possibles: David O. Russell (The Fighter), Danny Boyle (127 Hours), Ben Affleck (The Town)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)

Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)

Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini (Winter's Bone)*

*Other 5th Slot Possibles: David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), Ben Affleck, Peter Craig & Aaron Stockard (The Town)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

David Seidler (The King's Speech)

Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right)

Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (The Fighter)

Mike Leigh (Another Year)*

*Other 5th Slot Possible: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz & John McLaughlin (Black Swan)

Did this Amateur choose wisely?? Check back in tomorrow to see! Now it's off to bed... I have a 5:30 wake up call!

Here's Looking to You, Oscar.

I've been getting serious grief from readers that my last blog was on The Town. My apologies, indeed, but did you really want to read reviews of The Tourist, How Do You Know, Yogi Bear, and Little Fockers? I didn't think so. Yes, it's been a chilly winter at the box office but there's no time to pout because AWARD SEASON IS HERE, PEOPLE!!!! With the Critics' Choice Awards and the Golden Globes in one weekend, the race to Oscar is heating up! Last night was the Golden Globes - the nominees and winners gave enthusiasts a small taste of possible Academy Award contenders (actual Academy Award nominees will be announced Tuesday, January 25th at 5:30AM PST). Below are the winners and, of course, my commentary for a few of them.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER: The Social Network

*You might want to "friend request" The Social Network because there's a very good chance it will win Best Motion Picture at the Academy Awards if nominated. Though there are no Avatar-esque films to sweep the ballot this year, The Social Network did take home four Globes last night... will Hollywood Academy voters also be starry-eyed for this film?

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER: The Kids Are All Right

*Read my blog and you'll know why this modern family indie flick has a fighting chance to take home the gold on February 27 if nominated. Annette Bening was awarded the Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and her prize was well deserved portraying part of a lesbian couple who tries to keep her family together when her children track down their sperm donor.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER: Colin Firth for The King's Speech

*Finally!! This was a long-overdue win for Colin Firth who shined and was shunned in last year's A Single Man. Now that Firth's secured the Globe, maybe he will get his hands on Oscar? If not Firth, hopefully the Academy will salute The King's Speech for Best Motion Picture. It would be a well deserved win!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

WINNER: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

*Now that she's displaying a Globe on her mantel, next up is sure to be an Oscar for her vulnerable portrayal as a possessed and obsessed ballerina. The Best Actress category for the Academy Awards is sure to be a tight race with Portman in the lead. With a ring on her finger, a bun in the oven, and an Oscar on the horizon, 2011 could be Portman's best year yet.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER: Paul Giamatti for Barney's Version

*?????????????????

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

WINNER: Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER: Christian Bale for The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

WINNER: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Best Director - Motion Picture

WINNER: David Fincher for The Social Network

*In a movie that curiously didn't star Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fight Club, Seven), David Fincher took home the prized Globe and beat out once favored to win, Christopher Nolan. Best to stick to the Batman franchise, Mr. Nolan. At least Nolan got to small talk with Guy Pearce (Momento) and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) at the Globes and there's always the Oscars!

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

WINNER: The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin

*Since the Globes only has one category for Best Screenplay, I'd like to think The Social Network won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Christopher Nolan's Inception will take the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Then all's fair in love and war, right?

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

WINNER: Burlesque: Diane Warren ("You Haven't Seen The Last of Me")

*Congrats to songwriter Diane Warren for her Globe win. Ms. Warren you can thank Burlesque for resurrecting your once promising career. Sorry that's not a compliment. My sudden interest in this lackluster category will peak if country sweetheart Carrie Underwood performs "There's A Place for Us" (Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), should it be nominated for an Oscar.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

WINNER: The Social Network: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Animated Film

WINNER: Toy Story 3

*Was there any doubt Disney/Pixar's final installment of the Toy Story franchise that made grown men cry would win in this category? I think not. Though How To Train Your Dragon boosted 3-D sales, let's be thankful the Academy didn't add a Best 3-D Motion Picture to it's award line-up. What would be nominated? Jackass 3D? Piranha 3D? Step Up 3D? What started as a cinematic revolution certainly ended in 3-D fatigue. Thanks a lot, James Cameron.

Best Foreign Language Film

WINNER: In a Better World (Denmark)

On January 19, Reel Reviews will turn ONE!! In celebration, I will play Oscarologist and post my picks for the 83rd Academy Award nominees so stay tuned! And thank you to all my readers who have loyally read and provided feedback on Reel Reviews over the past 365 days! Cheers to you and here's to another 365 days! :)

Hats Off To You, Ben Affleck!

You remember Good Will Hunting: Best Original Screenplay that catapulted then 24-year-olds Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to instant celebrity? You remember the movies Matt Damon went on to star in: Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Departed, Ocean's 11/12/13, Invictus, and the Bourne trilogy? And you remember the movies Ben Affleck went on to star in: Forces of Nature, Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, Jersey Girl, and (gasp!) Gigli? No? Doesn't ring a bell? Probably because you either A) were wise enough to prefer a root canal over anything with Affleck's name attached to it or B) flirted with the idea of asking Regal Cinemas for your money back and then promptly forgot about the movie entirely in that same train of thought. I fell into category "B".

Apparently Ben himself wishes he could turn back time. According to an entertainment magazine, "I was definitely frustrated and wanted to withdraw from a part of my life that I was starting to hate," he says. "I was caught in that intersection of celebrity and tabloid culture, and it was beginning to upstage the movies I was trying to do." Remember "Bennifer" (Affleck's high-profile relationship with his Gigli costar Jennifer Lopez)? Shudder.

Then in 2007, Affleck decided to get behind the camera rather than in front of it with Gone Baby Gone, a haunting adaptation of Dennis Lehane's South Boston-set novel. The movie received terrific reviews, gave Ben's little brother Casey his first major leading role, and drew an Oscar nom for Amy Ryan. Not too shabby. Looked like Ben was onto something. Little did we know that three years later, his childhood hometown would be the key player in yet another Affleck-directed movie.

Curtain up on Act 2 - The Town. My friend Tiffany lives in Charlestown, the backdrop for the film, and after seeing this movie, I am in fear for her life. Ok, that might be a bit dramatic but according the statistic shown in the beginning of the film, Charlestown is infamous for producing more bank and armored-car robbers in one square mile than anywhere else in the U.S. Dear Lord. Tiffany, please buy Mace.

In The Town, Affleck (who also co-wrote the screenplay, based on Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel, Prince of Thieves), plays Doug, the ambivalent leader of a practiced heist ring, who falls in love with Claire (Rebecca Hall), a bank manager who is briefly held hostage during one of the group's robberies. I won't give anything away here, but it's definitely not your typical heist flick. Not only does The Town have a delicious supporting cast including Mad Men's Jon Hamm as an FBI agent, The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner as Doug's volatile ex-con buddy, and Gossip Girl's Blake Lively as Doug's drug-dealing ex-girlfriend but Affleck also studded the cast with real-life working class locals and ex-cons with thick Beantown accents. Though I'm not quick to say the movie's the best heist film I've ever seen (that title goes to Michael Mann's 1995 film Heat), it is a triumphant comeback for Affleck and a chance for him to pull out the big guns - literally.

Welcome back, Ben! Hats off to you! You may be a late bloomer but I'm sure glad you are finally showing your true colors. Now stay put behind that camera. Yours truly, Amateur Critic.

NEW: I'm adding trailers at the bottom of my reviews... starting now.

Trailer for The Town

Feeling Like A Barrymore

For any city-dweller, there are days when you simply loathe living in the city. Here in Los Angeles, it's any day you sit in traffic (read: every. single. day.) and when you are forced to deal with the crazies (my trendsetting - that's questionable - hippie-vegan neighbors). Then there are some days when you can't imagine living anywhere else. Here in La-La Land, today is that particular day.

A dear friend of mine, who happens to be an Ellen Show staff member on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank (damn straight I'm bragging!), invited me to attend a private screening of Going the Distance (the movie doesn't hit theatres until Sept. 3). The film was screened in WB's theatre, an elegant cinematic space centrally positioned on the expansive lot. Only WB employees were invited to the screening so I felt so Hollywood! with my guest pass. I was even asked to "flash my pass" at the security gate before entering the lot. After smiling coyly and wishing the security guard a good day, I walked away thinking, "I'm so made for this!"

Going the Distance, starring real life on-again-off-again couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, follows Garrett (Long) and Erin (Barrymore), a couple who try to sustain a relationship 3,000 miles apart (she's in San Francisco, he's in New York). They meet when Erin is in NYC for the summer working as an intern for a New York newspaper. When Erin returns to San Fran at the end of the summer, they agree to a long distance relationship. What follows is a romantic comedy that tries very hard not to conform to a standard rom-com formula.

In a hopeful attempt to amuse any male audience member, Going the Distance is bursting at the seams with f-bombs, s-e-x scenes, and vulgar supporting characters (all of whom I actually adore... in other films), and Barrymore's typical sugary sweet-tomboy act (i.e. "I'm totally okay that your roommate listens to us having dirty fun time through the paper-thin walls."). Personally, I prefer Barrymore with costars she hasn't dated in real life (i.e. Adam Sandler and Jimmy Fallon). The chemistry between fictional Garrett and Erin is much too similar to the probable chemistry between Long and Barrymore. It's like watching their relationship play out on the big screen. To be fair, there are a couple of scenes and one-liners (shout outs go to Christina Applegate as Erin's overly protective sister and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia who plays Garrett's roommate) that spark a collective laugh from the audience, but for the most part the film is predictable fun. It's entertaining but forgettable.

Movie aside, my VIP experience on the WB lot rocked! After the movie, I accompanied my friend back to her personal office (yeah... she's kind of a big deal, not gonna lie) for a quick tour of the Ellen Show offices (squeal!). If it wasn't forbidden to take photos, I absolutely would have clicked away! I mean, these offices house Emmy-winning writers for crying out loud!! I was awestruck to say the least. I looooove having friends in high places!

It's days like today that remind me why I love living in LA.

La Dolce Vita

Julia Robert's character, Elizabeth Gilbert, may have titled her 2006 memoir, Eat, Pray, Love but if I was Gilbert I'd have named my memoir Eat, Eat, Eat as I would've never left Italy (then again if I could suffer through India knowing I'd have Javier Bardem waiting for me in Indonesia I might not have a choice). The cucina italiana - that's right, I have Italian roots so I can pretend to know the romance language and not admit that I used Google Translator - is reason enough to stay. The pasta! The pizza! The gelato! The vino! I salivate daily watching Giada De Laurentiis cook her beloved Italian dishes on the Food Network let alone watching Julia Roberts consume an entire pizza margherita in one sitting. I knew I always liked her! However, when I read that she ONLY gained seven pounds during filming in Italy, my immediate reaction was, "Liar!" Seriously, I've been to Italy. She's lying. Trust me.

I digress. Let's talk about the movie shall we? Gilbert said it best when asked her thoughts on the film adaptation of her bestselling novel, "It was my book, but it's Julia's movie." I couldn't have said it better myself. Since Liz Gilbert appears in every scene of the movie, Ryan Murphy, director of EPL and co-creator of the hit TV show Glee, had to cast an actress who could enrapture the audience throughout the 2 hours and 30 minutes. Who better than Julia Roberts? In the words of Murphy, "To be quite honest, the reason I did it is because I wanted to work with Julia... I call her Lady Julia."

We swoon and we cheer for her during her journey of self-discovery. It's a journey of finding balance in her life. The fascinating people she befriends along the way (including characters played by James Franco, Richard Jenkins, and Javier Bardem) are her compass and her teachers, guiding her and imparting indelible life lessons and pearls of wisdom including la dolcezza di non fare niente, the sweetness of doing nothing. An Italian gentleman teaches that it's generally an American belief to feel we can only relax when we've earned the right to do so. Italians apparently don't share this same sentiment, rather, fully (and often!) relishing in the enjoyment of life (hence the copious amounts of wine!).

Billy Crudup plays Steven, Gilbert's ex-husband. The scenes that Roberts and Crudup share are some of the more emotionally raw in the movie. While reading the novel a few years back, I remember feeling that, during the demise of their marriage, Gilbert was a tad unfair to Steven, suddenly declaring that she was unhappy and wanted out. If I was Steven I would've thought, "Wow, thanks for the heads up!" But since I wasn't a witness to their marriage I have to assume that Gilbert's plea for divorce is for the best. During her darkest moment, she desperately cries out for help from the floor of her bathroom and it moved me to tears. During that scene in the film I thought, "Don't worry, Julia! Soon you'll be stuffing your face with pasta and all your worries will be eased with chianti!" Not to mention in real life, Gilbert ends up married to Felipe (Bardem), the Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. In her latest book, Committed, Gilbert frankly examines through historical research, interviews, and personal reflection what the institution of marriage is all about.

When I heard EPL was being adapted for film, I was curious to see how a book consisting mainly of internal thoughts from the author would be made visible on the big screen (also, can they make the part about India more interesting? With the exception of Richard from Texas, I became bored with Gilbert's repeated attempts to meditate properly). I needn't have worried. The movie was just as enriching if not more so than Gilbert's memoir. Bottom line, Gilbert's story could be anyone's journey of self-discovery: a mom, an aunt, a sister, a friend, a neighbor... yourself. "From ruin comes reconstruction" is a poignant line in the movie that applies not just to the Roman ruins but to the human soul.

Just for Fun: STA Travel has travel packages inspired by Eat, Pray, Love. Click here for your chance to win a trip to Italy, India, and Bali!