Memorial-Day-Weekend-Appropriate

The past month or so has been four to five weeks of hell, with research papers, finals, you know. Additionally, there's a boatload of personal and emotional crap that decided to dock all at once at the worst academic time ever. (Maybe I will go into more detail with this later on...)

The good news is I'm about to embark on a huge trip to Europe- the biggest excursion I've ever taken. It'll be for about the entire month of June- Rome, Verona, Venice, Munich and Mathausen, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, London, and then finally Paris (ah, Edith!). I'll try to update as often as possible- but don't count on it. This time, I'll actually have an excuse for being away from this blog.

(From the process of packing up at school, unpacking at home, and packing again for Europe- I have way too much clothing. I've donated a lot and that makes me feel good. Some girl is getting a kick ass pair of shoes somewhere.)

This really couldn't have come at a better time for a big trip- 2011 hasn't been completely horrid to me (maybe I'm just too positive), but it has been quite an emotional rocket so far. And me? Feel? What? Anything that can make me cry is either really good or really bad, and I don't think any of this falls into the good category: A heartbreak that was a long time coming, a friend going off to Afghanistan, multiple deaths of people through people (it's getting closer to me, which I'm not a fan of), a Holocaust class (enlightening, but depressing- I look at war and life and death and other things so differently now)... and it didn't come here and there sporadically, it came in droves and lasted for weeks until recently. Needless to say, I'm excited to get out of the States for a while, get away from all of this, and do what I do best: learn.

(I'm a history nerd. Woodrow Wilson was the man. I like to ignore the allegations that he was a racist and that he supported "The Birth of a Nation.")

WWII is a ridiculously important and heavy part of history. It's humanity at its worst and finest. I can't explain my appreciation or attraction for it, but I can say that I am doubly excited to visit its landmarks and whatnot when I go across the pond. It's really hard to describe how I was enlightened by the Holocaust class- but I most certainly was. It takes a specific kind of education and training to look at the Holocaust as both a tragic and beautiful time (the two often go hand in hand), to gain that appreciation for humanity and its skill and I'm lucky to have had that. I don't think I had sufficient training in high school; but I have now. I don't think people understand how much the world changed, how much humans changed, how much was taken away, (but at the same time) how much was given.

As for my class, we were also lucky enough to get a personal tour of the Holocaust museum from a survivor a few weeks ago. Zing! Talk about mind-blowing. One of the most amazing days of my life, though sad. I feel incredibly blessed to be legitimately connected to such an intricate part of history. It was a hard, hard class to get through- but absolutely necessary for the preservation of life and character. I would encourage a serious study of the Holocaust for any prepared adult. I'm not talking about textbooks, but videos and personal accounts; I'm talking about Primo Levi and Charlotte Delbo, the poetic prose of Art Spiegelman, Abraham Lewin, and Josef Zelkowicz. It is enough to make anyone truly realize the limits of the body and the strength of mind.

After receiving a special letter in the mail, I just thought and thought about the subject of war and its history (also propelled by my Holocaust class and the overwhelming presence of Navy, Marine, Army, whatever personnel in the city this week- Fleet Week 2011, patriotism sings and ladies' underwear fall off). I never thought I would be anywhere near it, but it's in my face now. It's amazing to think of what is going on at the other side of the world. Here, all I see are Facebook posts about what someone will have for breakfast or complaining about classes or generic work place- meanwhile there are people maturing in ways I can only imagine. There are thousands of people I don't know overseas, who are serving a purpose and making a difference for the benefit of people they don't know.

Yeah, I said it. Your work place is only so big and only affects X amount of people. Shame on you.

This isn't a pro-war statement by any means, just a declaration of recognition- yes, I know what's going on and I appreciate the service. You don't have to be pro-war to join armed services, you don't have to be pro-war to support them. But they should be appreciated. What they are doing is making a difference. I can't say so much for the marketing guy or the airbrush specialist.

As for war itself? I don't support it, but I will say that though war is ugly, it is inevitable. People can protest all they want; it's still going to happen. I'm going to get all English MA on you: it was Walter Benjamin that said "Without conflict, there can be no history" or something along those lines. (Whatever, the message is the same. Semester is over, I'm allowed.) Absolutely true. History does not exist without the subject of conflict. And those good times in history? Came out of conflict. Enlightenment in the 18th century would not have happened if France and England hadn't been duking it out. Famine, plague, and- you guessed it- war led to the Renaissance. And World War II and McCarthyism brought us out of the Depression, into what? Booming industries, the framework for feminism, utopias in the 50s, hippies in the 60s, and the civil rights movements. Gnarly. Like it or not, war does benefit; and I hate the idea of it, but it happens.

Every coin has two sides- the Holocaust taught me that and gave me its true meaning. I've always leaned towards the idea of balance, as so much of the world is based on it (though people rarely realize) and it was only recently that I firmly glued myself in that philosophy. Without getting all chatty on you (I think this is long enough really), I'll stay simple: we cannot recognize beauty without the tragedy, the ugly; the same goes for good and evil, life and death, black and white, Harry Potter and Voldemort, Jedi and the Sith. One must exist for the other to. We must not reject the negative, but if we are to desire the positive, we must accept it; it does not mean we must support it. Desire means movement and change. Change means conflict of all sizes. Conflict means history. It is a universal, never-ending cycle. We can only learn from it.

 I'm going to try and update often on my trip... Here's some things for the summer I'll be working on too:
Harry (Potter), Don't Surf
How "Black Hawk Down" Got Screwed Over In Every Way Possible
Why "Hunchback of Notre Dame" Should Be A Broadway Musical
Why "The Ultimate Fighter: Season 13" Sucked Hard
I Love "The Lord of the Rings"
... and more.

"Up" is Perfect. Why?

This may seem like a late review, but really, I just had an epiphany of the genius of what is "Up."
(Get it?)

Let's get this straight: I love soundtracks. Hans Zimmer, Alan Menken, Howard Shore, the list goes on. I'm a fan of epics- blaring trombones and trumpets with a march beat, with an impending "war" feeling. I'm also a fan of originality with trademarks, so no James Horner here (minus Titanic, but minus Celine Dion). I was under the impression that nothing could ever top Howard Shore's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, with all its different memorable themes, epic choirs, and Ben Del Maestro sequences (Rohan, fuck yeah!). (To be honest, I don't know how many times I have listened to all three-plus hours straight through because my history with it goes all the way back to carrying a Disc-Man with me in high school.)

Then this little bugger of an animated film called Up  debuted in the summer of 2009, with Michael Giacchino of Pixar and "Lost" fame heading the orchestra, and turned my world upside down. Or maybe just took it into the sky with a bunch of balloons:

Naturally intrigued by the Pixar label (when do they not put out something good?), I immediately established that I needed to see this. How could you top Wall-E? And Eeeeeeeeva?

My first- and still standing- impression of Up: it is by far one of the most achingly, painfully beautiful films ever made. It did take me a while, however, to figure out why this film was so deeply resonating and emotional. Of course, the visuals are magnificent (Pixar is so reliable in that way): the bright and bold colors are used in this film like no other, not even Monsters, Inc. The details on the characters are ridiculously breathtaking and comical. However, neither of these typical Pixar stamps are the greatest part of Up. The visuals do not give way to the meanings of emotions behind the story; while they are striking, they do not represent what the story is supposed to make you feel. They amaze your rather than make you feel. The contrast between life and death; the difficulty of moving on after a loved one, life partner has passed away; the seamless, fluid movement between tragedy and comedy- it is all reflected in the music by Michael Giacchino. The definitive element of Up lies within a single tune- Ellie's theme.

Like Shore does in LOTR, Giacchino looks for different themes and motifs for each of the characters; however, what sets him apart from Shore is his ingenious ability to shape and mold those motifs according to the situation they are in; in this particular case, he tinkled around on a piano for a single chord that might be able to express the contrasting emotions of happiness and sadness and the state of beauty of both. Genius. One chord? Are you serious? Ellie's theme, arguably the most used melody, is by far one of the most versatile, meaningful, and memorable themes written in the past ten years; when I say "achingly, painfully beautiful," I am referring directly to this piece of music. There simply is no other way to describe it. In the sequence "Married Life" and its four short minutes, Giacchino and Pixar tell the story of two lives together through the song without any dialogue- an amazing feat, considering the magnitude and depth of its content. The music is not just a background factor: it perfectly mirrors the roller coaster of admiration that Carl and Ellie take together:

Watch that without crying, I dare you. I'm a sap, not an oak.

The composition of the tune is incredible within itself- it's really just a few chords. It is so simple, so quiet, and at the same time so effective and flexible. It is astounding to think about all the different ways Giacchino was able to pull this simplistic melody and its final effect on the viewers. The amazing thing about Ellie's theme is how I don't need to think of the film to feel the emotions. The initial tune on the piano has a naturally playful, innocent, endearing feel to it. Giacchino takes this away simply by slowing it down and highlighting the piano- sadness. The pain of moving on from a loved one's death- adding a small orchestra to play the counter melody. The growth of courage- a full orchestra, playing it in a waltz form. A highlight of what is beautiful in one's life- a full orchestra, slowed down, legato. Speeding it up with trumpets and a full drum beat, staccato- adventure. It just grows and grows throughout the film. While doing all of this in all its forms, it always keeps its hopeful and youthful imagination; more importantly, it keeps both sad and happy emotions at all times, no matter what the scenario is. There is something so simple and honest about it. It becomes the most important form of narrative of the film.

Primarily, it is used to reflect Carl's growth as he comes to terms with Ellie's death from the beginning to the end of the film- from playful and merry to slow and somber to finally acceptance and understanding, with a bit of a skip to it. While it plays in all its various forms, the audience is forever reminded of her impact and importance in Carl's life; the memory of their relationship is haunting and always present.  She is with him when he goes on his adventure, she is with him when he is sitting by himself, she is with him as he finds a new friendship, when he builds courage, finds his strength and motivation, discovers an abnormally tall and colorful bird, as he fights off the villains- and the tune evolves with each new scenario. The fact that it is played for seven minutes over the end credits in all the formats (also over pictures of Carl's life after Ellie) tells us the she is the unseen driving force behind the entire film and this is told wordlessly through the music. 

In one, simple tune. Amazing.

 I keep repeating the word "simple," and I hate repeating words so often but there really is no other word to describe what makes this score so resonating. Its life is in its simplicity. It is effortlessly beautiful, painstakingly reflective, and heart-breakingly hopeful, all in one. It doesn't need sappy lyrics or blasting trumpets to get the point across. Giacchino presents all the themes and characters of the film to us in, really, what's maybe fifteen or twenty seconds of music. There is no other soundtrack that evokes such strong emotions as Up. I'm not sure if he will ever to be able to top his accomplishment of Up; this might just be the definitive piece of his career. He should be proud of it. It truly is magnificent.

(I wrote this before watching the next video, soooooo I'm surprised that some of I said is in there. Watch for more genius.)

Sit Patiently, Please.

Finals. Crunch time. You know the deal. Won't be around for about two weeks. I'll be drowning in paperwork. Hooray. Will update ASAP. For reals.

Bad Things Come In Three?

So this week(more like past two days, come to think of it), that whole theory that "Bad Things Come In Three" knocked on my door, in the form of things breaking or just not working properly. I'm thankful it wasn't anything major. If it had been my laptop (Gandalf) or car (McGyver D), I would probably have thrown myself off the JFT or something.

1.  I stepped on my favorite sunglasses. I know, my fault.
2. My phone not only decided that it wanted to turn off the ear speaker (thus I looked like an obnoxious fool talking on speakerphone for the past few days), but the charger also decided it wanted to split from its wires. Yup. I had to pull a Jason Bourne two nights ago, shedding the wires from the rubber casings and twisting them around the little nubs. (Maybe that counts as two?)
3. The water in my building decided it wanted to be defective, thus leading to campus turning off our water- and only OUR water- resulting in mass chaos from everyone. I felt so terrible for my residents- they couldn't shower or brush their teeth or (grossest part) flush their toilets for the majority of the day and the worst part was this was from 7 am to 1 pm, the time when they are normally getting ready for class. I had residents going to Hasbrouck to go to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Half of them didn't go to class because of it. The other half stopped me on their way to classes ("I couldn't brush my teeth this morning." "You know our water doesn't work?" "I didn't findout I couldn't flush my toilet until I had already went.") We had absolutely no notification. I'm not sure if that is even legal. Thanks New Paltz.

Sounds like quite a trip, eh? Quite exciting. And to top it all off, I planned to get some of my work done and I have not yet. I need to write about thirty pages of research in two weeks. Yay. Wish me luck.

Yeah, I did that.

Enjoy the new design and the tons of bullshitting that comes later. I was inspired by my color choices for the Academy Awards article. As much as I love the old one, I feel that I have grown up in the past few months- this really reflects it (books = English MA!), though I'm getting the impression from my colors, I should have waited till autumn. Or maybe I belong in Gryffindor. Wait, I'm a Slytherin fan.

I've also included some of the most important sayings I've found from a few of my favorite people- I attempt to live up to these every day (but probably fail).

Enjoy the numerous Facebook and Twitter plugs- everyone else shamelessly promotes themselves at one point or another. The nice thing about BlogSpot is that it's nice and simple, easy to use. I can do what I need to do quickly. (Insert dirty joke here?)

Would it be safe to say that I'm going to live up to my promise of new posts? Maybe. Blogging is much more handy and interesting than Facebook and I always enjoy seeing where my free-write takes me; gives me back my sense of style and place in the world as a wonderer, even if those posts are short and seem trivial... Believe me, nothing is trivial.

PS- Currently working on an idea for a book, but need to write a whole bunch more. If anyone feels like pissing me off/ screwing me over, you are welcome. But be warned- this will be put into the eyes of the public.

M.I.A.?

I'm alive. Been working on three fifteen page research papers (Holocaust: Maus, Spaghetti Westerns, and good old Quentin Tarantino). Ah, the life of a grad student. Should be back soon with some entertaining stuff, including letters to stupidity's population (not intended to ever be sent), reviews of random things, and perhaps stuff I have learned this semester. Also planning on coordinating this thing a bit more as far as aesthetics go. Yay.

For some insight to my life, I've been REALLY PISSED OFF lately. But I've been (mostly) humorous about it, because that's how I am. So you, reader, should have much to look forward to, reading-entertainment-wise. Don't be a stranger.

PS: Someone recently defined my writing as "really good stream-of-consciousness," which I'm both happy and not happy about. I'm getting compared to Virginia Woolf, but sometimes I really don't like Virginia Woolf. Maybe I'll go drown myself soon. Complete the circle. You dig?

Edit: Now just for clarification purposes, pulling A Brett Favre is simply coming back when you’ve retired or sending a picture of your genitals, with an intention of getting some, a via text message. Pulling THE Brett Favre is shitting on all the people who have stood by you for the past five years by going to the enemy and bad mouthing people. They all have very different contexts, so who ever you're talking to should have an idea of which one you're getting at. Just thought I'd clear that up because someone got confused.

Oscars, Oscars, Oscars 2010!

WHAT'S EDGY? AND INVENTIVE? Without bluntly saying it? King's Speech.

The Academy Awards are only a few weeks away. Here's my annual picks as usual. Listed from least important to most important and sub-genred by yours truly! Red means clear winner, Grey is dark horse. And for shits kicks and giggles, Blue will be what I think has a distinct quality, but won't win. You know the deal.

Films Categories: Don't Qualify for Best Picture

Short Film (Animated)

“Day & Night,” “The Gruffalo,” “Let's Pollute,” “The Lost Thing,” “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)”
... Right.

Short Film (Live Action)

“The Confession,” “The Crush,” “God of Love,” “Na Wewe,” “Wish 143”
... What?

Documentary (Feature)

“Exit through the Gift Shop,” “Gasland,” “Inside Job,” “Restrepo,” “Waste Land”
War in the Middle East. Enough said.

Documentary (Short Subject)

“Killing in the Name,” “Poster Girl,” “Strangers No More,” “Sun Come Up,” “The Warriors of Qiugang”
Nope.

Foreign Language Film

“Biutiful” Mexico, “Dogtooth” Greece, “In a Better World” Denmark, “Incendies” Canada, “Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria
Denmark has some amazing quality stuff. Biutiful has Javier Bardem. This is a toss up.

Animated Feature Film

“How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Illusionist,” “Toy Story 3”
It's Toy Story. It's animated. It's Toy Story. I'm pretty sure everyone cried like a baby when they saw this. How could it not win? I'm pretty sure the only reason why Despicable Me wasn't nominated was to give TS3 a clear path, because the more I watch it, the more wonderful it is.

How To Not Make Actors Look Like Themselves
Costume Design

“Alice in Wonderland,” “I Am Love,” “The King's Speech,” “The Tempest,” “True Grit”

True Grit and King's Speech are the two true contenders here, due to their dedication to history and detail. I'd be surprised if Alice or Tempest took it; but since Tim Burton's stuff is wacky and Julie Taymour is always on some sort of drug, Academy voters might be inclined to go for something a little more avant garde and Gaga- EDGY and INVENTIVE. However, Grit's fantastic use of accurate history fashion will really help it here.

Makeup

“Barney's Version,” “The Way Back,” “The Wolfman”
... I've seen Wolfman. It was terrible. This category is a joke this year.

Wait, what? We're in a film? Let's put on our 3-d glasses!
Sound Editing

“Inception,” “Toy Story 3,” “Tron: Legacy,” “True Grit,” “Unstoppable”
Inception or Toy Story 3. Really think Inception is this year's big blockbuster that Oscar voters love- hence all the nominations. Maybe Tron will win, because those motorcycles were cool.

Sound Mixing

“Inception,” “The King's Speech,” “Salt,” “The Social Network,” “True Grit”
Very Hitchcock and kooky uses of sound- quite EDGY and INVENTIVE- but more so clever and unique rather than IN YOUR FACE like Black Swan. Particularly love when Bertie puts the headphones on with the fade in and out of music.

Visual Effects

“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” “Hereafter,” “Inception,” “Iron Man 2”
Because you can't count Tim Burton out of anything visual. There's nothing special about HP that the other HPs didn't do- so it won't. But Inception- They built their set. Little use of CGI compared to the others. Revolving hallway. Shoo-in.

Art Direction

“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” “Inception,” “The King's Speech,” “True Grit”
Just in case they feel like not screwing over Tim Burton this year. I would say King's Speech, but it's just what's in England. Pwah. I love HP- looks exactly how I imagined it- but they won't distinguish this from the others. That would just be wrong. I would say that in this case, the visual effects go completely hand in hand with the art direction- Aside from Alice, there's nothing that truly uses CGI as a tool except for backing purposes.

Are We Off By A Millisecond?
Film Editing

“Black Swan,” “The Fighter,” “The King's Speech,” “127 Hours,” “The Social Network”
Because one is fighting and one is coding. On a more serious note, the King's Speech had some really stark shots that were simple, yet shocking and emotionally impacting. Black Swan had some as well, but its visuals were ruined by its attempts to make statements. Wouldn't be surprised/upset to see any of these win, but I'm going to gun for King's Speech. Because of one word: MONTAGE. Plus, they gurgled in it. Confused as to why Inception was not nominated, but whatever.

Cinematography

“Black Swan,” “Inception,” “The King's Speech,” “The Social Network,” “True Grit”
I mean, they had all those profile pictures to refer back to. If Inception really wanted to make an impact in this area, they would have cleverly found a really subtle way to distinguish the dreams and reality but that probably would have ruined the ending ("Is this real life!? RAAAWRRR.") Black Swan might walk away with this because of its INVENTIVE and SYMBOLIC and horrible IN YOUR FACE use of black and white (Oh my God! So creative! AND EDGY!). But for a simpler technique that should really be appreciated more, I'd say King's Speech.

That Stuff In The Background
Music (Original Score)

“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell, “Inception” Hans Zimmer, “The King's Speech” Alexandre Desplat, “127 Hours” A.R. Rahman, “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Desplat had a really enjoyable modern take on a typically classical, symphonic score; however, Reznor/Ross had a really amazing score for TSN; incorporation of both a classic film score as well as the technological side of things- very NIN, Fragile-esque. Love the synthesizers. I do love Zimmer (of course) and his references back to Edith Piaf is heaven for me. Thematically, both matched their pieces; however, I think Reznor deserves some recognition for his work outside NIN, in seeing that he is a truly talented musician and composer. And Zimmer, as much as I love him, pulled a James Horner and recycled Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor for this one. :( Step aside, sir.

Music (Original Song)

“Coming Home” from “Country Strong,” “I See the Light” from “Tangled,” “If I Rise” from “127 Hours,” “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3"
I love Menken, but everyone is on a Gwenyth Paltrow kick and only Cee-Lo and Glee know why.

"We All Want To Be Meryl Streep"
Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter,” John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone,” Jeremy Renner in “The Town,” Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right,” Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”
Renner = Space Filler. I LOVE that Hawkes is nomnated- it's about time he got some real, fleshy characters to play because he is so talented; that's enough for me right now. Everyone is ooh-ing and ah-ing over Bale; since he's so often not recognized, he will win; but Ruffalo is very popular in the cult, artsy community and Rush has a reputation behind him. That may propel one of them to win, but I doubt it.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in “The Fighter,” Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech,” Melissa Leo in “The Fighter,” Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit,” Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”
Steinfeld is superb in True Grit- she'll have more chances, but it would be great if she won here. Wouldn't be surprised if she stole it. Leo has won numerous awards and will win this one out; Amy Adams is getting HUGE and will win one someday. Bonham Carter should have been nominated for so many other things. She's going to be just like her husband and get overlooked for everything she does. It's great that she's getting recognized for her smaller, more subtle works when she's not yelling at Edward Norton or Johnny Depp, because people expect her to be crazy. Not that big of a shock.

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful,” Jeff Bridges in “True Grit,” Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network,” Colin Firth in “The King's Speech,” James Franco in “127 Hours”

If he doesn't win, I'm rioting. He is incredibly talented and they just can't ignore this without getting truckloads of backlash if he doesn't. I can't wait to see him make his speech. (Har har.)

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right,” Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole,” Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone,” Natalie Portman in “Black Swan,” Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”
What award hasn't Portman won? It's strange, because I've seen most, if not all her work and I really don't think she's all that fantastic and I believe Mila Kunis far outshone her, but whatever. Whenever she's on the verge of tears, I can't get Padme and the words "cheesy" and "overacting" out of my head. Bening has been nominated four times without a win, so I wouldn't be surprised if she finally stole this. (She won't win but Nicole Kidman? Le sigh. Back to where she was. So happy!)

Compensation for Not Winning Best Picture. Jessica Alba's Worst Nightmare.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“127 Hours,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” “Winter's Bone”
There's no way Sorkin can't win this. As much as I disliked TSN, the script was very tight and well polished, as well as HIP and COOL. And EDGY. Who doesn't want to talk like Jesse Eisenberg aftter seeing this? Unless voters decide to reward the legacy of TS3. Which I would love.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“Another Year,” “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The King's Speech”
KAAR might win as compensation for not winning Best Picture and it is quite witty; same for Inception, however the script was mehh, not that strong. I expect that the King's Speech will snatch this one up.

Important Stuff.
Directing

“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky, “The Fighter” David O. Russell, “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper, “The Social Network” David Fincher, “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Fincher is just an amazing director. He did a great job with TSN. Aronofsky might pull this one out, but hype for Black Swan has died down. Hooper might get this one as well; however, he's not as tenured or reputable. It falls on Fincher. This is the closest Fight Club will get to being recognized. I'll take it.

Best Picture

“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"
Yeah, I'm going out on a limb to predict a split this year.  I'm really excited for King's Speech. British cinema really deserves to get recognized and rewarded, as it is so much more well made and thought out; they just care more about their films. They don't give us crap like Transformers. They don't have people like the Weinsteins or a Bruckheimer running the show. It's an incredible well paced, well thought out piece of work; beautifully laid out and intricate. Fincher deserves to be recognized; but TSN does not, even though it is relevant to this generation has has some really HIP moments. As I said before, Black Swan is losing a lot of its previous hype- it's also hurt by the fact that it's not nominated for Best Screenplay. And it's not as well rounded as TSN or King's Speech. As much as I love Inception, it's also not as well balanced and will not win, simply due for the fact that Chris Nolan is not recognized- the two usually go hand in hand. This year in general is really good for nominees.

Next Up: How Black Hawk Down Got Screwed Over In Every Way Possible.