Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2011 - Preview Pt4

The final batch....here we go...the show is tonight, and I'll be here and on Facebook and Twitter chatting away!

BEST PICTURE

Nominees:
• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network
• The Town
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winter's Bone

Probably one of the best group of 10 nominees I’ve ever seen in a given year. I’d have no problems with any of these titles winning. My hunch says The Social Network walks away with the award. But, and there had to be a but, I know our group has a lot of love for The King’s Speech and Black Swan.

BEST DIRECTOR

Nominees:
• Darren Aronofsky - "Black Swan"
• Danny Boyle - "127 Hours"
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - "True Grit"
• David Fincher - "The Social Network"
• Tom Hooper - "The King's Speech"
• Christopher Nolan - "Inception"

Normally….picture and director don’t split in a given year…but could this be the one? These are true heavyweights in the directing field and I think the Best Picture winner will also have the inside track at Best Director. What am I saying? David Fincher would be my best bet to win here, but don’t be surprised with an upset pick, maybe even Darren Aronofsky?

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Nominees:
• "Another Year" - Mike Leigh
• "Black Swan" - Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin
• "The Fighter" - Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson)
• "Inception" - Christopher Nolan
• "The Kids Are All Right" - Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
• "The King's Speech" - David Seidler

This may be the place where The Kids Are All Right surprises folks. A solidly written tale about the modern family unit, it is a chance to give an award to a film that everyone tended to like. Though if you made me bet on it, I think Black Swan or The King’s Speech may emerge as the winner here.


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Nominees:
• "127 Hours" - Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
• "The Social Network" - Aaron Sorkin
• "The Town" - Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard
• "Toy Story 3" - Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
• "True Grit" - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• "Winter's Bone" - Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

Sorry everyone else, this one is Aaron Sorkin’s award.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Nominees:
• Despicable Me
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Illusionist
• Tangled
• Toy Story 3

Another no brainer I believe…Toy Story 3 should emerge as the winner.


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Nominees:
• Biutiful
• I Am Love
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A bit of a hard category to call with our group…I believe in Biutiful with Javier Bardem here, it makes the most sense…BUT (there’s that word again) remember that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo also garnered a Best Actress nomination for Noomi Rapace, so there is a lot of love for that film here as well.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Nominees:
• Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Inside Job
• Restrepo
• Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
• The Tillman Story
• Waiting for Superman

And the last category I discuss here this year is one of my favorites! These are all wonderful documentaries. Any of them winning would be great! My pick is Restrepo (shh don’t tell anyone that’s what I voted for), it made my top 10 this year and no documentary enaged me quite like that did. I think as a group, Waiting for Superman may be the winner – the film details education like nothing you have seen before. My advice? See all 6 of these – you won’t be disappointed and you will NEVER look at documentaries the same way again!

That’s it…tune in tonight to the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at 9PM ET/PT on VH1

*yes there is a preshow an hour earlier, might be fun to see Joan Rivers on the other side of the Red Carpet interviews.