Taking a break from covering the Oscars, I sat down and figured out my favorite movies from 2010. While some movies are among the top contenders for Oscar gold, others are simply excellent films.

10. “Secretariat”

Make fun of me all you want: This is the feel-good movie of the year. Diane Lane is exquisite and charming. (Oscar possibility: Costume Design and Sound categories)

9. “Moon”

The 2009 space-age sci-fi movie from director Duncan Jones left an impact when I saw it in April. (No Oscar possibility)

8. “Shutter Island”

This Martin Scorsese mystery stands out for its beautiful cinematography, editing and story. The haunting score is the perfect mélange of modern classical music. (Possibility: Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing and Sound categories)

7. “The Kids Are All Right”

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are perfect in one of the year’s most sincere stories. (Possibility: Picture, Bening for Actress, Mark Ruffalo for Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay and Film Editing)

6. “Inception”

Christopher Nolan has earned the Oscar for Original Screenplay. He spent 10 years perfecting this ultimate heist movie. Breathtaking visuals. Mind-bending story. Superb acting. Haunting soundtrack. (Possibility: Nolan for Director and Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Film Editing, Sound categories and Visual Effects)

5. “127 Hours”

This is an extraordinary story of a man put in extraordinary circumstances. Director Danny Boyle perfectly captures the raw energy and emotion of desperation onscreen. (Possibility: Picture, James Franco for Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song and Sound categories)

4. “The King’s Speech”

This is a sophisticated story of a man who needs to overcome the barriers he has built for himself. Tom Hooper’s direction is remarkable. (Possibility: Picture, Colin Firth for Actor, Geoffrey Rush for Supp. Actor, Helena Bonham Carter for Supp. Actress, Hooper for Director, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design)

3. “Black Swan”

Watching this modern, fantastical thriller was intoxicating. This is a movie where every element worked perfectly together. I cannot remember a film that left me so euphoric. (Possibility: Picture, Natalie Portman for Actress, Barbara Hershey and Mila Kunis for Supp. Actress, Darren Aronofsky for Director, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography and Film Editing)

2. “Toy Story 3”

The raw emotion elicited from this film is gobsmacking. Pixar has the unique ability to create a surreal experience with characters we love. The toys could be nominated for best acting. (Possibility: Picture, Animated Feature, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song and Sound categories)

1. “The Social Network”

Its high-energy, fast-paced nature makes this film easy to watch and love. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher brilliantly deliver an atypical movie-going experience. (Possibility: Picture, Jesse Eisenberg for Actor, Fincher for Director, Sorkin for Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Original Score)

Nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 25 around 8:30 a.m.

Toledo Free Press Star Lead Designer James A. Molnar blogs about all things Oscar at TheGoldKnight.com. His column will appear online and in print periodically.

Tags: Black Swan, Inception, Moon, Secretariat, Shutter Island, The Gold Knight, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, The Oscars, The Social Network, Toy Story 3

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 at 11:26 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Film, Star, The Gold Knight.
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The 2011 awards season train has left the station. Its destination: the 83rd Academy Awards on Feb. 27. There are many stops along the way. It may be a bumpy ride for some; but for others, a smooth ride to Oscar Sunday could be possible.

Colin Firth may be one of the lucky few sitting in first class. His much ballyhooed performance in “The King’s Speech” may win him the Best Actor Oscar, among a slew of other trophies. But The Gold Knight will save the prognosticating for another column.

The first stop on the long and winding journey to Feb. 27 was the Gotham Independent Film Awards. Held in New York on Nov. 29, the Independent Feature Project (IFP) gave top prizes to “Winter’s Bone” for Best Feature and Best Ensemble Performance. The film, out on DVD, beat other buzzed-about films including “Black Swan” and “The Kids Are All Right.”

Continuing the love for “Winter’s Bone,” the Film Independent Spirit Awards announced its nominees Nov. 30. “Winter’s Bone” led the pack with seven nominations, including  Best Feature, Director, Female Lead (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Male (John Hawkes) and Supporting Female (Dale Dickey). “The Kids Are Alright” scored the second-most nominations with five: Feature, Director, Screenplay, Female Lead (Annette Bening) and Supporting Male (Mark Ruffalo). Close behind, “Black Swan” has four nominations, including Feature and Female Lead (Natalie Portman). Other Feature nominees include Danny Boyle’s thriller “127 Hours” and “Greenburg,” a dramedy with Ben Stiller in the title role. The Spirit Awards, hosted by Joel McHale, are Feb. 26.

“If you feel like dancing, well come on, it’s up to you/We got the sound to keep you getting down, down/The train is coming through” — Quad City DJ’s

Is “Winter’s Bone” the early front-runner fordancing home with an few Oscars? Not quite. The train still has quite a few stops to make. The National Board of Review (NBR) awards is one of them.

Announced Dec. 1, NBR honored “The Social Network” with Best Film, Director (David Fincher), Actor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin). Note: “Up in the Air” took home four awards last year from NBR, including Film, but did not clinch the Best Picture Oscar. Since 1995, only three of NBR Best Film winners have won the Oscar. Other films honored include “Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Documentary), “Toy Story 3” (Animated Feature), “The Town” (Ensemble Cast) and “Buried” (Chris Sparling for Original Screenplay).

Toledo Free Press Star pop culture guru Jeff McGinnis said “The Social Network” “will be the best movie of 2010” in his Oct. 5 column. He also said Aaron Sorkin “will surely win an Oscar for his work” on the screenplay. McGinnis may be an Oscarologist. We’ll find out in a few months.

With that, the train continues on. The next big stops are the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, Dec. 14 and 16, respectively. Get onboard and enjoy the fun.

“Come on it’s the choo choo, woo woo/Come on it’s the choo choo train.”

Toledo Free Press Star Lead Designer James A. Molnar blogs about all things Oscar at thegold knight.blogspot.com. His column will appear online and in print periodically.

Tags: Academy Awards, Black Swan, Oscars, The Gold Knight, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, Waiting for Superman, Winter's Bone

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 at 10:49 am and is filed under Film, Star, The Gold Knight.
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