Oscar Predictions for 2011

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards presentation will be held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Sunday, February 27, 2011. The Oscars, as the ceremony is better known, will be televised in the

United States by ABC and to more than 200 countries around the world.

Although the ceremony comprises a total of 24 awards, this article will focus on eight, trying to gather the expert's early assessments while keeping in mind that intangibles are an intrinsic part of predicting, and that the earlier predictions are launched, the more volatile they are.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Potential nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay include:

• Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini).
• Never Let Me Go (Alex Garland).
• True Grit (Joel and Ethan Cohen).
• The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin).
• 127 Hours (Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy).

My predicted winner: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network, who has been praised by Roger Ebert for his excellent portrayal of potentially complex computer programming.

Best Original Screenplay

Potential nominees for Best Original Screenplay include:

• The King's Speech (David Speider).
• Another Year (Mike Leigh).
• The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy).
• Inception (Christopher Nolan).
• The Kids Are All Right (Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko).

Predicted Winner: Christopher Nolan. This may be the easiest pick of all. With Inception, Nolan continues playing mind games and showing an uncanny ability to write complex structures and translate them into smart thrillers that capture everyone's attention.

Best Supporting Actor
Potential nominees for Best Supporting Actor include:

Christian Bale (The Fighter).

• Matt Damon (True Grit).
• Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go).
• Sam Rockwell (Conviction).
• Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right).

Predicted Winner: Matt Damon.

Best Supporting Actress
Potential nominees for Best Supporting Actress include:

• Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech).
• Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right).
• Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go).
• Melissa Leo (The Fighter).
• Thekla Reuten (The American).

Predicted Winner: Keira Knightley.

Best Actor
Potential nominees for Best Actor include:

• Jeff Bridges (True Grit).
• James Franco (127 Hours).
• Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network).
• Mark Walhberg (The Fighter).
• Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine).

Predicted Winner: Jesse Eisenberg.

Best Actress
Potential nominees for Best Actress include:

• Natalie Portman (Black Swan).
• Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right).
• Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs).
• Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone).
• Lesley Manville (Another Year).

Predicted Winner: Natalie Portman. The best support for this prediction comes from film critic David Nusair, who on an update about the Toronto International Film Festival says that "the actress' tour-de-force performance anchors the proceedings on a thoroughly consistent basis, and it's worth noting that much of the suspense that ensues in the film's final half hour is heightened by Portman's flawless work."

Best Director

Potential nominees for Best Director are:

• Danny Boyle (127 Hours).
• David Fincher (The Social Network).
• Gareth Edwards (Monsters)
• Christopher Nolan (Inception).
• Tom Hooper (The King's Speech).

Predicted Winner: Cristopher Nolan is one of the most original directors in years. It took him ten years to carve Inception into an intelligent thriller. But David Fincher's work with The Social Network was too good. The cinematography and the way he got his young cast to light up the dialogues were simply masterful. Outsiders chance for Gareth Edwards, who has re-defined the way film can be made and seen with a frankly masterful debut MONSTERS.

Best Picture

Potential nominees for Best Picture include:

• The Kids Are All Right.
• The King's Speech.
• The Social Network.
• True Grit.
• Monsters
• The Fighter.
• Never Let Me Go.
• Toy Story 3.
• Inception.
• 127 Hours.

Predicted Winner: Inception. The innovative thriller grossed over $287 million at the box office in the United States. Although The Social Network may be a more appealing and simpler movie, it will be hard for the academy to ignore those figures. Also, an expectation of intelligence will be in the air, and nobody will want to admit they didn't quite understand Inception. For many, It will be a dream come true