Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
My Overall Thoughts:
This is a year with 5 very talented nominees, but the field of performances are quite weak in general and only one of them gives such a memorable performance of the 5.
My Rankings:
Supporting Actor
5. Mark Ruffalo
4. Jeremy Renner
3. Christian Bale
2. John Hawkes
1. Geoffrey Rush
Movies
5. The Town – Interesting heist movie that manages to capture the feeling of Boston and its inhabitants. Affleck shows his directing prowess with this film while also tackling the lead. Hamm has ups and downs here as he pursues the gang and we never can decide whether we like him or not. The extended version is much more coherent than the original version and is worth watching in spite of its two and a half hour length.
4. Winter’s Bone – Lawrence is great in this film and it showcases her talent. The story is quite a simple one, but the cinematography and production design make it feel so rich and majestic. Despite liking it, I’m not sure this was deserving of a Best Picture nominee because it’s all Lawrence who makes this work so well.
3. The Fighter – Enjoyable story that works eventhough it meanders a bit too much along the way. The story of Ward is interesting but the story of his brother is even more fascinating and that to me is the part of this story that is more impactful. Wahlberg is his usual self here but Bale really stands out and deservingly won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Leo is fine as their mother and does a fine job in the role. She also won an Oscar for the role but I’m still not convinced that this was the best supporting actress performance of that year.
2. The Kids Are All Right – Very interesting idea that works really well. The cast is superb and helps make this story feel very realistic. They touch upon some really interesting issues that play out in a nice and enjoyable fashion. As good as this film is tho, I’m still not sold on the idea that it is the kind of film that is Best Picture caliber eventhough it was able to win the Golden Globe that year for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy.
1. The King’s Speech – Extremely well done movie. Deserving of it’s Best Picture win. Firth, Rush and Carter are all spectacular here.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Not really! Bale is an amazing actor and has shown time and again how great and versatile he can be, but this role, while transforming isn’t the best of the year. Rush should have won for TKS.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
