The Top Films of 2010

This is the second in a series of 12 posts, discussing the top films of each year of the 2000's. Once again, these are not necessarily the best, most profitable, or most well reviewed films of the year, but a combination of all three factors, forming what should be the ten movies that will still be talked about fifteen years from now. 

10. True Grit- Initially controversial as remaking The Duke seemed like a bad idea, but the Coens wanted to make a film more true to the source material than the John Wayne classic, and so they did. A critically well received film that scored many Oscar nominations and made a lot of money, True Grit is best known Jeff Bridges' performance, when you outshine John Wayne, you have done well. In addition you got one of the best performances of the year from newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and a great supporting performance from Matt Damon. 

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1- Not as high on this years list as part 2 was in 2011's, but still  a great effort, and at the time, set the benchmark in the beloved series. 

8. Black Swan- Talked about as much for the weirdness of Director Darren Afronsky as for anything, Black Swan was the weird film of the year, and had the word of mouth to prove it. Best Actress winner Natalie Portman was terrific, and you found out that Mila Kunis could really act. 

7. Shutter Island- When you think of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, and Mark Ruffalo, you think of an Oscar film released in December, not a horror film released in March, but Shutter Island is a film that stays with you. It was twisty and turny but never cheap, and brought Oscar caliber work to a genre that really needed something more than another Paranormal Activity film. In addition you got an original score that will stick with you long after the credits roll. 

6. Love and Other Drugs- Was done a disservice in its advertising more than any film of 2010. Billed in some previews as The Notebook, and in other previews as No Strings Attached, Love & Other Drugs is a film in its own. Two of today's most popular young stars (Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway) bare everything physically and emotionally in a film that is part romantic comedy, part hard drama, and part epic love story.

5. Winter's Bone- Ten years from now, we can say this is where Katniss Everdeen got her start. Jennifer Lawrence in her first major film, scored a Best Actress nod and locked down the iconic Hunger Games role. The film is a dark, great indie film, but the really amazing thing is how truly good Lawrence was. 

4. The Town- Ben Affleck's second directorial outing, and his first where he both starred and acted, but amazing none the less. A terrific drama/suspense/action film with great performances from Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm. This is where Ben Affleck truly said, "I'm back". 

3. The King's Speech- The Best Picture winner of the year, punctuated by great performances from Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, and Helena Bonham Carter. Might have been number two if the film wasn't re-released with some profanity cut out that really hurt the humor of the film. 

2. Inception- Christopher Nolan's film about dreams within dreams, with great performances and a great score and great visual effects. A blockbuster sci-fi film that was also a Best Picture nominee, and a film that is loved my most who see it. The film is the non critic's film of 2010, and most critics liked it too. 

1. The Social Network- David Fincher goes outside of his wheel house to make a movie that people originally thought was just about Facebook, but the film is so much more. The film is funny, moving, smart, and one of the best written films ever. The amazing thing is how despite being about Facebook, technology was left out of the film entirely, which means a decade from now, the film will be a great story of betrayal and will not feel outdated. 

Honorable Mentions: Toy Story 3, 127 Hours, The Fighter, Kick-Ass, Easy A, Edge of Darkness, and Green Zone. 

Next time we will tackle 2009. 

-Maximus

The Ten Films of 2011

This is the first of twelve posts, discussing the top ten films of the last twelve years. The basis for this list is not the best films of the year, nor the most memorable films of the year, nor the films that were the most profitable  of each year. Instead it will be a combination of all three, forming a list of the top ten films that made the most impact of each year. This post will tackle the most recent year, 2011.

10. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol- The 4th Mission Impossible film reinvigorated a franchise that many considered to need a makeover. The studio even talked about Jeremy Renner taking the franchise over from Tom Cruise, however Ghost Protocol put those thoughts aside, and was one of the biggest and most acclaimed films of 2011. MI4 was released with all the Oscar bait movies, and was talked about more than any of them. 

9. Shame- Shame didn't make a dent at the box office, but was widely talked about due to its great performances, and graphic sexuality. Rising stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan both gave great performances, and also bared everything they had. Both were snubbed at the Oscars, but it didn't stop Shame from ending up on most critics top ten lists. It is one of only a few films to not cut scenes to get rid of the NC-17 rating, as everything in the film was necessary to its central plot. In addition, it had possibly the greatest score of any film in 2011, and I am talking about the music. 

8. Super 8- A summer blockbuster that was not a preexisting franchise, and was not a sequel, which is very rare. The film was from JJ Abrams, which got it much pre-release buzz, and in true Abrams fashion, was completely unique. The film had no huge stars, and mainly focused around terrific child actors, and made a dent with audiences and critics alike. 

7. XMen: First Class- The second XMen prequel in as many years focused on Professor X and Magneto when they were just Charles and Eric. The film made huge money, and was also a critical success, rare for comic book films not involving Batman. This was the first part of Fassbender's breakout year, followed later by the number 10 film on this list. 

6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes- A surprise hit in 2011. After Tim Burton practically destroyed the franchise a few years earlier, no one ever though the franchise would get back on its feet. However in relative newcomer Rupert Wyatt's hands, and including a terrific motion capture performance from Andy Serkis, the film made sure Planet of the Apes will be around for a long time to come. 

5. The Artist- The Best Picture winner at the Oscars, The Artist made pennies at the box office, but was famous because it was the first silent film in many, many years to get a major release. Jean Dujardin won Best Actor for a silent performance, and both he and Supporting Actress nominee Berenice Bejo are household names now. 

4. Drive- 2011 was the year of Ryan Gosling, and Drive is a big reason why. In a terrific dramatic film punctuated by scenes of disturbing violence, Gosling gave a great performance moving his mouth less than Dujardin did in The Artist. Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Carey Mulligan (again), and Bryan Cranston give terrific supporting performances. 

3. Bridesmaids- Comedies made a comeback in the second half of the decade, and in 2011 Bridesmaids made a huge mark on the film industry. It was the first major, successful comedy that focused on women, and made crazy amounts of money during a long run at the box office, punctuated by great word of mouth that made sure most everyone in America saw the film in theaters.

2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- David Fincher made a name for himself directing violent, dark films like Fight Club, Se7en, and Zodiac. So when the film industry decided it needed to make its own version of the Swedish best seller by Stieg Larson, it turned to Fincher. The Swedish version a few years earlier was well received based off great performances, but was shot like a B movie and made little noise in America. Fincher's version focused on the dark, hard to watch portions of the dark, hard to read best seller, and was talked about for being one of the best films of the year, being completely disturbing, and getting Oscar worthy performances from Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. That is a rare trifecta. 

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2- Notable not only for being the 8th and final film in a billion dollar, beloved franchise, but also for being really, really good. Things ended in amazing fashion, and the film series hit its stride with the last 3 films. 

Honorable Mentions: The Help, Warrior. 

Later we will go through each year of the 2000's, and rank movies the same way we did here.

-Maximus

2013 Oscar Preview

As we continue our look forward to what's in store in the coming movie year, we need to determine what we think the big Oscar contenders will be. Here is Movie Ninja's first annual way too far in advance Oscar preview:
*Note- The list of movies being released this year is very limited, most Oscar season films don't get announced or release dates until late in the year. For example The Artist and The Descendants were not even a thought in the public's mind at this time last year. But I work with what I am given.

Best Supporting Actress:
Kerry Washington: Django Unchained. Has all the makings of a big Oscar film, and getting to play the still captive wife of a freed slave should provide a lot of material.
Emma Stone: Gangster Squad. I think this role will give her the material she needs to shine against heavyweights Brolin, Penn, and Gosling.
Jessica Chastain: Wettest County. Another gangster film, but coming off Chastain's breakout year, she should get noticed in 2012. My Odds on favorite.
Carey Mulligan: The Great Gatsby. Should be a big Oscar film, and Mulligan is already one of critics favorite actresses.
Blake Lively: Savages. She showed in The Town she could really act, so this should be a good opportunity.

Best Supporting Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio: Django Unchained. Could be in the Actor category, but Great Gatsby should put him there. As the villain, he will be relegated to the Supporting category. And is my current odds on favorite.
Christoph Waltz: Django Unchained. Rare to see two actors from the same film, but I think this film has a great chance at it.
Russell Crowe: Les Miserables. Hard to predict who is supporting vs primary in this film, but my guess is on Crowe.
Richard Armitage: The Hobbit Part 1. Most people would say Ian McKellan here, but I think the character of Thorin Oakenshield gives the most scene chewing opportunities.
Gary Oldman: Wettest County. Really tough to choose this fifth spot, but will say Oldman gets back to back nominations after waiting so long for his first.
Other possibilities: Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, Tobey Maguire for The Great Gatsby, Michael Shannon for Premium Rush, Sasha Baron Cohen for Les Miserables.

Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence: The Silver Linings Playbook. Hard to tell if will be primary or supporting, but from the description of the film, we'll go primary. My current favorite for this award.
Mireille Enos: World War Z. A blind guess until the movie comes out but sounds promising.
Halle Berry: Cloud Atlas. Sounds like a movie with many supporting performances, but should be Berry's chance to get back into real movies.
Noomi Rapace: Prometheus. Film comes out early, so a long shot, but I like it to shake things up.
Sally Field: Lincoln. Will have to wait and see if everyone is supporting Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln, or if Mary Lincoln is a supporting role, but for now I'll put it here.
Other Possibilities: Charlize Theron gets some love for her evil performance in Snow White and the Huntsmen.

Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio: The Great Gatsby. Would be awesome to see him win two in one year after being ignored his entire career.
Daniel Day-Lewis: Lincoln. The favorite right now. No explanation necessary.
Jamie Foxx: Django Unchained. Not much needed here either.
Ryan Gosling: Gangster Squad. Maybe he gets recognized this year since his 3 eligible performances last year were ignored.
Brad Pitt: Cogan's Trade. World War Z could also be a surprise entry here, but Cogan's sounds more promising.
Other Possibilities: Tom Hardy for Wettest County. Bradley Cooper for The Silver Linings Playbook. Tom Hanks for Could Atlas. Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables.

Director:
Quentin Tarantino: Django Unchained. Seems like a lock after how good Inglorious Basterds was, and how good Django should be. My current odds on favorite.
Terrence Malick: Unknown film. He has two scheduled films this year, neither with titles, release dates, or casts, but he is still a good bet here.
Steven Spielberg: Lincoln. No explanation necessary.
Ben Affleck: Argo. Affleck is 2 for 2 in his directing career, and this Iranian hostage crisis drama could make it 3 for 3.
Christopher Nolan: The Dark Knight Rises. Wishful thinking for me? Nolan should be a two time Best Director nominee, but instead has been shut out. He should get rewarded if TDKR avoids the curse of 3.
Other Possibilities: Tom Hooper: Les Miserables. A strong possibility coming off his win last year.
Baz Luhrman: The Great Gatsby. Will it be Moulin Rouge or Australia?
Ruben Fleischer: Gangster Squad. All depends if the movie gets overall support.
John Hillcoat: Wettest County. A movie that could get overlooked, or loved.
Peter Jackson: Hobbit Part 1. Will the Academy love the prequel, or feel they rewarded Return of the King enough?
Katheryn Bigelow: Untitled Bin Laden movie. Need to see if the movie actually gets released or delayed. And would like to know who will be in it.
Ridley Scott: Prometheus. Can this movie be as big as I think it could?

Best Picture:
The Hobbit Part 1: With a possibility of ten picture nominees, should get support.
Django Unchained: If it even comes close to being as good as it should be, will be here next year.
Lincoln: Depends if it ends up being a great movie or just a bunch of great performances.
The Great Gatsby: This and Les Miserables may help each other, or cancel each other out.
Les Miserables: See above.
Gangster Squad: Great cast, great material.
Argo: Same as gangster squad. Can Ben Affleck finally get a movie nominated?
Wettest County: Might get overshadowed by Gangster Squad, but might not.
Life of Pi: At this point I had to put a small, less blockbuster type movie in here, and this story of a boy stranded with a bunch of zoo animals on a boat, might be quirky enough.
Other possibilities: The Silver Linings Playbook, World War Z, Cogan's Trade, Untitled Bin Laden movie, Cloud Atlas, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, Brave, Of Men and Mavericks, Rise of the Guardians, Two Untitled Terrence Malick films.

So here is my year in advance Oscar preview. Most likely many of these movies will disappoint. My guess on some movies that are considered contenders now and will end up being ignored are The Silver Linings Playbook, Of Men and Mavericks, Wettest County, and Cloud Atlas.

-Maximus

2012 Preview!

With the Academy Awards in the rear view, lets look at what to expect from here on out in 2012. 

March:

2nd-Project X: Being compared to Superbad, trailers leave something to be desired, but why not take the suddenly popular shaky cam strategy to comedy?

9th-John Carter: Based off the popular book John Carter of Mars. Looks promising, lets hope the graphics are better in the actual film though.

16th-21 Jump Street: Remake of the Johnny Depp TV series stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. A great preview has me very excited for this. 

23rd-The Hunger Games: Fans of the book series are very excited for this, and it appears to be a likely box office juggernaut.

30th-Wrath of the Titans: Sam Worthington says he was terrible in the first one and is going to do better this time, the hair cut is not convincing me of that. The entire cast returns. 

30th- Mirror, Mirror: The first of the Snow White films of 2012, aimed at children, and looks terrible. 

April

4th- Titanic 3D: One of the greatest films of all time, now in 3D.

6th- American Reunion: The 4th theatrically released Pie film, focuses on the 10 year reunion, and the entire cast from the first film returns. 

13th-Cabin in the Woods: Long delayed Joss Whedon film. First preview showed this will not be your typical Cabin based horror film. 

13th- The Three Stooges: Movie based off the classic program, looks absolutely terrible. One of the most unfunny trailers for a comedy film I have ever seen. 

27th- The Raven: John Cusack stars as Edgar Allen Poe, helping to hunt a serial killer who is basing his victims on Poe's work. Looks very similar to From Hell, and that is a compliment. 

May

4th- The Avengers: Start the summer with a bang. Marvel only has this film this year, but its the big one. 

11th- Dark Shadows: Johnny Depp stars in this take on the television show about a supernatural family. Tim Burton is directing. 

11th- The Dictator: The next from Sasha Baren Cohen, hopefully more like Borat than Bruno. 

18th- Battleship: From Peter Berg comes this alien invasion movie based off the board game. Whether or not you will like this depends on if you think Rihanna will be believable as a naval officer. Really that's all it comes down to. I will not be liking this movie. 

25th- Men in Black 3: Preview looks depressing. Will Smith as J has to go back in time to save a young K from being killed. This looks like one of those series that should have just been a single film. 

June

1st- Snow White and the Huntsmen: Looks like the Gladiator version of Snow White, and looks much better than Mirror, Mirror. 

8th- Prometheus: The prequel to Alien that's not really a prequel, just another story in the same universe. Watch out for this movie being an Oscar sleeper (assuming the Oscar voters can remember that movies do come out before November).

15th- Rock of Ages: Based off the popular play, involving lots of great music, and a rock solid cast. 

15th- Jack the Giant Killer: Another fairy tale based film with a more adult feel. Bryan Singer brings the story of Jack to the big screen. 

22nd-Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: The first of two completely different Lincoln films, this one focuses on the 16th president's vampire killing spree. 

22nd-Brave: Yay! Pixar's back after a year off! (Cars 2 is not a real movie in my eyes).

29th- Gi Joe Retaliation: A sequel that seems to be trying to distance itself from its terrible predecessor. Channing Tatum returns, but they traded Marlon Wayans and Dennis Quaid for Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis. 

29th- Magic Mike: Also Channing Tatum, but also Matt Bomer and Matthew McConaughey, who play strippers.

July

3rd- The Amazing Spider Man: The director of the great (500) Days of Summer takes on the Spiderman Reboot. I hate the idea of rebooting a series already, but the newest trailer is warming me to the idea. 

20th- The Dark Knight Rises: The big one, an Oscar contender, and a contender to break Avatar's box office record, but lets just hope it overcomes the super hero trilogy curse. 

27th- Neighborhood Watch: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Jonah Hill in a movie about suburbanites keeping their neighborhood safe.

August

3rd- Total Recall: Another remake, this one stars Colin Farrel instead of Swarzenegger, and supposedly will stay closer to the source material.

17th- The Expendables 2: All the main guys are back, but with bigger roles for Willis and Swarzenegger, and the addition of Van Damme and Chuck Norris.

24th- Premium Rush: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a bike messenger running from a corrupt cop (Michael Shannon). Looks promising.

31st- 7500: True Blood's Ryan Kwanten headlines this airplane ghost story.

31st- The Wettest County: Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Shia LeBeouf, and Guy Pearce in a prohibition era gangster movie, sold. And the Academy might be too. 

September

14th- Resident Evil 5: The next in the RE series, at this point you know what your getting. 

14th-Argo: Ah, the Oscar season starts here. Ben Affleck's 3rd film as a director, focuses on the Iranian hostage crisis. 

21st-Dredd: A remake of Judge Dredd starring Karl Urban, and supposedly stays closer to the source material. 

21st- Cogan's Trade: Brad Pitt plays a professional enforcer investigating a heist that went down during a high stakes poker game. Another Oscar contender. 

28th- Looper: The next from Rian Johnson (Brick), stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt. Story is a high concept piece of work about a killer (Bruce Willis) who disposes of his victims in the past. Until he notices one of his victims, is his past self. 

28th- Savages: From Oliver Stone, the story of two men (A very busy Taylor Klitsch, as well as Aaron Johnson) who go up against a Mexican drug Lord (Benicio Del Toro) to get their shared girlfriend (Blake Lively) back. Oscar contender. 

October

TBA- Cloud Atlas: The next from Andy and Lana Wachowski, not much is known, but it stars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Oscar contender.

5th- Taken 2: Liam Neeson returns in the sequel to the hit Taken. Not much is known about the plot, but I am sure Neeson will look serious and kill people. 

12th- Gangster Squad: Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, and Sean Penn in a Gangster movie. Definite Oscar contender.

19th-Paranormal Activity 4: No idea if they will connect it to the original trilogy, or start a new family. 

26th- Halloween 3D: The next Halloween film. 

26th- Alex Cross: Tyler Perry takes over the detective from Morgan Freeman who played him in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

26th- Of Men and Mavericks- A Gerard Butler surfing movie. Might be an Oscar contender, but I'll wait for a trailer before deciding that for sure. 

November

2nd-Red Dawn: Long delayed remake of the Charlie Sheen/Patrick Swayze cult classic.

9th- Skyfall: The next Bond, but this one is directed by Sam Raimi and costars Javier Bardem.

16th-Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2: The final Twilight film, who lives and who doesn't?

19th- The Silver Linings Playbook: Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star in this David O'Russell film about a man (Cooper) who is released from a mental institution. Oscar contender.

21st- Rise of the Guardians: A Christmas themed cartoon about a demon fighting Santa. Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, and Alec Baldwin lend their voices.

December

TBA- Lincoln: Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln biopic starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th presdent. Co-stars Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tommy Lee-Jones. Oscar contender. 

7th- Les Miserables: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Sasha Baron Cohen, and Anne Hathaway in Tom Hooper's take on the classic musical. Oscar contender. 

12th- World War Z: Brad Pitt and Matthew Fox in another zombie film. But this film appears to be more of a drama, and might be a zombie movie that gets Oscar consideration. 

14th- The Hobbit Part 1: Peter Jackson returns to tell the full tale of Bilbo Baggins. 

19th- Untitled Bin Laden Project: Katherine Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) directs the tale of how Bin Laden was killed. 

21st- Hunter Killer: Submarine thriller starring Gerard Butler and Sam Worthington.

21st- Life of PI: Ang Lee's film about a boy lost at see with only some captive zoo animals to keep him company. 

21st- This is 40: Spin off of Knocked Up, focusing on Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's characters as they reach 40. 

25th- The Great Gatsby: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire take on the classic. Leo may be fighting himself for the Best Actor...against...

25th- Django Unchained: Leo plays the villain to Jamie Foxx's freed slave and Christoph Waltz's bounty hunter in this Quentin Tarantion action film. 

This could be a great enough year to make up for how bad 2011 was. Several great Oscar contenders, and some high profile films should wash the Midnight in Paris stench off of us once and for all. Taylor Klitsch and Jennifer Lawrence seemed poised to be A list after this year, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt may finally be looked at as the elite actor he is. Did I miss any movies your excited for? Let me know in the comments. 

The top ten I am most excited for in 2012 is:

10. The Avengers

9. Cogan's Trade

8. World War Z

7. The Gangster Squad

6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

5. Prometheus

4. Skyfall

3. The Hobbit Part 1

2. Django Unchained

1. The Dark Knight Rises

Check back later this week, when I will do my (very) early Oscar predictions for 2012. 

-Maximus

Movie Review- The Double

Where the hell did this movie come from? No theatrical release, but seemingly at the forefront of many rental place's new release marketing? Some big stars (Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen), a smart plot, twists and turns, this is the kind of movie that I do not understand how it gets left out when films like Your Highness somehow get released in theaters. Now that I have raised expectations past a reasonable point, let me just say that The Double is not amazing, just very solid. Richard Gere continues to be the actor that time forgot despite not really losing any of his marketability, and he turns in a solid performance here. The Double is about a young agent (Topher Grace) who is the expert on a presumed dead Russian assassin. However when that assassin surfaces again, he must team up with the man who hunted him (Gere) to bring him down. If you have seen the previews, the film makes no secret of its big twist about a third of the way through, but if you felt like that was the only twist it had coming, you are wrong. Worth seeing when you get a chance, I give The Double 7 Ninja stars out of 10.

The Double is directed by Michael Brandt and stars Topher Grace, Richard Gere, Martin Sheen, Odette Annable, and Stephen Moyer.

-Maximus

Oscar Recap!

Sometimes (most times) I don't understand the Oscars. Because surely if its insanely obvious to me that one film has better special effects or sound effects than another, the voting bodies must see that too right? So I ask you this, why would Hugo win the Visual Effects and Sound Editing awards following a single train crash...? Films like Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Harry Potter clearly had wall to wall better special effects than Hugo, and films like Transformers had the metal sounds of transformers transforming, and building collapsing, and vehicles exploding, and gun fire....and Hugo still had...a train crash. I feel better after getting that off my chest, now on to the recap.

Best Picture: The Artist. Not a shocker in any way, shape, or form. There was no drama in this category.
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicious, The Artist. Also not a surprise here. Anyone could see this win coming a mile away.
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist. A bit of a surprise for me as I thought Clooney had enough early momentum to get the win despite Dujardin's late surge. This was his weakest acceptance speech so far, not as witty or clever as his Globes or SAG speeches.
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady. Another minor surprise. Viola Davis was the favorite, but Streep was hot on her heels. Streep was engaging and funny as has come to be expected from her.
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners. Zero surprise.
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help. Zero surprise.
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris. The favorite, even though its a terrible screenplay.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, The Descendants. Would be the only Descendants win on the evening, but was a solid and deserved win.
Best Visual Effects: Hugo. Should have been any of the other 4 movies in the category. I incorrectly thought Rise of the Planet of the Apes would win. I was wrong.
Best Cinematography: Hugo. I incorrectly picked The Tree of Life. Tree of Life had swept every single pre Oscars cinematographers award, but the Academy again blindly loved the overrated Hugo.
Best Editing: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Incorrectly picked The Artist. Happy to see the GwtDT win here though as it was my pick for "Should Win".
Best Sound Editing: Hugo. I picked Transformers, and this was another award that should have gone to any other nominee.
Best Sound Mixing: Hugo. This one Hugo deserved.
Best Makeup: The Iron Lady. Should have gone to Harry Potter. Harry Potter had equal aging effects, plus they made goblins, wizards, witches, giants, trolls, and monsters.
Best Animated Feature Film: Rango. The right pick.
Best Art Direction: Hugo. Another one of the few that Hugo actually deserved.
Best Costume Design: The Artist. Not nearly as fantastic as fellow nominees Anonymous and Jane Eyre, and even Hugo seemed to have better costumes.
Best Original Score: The Artist. A film that was all score, so well deserved.
Best Song: Man or Muppet, The Muppets. 50/50 shot, and I picked correctly.
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation. The clear favorite due to the screenplay nomination.
Best Documentary: Undefeated. I thought the Hollywood baby Paradise Lost 3 would win, but the underdog sports film took it home.
Best Documentary Short: Saving Face. I incorrectly chose The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.
Best Animated Short: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore. When in doubt, bet on Pixar.
Best Live Action Short: The Shore. Correctly chose this one based off the presence of Ciaran Hinds.

So I was correct on 14 out of 24 categories. Not as strong a showing as usual, but it was a strange year with no great films. Hugo's dominance in the technical categories was really unexpected and ridiculous. Lets hope we have a better Oscar year next year with The Hobbit, Django Unchained, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Great Gatsby.

-Maximus

Movie Ninjas Oscar Preview!

This is the second annual massive Oscar Preview! Where we break down every category and tell you what should win, what will win, what could win, and what could be a dark horse. Remember while I do some research, many of these are just my opinion, if you lose your Oscar pool based off my predictions....well feel free to berate me in the comments. Lets get to it!

Best Original Screenplay
Should Win: Margin Call
Will Win: Midnight in Paris
Could Win: The Artist
Dark Horse: A Separation
-One of the only categories where The Artist is not the favorite, but unfortunately, people seem to think Midnight in Paris was not completely terrible. My favorite was the witty, terrific screenplay for Margin Call.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Should Win: Moneyball
Will Win: The Descendants
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse: Moneyball
-Moneyball was this years Social Network, but doesn't quite have the support. Hugo is the favorite right now as it credits a single writer, which the Academy traditionally loves, but I think this one will go to The Descendants.

Best Visual Effects
Should Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Will Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Could Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Dark Horse: Transformers Dark of the Moon
-HP 7.2 should be a best picture nominee, and I think it may sneak in here as some members may see it as a consolation prize, but with the MoCap of RotPotA being all the rage, I see it deservedly winning.

Sound Mixing
Should Win: Hugo
Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: War Horse
Dark Horse: Moneyball
-Sound Mixing is the mixing of dialogue, background effects, and primary sound effects. That is why this is Hugo's to lose.

Sound Editing
Should Win: Transformers Dark of the Moon
Will Win: Transformers Dark of the Moon
Could Win: War Horse
Dark Horse: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
-The actual sound category, the Transformers franchise has used sound very well. War Horse may still get credit for the three and a half minutes of actual war in the film.

Short Film Live Action
Will Win: The Shore
Could Win: Raju
Dark Horse: Time Freak
-I tend to assume the Academy will go dark material here (Raju), but last year gave it to the funny, touching God of Love, Time Freak could be this years light, funny winner. I however go with The Shore as it starred real actors, not sure that gives it a huge edge, but I think the Academy will like it.

Short Film Animated
Will Win: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Could Win: La Luna
Dark Horse: A Morning Stroll
-Flying Books is Pixar, so I pick that, although the more technically impressive were La Luna and Wild Life, but the most French was Dimanche/Sunday. A Morning Stroll though is simple and engaging.

Music (Original Song)
Should Win: The Muppets
Will Win: The Muppets
Could Win: Rio
Dark Horse: They just forget the category exists this year.
-Only two nominees this year. The Muppets were more notable.

Music (Original Score)
Should Win: The Artist
Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse: War Horse
-Two John Williams scores in lesser movies will likely cancel each other out. No Hans Zimmer this year. Incumbent Trent Reznor was ignored for the terrific GwtDT score. So I'll say the film that was all score, The Artist, takes it home.

Makeup
Should Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Will Win: HP 7.2
Could Win: The Iron Lady
Dark Horse: Albert Nobbs
-A very close race, could go either way. But I'll say this goes to sci fi as it traditionally does. Albert Nobbs is the Dark Horse by default as its only a 3 nominee category, it will be one of the other two films.

Foreign Language Film
Should Win: A Separation
Will Win: A Separation
Could Win: In Darkness
Dark Horse: Bullhead
-A Separation got the screenplay nod, which makes it the favorite. But this train of thought has led me astray in other years. Out of 11 Foreign Language nominees nominated for a screenplay award, only 5 have actually won the Foreign Language film award. In Darkness received wide praise in the States.

Film Editing
Should Win: The Artist
Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse: Moneyball
-Technical category and Hugo is the technical darling of this years awards based off the number of nominations. But Editing many times goes to the eventual Best Picture winner. Moneyball had great editing between baseball/dialogue, but is a long shot.

Documentary Short
Should Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Will Win: The Barber of Birningham
Could Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Dark Horse: Saving Face
-Material usually wins out here, so civil rights movement vs devastating natural disaster vs woman whose husband threw acid on her face vs soldier who questions his motives in Iraq?

Documentary Feature
Should Win: Undefeated
Will Win: Paradise Lost 3
Could Win: Undefeated
Dark Horse: Pina
-Undefeated and Pina were the only ones with a theatrical release, so that helps them. But Paradise Lost 3 helped clear 3 men who has been in prison for a long time....and Johnny Depp supports it.

Costume Design:
Should Win: Jane Eyre
Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Dark Horse(s): Anonymous
-Wide open as you can tell. Anonymous was the early favorite but didn't even get nominated by the Designers guild. W.E. won the guild award over Hugo, The Artist, and Jane Eyre... But I think Hugo picks up another win. However don't sleep on Jane Eyre, because the CD award sometimes goes in an unsuspecting way, and Jane Eyre should win this award.

Art Direction
Should Win: Hugo
Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Dark Horse: War Horse
-The Paris train station should win this one. The Artist still may pull it out in blind sweep fashion, but I say Hugo.

Directing
Should Win: The Artist
Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse: The Tree of Life
-Should easily be The Artist's award. But directors love The Tree of Life. But once again, the smart money is on The Artist.

Cinematography
Should Win: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Will Win: The Tree of Life
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse(s): The Artist
-Once again you always have to watch out for the "big" films of the year to blindly sweep award they don't deserve, but The Tree of Life has swept every award in this category since the beginning, so likely it will win here.

Animated Feature Film
Should Win: Rango
Will Win: Rango
Could Win: Chico & Rita
Dark Horse: A Cat in Paris
-With Tintin getting shut out here, the award goes to Rango. The only chance it doesn't is if the Academy tries to impress people and awards the adult animated films A Cat in Paris or Chico & Rita.

Actress Supporting
Should Win: Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Will Win: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Could Win: No
Dark Horse: No
-This is Spencer's to win. It would be a huge upset if anyone else won.

Actor Supporting
Should Win: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Will Win: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Could Win: No
Dark Horse: Max Von Sydow (ELIC)....barely
-Not much of a race either, would be a huge upset as well.

Actress Lead
Should Win: Viola Davis (The Help)
Will Win: Viola Davis (The Help)
Could Win: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Dark Horse: No, either Streep or Davis.
-Neck and neck, to say Streep is the dark horse is underrating her chances. This could go either way, I say it goes Davis'.

Actor Lead
Should Win: George Clooney (The Descendants)
Will Win: George Clooney (The Descendants)
Could Win: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Dark Horse: Demian Bichir has a lot of industry support, but this is Clooney or Dujardin's.
-Again, neck and neck. Could honestly go either way. Dujardin is the favorite right now, but I say Clooney takes it.

Best Picture
Should Win: Harry Potter....wait.. The Help
Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse: If there is one, Hugo
-Not much drama here. Its The Artist vs the field. And The Artist is the prohibitive favorite.

So what do we have? A lot of boring categories. 4 of the 6 biggest of the year (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress) are all locks. Hopefully Actor and Actress are enough to keep us interested...well that and Billy Crystal. As a final count, I have The Artist with 4 awards, Hugo with 3, and The Help with 2.

Check back again right before showtime as there may be some corrections made in the short categories.

-Maximus