2011 wasn’t the best year for movies in my opinion, and there are movies/actors who I think should be on this list but I am going to try to keep this one short and just present my choices for the 2011 winners. Mercifully for you, I am also not going to blather on about all the awards; I’ll keep it to acting, directing and the best movie. I am new to this so I don’t have the credentials to talk about cinematography, editing, sound editing and other technical aspect that goes in making a movie great.
Best Supporting Actor
| Jonah Hill | Moneyball |
| Kenneth Branagh | My Week with Marilyn |
| Nick Nolte | The Warrior |
| Christopher Plummer | Beginners |
| Max von Sydow | Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close |
It was tough deciding which actor I think deserves the Oscar. I enjoyed Max von Sydow, and Jonah Hill’s performances but I just didn’t really feel any emotional connection with their characters. It was a battle between Nick Nolte and Christopher Plummer and I believe Christopher Plummer did a fantastic job as an elderly man coming out of the closet. Chalk one up for the True North!
Best Supporting Actress
I have to say, that I enjoyed Bridesmaids a lot more than I thought I would and Melissa McCarthy rightfully deserves a nomination for her hysterical portrayal of the bride’s sister-in-law. All the other performances were good but as it turns out it’s the poop humor that gets me in the end. I believe Octavia Spencer deserves an Oscar for her Awesome Poop pie. But all jokes aside I was very impressed by her performances and I was cheering for her all the way to the end.
| Bérénice Bejo | The Artist |
| Jessica Chastain | The Help |
| Octavia Spencer | The Help |
| Melissa McCarthy | Bridesmaids |
| Janet McTeer | Albert Nobbs |
Best Actor
I would like to point out that I don’t think Jean Dujardin should be on this list. Although I loved the homage to the silent film era, acting requires a lot more than just actions. If Jean Dujardain deserves recognition for his acting where he did not talk I strongly believe Andy Serkis also deserves recognition for his amazing performance as Cesar in Rise of the Apes. As a matter of fact if Serkis was nominated, he’d be the guy I’d root for to win. Personal preferences apart, I think this award belongs to George Clooney for his role as a grief-stricken husband who must deal maturely with his wife’s death and her infidelity, while juggling the role of a harried dad. You wont hear this often but ‘The Descendants’ is the stage where Clooney unravels the full range of his brilliance and the Golden statue is just reward me thinks!
| George Clooney | The Descendants |
| Jean Dujardin | The Artist |
| Brad Pitt | Moneyball |
| Gary Oldman | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
| Demián Bichir | A Better Life |
Best Actress
I didn’t think Meryl Streep’s performance was so impressive that she is sweeping all the awards, and as for Viola Davis I loved her acting but I don’t think it deserves an Oscar. I actually believe that she deserved the Oscar for ‘Doubt’; a movie in which Meryl Streep also starred. I loved both of both of them in that movie and I was rooting for them but this year both the actresses fall just a little short in my point of view. At first my heart was keen on choosing Rooney Mara for her role as a socially awkward and rebellious super detective but then I saw Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs. I have to say she deserves to win and a lot of people are overlooking her performance and picking Viola Davis. Maybe I am wrong but it feels a lot like a race and representation thing rather than that of merit.
| Viola Davis | The Help |
| Rooney Mara | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
| Meryl Streep | Iron Lady |
| Michelle Williams | My Week with Marilyn |
| Glenn Close | Albert Nobbs |
Best Director
I have to say all these directors did an amazing job even Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist. I loved The Descendants, but I won’t be picking Alexander Payne for the best Director. As for Hugo I saw it when it came out on DVD last week and I heard the real appeal of the movie was the amazing use of 3D. I liked the movie but I didn’t think it was that impressive. Perhaps if I saw it in the theaters in 3D I would have a different point of view. Having said that, I believe Woody Allen deserves the Oscar for Midnight in Paris. I was skeptical of this movie as I am not a huge fan of Mr. Allen. It was different, it was well acted, and Woody used the Parisian scenery and it’s rich artistic history to near perfection.
| Terrence Malick | The Tree of Life |
| Alexander Payne | The Descendants |
| Michel Hazanavicius | The Artist |
| Woody Allen | Midnight in Paris |
| Martin Scorsese | Hugo |
Best Picture
Deciding on best picture was also tough for me. My top three picks are The Descendants, War Horse and Midnight in Paris. If any of these movies win the Oscar I’d call myself a happy camper. My no-no’s here are The Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and The Tree of Life. I don’t think The Artist was such an amazing movie that it deserves an Oscar. As for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close I don’t even know why this movie is in this list at all. I can’t help but think it’s only there because of the sensitive subject of 9/11 and I think that is just disappointing because this movie really sucks.
As for my choice for best picture I have to go with The Descendants. It was a tough call between War Horse and The Descendants, but in the end I have to say I just enjoyed The Descendants a little more maybe because it relates to the lives of those around me in the West.
| The Descendants | Jim Burke, Jim Taylor, and Alexander Payne |
| The Help | Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, and Michael Barnathan |
| Moneyball | Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt |
| The Tree of Life | Dede Gardner, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, and Bill Pohlad |
| War Horse | Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy |
| The Artist | Thomas Langmann |
| Midnight in Paris | Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum |
| Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close | Scott Rudin |
| Hugo | Graham King and Martin Scorsese |
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