Oscar Nominees: Best Picture

My predictions: 10/10!
My ballot: Come back in February for my top 25 films of the year.
The nominees: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone

After a big surprise here last year, this lineup was actually totally expected, with unfortunate surprises saved for other categories (Best Director). Despite my lack of love for “Black Swan” and “True Grit,” there isn’t a “Blind Side” in this bunch. The other eight films are strong, good movies, and two earn an A- from me (“127 Hours” and “The Social Network”), with another one getting an A (“Toy Story 3”). The discussion should now turn to who’s going to win this thing. It can be argued that “True Grit” is in great shape after receiving ten nominations, including a Best Director bid. “The Fighter” has been building strongly, and “Toy Story 3” hasn’t had too many opportunities to be in direct competition with these other films. In truth, it’s down to “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech,” with the latter film scoring a huge victory this past weekend with a Producers Guild of America win. I still think the former film will prevail, but we’ll see.

My current bet to win: “The Social Network”