We’ve got nothing but good things to say about any of this year’s Best Supporting Actress nominees; they’re all damn good in their respective flicks, especially
The Fighter’s Melissa Leo (a gambling man would be wise to bet on her). If we had our way, though, Mila Kunis would be one of the five names, for her sexy and attention-grabbing work in
Black Swan. Before you accuse us of favoring her because she got hot and heavy with Natalie Portman, hear us out. In a film as dark and mentally taxing as Darren Aronofsky’s ballet-framed freakshow, Kunis’s bubbly performance is the perfect counterbalance. She owns the screen in all of her scenes, and without her
Black Swan could’ve been unbearably dark. And if the Academy issued statues for sexiness, Kunis’s bedroom chops would dominate the competition. Just ask Natalie Portman. What, you actually thought we’d ignore that? Come on now.
The Original Score Category Is A Tough One
Our personal picks for all of the major categories aren’t tough to select. Best Picture?
The Social Network. Best Actor? Jesse Eisenberg, though we’re thinking Colin Firth has that one wrapped up. Best Actress? Natalie Portman (see the above Mila Kunis blurb for an explanation). But the less-heralded category Original Score? It’s a two-way tie between Hans Zimmer’s epic symphony heard in
Inception and the moody electronica crafted by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for
The Social Network. Both scores have been on heavy rotation in our iTunes for months now, and the favorite’s edge shifts on a daily basis. If you threatened to slaughter a puppy, though, our gut says Reznor and Ross should share the throne.
Hopefully More People Will See Biutiful Now
Everyone knows about
The Social Network,
Inception, and
Black Swan, but very few seem to be aware of the emotionally devastating
Biutiful. Directed by the gifted Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (
21 Grams,
Babel),
Biutiful is a somber and morose tale of a dying man (Javier Bardem) who’s one with the afterlife. Though critics have repeatedly discussed its merits over the last few months, audiences have yet to catch on. With a little luck, the film’s pair of nominations (Best Foreign Film and an unexpected Best Actor nod for Bardem) will wake a ton of sleepers up.
Congratulations, John Hawkes!