Forecast for the 2015 Academy Awards

Here is how I think the nominees will fare in today's Oscars, in the order in which they could possibly win:


Best picture-

Boyhood
Birdman
American Sniper
The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Selma


Best director-

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for Birdman
Richard Linklater for Boyhood
Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum for The Imitation Game
Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher


Best original screenplay-

Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Foxcatcher
Nightcrawler


Best adapted screenplay-

The Imitation Game
American Sniper
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Inherent Vice


Best foreign language film-

Ida               (from Poland)
Leviathan    (from Russia)
Tangerines   (from Estonia)
Wild Tales    (from Argentina)
Timbuktu      (from Mauritania)


Best lead actor-

Michael Keaton in Birdman
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game
Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper in American Sniper


Best lead actress-

Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Reese Witherspoon in Wild
Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night


Best supporting actor-

JK Simmons in Whiplash
Edward Norton in Birdman
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall in The Judge


Best supporting actress-

Patricia Arquette in Boyhood
Emma Stone in Birdman
Keira Knightley in The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep in Into the Woods
Laura Dern in Wild



In other categories:

best production design - The Grand Budapest Hotel
best costume design - The Grand Budapest Hotel

best sound editing - American Sniper
best sound mixing - American Sniper

best editing - Boyhood

best cinematography - Birdman

best makeup and hairstyling - Foxcatcher

best visual effects - Interstellar

best score - The Theory of Everything

best original song - Selma

best animated feature - Big Hero 6

Forecast for the 2014 Academy Awards

Here is how I think the nominees will fare in Monday's Oscars, in the order in which they could possibly win:

Best picture

American Hustle
Gravity
12 Years a Slave
Her


Dallas Buyers Club

Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street
Captain Phillips
Philomena


Best director -

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity
David O. Russell for American Hustle
Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street
Alexander Payne for Nebraska


Best original screenplay -

Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell for American Hustle
Spike Jonze for Her
Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine
Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack for Dallas Buyers Club
Bob Nelson for Nebraska


Best adapted screenplay -

JohnRidley for 12 Years a Slave
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Philomena
Billy Ray for Captain Phillips
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke for Before Midnight
Terence Winter for The Wolf of Wall Street


Best foreign-language film -

The Great Beauty (from Italy)
The Hunt (from Denmark)
The Broken Circle Breakdown (from Belgium)
Omar (from Palestine)
The Missing Picture (from Cambodia)


Best lead actor -

Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Bruce Dern in Nebraska
Christian Bale in American Hustle


Best lead actress -

Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Amy Adams in American Hustle
Judi Dench in Philomena
Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Meryl Streep in August: Osage County


Best supporting actor -

Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
Bradley Cooper in American Hustle

Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street
Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave
Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips


Best supporting actress -

Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave
Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle
June Squibb in Nebraska
Julia Roberts in August: Osage County
Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine

Academy Award Nominees 2012

The nominations for the 2012 Oscars have been announced.

best picture:

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

best director:

Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne for The Descendants
Martin Scorsese for Hugo

best actor:

Demian Bichir in A Better Life
George Clooney in The Descendants
Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt in Moneyball

best actress:

Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis in The Help
Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn

best supporting actor:

Kenneth Branagh in My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill in Moneyball
Nick Nolte in Warrior
Christopher Plummer in Beginners
Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

best supporting actress:

Bérénice Bejo in The Artist
Jessica Chastain in The Help
Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer in The Help

best original screnplay:

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor for Margin Call
Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi for A Separation

best adapted screenplay:

Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon for The Descendants
John Logan for Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon for The Ides of March
Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian for Moneyball
Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Academy Award Nominations 2012 Forecast

Here are the nominations we should hear tonight, in the order in which they could possibly be nominated:

best picture-

The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris

If there will be more nominees, we might see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moneyball or Bridesmaids.

best director-

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Martin Scorsese for Hugo
Alexander Payne for The Descendants
Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life

David Fincher might replace Malick with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

best actor-

George Clooney in The Descendants
Brad Pitt in Moneyball
Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar

Other possibilities are Michael Fassbender (in Shame) and Demian Bichir in (A Better Life).

best actress-

Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Viola Davis in The Help
Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk about Kevin

Others who might sneak in- although dark horses- are Rooney Mara (in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Kirsten Dunst (in Melancholia).

best supporting actor-

Christopher Plummer in Beginners
Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill in Moneyball
Albert Brooks in Drive
Nick Nolte in Warrior

Others who could step in are: Armie Hammer (in J. Edgar); Patton Oswalt (in Young Adult); and, Max Von Sydow (in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close).

best supporting actress-

Octavia Spencer in The Help
Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids
Berenice Bejo in The Artist
Jessica Chastain in The Help
Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs

Shailene Woodley (in The Descendants) might still make the cut.

best original screenplay-

Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids
Asghar Farhadi for A Separation
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life

Other possibilities: Will Reiser (for 50/50) and Tom McCarthy (for Win Win).

best adapted screenplay-

Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillian for Moneyball
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for The Descendants
Tate Taylor for The Help
John Logan for Hugo
Steven Zaillian for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Other possibilities: Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor (for Tinker Tailor Solider Spy) and George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon (for The Ides of March).

BAFTA Nominations 2012

The nominees for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards have been announced.

best film:

The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

outstanding British film:

My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk about Kevin

best film not in the English language:

Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

best director:

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive
Martin Scorsese for Hugo
Tomas Alfredson for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay for We Need to Talk about Kevin

best original screenplay:

The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Guard
The Iron Lady
Midnight in Paris

best adapted screenplay:

The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

best leading actor:

George Clooney in The Descendants
Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Michael Fassbender in Shame
Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt in Moneyball

best leading actress:

Berenice Bejo in The Artist
Viola Davis in The Help
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk about Kevin
Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

best supporting actor:

Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
Jim Broadbent in The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill in Moneyball
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Ides of March
Christopher Plummer in Beginners

best supporting actress:

Jessica Chastain in The Help
Judi Dench in My Week with Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan in Drive
Octavia Spencer in The Help


best cinematography:

The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

best editing:

The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Senna
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

best production design:

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

best costume design:

The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
My Week with Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

best make up and hair:

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2
Hugo
The Iron Lady
My Week with Marilyn

best sound:

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

best special visual effects:

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
War Horse

best original music:

The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

best animated film:

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Arthur Christmas
Rango

best documentary:

George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Poject Nim
Senna

outstanding British debut by a director or producer:

Richard Ayouade for Submarine
Paddy Considine & Diarmid Scrimshaw for Tyrannosaur
Joe Cornish for Attack the Block
Ralph Fiennes for Coriolanus
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley, & Sarah Brocklehurst for Black Pond


The Artist leads with 12 nominations, followed by Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 11. Hugo has nine, but was shut out of the best picture race.

Bejo is nominated as a lead actress, and Albert Nobbs was ineligible.

Winners at the Golden Globe Awards 2012

Here are the winners of this year's Golden Globes:

for film-

best drama: The Descendants

best actor: George Clooney in The Descendants
best actress: Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady

best comedy or musical: The Artist

best actor: Jean Dujardin in The Artist
best actress: Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

best director: Martin Scorsese for Hugo
best screenplay: Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris

best supporting actor: Christopher Plummer in Beginners
best supporting actress: Octavia Spencer in The Help

best animated movie: The Adventures of Tintin
best foreign language film: A Separation (from Iran)

best original score: Ludovic Bource for The Artist
best original song: "Masterpiece" from W.E.


for television-

best drama: Homeland

best actor: Kelsey Grammer in Boss
best actress: Clair Danes in Homeland

best comedy or musical: Modern Family

best actor: Matt LeBlanc in Episodes
best actress: Laura Dern in Enlightened

best miniseries or TV movie: Downton Abbey
best actor: Idris Elba in Luther
best actress: Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce

best supporting actor in a TV series, miniseries, or TV movie: Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones
best supporting actress in a TV series, miniseries, or TV movie: Jessica Lange in American Horror Story

Golden Globes 2012 Forecast for Television

Here are my predictions on who will possibly win the Golden Globe on Monday:

best drama:

will win- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
should win- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

best actor:

will win- Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad
should win- Steve Buscemi in Boardwalk Empire

best actress:

will win- Claire Danes in Homeland
should win- Claire Danes in Homeland


best comedy:

will win- Modern Family (ABC)
should win- Modern Family (ABC)


best actor:

will win- Thomas Jane in Hung
should win- Johnny Galecki in The Big Bang Theory

best actress:

will win- Zooey Deschanel in New Girl
should win- Laura Linney in The Big C


best supporting actor:

will win- Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family
should win- Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family

best supporting actress:

will win- Sofia Vergara in Modern Family
should win- Sofia Vergara in Modern Family

Golden Globes 2012 Forecast for Film

Here are my predictions on who will the Golden Globes on Monday, in the order in which they could possibly win:


best motion picture- drama:

The Descendants
The Ides of March
Hugo
The Help
Moneyball
War Horse

best lead actor:

George Clooney in The Descendants
Brad Pitt in Moneyball
Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar
Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March
Michael Fassbender in Shame

lead actress:

Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Viola Davis in The Help
Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin
Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


motion picture-comedy or musical:

The Artist
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn
Bridesmaids
50/50

lead actor:

Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love
Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50
Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris
Brendan Gleeson in The Guard

lead actress:

Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
Charlize Theron in Young Adult
Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids
Jodie Foster in Carnage
Kate Winslet in Carnage


director:

Martin Scorsese for Hugo
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Alexander Payne for The Descendants
Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
George Clooney for The Ides of March

screenplay:
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist Alexander Payne, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon for The Descendants Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon for The Ides of March Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian for Moneyball

supporting actor:

Christopher Plummer in Beginners
Jonah Hill in Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
Viggo Mortensen in A Dangerous Method
Albert Brooks in Drive

supporting actress:

Jessica Chastain in The Help
Shailene Woodley in The Descendants
Octavia Spencer in The Help
Berenice Bejo in The Artist
Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs


original score:

Ludovic Bource for The Artist
Howard Shore for Hugo
John Williams for War Horse
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Abel Korzeniowski for W.E.

original song:

"Hello, Hello" by Elton John and Lady Gaga from Gnomeo and Juliet
"The Living Proof" by Mary J. Blige from The Help
"Lay Your Head Down" by Sinead O'Connor from Albert Nobbs
"Masterpiece" by Madonna from W.E.
"The Keeper" by Chris Cornell from Machine Gun Preacher


best animated feature film:
Rango (directed by Gore Verbinski)
The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg)
Puss in Boots (Chris Miller)
Cars 2 (John Lasseter)
Arthur Christmas (Sarah Smith)

Filipino maids in Hong Kong

From the Associated Press:

HK star Lau channels China earnings to local films -

"While mainland China is now enjoying the fruits of rapid economic growth after years of political upheaval and central economic planning, Hong Kong has long enjoyed a high standard of living thanks to its bustling port economy. Filipino maids and domestic helpers from other Southeast Asian countries are common among middle-class Hong Kong families, let alone the super wealthy."

Oscars 2011

The King's Speech led the winners of the 83rd Academy Awards with four statuettes for best picture, best director (Tom Hooper), best actor (Colin Firth) and best original screenplay (David Seidler).

Another big winner was Inception, which won four of its eight nominations: best cinematography, visual effects, sound mixing and sound editing.

On the other hand, The Social Network copped three prizes: best adapted screenplay (Aaron Sorkin), best original score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and best editing (Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter).

Christian Bale and Melissa Leo received the Oscars for acting in a supporting role, for their turn in The Fighter.

Toy Story 3 earned statuettes for best animated feature film and best original song (for "We Belong Together" by Randy Newman).

Alice in Wonderland was a surprise winner of two Oscars (out of three nominations): best art direction and costume design.

Other winners were:

Natalie Portman (in Black Swan) - best actress

The Wolfman - best makeup

In a Better World (Denmark) - best foreign language film

Inside Job - best documentary feature

Strangers No More - best short-subject documentary

God of Love - best live action short film

The Lost Thing - best animated short film

Razzies 2011

The Last Airbender led the winners of the Golden Raspberry Awards, receiving prizes for worst picture, worst director, worst screenplay, and worst eye-gouging misuse of 3-D. Jackson Rathbone was chosen worst supporting actor for turns in The Last Airbender and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

M. Night Shyamalan was tapped worst director and worst supporting actor in 2006 for Lady in the Water.

Sex and the City 2, on the other hand, took the awards for worst actress; worst screen couple or ensemble; and, worst prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel.

Ashton Kutcher was worst actor (for "Killers" and "Valentine's Day), and Jessica Alba was worst supporting actress (for "The Killer Inside Me," "Little Fockers," "Machete" and "Valentine's Day).

Independent Spirit Awards 2011

Black Swan led the winners of the the Independent Spirit Awards copping the prizes for best picture, best director (Darren Aronofsky), best cinematography (for Matthew Libatique) and best actress (Natalie Portman).

Winter's Bone received the awards for best supporting actor and actress (John Hawkes and Dale Dickey).

Other winners were:

Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg (for The Kids are All Right) - best screenplay

James Franco (for 127 Hours) - best actor

Get Low (Aaron Schneider, director) - best first film

Lena Dunham (for Tiny Furniture) - best first screenplay

The King's Speech (United Kingdom) - best foreign film

Exit Through the Gift Shop - best documentary

Daddy longlegs - John Cassavetes Award for best film made for under $500,000

Please Give - Robert Altman Award for Director, Casting Director and Ensemble Cast

Forecast for the 2011 Academy Awards

Here is how I think the nominees will fare in Monday's Oscars, based on the order in which they could possibly win.


best picture-

The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
The Fighter
Inception


best director-

David Fincher for The Social Network
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David O. Russell for The Fighter
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for True Grit


best original screenplay-

The King's Speech
Inception
The Fighter
The Kids are All Right
Another Year


best adapted screenplay-

The Social Network
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3
True Grit
127 Hours


best actor-

Colin Firth in The King's Speech
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
James Franco in 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Javier Bardem in Biutiful


best actress-

Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Annette Bening in The Kids are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine


best supporting actor-

Christian Bale in The Fighter
Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech
Mark Ruffalo in The Kids are All Right
Jeremy Renner in The Town
John Hawkes in Winter's Bone


best supporting actress-

Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
Amy Adams in The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech
Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom


best cinematography-

True Grit
Black Swan


best editing-

The Social Network
The King's Speech
The Fighter
Black Swan
127 Hours


best costume design-

The King's Speech
True Grit
Alice in Wonderland


best makeup:

The Wolfman
The Way Back
Barney's Version


best visual effects-

Inception
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Alice in Wonderland


best original score-

The King's Speech
The Social Network
Inception
How to Train Your Dragon
127 Hours


best original song-

If I Rise from 127 Hours
W Belong Together from Toy Story 3
I See the Light (Tangled)
Coming Home (Country Strong)

best sound mixing-

Inception
True Grit
Toy Story 3


best sound editing:

Inception
True Grit
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Salt


best art direction-

The King's Speech
True Grit
Inception


best animated feature film- Toy Story 3


best foreign-language film -

Incendies
Biutiful
In a Better World
Outside the Law
Dogtooth

The Splintered Soul in "Black Swan"

Black Swan is an intensely delirious movie that charts a girl’s descent into dark territory.

A ballet company in New York is staging Swan Lake, and its director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) elects to replace Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) with Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) as the Swan Queen.

Leroy has doubts. He thinks Nina has the perfect technique to be the White Swan, but she is stiff and cold- sexless to be the Black Swan. What follows is Nina’s struggle to be perfect as well for the Black Swan role.

Black Swan’s director Darren Aronofsky and writers Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin expertly draw from literary and cinematic traditions to skillfully depict Nina’s unraveling.

Nina’s interior life resembles Rapunzel’s: She is locked up in the tower by an overbearing Mother Gothel (Barbara Hershey as Erica). They live together, and clearly, Erica supports Nina’s ambitions and dotes on her. But maybe too much: Erica wakes her, feeds her, undresses and dresses her, even taking Nina’s earrings out herself.

Consider an early scene in which Nina talks about having a dream. At first, we assume that she is talking to her mother. Much later, we realize she may have been talking to herself. This is what she does when she is by her lonesome. In the hallways of the theater, she is all by herself many times, even as girls her age talk and laugh among themselves.

In another early scene, mother and daughter regard a fruit. “How pretty,” they say; talking like children. Nina’s bedroom is full of stuffed toys- designed like a child’s room.

Hershey convincingly plays a mother who is by turns sweet and suffocating, jealous and protective. Erica used to be a ballerina herself and while she wants her daughter to realize her dreams, she admits at one point that she thought her daughter cannot handle the pressure. She is also aware that her daughter is unstable, so she wishes Nina would stop harming herself. A nail-clipping scene that will dare you to look away would show how shockingly involved Erica is, and how layered this involvement is. In another scene, Erica urges Nina to have a little cake after Nina cops the plum role. Subsequently, Erica demonstrates how forceful she is whether she wields a knife or a nail clipper.

In this particular shot, the camera is tilted to convey the uneasiness in their relationship. We observe that Erica is lit partially, and we know that she is not all cheer. “Sweet child,” she coos, and we know these words are veiled. While Nina lies on the bed, her mother towers over her, and while the hand touches Nina’s head tenderly, it could very well be pushing the head down. Nina is severely restricted, by herself and her mother, and she has to acknowledge this.

Black Swan’s first crucial plot point is a trade common in fairy tales: a bargain that will cost you. Nina will get to play the Swan Queen if she can show Leroy how to play the Black Swan.

True to the Swan Lake story, Nina (the princess) finds herself tapped by the artistic director (the prince), thereby getting the happiness she seeks. However, she finds the Black Swan role a burden (the curse) because she does not know how to seduce the audience. Her mother (the sorceress) has cloistered her, and therefore crippled her. Lily, another member of the troupe (another swan, Odile from the source) who exudes the wildness and the passion required, threatens to ensnare the director and usurp the Swan Queen role.

Is Lily out to get her? Black Swan toys with us by blurring the lines between the real and the fantastic. It plays in line with the traditions of psychological horror fiction (The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents, The Others), in which the ghost may or may not be imagined, and the virginal heroine is repressed and possibly unhinged.

How much of it is delusion? How much is real and how much is imagined? In the scene in which she pleasures herself, she is startled to find her mother sleeping nearby. Is her mother truly in her bedroom, or did Nina conjure her image to repress her erotic feelings? Either way, it adds to the development of the themes of the movie.

Aronofsky also achieves his effects through various strategies. He uses mirrors and hallways and doubles to suggest an identity crisis, the anxiety it brings and a need to deal with it. These characterize free choice and an opportunity to learn and grow. In many scenes, mirrors force Nina to look at who she really is. Hallways represent a period of transition, a journey into the unknown. Additionally, the camera constantly moves and swirls, to indicate that Nina's personality is in flux.

Plus Nina has doubles in her mother, Beth and Lily.

The casting of Ryder, Portman and Kunis is inspired: Ryder as the aging star forced to retire, Portman as the star of the moment and Kunis as the ascendant star. Just like her character, Portman reaches for greatness, and achieves it.

Early in the movie, Leroy recounts the story: A sweet girl finds herself cursed to be a swan, and only true love can set her free. Before a prince can declare his love, the black swan tricks him and seduces him. The white swan kills herself and finds freedom in death.

In the middle of the movie, Nina meets her self- her alter ego, the shadow- in an alley. We know from literary history that meeting your doppelganger is a sure omen of death. Does she die in the end? We cannot say conclusively, but she definitely dies a glorious, symbolic death. She has to accept her shadow- to be uninhibited, to wake up to her flaws, to become a woman.

Black Swan succeeds in exploring parts of Nina’s personality that have been suppressed, and her disintegration after attempting to embody both swans.

Photo from http://columbus.metromix.com/movies/photogallery/black-swan-photos/2179365/photo/2325807

2011 Academy Award nominations

The nominees for the 83rd Academy Award have been announced.


best picture-

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


best director-

Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
David O. Russell for The Fighter
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David Fincher for The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for True Grit


best original screenplay

Mike Leigh for Another Year
Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson and Keith Dorrington for The Fighter
Christopher Nolan for Inception
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg for The Kids are All Right
David Seidler for The King's Speech


best adapted screenplay-

Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy for 127 Hours
Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich for Toy Story 3
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for True Grit
Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for Winter's Bone


best actor-

Javier Bardem in Biutiful
Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Colin Firth in The King's Speech
James Franco in 127 Hours


best actress-

Annette Bening in The Kids are All Right
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine


best supporting actor-

Christian Bale in The Fighter
John Hawkes in Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner in The Town
Mark Ruffalo in The Kids are All Right
Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech


best supporting actress-

Amy Adams in The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech
Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom


best cinematography-

Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit


best film editing-

Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network


best original score-

How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network


best original song-

Coming Home from Country Strong
I See the Light from Tangled
If I Rise from 127 Hours
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3


best art direction-

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit


best costume-

Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit




best sound mixing-

Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit


best sound editing-

Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable


best makeup-

Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman


best visual effects-

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2


best animated feature film-

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3


best foreign-language film

Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law [Hors-la-loi] (Algeria)


best documentary feature-

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land


best short-subject documentary -

Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang


best live action short film-

The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143


best animated short film-

Day and Night
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)