Rafer Guzmán makes his Oscar picks
DiCaprio went on to become, "the king of the world!!" His star power is epic and well deserved. Some of his major box office hits include, "Titanic," "Romeo and Juliet," "The Departed," and "Inception." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
This year, it really is a contest.
As often as not, the Oscars seem more about who's wearing what than about whose names are inside the envelopes. But at Sunday's 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony, expect some real suspense when those seals are broken. Could "The Social Network" swipe best picture from "The King's Speech"? Will Melissa Leo's controversial Oscar campaign sink her chances at the supporting actress award? Could Annette Bening pull an upset over Natalie Portman for best actress?
As always, the choices won't please everyone. If "Speech" beats "Network," armchair critics will berate the academy for its middlebrow tastes, and if "Network" takes the prize, voters might find themselves once again accused of being out of touch with popular opinion. Perhaps the only thing most people will agree on is Colin Firth's all-but-guaranteed win for best actor.
Check your picks against ours:
BEST PICTURE
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"Inception"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The King's Speech"
"The Social Network"
"Toy Story 3"
"True Grit"
"Winter's Bone"
SHOULD WIN: "Inception." Baffling as it was, no other film this year was as audaciously inventive and visually thrilling.
WILL WIN: "The King's Speech." Even if you're rooting for a different film, this one is so endearing that you can't be too angry with it.
BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"
SHOULD WIN: Firth. His sensitive portrayal of a stammering king finding his voice was this year's best performance overall.
WILL WIN: Firth
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"
Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"
SHOULD WIN: Bale. As a charismatic crack addict, Bale veered between subtlety and fireworks in one of the year's most talked-about performances.
WILL WIN: Bale
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"
SHOULD WIN: Bening. As a middle-aged lesbian mom with a faithless spouse, she brought every nuance of a complicated character to the screen.
WILL WIN: Portman. Her turn as an oversexed, hallucinating ballerina has inexplicably launched her even further into the Hollywood stratosphere. As they say, it's her year.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"
SHOULD WIN: Leo. Despite her self-promotional Oscar campaign, there's no arguing with her portrayal of a hard-bitten, working-class mother.
WILL WIN: Leo
ANIMATED FEATURE
"How to Train Your Dragon"
"The Illusionist"
"Toy Story 3"
SHOULD WIN: "Toy Story 3." Few other movies, even live-action ones, were as emotionally powerful.
WILL WIN: "Toy Story 3"
DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "True Grit"
David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
David O. Russell, "The Fighter"
SHOULD WIN: Aronofsky. His use of sound, symbolism and visual trickery made this movie a stylist's delight.
WILL WIN: Hooper. He recently won the Directors Guild Award, a near-perfect predictor of this Oscar.
