Ben’s Not Lying

By Chad Boyle — 02/25/11
The Oscars are as nail biting and unpredictable as any awards show. E! Entertainment film critique Ben Lyons has seen each and every film nominated in this year’s Academy Awards. He weighs in his opinion on who will win each category. This is the second year that the academy has upped the best picture nominees to ten. The Social Network and The King’s Speech are neck and neck this year. The Social Network won The Golden Globe and The King’s Speech won the Producer’s Guild Award and the BAFTA. Ben Lyons says he thinks that The King’s Speech will take home the Oscar even though American filmgoers have praised this film. Other films nominated in this category are 127 Hours, Toy Story 3, The Kids Are All Right, Winter’s Bone, True Grit, Black Swan, The Fighter, and Inception.
Since awards season began Colin Firth has won each and every award including the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and a SAG award. Ben Lyons says this year is Colin Firth’s year. Colin Firth was also nominated last year for A Single Man. Also nominated in this category is James Franco for 127 Hours, Jeff Bridges for True Grit, Javier Bardem for Biutiful, and Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network.
Ben Lyons says Natalie Portman is definite shoe in to win best actress. Portman transformed herself into a ballerina obsessed with being the best. Portman has wont the BAFTA, the Golden Globe, and the SAG award. Other nominees in this category are Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right, Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole, and Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone.
Christian Bale won a Golden Globe and a SAG award for The Fighter. Geoffrey Rush won the BAFTA for The King’s Speech. Ben Lyons says that even though Christian Bale hasn’t campaigned at all for his performance, he will be the one to take home the Oscar for his performance. Other nominees in this category are Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right, Jeremy Renner for The Town, and John Hawkes for Winter’s Bone.
Right now the best supporting actress category is neck and neck. Melissa Leo won the SAG and the Golden Globe for her role in The Fighter. Helena Bonham Carter won the BAFTA for The King’s Speech. Leo wasn’t nominated for a BAFTA. Hailee Steinfeld is nominated for a supporting role for her leading performance in True Grit. Ben Lyons says despite the stiff competition from Steinfeld and Bonham Carter, Leo will take home the gold. Other nominees in this category are Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom and Amy Adams for The Fighter.
The honor for best director is between Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech and David Fincher for The Social Network. Fincher won the Golden Globe and Hooper won the Director’s Guild of America Award and the BAFTA. Ben Lyons thinks that Tom Hooper will take home the gold. Other nominees in this category are David O. Russell for The Fighter, Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan, and Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit.