Sandy
1. True Grit
Release Date: 12/25/2010
Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
Adaptation of the Charles Portis novel, and remake of the 1969 movie that won John Wayne a Best Actor Oscar, about a teenage girl who enlists the aid of a boozy, trigger-happy lawman to hunt down her father's killer before a Texas Ranger finds him first.
Why It's a Contender: The movie doesn't release until Christmas. No one has seen it. Yet, we're picking it as the favorite to win Best Picture with its Oscar-winning combination of directors (The Coen Brothers) and cast (Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon). Plus, it will be the most recent memory for Academy members before they cast their votes.
True Grit | Jeff Bridges | Matt Damon | Josh Brolin | Movie Trailer | Review
2. The King's Speech
Release Date: 11/24/2010
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Based on the true story of King George VI — the current Queen Elizabeth's father — who overcame a terrible stammer with the help of an eccentric speech therapist, the Australian-born Lionel Logue, and his daughter.
Why It's a Contender: It recently won top prize at Toronto International Film Festival, which in recent years has become Best Picture spotter (Precious, Slumdog Millionaire). Add in that the movie involves royal historical figures and disabilities, both of which are things the Academy loves, and that early critic reviews are nearly universally positive. Clearly, this is True Grit's toughest competition.
The King's Speech | Movie Trailer | Review
3. Inception
Release Date: 7/16/2010
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page
Science fiction heist movie "from the director of The Dark Knight" about a thief who extracts information from the subconscious mind of his victims while they dream. First pitched to Warner Brothers in 2001, the pic finally made it to the big screen this summer and was a smashing critical and box-office success.
Why It's a Contender: Someday Christopher Nolan will win Best Director and one of his movies will win Best Picture. Inception is his best shot yet, a thinking-person's thriller with wide appeal, it currently stands #4 on the IMDb Top 250 behind only The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, and The Godfather: Part II.
Inception | Movie Trailer | Review
4. The Fighter
Release Date: 12/10/2010
Directed by: David O. Russell
Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Mark Wahlberg
Drama/biopic based on the story of professional boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, a blue-collar athlete who overcame hardship — not to mention a lack of athletic ability — to very nearly reach the very top of the boxing world. (He never won any of the "Big Four" world titles.)
Why It's a Contender: Like True Grit, no one has seen The Fighter but it looks like a contender. David O. Russell has Best Picture–making talent, and he's got one of the strongest casts of any pic this year with Amy Adams (two Best Supporting Actress nominations), Christian Bale (who again went on a Machinist-style weight-loss plan), and the underrated Mark Wahlberg (who trained to years for the role, and it shows).
The Fighter | Movie Trailer | Review
5. 127 Hours
Release Date: 11/5/2010
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara
Yet another "based on a true story" movie based on what happened to Aron Ralston, an American mountain climber who amputated his own arm to free himself after being trapped by a boulder in a Utah canyon for nearly five days in May 2003.
Why It's a Contender: Director Danny Boyle and his movie Slumdog Millionaire both won Oscars just two years ago, so it would require 127 Hours to be extra-special for another Boyle movie to take top honors so soon. For those who saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival, it's exactly that.
127 Hours | Movie Trailer | Review
6. The Social Network
Release Date: 10/1/2010
Directed by: David Fincher
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones
Also known as "The Facebook Movie," the David Fincher-directed pic is based on Ben Mezrich's much-maligned book about Facebook's founding, The Accidental Billionaires.
Why It's a Contender: While it doesn't officially open until Friday, the movie was screened at the New York Film Festival and critics are gaga over it. Fincher makes good movies that the Academy has started taking note of — it also doesn't hurt that The Social Networkis so "of the moment."
The Social Network | Movie Trailer | Review
7. Toy Story 3
Release Date: 12/25/2010
Directed by: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
In development for 11 years, the sequel to Toy Story and Toy Story 2 brought Woody, Buzz, and the and the rest of the toys back together, only to have them dumped off at a day care center when Andy leaves for college.
Why It's a Contender: Funny, charming, and surprisingly moving (we were in tears), Toy Story 3 is arguably the best Pixar pic yet. Critics liked it as much as movie fans, and while it's definitely not the Academy's normal cup of tea, it's got a legitimate shot at winning.
Toy Story 3 | Tim Allen | Tom Hanks | Movie Trailer | Review
