By John C.

 

This week we have been featuring special coverage of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, to be presented on February 27th, 2011.  From Tuesday until Friday, we are sharing our more in-depth thoughts on the nominees in ten of the main categories.  Check back tomorrow for a look at the Scores & Songs nominated this year.

 

Today I’m taking a closer look at four of my favourite categories on Oscar night.  As always, there are 20 great performances being honoured with nominations in the acting categories, and I’m going to tell you who I think should (and will) take home the gold come Sunday.  As my predictions in these categories perfectly mirror the results of the Golden Globes, I have included photos from their acceptance speeches at the previous awards ceremony.

The nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role are:

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

 

For three of these talented actresses, it could be said that the nomination is the award.  Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams were critically acclaimed for their strong work in somewhat overrated movies, but have no chance at pulling an upset.  This is Nicole Kidman’s third nomination, (she picked up the gold in 2002 for The Hours), but despite this being among her best work, she won’t win come Oscar night.

 

The Best Actress category has already been narrowed down to Natalie Portman’s unforgettable performance in Black Swan and Annette Bening’s genuinly natural work in The Kids Are All Right.   This year’s race will all come down to whether or not they’re giving the award for overall achievement from a veteran actor, or to a relatively young contender who showed some of her best work yet.

 

Annette Bening may win due to the fact that (at 52) this is her fourth nomination and she’s never won, despite being a favourite for American Beauty in 1999.  This is Natalie Portman’s second nomination, (her first was a supporting nod for Closer in 2004), but the actress is only 29.  Still, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Portman and her brilliant performance in Black Swan was by far the best work I saw from an actress last year.

 

Who will win: In the end, it will be Natalie Portman who takes home the award.

 

The nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role are:

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

 

Jacki Weaver’s nod for her role as the matriarch in the Australian crime saga Animal Kingdom was well deserved, but won’t go past a nomination.  Helena Bonham Carter gave one of the best and most understated performances of her career in The King’s Speech, but it ultimately wasn’t the most memorable performance in that movie.

 

Hailee Steinfeld technically gave a leading performance in True Grit, but it was an intelligent move on the part of Paramount to campaign her for supporting, as she wouldn’t have stood a chance in the leading category. The 14-year-old actress was outstanding in True Grit, and in the supporting category she’s a serious dark horse contender.

 

But the Oscar will likely go to one of the two actresses nominated for the ensemble drama The Fighter.  I love Amy Adams and her performance here was one of her best yet, but the award will likely go to Melissa Leo for her more demanding turn as the caring but controlling mother of boxer Micky Ward.

 

Who will win: I’m bracing myself for an upset, but at this point it will be Melissa Leo.

 

The nominees for Best Actor are:

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

 

Javier Bardem’s nomination for the best foreign language film contender Biutiful was a nice surprise, but he won’t actually win the award.  Jeff Bridges might have had a better chance had he not won last year for Crazy Heart.  Jesse Eisenberg and James Franco were both excellent in their respective movies, but both are still fairly young contenders.

 

At the end of the night, this category belongs to Colin Firth for odds-on favourite The King’s Speech.  Firth gave what is among the best work yet of his endlessly impressive career and will win for his heart wrenching and inspirational performance as the stuttering monarch.

 

Who will win: This category is one of the easiest to call.  Colin Firth is going to win.

 

The nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role are:

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

 

The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner gave one of the best performances in The Town, as did Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right, but neither one will win.  For John Hawkes, the nomination is the award.

 

This category is down to Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech, and Christian Bale in The Fighter.  Rush was outstanding as the King’s speech therapist, but Bale’s entertaining and heartbreaking turn as the cocaine-addicted Dicky Eklund was career changing.

 

Who will win: Christian Bale was unforgettable in The Fighter, and is going to win.