I give this post 4 out of 5 Junior Mints

I don't even know where my love of movies came from. I think it gradually grew and really flourished in college, when I met Amanda, my movie soulmate. Amanda lived next door to me freshman year and continues to be one of my best friends. We bonded over botany, ebonics, and our shared love of movies and award shows. Maybe one day I'll tell you the story of botany and ebonics, but for today let's stick with movies. Amanda and I were constantly watching the lastest movies and also digging into the depths of film history to catch up on the classics. We eventually turned this love of film into a short writing career as film reviewers for the Rhodes newspaper where our rating scale consisted of Junior Mints (the ultimate movie candy, clearly) - if a movie got 5 Junior Mints it met all of our criteria.  It was a very short writing career.

It was during college that we started having Oscar parties and that tradition continues today. On the eve of Oscar weekend I thought I'd cover some of my favorite nominees from 2010. I don't always agree with the nominees or winners, but there are always some excellent performances and stories that get the recognition they so clearly deserve. These are the nominees that I'm just purely excited about this year, for different reasons. They may win, they may not, but I'll always remember them as some of my favorites of 2010. 

 

Christian Bale has been a favorite of mine for a long, long time. I loved him in Newsies and Little Women and have been impressed with the variety of roles he's tackled and the passion and skill he infuses into each character.  I think this nomination, his first, is long overdue and it's stories like his that frustrate me about the Academy. After being overlooked in films like Rescue Dawn and American Psycho, he's finally being recognized for the dedication he gives to each and every role. I mean, when you go from Picture A to Picture B up there, do you doubt the man's whole-hearted dedication to his craft?

Colin Firth has been another favorite of mine for years. As most girls with a slight fetish for Austen, I fell in love with him as Mr. Darcy in BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Although I actually prefer his performance in last year's "A Single Man", for which he was also nominated, I thought his portrayal of King George VI was nothing less than outstanding. He is the favorite in this category and mine as well.

I read about this documentary on my favorite movie blog, Pajiba. It's weird and surprising and questions what and who determines what is and isn't "art". It's completely fascinating and available on Netflix Instant - get on it. 

 

Hailee Steinfeld broke out this year as the 13 year old Mattie Ross in True Grit. She's impressed the film world with her gravitas, professionalism, and ability to hold her own against two major players, Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges. She's impressed me with her ability to not dress like a skank a la Miley Cyrus on the red carpet. 

I liked so many things about Inception - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, dreams within dreams within dreams, Marion Cotillard's wardrobe, Cillian Murphy deviating from his usual role as a psychopath, but most of all, the effects. If you haven't already, I highly recommend getting your hands on a dvd of Inception and watching the feature on how Christopher Nolan and his team pulled off the rotating hallway and other impressive effects in the film without the use of CGI. Truly fascinating.

 James Franco's had a busy year - he published a collection of short stories titled "Palo Alto"; is working on his Ph.D. at Yale and simultaneously taking classes at RISD; modeling for Gucci men's fragrance; is currently reprising his role on General Hospital as "Franco", a psychopathic artist; oh, and is hosting this year's Academy Awards alongside Anne Hathaway while also being recognized as a Best Actor nominee. I don't feel like a slacker at all. You?

John Hawkes, where have you been all my life!? This long-time character actor has evaded my notice for years until his incredible turn in this year's "Winter's Bone". As the main character's harsh, yet loyal uncle he completely blew me away. I think I was more excited about his nomination than any other, because it was unexpected, deserved, and I felt like the Academy got it right this time.

Which leads me to "Winter's Bone", my favorite film of the year. It's bleak, unrelenting, and authentic. Not so much a feel-good movie, but one of the best acted and directed films I saw in 2010. It introduced us to Jennifer Lawrence and, as mentioned previously, opened my eyes to the talents of John Hawkes. I love that it shows how far family will go for each other and the strength and character it takes to deal with difficult situations rather than run away from them, when that would be so much easier. It won't win on Sunday, but hopefully the exposure of the nomination will encourage others to see this small, but impactful independent film.

Who are your favorite nominees this year? Will you be watching on Sunday night?