Will Critics' Oscar-Buzz Make for a Light Year?

Ballwin and Ellisville may be in the middle of a bitterly cold winter, but Oscar season is just heating up with nominees for the Academy Awards announced last week.

Opinions in Ballwin on the awards this week are largely positive. I didn't encounter anyone who thought that any of the nominated films did not deserve a spot on the list, although some have definitely received more attention than others.

In terms of Best Picture, it appears to be a toss up between “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech.” Appropriately enough, actors Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth also appear most likely to duke it out for the "Best Actor" Oscar for their respective portrayals last year of two disparate characters, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and King George VI.

Out of the several contenders for "Best Picture,' it is this historical drama about King George VI overcoming his speech impediment that teacher Jim Craven of Ballwin thinks has the best shot at winning.

 "'The King’s Speech’ was a great movie, and Colin Firth was very good as well,” Craven sad.

  “If it were up to me, it’d either be 'True Grit' or ‘127 Hours,'" said Jesse Wood of Ballwin, who said it's hard not to be a fan of the John Wayne remake "True Grit" or any other production by directors Joel and Ethan Coen.

 Another movie to watch is Darren Aronofsky’s psycho-sexual thriller “Black Swan.”  Actress Natalie Portman has received many accolades for her leading role in the film, but the movie's abstract nature may end up harming its overall chances.

 “My girlfriend didn’t like 'Black Swan’. She said it was really weird,” agreed Wood.

While everyone loves to debate about the best picture/actor/actress winners, oftentimes the peripheral categories are more revealing. First and foremost is "Best Animated Feature Film." I was disappointed by only three nominees this year, and I also wish that it was not such a lock for “Toy Story 3” to win the Oscar.  While I loved “The Illusionist”, the bittersweet and posthumous swansong for celebrated French actor Jacques Tati, I'm afraid that it just can't hold up against the best reviewed film of 2010.

Finally, I like to keep track of the "Best Visual Effects" category, where the fantastic elements of what can only be created on film will shine. While I would love to see Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” or “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” win the Oscar, my gut tells me “Inception” will be a lock.

For the complete list of all nominees, click here. The 83rd Academy Awards Ceremony are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. shown on ABC.