Best Picture Nominee Ranking

Pre-writing
1. The Social Network
-Great story from something that seems uninteresting
-Lead actors really capture what their characters are about
-Harvard and college setting very well done, very interesting
2. Winter's Bone
-Intense story
-Setting very dark, dark imagery
-Strong, determined female lead
3. True Grit
-Loved the western setting
-Strong characters in both Mattie and Cogburn
-Chaney very rarely on screen. I found it odd.
4. Toy Story 3
-Wonderful story about growing up/ holding on to the past
-Surprisingly dark
-Important symbolism regarding growing up
5. The King's Speech
-Interesting cinematography
-Slow at times
-Painful to watch the King struggle so much
6. Inception
-For a dream world, surprisingly realistic
-Idea of infiltrating dreams very interesting
-Couldn't connect to the characters

Reviews
1. The Social Network
Of all the movies we watched as well as the other nominees, The social Network definitely stood out as my favorite. The story, about the creation of facebook (something i personally have very little interest in) was far more interesting and compelling than i thought it would be. Rather than filming the actors typing away on a computer for hours, the story center's around the slowly decaying friendship of Mark and Eduardo, Mark's ego and need to make himself great, and the drama and challenges associated with the eventual multiple lawsuits raised against him. All three of these literary elements as well as many others created a compelling, unique story where i had believed there would be none. Additionally, the performance of the three main actors, playing mark, Sean, and Eduardo i enjoyed very much. Jessie Eisenburg does a wonderful job in creating his version of Mark Zuckerburg, a truly genius, determined, and outright douchey individual who i loved throughout the entire movie. Eduardo's genuine feelings of betrayal are clearly evident throughout , and Sean Parker's mischievous, conniving, and controlling ways are powerfully portrayed through the acting of Justin Timberlake. Of course the cinematography was great as well, particularly the beginning and ending scenes struck me as great. In the bar with Mara, even with all the commotion around them, there is seldom anything to focus on but Mark and Mara, symbolizing that is the truly important thing to focus on. I chose the social network as my number 1 because for me n regards to overall story, acting, and cinematography, it was the best.

2. Winter's Bone
Winter's bone is a truly depressing and dark story, and in contrast to my first choice, focuses on problems that most of us don't deal with everyday, but that still have a significant impact on some people's lives. That is something i really liked about the story. We see the main character dealing with countless hardships that really no child (if she can even be called that) should ever have to deal with. Pile on the full resistance of an entire community and eventually some pretty severe aggression and you have a story about triumph over some of the hardest things any of us can imagine, yet a triumph with major sacrifice and no clear happy ending. The lead's portrayal of Ree is fantastically done. We see little clear emotion in the face of severe hardship and animosity, showing us how Ree has come to deal with the demanding and dangerous hardships of her lifestyle. The clannish attitude of the other characters is also very evident, and adds to the feelings of isolation and helplessness that i felt for Ree. The cinematography was some of the best, if not the very best, of any on this list. The chainsaw/ hand scene in particular portrayed more anguish and suffering than i thought possible, with very little shots with the bones visible at all. Winter's bone is placed at number two, because while i thought it was good, and the cinematography was great, it didn't surpass how impressed i was with The Social Network.

3.True Grit

While I have never seen another movie by the Coen Brothers, i certainly enjoyed this one. What i liked about true grit the most wasn't the story per se, but the character's in it. The defiant and determined Mattie and the Drunk Cogburn carry the story along through their interactions with each other and others, creating toughing, intense, and funny scenes i enjoyed throughout the movie. The performances of these characters are probably what i enjoyed the most about True Grit. Haley Steinfeld's Mattie is more grown up than most (if not all) the other characters in the movie, and her serious yet up-beat and distinctly businesslike attitude is something you rarely see. Even more rare is a good depiction of such a personality. The drunk Cogburn was another favorite of mine, whose gruff and sloppy attitude yet ultimate ability to get the job done was ably portrayed by Jeff Bridges. Another favorite element of True Grit was the cinematography. Scenes such as the blurry opening, the river, and the gunfight between Cogburn and the bandits really struck me as great. The helplessness created by the longshot after cogburn falls of his horse and LaBeouf fires a shot at Ned really kept me on the edge of my seat. Although i really did enjoy True Grit, it had to be placed in the middle because frankly i didn't like the story very much. The thing that carried me through were the characters and other movies delivered both what i got from true girt and other things a bit better.

4.Toy Story 3

I saw Toy Story 3 this summer and was overall very pleased with it. What i liked most about it was the story, specifically the symbolism regarding the challenges of growing up, such as having to let go of old parts of one's life (Andy going off to college and leaving the Toy's we saw were so important to him in the first two movies). While the performances are not traditional acting, the voice acting and portrayal of the CGI characters was done very well. The feelings of rejection experienced by the Toys come across surprisingly well, and make them seem very human and real. The cinematography was also done surprisingly well for a children's movie, particularly the incinerator scene when all the Toys believe they are going to die. Seeing their horror-stuck faces highlighted by the fire from the incinerator makes for one of the darker and more significant scenes i have seen in any children's movie. I placed Toy Story 3 at number for, partly out of nostalgia, but mostly because i did enjoy it, i just didn't believe it was as impressive as movies 1-3 in all respects.

5. The King's Speech

I liked the king's speech, for almost all aspects of the movie, just not as much as the other movies on my list. The story was good for the most part, and an interesting tale of a man's triumph over public humiliation. It did a good job of showing the importance of each individual success or failure, and it felt rewarding and interesting enough even though it could be slow at times. The cinematography was good, in particular times when the king was facing a daunting situation the camera-work put me in a perspective where it seemed as if i might be facing a similar situation, usually through the use of long shots. If there was one area where The King's Speech was truly great it was in it's theatrics. Geoffrey Rush could not have seemed more patient and caring throughout the movie, and Colin Firth really does seem as if he is experiencing all the frustration and hardship that King George VI did in his lifetime. Ultimately i have to place the kings speech in my number five spot, not because i didn't like it, but once again because i just didn't enjoy it as much as the other movies we watched, with the exception of Inception.

6. Inception

Like many others, I enjoyed Inception, though not as much as all of the other movies on the list. I like the story, i liked the idea of people being able to infiltrate other's dreams, and the subplot of Leonardo DeCaprio's guilt/ relationship with his dead wife. However, i found it disappointing that in a movie set exclusively in dreams, nothing too unrealistic was happening, save some sequences of shifting gravity. The cinematography was well done, and the scene shifts were able to keep me understanding the movie even across multiple, simultaneous dreams. All of the acting was done well, but few of the characters (with the exception of Eames, my favorite) showed very much emotion or personality. I just couldn't connect with them. I definitely enjoyed inception, but when put up against the other five nominees, i had to put it as my last choice.