FRIDAY TOP 10: My 2011 Oscar Wish List

After this week’s PGA and WGA announcements, we’ve reached the final leg of the pre-nomination process. We still have a few guilds to hear from, but everyone knows what the frontrunners are and what the 11 films are with the best chance for a Best Picture nomination.

But everyone knows things won’t play out as planned or expected. The Reader shocked us all in 2009, while The Blind Side caught most folks off guard last year. What film or performance might do that in 2011? We’ll have to wait and see.

But what films, performances, or achievements do I hope can surprise? That’s the subject of today’s top 10 list: My 2011 Oscar wish list. These are the 10 pieces of work that are considered long shots that I hope can surprise. Let me know what you think and what’s on your wish list.

10.) Exit Through the Gift Shop for Best Documentary – OK, not a long shot per se, but I think it’s chances of winning are slim to none, and I’d love to see Banksy’s nifty little gem take home the top prize in this banner year for non-fiction.

9.) The American for Best Cinematography –Everything in The American is deliberate, including the often glacial movements of Martin Ruhe’s camera. It’s a gorgeous film that takes its time telling a small-scale story, and the cinematography helps tell that story perfectly.

8.) TRON: Legacy for Best Original Score – Daft Punk’s musical work threatens to blast you out of your seat (not unlike Hans Zimmer’s Inception score), but it elevates the tension during some of the film’s lackluster action scenes. Everything moves along briskly, and it’s clear the screenplay does little to make that happen. I credit the film’s great composers.

7.) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World for Best Visual Effects – While they might not be on par with Inception’s visual effects, there’s no denying the uniqueness of Scott Pilgrim’s visuals. It was announced Wednesday that the film made the Visual Effects shortlist of 7, so maybe this isn’t a long shot after all.

6.) Sean Penn, Fair Game, Best Supporting Actor – Penn, I think, is being ignored this year because he’s been so good so many times before (including two previous wins for Milk and Mystic River). His work as Ambassador Joe Wilson isn’t revelatory, but it’s one of the main reasons why we feel connected to story.

5.) Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole for Best Actor – I’m honestly shocked that there isn’t more buzz about this performance because Eckhart is so overdue some Academy love. This performance has all the gravitas needed to carry Eckhart to the podium, but alas, it doesn’t appear to be in the cards.

4.) Get Low, Best Original Screenplay – Robert Duvall couldn’t be as good as he is if this film wasn’t as delightfully written as it is. The humor is low-key and always appropriate. The pathos at the end feels very genuine. It’s a tough tightrope to walk but Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell pull it off.

3.) Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island for Best Director – No chance in hell because Marty now has his Oscar, but I dare you to tell me how long it’s been since the director has been this good. As much as I love The Departed and his direction, this outstrips it easily. He’s operating way outside his comfort zone and crafts a real mind-bender.

2.) Marion Cotillard, Inception for Best Supporting Actress – You say Inception is cold. I say, “Say WHAT?!?!” Cotillard jumps off the screen as Dom Cobb’s “trapped” ex-wife. She is why Inception is ultimately a modern Greek tragedy. It’s marvelous work from a marvelous actress.

1.) Rabbit Hole for Best Picture – It’s without question one of the best films of the year (at least from my vantage point). It’s solemn and sincere. It’s got incredible writing and acting. It pains me that it’s being so overlooked, especially in favor of films like The Town and Winter’s Bone, which were neither here nor there for me. I guess John Cameron Mitchell’s film will have to be content with a token Nicole Kidman nod and my incommunicably strong admiration.