Another year, another Oscars. And man was it a good one! Here is my full reactions and recap! Enjoy!

Best Picture: Argo. My choice- Argo

I couldn’t be happier with Argo winning for a couple of reasons. 1) I thought for the first time since 2003, the film to win Best Picture deserved to win!  and 2) Affleck deserved the win since he couldn’t get an award for directing. Every year, a film wins “Best Picture” and I don’t necessarily agree that it’s the best; it’s good, just not the best. You just need 50% of the votes to win. However, I thought Argo was well directed, written, acted, edited, scored, contained humor and drama, had public popularity and critic popularity, and more that gave it all of the qualifications that a “Best Picture” should have. Argo’s win makes it only the 4th film in the history of the Oscar’s to win Best Picture without a directing nod. So now it’s a part of history, and I couldn’t be happier!

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis(Lincoln). My choice- Daniel Day-Lewis.

What really do I need to say here? Daniel Day-Lewis deserved his third win here. (That’s the most Best Actor awards for any actor.) He’s one of the greatest actors of our time, and even all time. Yes other actors gave great performances, but it’s Daniel Day-Lewis. His portrayal of Abraham Lincoln was incredible and outstanding. He deserved to win. Enough said.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained). My choice- Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln).

This, in my opinion, was of the toughest categories to predict. All 5 nominees had won before and most had won awards this season. It was between Waltz, Jones, and Robert De Niro. I chose Jones because he took home the SAG award, which is usually a good indicator, but knew I could ultimately get this category wrong. And wrong I did get it indeed. Waltz’s performance was great and I’m not upset with him winning at all!

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). My choice- Jennifer Lawrence.

When the nomination were announced, I knew it’d be between Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. I am completely in love with the latter, and was pulling for her to win! But as the season continued, Lawrence pulled ahead and secured her spot atop the race. While I was afraid Emmanuelle Riva would pull off an up-set, I’m glad Lawrence won. Her performance in Silver Linings Playbook was fantastic and proved how funny and serious she can be. I look forward to her future in film and future nominations!

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables). My choice- Anne Hathaway.

Another guarantee for the night, I knew Anne Hathaway would win. Her performance was unbeatable. While she was only on screen for like 20 minutes, it was a fantastic 20 minutes. However I do think this category was a little weak. While Sally Field, Amy Adams, Helen Hunt, and Jackie Weaver gave great performances, they just weren’t as strong as Hathaway’s. Glad she got the win!

Best Animated Film: Brave. My choice- Wreck-It Ralph.

This was 1 of 2 categories that I wish I could have back. It was a race between Disney, and my gut told me to pick the wrong one. It’s not that Brave wasn’t a good movie, it just wasn’t the best! When I think of the Pixar movies that won Best Picture (Finding Nemo, Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3), Brave just doesn’t seem to compare to the originality and creativity of those amazing films. It’s still good, but Wreck-It Ralph should have won. It offered both creativity and originality, along with funny and sentimental moments for kids and adults; not to mention the nostalgia factor. However, Pixar is unstoppable, and I should know better than to bet against it.

Best Cinematography: Life of Pi. My choice- Life of Pi.

This category can sometimes be difficult, but when a film like Life of Pi is nominated, it will win. Claudio Miranda did tremendous work. From shooting and creating a film that was technically appealing, this once “unfilmable” book translated into some incredible photography.

Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina. My choice- Anna Karenina.

Although I never got around to seeing Anna Karenina, it was an easy choice to pick. From the pictures and stills of this film, it was pretty clear it contained what the Academy loves: a period piece with a foreign setting. It also helped that this was Jacqueline Durran’s third nomination, so she was bound to receive it. 

Best Directing: Ang Lee (Life of Pi). My choice- Steven Spielberg (Lincoln). 

Ah yes, the “consolation Oscar” as most saw it. This should have been won by Ben Affleck for Argo, but he was snubbed with his nomination. So it basically meant that who ever would win it, between Spielberg and Lee, would win it as a consolation prize. Both Spielberg and Lee did incredible work on their films, but I chose Spielberg because Lincoln was his passion project, and he hadn’t won in awhile compared to Lee who has won more recently. But the Academy loved Life of Pi and the amazing feat that Lee accomplished. So I’m happy with his win, even if I got it wrong.

Best Documentary Film: Searching for Sugar Man. My choice- Searching for Sugar Man.

I’m starting to get better at seeing documentaries. By that I mean, I saw part of this one. While that is still terrible, I did my research to see what was looking good for this category. When the general consensus leaned towards Sugar Man, I decided to watch it. However, I only saw part of it and never got around to finishing it. The film was about 2 men looking for evidence of what happened to the musician Rodriguez. From what I had seen, it was definitely deserved a win! Eventually, I will get around to actually seeing all the documentaries nominated in the respective year. But this year I made progress, and I’m happy with that!

Best Documentary Short Subject: Inocente. My choice- Open Heart.

Yeah, I will never get this category right. I didn’t see any of the choices, so I had to leave it up to the general consensus. However, the general consensus was all over the place. So that left me with a 1 in 5 chance. Yeah, not good odds. One day, I will get this right. 1 day.

Best Film Editing: Argo. My choice- Argo.

This award is 1 of the 4 that usually goes along with Best Picture. Once Argo won it, it helped relax my anxiety that I made the right choice with Argo. Argo did deserve the win too. From cutting between the American hostages in Iran and the US, William Goldenberg handled it perfectly. It wasn’t choppy. It flowed nicely. He created the right feel and tones, especially the suspenseful third act! Glad to see Argo getting the love from the Academy.

Best Foreign Language Film: Amour. My choice- Amour.

This was the second most obvious category after Best Actor. It’s been 6 years since a foreign language film has been nominated for Best Picture. Since Amour was, it goes without saying that it would then win this category. If not, then I truly don’t understand the Academy at all. But of course, this love story of an elderly couple won a lot of hearts and was worthy of the Award!

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables. My choice- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

This was a tough pill to swallow. It was going to be one of the two: Les Mis or The Hobbit. But I felt, which ever one I chose, it would be the opposite that won. So in the end, I went with what I thought was the better film for M&H. While Les Mis was worthy of the award, I do believe The Hobbit should have won. Yes it was wasn’t as well-received, but I still can’t get over all the middle earth creatures and the craft that goes into their look. People will disagree, and I’m ok with that.

Best Music Original Score: Life of Pi. My choice- Life of Pi.

I wasn’t positive on this one, but I felt I had made the right choice. Life of Pi’s score did stand out to me when I first saw the film. Of the five nominees, Life of Pi’s score stayed with me the most after listening to them on YouTube. It’s unique, but catchy. While I did hope that John Williams could maybe get another win, I’m glad Mychael Danna won. He deserved it!

Best Music Original Song: Skyfall (Skyfall). My choice- Skyfall (Skyfall).

This was a pretty simple pick as well. While Skyfall may have not been my favorite song, it was still good and it was still going to win. Just think about it. People LOVE Adele. How do you get more viewers for the show? Tell people Adele will be performing her song. How to make them stick around? Give Adele the award. I do believe she was grateful and humble when receiving her award. So it’s good to know Adele isn’t fake. But the Academy really makes me question if she truly won the award or if they did it for a selfish show rating and viewership.

Best Production Design: Lincoln. My choice- Anna Karenina.

While this award gave Lincoln it’s second and last award for the night, I was truly surprised by this win. I thought for sure Anna Karenina or Les Mis would take it, seeing as how they were huge sets and epic period pieces. But now as I’m writing this, I see that Lincoln falls into that category and realize my stupidity at overlooking it. It really isn’t a surprise. I was just blind. I’m glad Lincoln got this, because even though 2 for 12 doesn’t look great, 1 for 12 looks worse.

Best Short Film (Animated): Paperman. My choice- Paperman.

This was the first year I was able to see all of the animated short films. Without a doubt, Paperman was my favorite and deserved to win. Disney’s cute little love story was beautifully animated and accompanied by great music. I really didn’t think any other nominee had a chance. Yay Disney!

Best Short Film (Live Action): Curfew. My choice- Curfew.

I had not seen any of these short films unfortunately. So again, I unfortunately had to go to the general consensus of what people were saying. I hate doing that because I want to be able to pick for myself! But Curfew was the consensus, and Curfew won the award. So thank you to those who did see them.

Best Sound Editing: Skyfall & Zero Dark Thirty. My choice- Zero Dark Thirty.

A TIE!?! Only the 6th time in Oscar history that there has been a tie. The last tie was in 1994 for the Best Live Action Short Film category. Regardless, I’m not surprised that these were the two that tied for sound editing. Both involved big sequences with machinery and shouting and multiple noises at once. I thought ZDT was the better of the two, mostly because of the last hour dealing with the raid on Bin Laden. 

Best Sound Mixing: Les Misérables. My choice- Les Misérables.

Basically, when a musical is nominated, it has a very good shot at winning. In this case, when the singing is done live on set and needs to be mixed with all other noises and sounds at the same time, the musical is guaranteed to win! Les Mis balanced it’s live singing phenomenally with all of it’s surroundings and made this category their’s to lose.

Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi. My choice- Life of Pi.

There’s always a technical based film that the Academy loves. That was Life of Pi this year. Once it was nominated for Best Picture, it was almost guaranteed it would take home the big technical awards. So just in suit with cinematography, there was no question it would take visual effects as well. If you have seen it, you know it deserved the award for basically everything in the movie. If you haven’t seen it, get on it.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Argo. My choice- Lincoln.

As previously stated in the Best Animated Category, this was the 2nd of 2 categories I wish I could have back. All the screenplays in both categories were top-notch this year. However, I thought Argo and Lincoln stood above the rest, making it a very tough decision. Just like film editing, writing usually goes with Best Picture. Since I wasn’t sure what the Academy was going to love more, I split the categories and gave Adapted Screenplay to Lincoln. (Film Editing to Argo). Therefore, I would for sure get 1 of the categories right, and not risk going 0 for 2. But now knowing the outcome, I really wish I would have just gone with my gut and picked Argo. Oh well…

Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Django Unchained. My choice- Django Unchained.

Quentin Tarantino is a genius. His screenplays are funny but so distinct and crazy! You have to respect a man who writes whatever he thinks and can translate it to the screen as well! Although I would have loved to see Moonrise Kingdom win here (it’s sole nomination unfortunately), Django deserved it. This is Tarantino’s second win for writing after Pulp Fiction in 1994. Hopefully, this means the Academy is starting to realize how great he is!

Overall, I loved this years Oscars! There is usually something that makes me hate the Academy and makes me lose more respect for them. However, I don’t think I have anything bad to say this year! Ironically, they may have gained some respect. I enjoyed Seth MacFarlane, contrary to whatever others think. He was just as people should have expected he would be: funny, albeit pushing the limits sometimes, yet respectable and classy. The show was longer than last year, clocking in at 3 hours and 35 minutes. There were 42.40 million viewers, up from last year and the most watched since the 2004 ceremony. Life of Pi went home with the most awards of the night (4). I went 17 for 24 in my predictions, or 71%, which is up from last year! 2012 was truly a great year for film…hopefully next year can top it! 2013!

2012 was a great year for film. It was very hard to narrow the list of movies I’ve seen this year down to 10, but it was accomplished. Usually, I try and get my list out before the Academy announces their nominations. Unfortunately, because one movie was not released wide until after the nominations, my list is up one day after the nominations. It also doesn’t help that they moved up the nominations two weeks. While I mostly agree with the Academy and the AFI, I enjoy that our lists are never the same. So without further ado, I give you my list in alphabetical order!

Top 10 Films of 2012

Argo- Ben Affleck is a good actor, but I’ve really enjoyed his directorial efforts, especially 2010’s The Town. Argo is another great addition to his list of work. Funny, yet with a decent amount of suspense, this film about rescuing 6 U.S. diplomats from Iran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis was very enjoyable. I enjoyed Affleck’s performace, but Alan Arkin as the film producer was easily my favorite performance of the film. 

The Cabin in the Woods- People that know me know that I obsessed over this film this year. While not everyone probably agrees with me, this was definitely one of the best film of the years! While horror movies today deal with retired plots, story lines, and predictability, I applaud Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard on making a surprising film by balancing humor, scares, and originality. Because the movie mocks and pokes fun at current day horror films,  I still geek out at the genius behind this film!

The Dark Knight Rises- Christopher Nolan’s ultimate film in his Batman trilogy was fantastic. While The Dark Knight is most likely viewed as the best in the trilogy, this third film is probably my favorite. Nolan ends the trilogy in both a surprising and respectable way to the character. While it was no Joker, I thought Tom Hardy’s performance as Bane was spectacular. It’s great to see this film end a trilogy that will probably go down as one of the greatest trilogies of all time!

Django Unchained- If there was only one thing to say about this film, it would be that one has to respect Quentin Tarantino. While it may be an outrageous story about a free slave traveling to find his wife with a bounty hunter, one should expect nothing less with a Tarantino film. I loved it and found it hilarious! Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson gave amazing performances. Tarantino always delivers, and he doesn’t disappoint this time.

Les Misérables- Les Mis was outstanding! Coming into it, I had never seen a previous version of this 19th-century French revolution musical. However, I think this improved my viewing experience. While I didn’t cry like most people, I did find the film and the performances very powerful! I really enjoyed the singing, even though most of the actors didn’t have opera backgrounds. This musical is now one of my favorites!

Life of Pi- Talk about a visually appealing film! One of the best aspects of this film was its cinematography. I never got to read the book, but I wish I had. I loved the film and the performance by Suraj Sharma. While the majority of the film deals with a boy stranded in the ocean on a boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, Ang Lee does a great job with this concept and really brings it to life and makes it enjoyable to watch. I also enjoyed the spiritual theme of the film as well!

Lincoln- Let’s be honest, it’s no surprise another Steven Spielberg film made the list. While he is my favorite director, I swear it wasn’t a bias decision; he’s just a great filmmaker. His film about the 16th president’s attempt to pass the 13th amendment is phenomenal. It’s very believable thanks to perfect performances from Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones. I truly enjoyed this film and put it up there with Spielberg’s best.(Not to mention another great score by John Williams.)

Moonrise Kingdom- Wes Anderson’s film about young runaway lovers in 1960’s New England is probably my favorite film of the year! I love Anderson’s dreamlike style of filming and storytelling. It’s funny and touching at the same time. It includes great performances from an ensemble cast including young actors Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the young lovers. However, I think the best thing about this film is the quirkiness of the characters, and their ability to never stray from it!

Silver Linings Playbook- David O. Russell’s film about a bipolar man released from a mental health facility and tries to win back his wife is executed flawlessly. A big reason for this is because of the performances by Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Jacki Weaver. The film handles the fine line between comedy and drama without being overly sappy or outrageous. I really applaud Russell’s skill at handling the delicate moments of this film, and makes it his best film to date.

Zero Dark Thirty- Even though this film delayed my list, it was worth it! Kathryn Bigelow’s film about the manhunt for Osama bin Laden during the decade after 9/11 is amazing to say the least. I’ve loved Jessica Chastain since her breakout year last year and her performance is phenomenal. The best thing about this film to me is the that it’s real. Yes, the dialogue and actions of the characters are made up, but the moments and the events did happen. And being able to see it reenacted as close as we are to knowing is what makes it great.

Honorable Mentions- The Avengers, Brave, The Hobbit, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Wreck-It Ralph.

Many of you saw my play by play yesterday of the Academy Awards results. Here I give my full reactions! Enjoy!

Best Picture: The Artist. My choice-The Artist.

I chose The Artist for this one mainly because I knew it would win. Do I think it’s the Best Picture of the year? No. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. The Artist was a phenomenal film, and I did enjoy it! I just don’t think it was the best. The Descendants, I felt, was the best film of the 9 nominated. The acting and emotion of the characters felt real, and the story was very believable. Even Hugo, I think, deserves it more than The Artist. In a battle between two movies that are basically shout-outs to the old days of movies, I thought Hugo did it in a way that was revolutionary with the way movies are heading now. The Artist was a shout out to the old days doing it like the old days; silent in black and white. Nothing wrong with the classics, but there was a time and place for that, respected in that way.

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin,The Artist. My choice-George Clooney,The Descendants.

I chose Clooney because I felt this was his best performance yet! In a style different than he usually does, Clooney portrayed a somewhat average guy going through a tough time. However, Dujardin was fantastic in The Artist showing that it takes a lot of skill to perform a film without talking. So I’m not mad that Clooney didn’t win, just upset. But props to Dujardin!

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners. My choice- Mr. Plummer.

I have not seen Beginners, but Christopher Plummer had been winning all the awards for this category previous to the awards. This was basically a given considering there wasn’t much competition. Although I did enjoy Jonah Hill’s performance in Moneyball! Nice to see him do a more serious role.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady. My choice- Viola Davis, The Help.

This is definitely the category I’m most upset about. Meryl Streep is a great actress, don’t get me wrong. But this was her 17th time being nominated. Obviously that means she’s good. But it also means she’s played other great roles. And I believe some were better than this. Viola Davis deserved this award. Her role in The Help was amazing and carried that film to what it is. I know it was a tight race between them, but Davis got snubbed. End of story.

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help. My choice-Octavia Spencer.

Another given. Although Jessica Chastain and Bérénice Bejo gave a little competition in this category, everyone knew Spencer would win. Like Plummer, she had been winning this category all award season, and it was just a matter of time before she accepted her Oscar.

Best Animated Film: Rango. My choice- Rango.

No surprise. No other real good animated film was nominated but Puss in Boots, but Rango would take the prize. After winning at the Annie Awards, it was inevitable that Rango would win.

Best Art Direction: Hugo. My choice- Hugo.

The sets and production in Hugo were outstanding, and it was no surprise it won. The other films had a chance, but it was Hugo’s night for all the technical awards.

Best Cinematography: Hugo. My choice- The Tree of Life.

I was surprised by this. I wouldn’t call it an upset, but I was really surprised. Hugo’s cinematography was done well, considering it was in 3D, but cinematography was all The Tree of Life was! So I definitely expected that to win. Oh well. Go Hugo!

Best Costume Design: The Artist. My choice- Hugo.

Any movie set in a specific time period is almost guaranteed to win this. Both Hugo and The Artist had this going for them, and I just chose wrong. I thought the Paris look would win, guess not.

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist. My choice- Michel Hazanavicius.

His job directing The Artist was incredible. It takes a lot to make sure everything you want said in a film is shown, especially when there is no speaking. He crafted this movie well, and he deserved the award.

Best Documentary: Undefeated. My choice- Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.

Had not seen any of these documentaries. Had to go off of what seemed like it would sway voters. Not surprised I got it wrong.

Best Documentary Short: Saving Face. My choice- Saving Face.

Again, had not seen any of these. Went with what everyone else was saying would win.

Best Film Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My choice- Hugo.

The dark horse of the category definitely won considering this usually goes with what wins Best Picture. Would have loved to see Hugo pull of this win, but I’m fine with Dragon Tattoo winning. It was pretty well edited, especially cutting it down to a 2hr and 40min film.

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation, Iran. My choice- A Separation.

One of the most obvious picks of the night. With nearly every foreign award and critic adoring this film, it was bound to win. Wish I could have bet on it.

Best Makeup: The Iron Lady. My choice- Harry Potter 7 Part 2.

Not surprised The Iron Lady won. I basically picked HP because as the last film, it deserved a win, and this category was most likely the one it would win. Unfortunately, no love from the Academy.

Best Music Original Score: The Artist. My choice- The Artist.

All the scores in this category were extremely good. However, Ludovic Bource has been praised for his score for The Artist, so I chose it.

Best Music Song: Man or Muppet from The Muppets. My choice- The Muppets.

With only 2 choices, it was obvious. Between The Muppets and Rio, Muppets will win. Every time. Plus it’s a great song.

Best Animated Short Film:The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

That’s the one I chose. Thank you to those who saw the short films and could say who would win!

Best Live Action Short Film: The Shore. My choice- The Shore.

Again, thank you to whoever saw these to say who would win. I appreciate your help!

Best Sound Editing: Hugo. My choice- Hugo.

It could have gone to War Horse, but I’m glad I went with my gut on this one.

Best Sound Mixing: Hugo. My choice- Hugo.

Mixing usually goes with editing, so my choice was pretty clear. Also,”no Sound Mixing winner has ever won without a CAS nom since 1993.” Since Hugo and Moneyball were the only two with those nominations, Hugo would take it over Moneyball.

Best Visual Effects: Hugo. My choice- Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

UPSET ALERT!! After Andy Serkis was snubbed of a supporting actor nom, it was certain that Rise of the Planet of the Apes would take this category hands down. But I guess Hugo was the little movie that could. Crazy.

Best Writing Adapted Screenplay:The Descendants.My choice-The Descendants.

Sadly, it was the only win for The Descendants last night. Deserved more, but definitely deserved this one. Alexander Payne has always been more of a writer than director, so he deserved this award. The way it came across on the screen was magnificent. Way to go Payne!

Best Writing Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris. My choice- Midnight in Paris.

Woody Allen wrote a very witty and cute story and deserved this award. The best part is that Allen still refuses to show up or even acknowledge the Academy, even though they continue to honor his films. Classic.

Overall, I loved the show. Billy Crystal was a great host. I don’t really remember the other times he hosted since I was younger, but he was great this year. They should definitely bring him back for a 10th year!! The show moved briskly and lasted only 3 hours and 14 minutes! Very nice. The Artist and Hugo both went home with 5 awards each, the most of the night. And I was 16 for 24 on my predictions or 66%! Much better than recent years! Well, nothing else to say except….bring on 2012!!!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would post my favorite romantic movies. I have split them into two categories: Romcoms and Dramas. Again, these may not be the best, but they are my personal favorite romantic movies!*

Top 10 Romantic Comedies

10.While You Were Sleeping

9. Legally Blonde

8. Sleepless in Seattle

7. You’ve Got Mail

6. (500)Days of Summer

5. Sweet Home Alabama

4. 10 Things I Hate About You

3. When Harry Met Sally

2. Love Actually

1. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Top 10 Romantic Dramas

10. Message in a Bottle

9. P.S. I Love You

8. Ghost

7. Dirty Dancing

6. The Last Song

5. The Time Traveler’s Wife

4. Dear John

3. The Notebook

2. A Walk to Remember

1. Titanic

*these do not include movies from before the 80s

Whether or not you tuned into the SAG Awards last night, there’s just one thing you need to know; that The Help won Best Cast/Film. Why is this so important you ask? Well it’s really not. It just adds a bit more speculation to the Best Picture race at the Academy Awards. Mainly for The Artist, which may now be a bit more worried about their position atop the Best Picture category.

Up until last night’s SAG Awards (Screen Actors Guild Awards), The Artist had been winning the most awards this season. With Best Picture wins from the Critic’s Choice Awards, Golden Globes, DGA, PGA, and more, it has been poised as the front runner to win the coveted Best Picture Award at this years Oscars. However, last night, it did not win the top prize at the SAG awards. Most people wouldn’t see a problem with this. But they don’t remember the 2005 award season, where Brokeback Mountain and Crash endured the same thing.

6 years ago, Brokeback Mountain was atop the Best Picture race. It too won Best Picture awards from the Critic’s Choice, Golden Globes, DGA, PGA, BAFTA, and more. However, at the SAG Awards that year, Crash sneaked in and won the Best Cast/Film Award over Brokeback Mountain. Little did people think of it. Then at the Academy Awards, Brokeback Mountain won Best Director. With Best Picture and Best Director usually going hand in hand, everyone expected Brokeback Mountain to take home the prize. But surprisingly, the underdog Crash won the Award.

Why did this happen? Well the actors branch of the Academy makes up around 21% of it; or the largest part of the Academy. They have a big say in what is awarded Best Picture. Since most of the actors branch of the Academy is apart of the Screen Actors Guild, they had a big part in helping Crash win the upset.

Now back to this year. With The Help winning last night, it definitely stirs up the Best Picture pot a bit. But should The Artist be worried about their position atop the Best Picture race? Not really. I don’t think The Help has the same amount of  success and support that Crash did among the Academy voters. But would I be surprised if The Artist didn’t win Best Picture? Not at all. Would I still like to see The Descendants or Hugo win Best Picture? You betcha.

With the Academy Award nominations tomorrow, I thought this would be a great time to release my Top 10 Films of 2011! It was tough to narrow down all the movies I saw this year and pick what I thought was the best. I know people will disagree with some picks, but that’s what I love about it. So please look and let me know what you think. I’m always up for discussion. So without further ado, in alphabetical order, here is my list!

Top 10 Films of 2011

The Descendants- With George Clooney giving an incredible performance, and probably my favorite of his, this film is magnificent. Alexander Payne does a great job mixing moments of comedy throughout his drama. Possibly my favorite of the year.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Having not read the novel, I believe David Fincher did an amazing job with this film. Dark and graphic at times, Fincher doesn’t mind going all out to tell a great mystery. Not to mention Rooney Mara does a great job as Lisbeth Salander.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2- If you know me, it was almost inevitable that this would be on my list. As the final film in the series that has spanned more than half my life, it ends better than I could have hoped for. As a Potterhead and a movie lover, it satisfies every part of me.

The Help- Again, I saw this movie without reading the book. It was phenomenal to say the least. With a great cast, which hopefully Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will win Best Actress and Supporting Actress respectively, this movie knows what its trying to do emotionally and physically and does it well.

Hugo- Not only is it a great kids film, but it’s also great for adults. Martin Scorsese’s first family film is magical and full of surprises. With great messages underlying it, Scorsese doesn’t disappoint. Also, this may be the only film since Avatar that does 3D justice.

Midnight in Paris- Woody Allen’s film is funny and touching. One of my favorite things about this film is the nostalgic factor that Owen Wilson’s character faces because I feel like myself, and anyone, can relate to it well. And I just love all of the famous authors! 

Moneyball- This true story about Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics baseball team is great to watch. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay is flawless and flows extremely well. Brad Pitt gives a great performance, and it’s great to see Jonah Hill in a dramatic role than his usual comedic ones.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes- Definitely one of the surprise hits of the summer, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not just an action film, but also a film full of emotion. Although he won’t get nominated for an Oscar he deserves, Andy Serkis gives a great motion capture performance as the ape Caesar.

Super 8- One of my most anticipated films of the year, I loved Super 8. A coming of age story full of emotion and nostalgia, J.J Abrams crafts a great sci-fi film with meaning. Along with his idol Steven Spielberg producing, Abrams and Spielberg definitely deliver well.

War Horse- Steven Spielberg’s World War I drama is incredible. Even though some people may think a movie about a horse is stupid, Spielberg pulls off an emotional story. Getting people to act can be difficult, but getting animals to act is even harder. Spielberg does, and he does it well.

Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, The Ides of March, The Muppets, The Tree of Life, Win Win.

Many people wanted to see my “Top 20 Movies of All Time” list that I said I would have done by last spring break….then by last summer. It was just to hard to do, and I was a bit lazy, so I never finished it. Well, I decided instead that I would go back to each year and choose what I think are the best movies from that year! This will be a difficult task, although much easier than trying to define the best 20 films of all time that I have seen. I hope you all will enjoy what is to come!