Oscar Nominated Rankings

The Social Network
1. Speaking too smart to seem real
2.  Jesse Eisenberg's fast-talking closed mouth "acting"
3. Young Hollywood Production

The King's Speech
1. Traditional in almost every sense
2.  Wonderful job done by the leading couple (Lionel and Bertie)
3.  Great soundtrack

Winter's Bone
1. Very gritty and realistic acting
2. Jennifer Lawrence played the role in a very poignant way
3. The lighting and costuming are very appropriate and really help the story

Inception
1. Very thrilling but not quite mind blowing.
2. A good summer blockbuster
3. Acting was very forgettable

Toy Story 3
1. Classic Pixar work, always Oscar worthy
2. Fun new characters and familiar voices
3. Clever and though provoking plot

True Grit
1. Great scenery and it played a big role in the film
2.  Fun to see a young girl play such a strong role
3. A modern but true western

Rankings

1. True Grit
This movie has many merits that make it the best choice for an oscar. The story unfolds cleverly through the calm medtations of Mattie.  The storytelling is a classic but because of the main character's youth and the fact that she is a girl the apporach feels fresh and spirited. To further compliment the storytelling it isn't hard to tell the stroy and watch it unfold when the actors do such wonderful jobs.  From his constant heavy breathing to drunken shooting Jeff Bridges does a great as does the purposefully sidelined Matt Damon.  On other main character I left out, the wild and beautiful setting of the movie.  The cinematographer of this movie captured so many powerful shots of nature and really captured the detail the the Coen brothers brought to the movie.  In comparison to the other movies listed, True Grit had something lasting and timeless about it and I value a movie's ability to be timeless as something that trulay great movies have.  It is in stark contrast to The Social Network which is completely of this time period.

2. The King's Speech
The King's Speech is a close second.  It is exciting and at some points frustrating to what the development of Bertie's speaking skills but that is part of the allure of the film.  The extremely personal and somewhat contrived sessions between Lionel and Bertie help to move the stroy along and they do a good job of it.  Many people speak of Colin Firth as a favortie for the oscar and I thoroughly agree.  He does a superb job of acting out the stammer of the reluctant king.  Also Helena Bonham Carter plays a subtle but very important role and her affectionate words and smiles are well done. Many of the other roles in this movie seemed somewhat forgettable and in comparison to True Grit where all the major characters had memorable performances.  As far as cinematic elements go I felt as though almost every shot of the film was a picture worth studying and worthy of a picture frame.  The music both, original and the previously composed pieces, were an extremely good fit and add dramatically to the story.

3. Winter's Bone
One of the biggest drawbacks to this movie was the story.  While I evetually understood the basics of the plot and the troubels between the families I really had a hard time figuring out why these people were so cruel to each other.  The movie had such a realistic feel to it that I was almost uncomfortable watching but I did always want to lean in closer.  This movie is very different from the others.  I think that one of it's defining characteristics was the handheld camera feel of the movie.  The camera had a knack for following the viewer's thoughts.  If a key jangled or Ree looked off into the distance the camera followed to where the viewer's eyes would have.  Jennifer Lawerence may be in an oscar worthy role in this movie.  And though at times I struggled to understand some of the characters I really think that all the actors had a real understanding of their characters and all looked and seemed to be real.  Ultimately I placed this movie third becasue it wasn't always coherent and was just a little bit too tough on the heart.

4.  Toy Story 3
The beginning of this movie provided me instantly with a soft spot.  I have old toys and these movies always get me to thinking about what will happen to them and I think from there the movie had me snagged.  I closely followed Woody and all the toys and it made me happy to see that they finally would be loved.  The movie rang true to the other Toy Stories in it animation and performance.  I found it to be as solid as before and particularly liked to smoothness of Lotso and his crew. It is hard to find much to say about the performance of the actors because they wern't on screen but I found Woody to be expressive.

5.  Inception
Inception was a great summer blockbuster but little else.  The story intentionally tries to encircle itself and though it wanted to be hard to follow and extremely thought provoking it only provided its cerebral punch with cheesy plot tricks.   The acting in this film was second to the plot and therefore was relatively simple.  Matt Damon was fine but he played no lustrious role.  However the the effects on this movie were great and the visuals of the dream scapes really pumped up some of the scenes.  I also enjoyed the inclusion of the "trigger" song by Edith Piaf.  I really don't enjoy provacative endings in movies and none of the other movies had them.  The others ended and to leave a viewer without resolution is just not quite right.

6. The Social Network
The story is quite simple but manages to be told with difficulty.  The constant jumping between past and present is jolting and though it was cool at somepoints I believe that a different approach would have been better.  Many people cheer Jesse Eisenberg as a great actor but I really got very little out of his character.  All he did was squint and speak quickly through a mostly closed mouth.  But becasue he was talking quickly people think that what he said and did was clever.  He is another Michael Cera.  Though I thought the film jumped around a lot I did enjoy a few scenes.  The concept and style of the rowing scene were extremely interesting to watch and absorb but it had little to do with the rest of the film.  This film felt very young hollywood and experimental.  I enjoyed parts but overall I was turned off by the acting of Eisenberg and Timberlake and the unrealistic behaviors and actions they carried out.