Your friendly neighborhood movie writer here with a quick hit with predictions for which 10 films will receive Oscar nods Tuesday morning.

I compiled this list quickly last week with plans to reveal it during my weekly Thursday morning hit on WELW-AM 1330, but the conversation didn't go that way. (Such is the way with radio, I'm learning).

Anyway, here is the 10-pack of films I expect to receive Oscar nods:

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

The Kids Are All Right

True Grit

Toy Story 3

Blue Valentine

Winter’s Bone

Let me be absolutely clear: These are not the 10 films I think SHOULD receive them, rather which ones will. This isn't rocket science. The first five were the nominees for the Golden Globe for best drama film ("The Social Network" won), followed by the winner in the comedy musical category, followed by a movie that surprisingly went un-nominated but that has been a commercial and critical hit, followed by the best-reviewed film of 2010, followed by two wonderful, well-reviewed movies.


(I saw "Blue Valentine" over the weekend, and wow. Good, strong stuff. Maybe a little predictable, but the drama about a young marriage falling apart boasted terrific performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams and pitch-perfect direction from Derek Cianfrance, who whose work I'm not yet familiar. That needs to change. He made this movie feel so real and intimate that I felt a little guilty watching this couple's life fall apart -- like I had no right to be intruding on their privacy. The movie can be found at the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights. Read the Associated Press review here.)

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in "Blue Valentine."

Over the next few weeks, I'll actually rank the 10 best films of 2010 as I see them. It won't be easy, and, as you can guess, "Blue Valentine" will get some consideration for the top spot. I still need to see a few 2011 films -- "The Kids Are All Right" among them. If you're also behind, there's no time like the present to get started. 


-- Mark Meszoros
Entertainment@News-Herald.com
Twitter.com/NHFeatures