Bonus HBLB Episode: Oscars!

Here is a bonus episode of Highbrow! Lowbrow? that delves in the most sacred of Hollywood institutions: the Oscars. In this episode, we forego the lowbrow and focus on the highbrow as the Oscars draw near. The main target in our sights? The Best Picture. With 10 nominations, this is gonna be one lengthy discussion as we break down the Oscar Best Picture Race.

The King's Speech, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Colin Firth, tells the story of King George VI as he tries to overcome a stuttering problem to deliver the speech his people need to survive the dark times ahead. While Shaun enjoyed the film and would recommend it, he and Jesse agreed somewhat that we were looking for a little more story to dig our teeth into.

The Fighter, directed by David O Russell, stars Mark Wahlberg as boxer Micky Ward whose last chance at having a shot is being poisoned by his drug addled brother and domineering family. This film follows the tried and true inspirational sports story and hits all its marks beautifully but occasionally falls victim to predictability as a result.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Inception is a movie where Leonardo DiCaprio is an espionage agent delving into dreams to find secret intel and bring down rival corporations. The deep and multi layered story really draw you in, sometimes at the expense of the characters.

The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, takes the real life drama surrounding the creation of Facebook and molds it into a story about the character Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg. It has been oft-disputed the veracity of the events shown in the movie, but ultimately, we didn't care. The movie is a great allegory for our times, juxtaposing the social difficulties that Zuckerberg faces with the creation of Facebook, a technology that redefines how we socialize.

Set in a rural area of America called the Ozarks, Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik, stars newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, a girl searching for her father, not for love but to settle the debts and hardships he left the family with. This is a unique independent movie with a bizarre yet realistic world, a one of a kind atmosphere with characters so well executed, you believe in the things they are fighting for.

Another Coen Brother offering and yet another Best Picture nomination, True Grit is a remake of the old 1960's version done Coen Brother's style. Starring Haile Steinfield as Mattie Ross, she seeks the killer of her father enlisting the help of Rooster Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges. This is undoubtedly a fine film and fun to watch, however the immense talent and unparalleled reputation of the Coen Brothers left us expecting a little bit more.

Pixar's Toy Story 3, directed by John Lasseter, has Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, and the gang facing their ultimate fate as their worst fear has finally come true, Andy (their "kid") has grown up. This movie is something everyone can enjoy: a well told children's story that connects elements of aging and passage of time with sentimentality and true friendship.

127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle, is the real life story of Aron Ralston, played by James Franco, who got trapped in the mountains for, you guessed it, 127 hours. Danny Boyle always delivers stellar films and this one is no exception, yet there's no place to really go in this story until the inevitable arm-cutting off scene.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan, stars Natalie Portman as a frail ballerina who in her quest for perfection is in danger of losing her sanity. This was an intense psychological thriller, reminiscent of Roman Polanski, but for Aronofsky, this treaded upon somewhat familiar ground.

The final nominee, The Kids Are All Right, directed by Lisa Cholodenko, features a unique family with 2 lesbian mothers(Annette Benning, Julianne Moore) and their children seeking out their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo). This is a fun vibrant and unique story that really explores the family dynamic, questioning the roles of parenthood.

Well, these are our 10 Best Picture Nominees for films from 2010. What do you think we'll end up picking for this year? Tune in and find out! And check out the Oscars (or maybe just the results) to see who ends up taking the gold.