Bean and Escarole Soup

Oh. My. Gawd.

I just polished off two bowls of this stuff, and I would go back for more if it wasn't so heavy and rich. This soup is like an umami bomb in my mouth, creamy from the beans, crunchy from the escarole ribs, fragrant from the garlic, oregano and lemon, and deeply rich and salty from the anchovy. (That's right, this soup isn't vegetarian. I do allow myself the occasional pescetarian meal, because I just love seafood so much.)

This is adapted from Chef John's recipe. If you don't want to use anchovy, it'll be difficult to replace. You could leave it out and either use a higher sodium broth or add salt in the end; perhaps some chopped capers or a spoonful of miso would work; or if you don't have qualms about anchovies but just don't have any, some Worcester sauce may work. Escarole worked wonderfully in this dish, but I can imagine replacing it with basically any green: if using a hardier one like kale or collards, add much earlier.

olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 cups low-sodium broth (I use vegetarian 'chicken' broth)
2 cans white cannellini beans, around 30 oz., drained but not rinsed
pinch chili flakes
1 anchovy fillet
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano)
1 head escarole (also known as curly endive)

Heat around 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat; add garlic. Swirl for around 20 seconds; add broth. Boil and let reduce by about half (I wasn't too concerned about the amount -- I don't even think I did that much, maybe a third). Add beans. When reduced to around when the beans a just below the surface, add the chill flakes, anchovy fillet (I broke it up a bit), lemon zest and oregano. While it's cooking some more, chop the escarole into strips, around 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Discard any ugly leaves. Rinse off the strips in cold water, drain and dry. Add the chopped escarole to the soup, lower heat to simmer, and stir until escarole is wilted, around a minute or less.

Season with fresh ground pepper in bowls. Serve with bread -- next time I'm going to make it thicker and top fresh polenta with it.

Brown Lentil Soup

So, I was craving a simple red lentil soup. I've had a bad week and just wanted to throw some onions, garlic, spices and lentils in a pot, cover it with water, and come back half an hour later. Alas! The Metro doesn't carry red lentils. (Really. I'm actually quite surprised!) But they did have brown lentils... which I know take a bit longer to cook, and don't get quite as mushy as red lentils. And as many people close to me know, I like mushy foods: legumes, puddings, soft fruits, risotto, mashed potatoes... and would making a brown lentil soup be as satisfying for me? No way to know other than trying.

And I would say this is a success. After a few quick purées with my immersion blender, I had just enough mushy goodness to counterbalance the lentils that held their shape.

This is adapted from Dima Sharif's brown lentil soup.

BROWN LENTIL SOUP

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups water or broth

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 green cardamom pods

4-6 black peppercorns

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

salt and pepper to taste

chopped cilantro (optional: I didn't have any, but I'd imagine it would go very well)

Heat oil in a medium to large pot (enough for at least 8 cups). Sauté onions and garlic over medium-high until yellow, but not brown. Add washed lentils and stir to mix. Add water or broth; stir, scraping bottom. Add tea ball stuffed with cardamom, peppercorns and cloves; add cumin seeds (which don't need to go in tea ball), bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Heat until boiling; cover and simmer over low heat 45 minutes or until lentils are cooked to desired texture. Remove from heat; remove tea ball, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. With an immersion blender, give a few whirls to blend around a third of the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cilantro. Yum.

This would go well with any sort of bread.

French Green Soup

This is an adaptation of Laura Calder's green soup, as featured on "French Cooking at Home". It's an extremely versatile recipe: feel free to change it to your taste. I often use salad greens that are starting to go a bit wilty, but I've also successfully used dandelion greens, collard greens, baby and 'regular' spinach and even Boston lettuce. You really can't go overboard on the greens either, because they wilt down so much: of course, the taste will change depending on what you use, ranging from the slightly bitter to the downright sweet. The amounts of potato and peas are also flexible: you can even skip them entirely. If you use potato, make sure you cook it enough, as undercooked potato can be difficult to blend. Sometimes I've even added a splash of cream or a dollop of yogurt at the end to give it an extra-rich texture. I can also imagine tossing in some feta cheese, too. And which seasoning to use? Well, you don't have to use seasoning at all if you don't want to, but I'm a fan of fresh parsley in this. If I don't have that, I often use dried sage instead. Do you like mint? That would work very, very well, too! Once again -- experiment!

1 onion, minced (or if you have it, a chopped leek is even better)
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
~1 cup potato, chopped
1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen green peas
3-4 cups water or broth
Your choice: bunch of dandelion greens (parboiled, then soaked in cold water), baby spinach, Spring mix greens, any variety of lettuce
Seasoning of your choice: chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp rosemary...
salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the onion in olive oil or butter for a few minutes until golden in a medium or large soup pot.
2. Add the potatoes and stir until well-coated. Add the water or broth; cover and bring to a boil.
3. Cook potatoes until tender, at least 15 minutes.
4. Add the peas, greens and seasoning; cook a few minutes more until the greens have wilted.
5. Remove from heat; add dairy, if using; blend with an immersion blender, or carefully in a stand-up blender, until smooth.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste; ladle into bowls and garnish with Romano cheese.

Music for Dracula

If you were to put on a stage version of Dracula, what would your musical choices be?

This is a task I have given myself: some suggestions for my best friend Amanda's co-production of Dracula in October. She didn't ask me for any suggestions, and the choice is entirely her and her co-director's (and if they have a musical director, then them too I suppose), but I am intrigued by this.

Her request: dark, string-based (particularly 'cello), and if possible, Victorian.

Well, I don't have any knowledge of Victorian music. Perhaps one day when I'm investigating very early/pre-cinema and the origins of musical theatre I will, but at this point I'm rather content with my explorations of (post-)minimalism and other avant-garde 20th century classical composers. I'm actually thinking that this strain of music could be very useful for theatrical productions, given their often repetitive natures: they are easily edited in basic music programs.

Max Richter has been my recent obsession, with his albums memoryhouse and The Blue Notebooks being stuck on repeat. And the remix of "On the Nature of Daylight" with Dinah Washington's "This Bitter Earth" that was featured in the closing credits of Shutter Island? Absolutely divine, but I don't think that Richter's melancholy, mournful style would be suitable for Dracula. Something like "Shadow Journal" may work for another production, but its contemporary electronic throbs may disqualify it. "Jan's Notebook" is a brittle, spare harpsichord piece that may have potential for a set change, but is it too minimal? "Embers" is a beautiful piece driven by a mournful, repetitive piano, accented by strings -- but does it have the necessary darkness for Dracula?

But thinking of Shutter Island's remarkable soundtrack, what about the major theme of the film, Krysztof Penderecki's Symphony no. 3, the 4th movement: "Passacaglia (Allegro Moderato)"? A terrifying, plodding piece full of throbbing, deep chords, perhaps perfect for scene changes or the end of the first act. Check it out here. It's nearly 7 minutes long, yes, but it's also a piece that could be very easily edited.

A recent discovery of mine was the album Fordlandia by Icelandic composer Johann Johannson, and I think the piece "The Rocket Builder (Io Pan!)" may have some potential. The first movement of the piece slowly builds up, and some of the phrases near the beginning may be good for small details, but where the track really shines is in the second half: a combination of dread, mourning and beauty, suitable for a sensual scene with Dracula and Mina or Lucy. A potential problem though may be the dominant musicbox synth may be a bit too contemporary.

Also from Fordlandia is the first of five "Melodia" pieces: "Melodia (i)". It's a small, two-minute piece driven by bassoon and clarinet: delicate and strangely ominous, suggesting future catastrophe. I'm thinking as an early set change.

Another Icelandic composer that sometimes piques my interest is Olafur Arnalds, although I do find that some of his work goes too 'poppy' and saccharine for my taste, particularly when he introduces his drumkit. That being said, "Loftið verður skyndilega kalt" from last year's ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness is heartbreakingly pretty. The piano reminds me a lot of Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel", and those strings just destroy me every time. Speaking of Pärt, there may be some potential in his massive oeuvre: some of his Gregorian chants or his organ work could be very appropriate. Perhaps the sixth piece from his Seven Magnificat-Antiphonen, "VI. O Konig Aller Volker" when Dracula has just been killed? Some of the other pieces from these seven --maybe the third-- could also work. One of Pärt's recent masterworks, Orient and Occident, could be a good source, too. Amazingly, this is the only video I could find of the piece: Amanda, I have a copy of it if you are intrigued at all! It's decadent and beautiful, with just the right amount of ominous exoticism bubbling up.

And because I'm on Pärt right now, I can't help but mention his brilliant, brilliant second movement to Tabula Rasa, "Silentium". I don't think it would work for Dracula, but I just really want to share it. One of my absolute favourite compositions ever.

Iannis Xenakis was far from the first composer that came into my head when I began searching for anything remotely close to 'Victorian' music. If you're familiar with his work, you may be saying to yourself "well, duh!" He's far too contemporary, dissonant and mathematical to perhaps even fleetingly consider, but there's one piece of his that I think proposes some interesting uses in some scenes of chaos and horror: "Kottos for Solo 'cello" from 1977. You would have to edit the crap out of the piece, but there are many small treasures hidden away: the disturbing drones beginning at 30 seconds that break into brittle cries at 0:52; the violent bursts that begin in the fourth minute; the psychotic, dizzying phrases in the seventh (imagine this in the background as Dracula makes a particularly horrific speech). This is probably just too much work to make manageable, but I think it's an interesting suggestion.

And dark, ominous, string-based, eh? Hmm... If I was directing, there would have to be a massive blood orgy scene with this playing. But then again, I'm bat-poop crazy. The introduction to the play would also be this, just to scare the crap out of people... and y'know what? It may actually be appropriate.

I'm going to search outside of my comfort zone now, into the realm of Victorian-era music. Any suggestions?

10-minute Vegetable Miso Soup

(Originally posted on January 5, 2011 on Facebook)


This is my variation on miso soup, upgraded to meal-in-a-bowl status. It's cheap, quick and healthy.

If there's one thing I miss, it's the rich taste of chicken stock. Many vegetarian broths tend to rely on mushroom, cabbage and onion to kick up the umami, and those of you familiar with my tastes in food know that those are three flavours that I am not really a fan of. But there's another ingredient that is just loaded with glutamate: miso. If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you've probably had the ubiquitous miso soup. But what many people don't realize is that it's not just miso and water that they serve to you, along with the few bits of tofu, green onion and seaweed floating around: the broth is dashi, a yummy combo of kelp and bonito. I don't know about you, but I don't have any kelp lying around, and I'm probably ruining miso soup for many of my non-pescatarian friends by pointing out that bonito is fish. Oops! So I don't have any dashi around, nor the resources to make it if I wanted to. But what I do have to kick up the umami factor in this simple soup are green tea and nori. That's right -- green tea. As for nori, it's the roasted seaweed that is used in sushi. I accidentally discovered that it's also great in soup: instant flavour with barely any steeping required. I also use ginger to add a pleasant kick, and although I don't always use it, celery is such a strong presence in classic vegetable broths that if I have time, I'll often boil sliced ginger along with celery for a good 10+ minutes to get it really peppery and fresh-tasting.

2 cups Water or Broth
2-3 cm Sliced Ginger
1-2 Stalks Thinly sliced Celery
1/3-1/2 Package Cubed Firm Tofu*
Green Tea
Vegetables that cook quickly: Leafy greens, frozen corn/peas, grated carrot, sprouts
1 Tbsp Miso (More or less depending on your tastes)
1/2 Sheet Nori (Roasted Seaweed)
Cooked Noodles or Rice

1. 1 cup of hot water into a pot. Crank up the heat.
2. Chop up a few slices of ginger and throw them in. Sometimes I also throw in a clove of garlic.
3. Rinse off a stalk or two of celery and thinly slice it. Toss into the pot.
4. As this begins to boil, turn on a kettle with some more water in it.
5. Open a package of tofu, cut off a third or half, cut into slices. Take some paper towels and pat (mostly) dry. Chop into cubes.
6. At this point, the water in the pot should be boiling. Throw in a green tea bag or a tea ball with loose leaf green tea. I leave it in for around 3-4 minutes.
7. Add in your tofu: I wait until after the green tea is steeped so the cubes can suck up that flavour, too, but I'm not sure if it actually makes a difference!
8. Prepare your vegetables and throw them in:
a) I like leafy greens. I just wash them off and roughly chop them up. Some of my favourites are (baby) bok choy, Swiss chard, and spinach. Even pre-washed salad greens work. Only takes a few minutes to cook.
b) Frozen peas, corn or other mix. To quickly defrost, get a colander, throw in around a cup of vegetables and rinse under hot water from the tap. You could also microwave them for around a minute with a splash of water, but I prefer the colander method. Also only takes a few minutes to cook.
c) If I can find them, pea sprouts are one of my favourite things in the world. Rinse them off and rip them in half if you desire. Often, I add them after the soup is done so that they remain raw.
d) Grated carrot. Only takes a few minutes to cook; raw, they're pleasantly crunchy.
e) Whatever else you want! Mushrooms, bean sprouts, onion...
9. The kettle should be boiling now. Scoop around a tablespoon of miso into your big glass measuring cup and pour in around 1 cup of water. Whisk with a fork, spoon, whisk, knife or spork until blended.
10. Take half a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed) and cut into small squares or strips with your kitchen scissors. Add to your diluted miso. (I do it this way because I'm trying to avoid having the nori shredded in the stock: it's perfectly fine taste-wise, but it makes the soup look, well, dirty.)
11. At this point, your vegetables are probably done. Turn down the heat, pick out the ginger (and garlic, if using) and pour in your miso mixture. Gently stir, bring it back to a boil, and you're done!
12. Spoon over cooked noodles or rice if you need some more grains for the day.
13. Freshly ground pepper is awesome. Sliced green onions are, of course, the classic garnish.

*I usually use firm tofu, but every so often I want the soft variety. If I do this, I try to keep the rest of the soup even more simple and only use the greens.

Andrew's Cupboard

As a vegetarian, poor student and food lover, I've often had friends ask me for recipes and advice. What do I eat on a regular basis? What are my favourite things to eat? What's really quick, what's cheap?


So let's take a look at my cupboard and fridge. What do I always have on hand, or pick up when it's available?

TOFU: It's easy, cheap and healthy. When opening a package of it, cut up what you're going to use, wrap it in some paper towel and squeeze it to drain the water out of it. Take the leftovers, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer: it changes the texture, making it more like chicken. Use it in stir-fries, soups, wraps, salads. Of course, there are different textures of tofu, but I more often than not go for the extra-firm. I'll only go for the medium variety to use in miso soup.
One of my favourite ways to prepare tofu is to slice it into cubes, drizzle with a neutral oil, a bit of sesame oil, (light) soy sauce and sometimes a dash of either cayenne or pimento paste. I then bake it at around 350 for anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how dry I want it. This is great especially for my packed salads.

QUINOA: Quinoa is an inexpensive, quick-cooking grain that's also a complete protein. You can get it at any Bulk Barn. I sometimes just cook a big batch of plain quinoa and keep it in the fridge for breakfasts, topped with yogurt and fruit. [My favourite is chopped apples cooked on high for 10 minutes with a splash of water, spoonful of (brown) sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg.]

GREENS: I always, always have at least one variety of leafy green in my fridge, be it spinach, baby spinach, your standard spring mix, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, pea shoots, or...

KALE: You can get a huge head for around $2. This stuff is plentiful starting in the late fall and all throughout the winter. You can find it the rest of the year, but it's often more expensive and smaller. When preparing, make sure you cut out the tough rib. Kale takes a bit longer to cook than something like spinach: if your pan starts to get dry and the kale begins to burn, add a splash of water. It also doesn't shrink as much as the softer greens, so you'll probably want to cut it up into smaller shreds.

FROZEN PEAS: This seems like a no-brainer, but it's invaluable: a way for me to boost my veggie intake in virtually any meal. I simply rinse with hot water straight from the tap to defrost, and then throw it in to my soup, noodles, stir-fry or sauce. It also happens to be one of my favourite vegetables.

WHOLE GRAIN COUSCOUS: Boil some water. Add the couscous. Five minutes later, it's done. Keep it in the fridge to make salads for work.

TVP: Short for "textured vegetable protein", it's the stuff that they make fake ground beef or bacon bits out of. It's also stupidly cheap and easy to prepare. Making a tomato sauce? Throw in a handful of this near the end and you've got a 'meat' sauce that's basically indistinguishable from the real thing. I've freaked people out with this when serving it, convinced that I've served dead cow.

CANNED TOMATOES: I always have this in the cupboard, ready for a quick tomato sauce or to use in a variety of other recipes.

CANNED BEANS AND LENTILS: Yes, I could always go the dried route... but that means planning well ahead, having a big bowl taking up valuable refrigerator real estate, and then cooking it. No, thank you. Take a can of legumes, rinse it off, and toss it in. So much simpler! Just watch out for the sodium content, if you happened to be concerned about that.

NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER: After switching to the natural stuff, I can't eat your regular Kraft brand PB anymore: it's just so oily and reminiscent of icing sugar. Natural peanut butter needs to stay in the fridge and be stirred each time, but I think it's totally worth it: a standard breakfast or bedtime snack for me is toasted bread or English muffin (whole wheat, of course!) with some peanut butter and a small dab of jam, honey or even berries.

RICE: I love my rice maker. Throw in some rinsed brown, black or even white (the nutritional horror!) rice, add your water and a dash of salt, and walk away. This becomes the base for my stir-fries, stews and chilis, or becomes rejuvenated into some super-easy and quick fried rice.

NUTS AND SEEDS: I love the Bulk Barn. I always have at least one bag of nuts and/or seeds in my fridge, ready to be added to my salads and stir-fries. Sunflower seeds are one of my favourites, but I also tend to pick up almonds (super high in calcium!) quite a bit, too.

MISO: This is one of my absolute must-have ingredients, especially in the winter when it becomes my 10-minute miso noodle soup.

And of course, your basic MILK, EGGS, YOGURT and tonnes of FRUITS and VEGETABLES.



So how about a quick recipe? This is great the next day for lunch, too.

QUINOA, BEANS AND GREENS
In this very forgiving recipe, you can make an endless combination of variations: leave something out, replace some things, change the seasonings... doesn't matter! I don't always include the onion or garlic, especially if I'm feeling lazy.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water/broth
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped finely (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (any kind: I like black beans for this)
few handfuls of greens, chopped (if using kale or collard greens, make sure to remove the rib)
salt, to taste
seasoning: chili powder; paprika and garlic; basil, oregano and Romano cheese
diced carrot, celery or other vegetables (optional)

Sauté the onion in olive oil until golden yellow, around 4-5 minutes; add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until aromatic. If using paprika, stir in now to quickly cook.
Add in the quinoa and stir until well coated. If adding carrot, celery or other hard vegetable, add this in. Pour in the water or broth, salt and seasonings. Stir until everything is incorporated.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
If using a softer green like spinach, you can stir it in at this point. Let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes. If using a heartier green like kale or collards, you may either want to: a) incorporate it half-way through cooking, or b) sauté it in a separate pan with a tiny bit of olive oil and add it at the very end.
Super-simple and stupidly healthy!

Point Form Review: "Nine"

-it is when the script deviates from a slavish "re-imagining" of 8 1/2 that the film pops and comes into its own: at the heart of this is the love story between Guido and his wife, which ebbs with true emotion and a sense of melancholic loss.

-Marshall's previous experiment in diegesis was a smashing success: here, it doesn't quite work. The cross-cutting is clumsy, especially when static 'real world' shots are juxtaposed to the non-stop pans of the musical numbers

-trashy, gaudy costumes that seem to celebrate Contini's misogyny, but without Fellini's self-critique of this misogyny

-staging of the 'show-stopping' musical numbers is sloppy and horrifically shot, suffering from what I'm starting to call Glee-itis. You know the tricks: the swooping camera that never stops panning, the pandering to the fourth wall, Michael Bay style lets-stick-things-in-front-of-the-camera-so-it-blocks-the-action.

-the 1960s Italian setting adds nothing to the film in the end: frankly, the film would have played better without the obsessive attempts to pay homage to "retro". Why do I say this? Because as I mentioned before, where the film pops is when it deviates from 8 1/2 entirely. "Cinema Italiano" is an insufferable number of all stylization and no substance, likewise "A Call from the Vatican": both are similarly devoid of all eroticism in favour of vulgarity, like any recent music video.

-must always be in constant dialogue with its source, as a self-reflexive homage to 8 1/2, Fellini, 60s Italian cinema and the creative process itself; this is probably why the elements that are not present in the original --i.e. Dench's costume designer muse of common sense, Cotillard and Day-Lewis' newly intensified love arc-- present themselves much more forcefully: they are new.

-That is, except for Kate Hudson's superfluous addition, which adds nothing to the film except another Victoria Secret cover shoot.

Essentially, a dumbed-down version of 8 1/2, tailor-made for contemporary audiences who want everything presented in clear, concise and painfully obvious fashion.

Point Form Review: "Super 8"

-tightly directed and written... up to a certain point. Then it descends into a by-the-numbers disaster film and loses its best narrative threads and thematic motifs, choosing instead a bland recreation of early Spielberg, seemingly throwing away everything it was building up to... in favour of razzle-dazzle that ultimately rings false and hollow.

-sets up the importance of their tape... for no apparent reason at all. Deals with notions of nostalgia, Bazinian notions of memory and preservation, until the monster shows up and we're assaulted with the Big Set Piece.

-he actually slaps Alice and then declares that he must rescue her: this isn't nostalgia, it's disgusting! I thought we moved on from the damsel-in-distress year ago. (Pfft, who am I kidding?)

-monster is all high-concept, and deflates as the film progresses. Genuinely gripping moments until it is fully revealed, as a psychic-subterranean-fussy-E.T. creature with simply Too Much.

-interesting use of paranoiac anti-government conspiracy theory, bordering on satirical.

-what happens to Charles? He's literally left behind, and he was actually interesting -- just like the tape. Setting something up with no satisfying pay-off.

Cineaste Paradox

The more films you watch, the fewer you have seen.

What do I mean by this? That makes no sense.

Yes, but once you've seen one Hungarian film, suddenly you've opened up an entire block of cinema to explore. You watch The Heart of London, and then you've never seen any other Canadian avant-garde cinema.

This is why your list of Movies To See will never shrink, only grow.

Sideboards and Bananas

Greetings, everyone!

It's time I revive my blog, and this time actually keep it up. In the past, I've felt that I needed to have a cohesive structure or theme to my blog(s), which actually hampered my creative output. I'm rather eclectic and interdisciplinary by nature: so why not have my blog reflect this? As such, expect a more integrated approach. Yes, there will be the movies, the cultural analysis, the pop snark -- but why stop there? My general thoughts are so much more varied and perhaps even chaotic. (Those that have had an actual conversation with me, or better yet, walked somewhere with me, will know this intimately.) So now expect material as wide as recipes, reviews, memes, news, academia, and poetic meanderings.

And something else: don't expect everything to be fully written out. I find my best thoughts are in point form, because that's how my brain works. I find it's an accurate way to depict my stream of consciousness, which often contains major jumps. Heck, perhaps that will be another post entirely: a discussion on my inner monologue and how it works. Many of these posts may end up being of little interest to you, dear reader, as I'm also planning on using this blog as a way to organize my thoughts in a public forum: if I'm to continue as an academic, especially in cultural theory, I should learn how to present things publicly, eh?

And now, I shall start some posts, eat my strawberry yogurt, look at the white lilies on my end table, and wait for a phone call.

Cheers!

Final Oscar Predictions

Foreign Language Feature

Word is that Denmark's entry and Golden Globe winner In a Better World has been doing very well at the Academy screenings. One thing to remember is that this is one of the few categories that requires voters to have seen all five nominated pictures: what does this mean? Retirees. Hence why you don't often see the Biggest film win, nor the critical darling. (Dogtooth hasn't a chance in hell.) Villeneuve's film and Canada's entry Incendies has also been making a splash around the Academy, while some are suggesting that Iñárritu's star-director status and Bardem's Actor nom will make Biutiful a shoo-in for this award: they're forgetting that his work has always been dividing, and reviews have suggested that Bardem is the only decent thing in the film. Not happening.

Best Bet: In a Better World, Denmark

Close Behind: Incendies, Canada

Dark Horse: Biutiful, Mexico

Animated Feature

No elaboration needed.

Best Bet: Toy Story 3

Very Dark Horse: How To Train Your Dragon

Documentary Feature

One of the most exciting categories of the night: will Banksy win? Or will the Academy 'stick it to the man' and give it to Inside Job? The latter is more likely, but some are sticking with Gift Shop. Then again, this is an often difficult category to predict... will Restrapo take it? Or Waste Land? Hmmmm!

Best Bet: Inside Job

Delicious Alternative: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Short (Live Action)

God of Love has been making quite a splash, garnering favourable comparisons to Woody Allen and picking up a student Academy Award. But Na Wewe and Wish 143 may just be too irresistibly baity to resist.

Best Guess: God of Love

Super-Bait: Na Wewe

But, What the Hell Do I Know?: Wish 143

Short (Animated)

The kid-friendly, entertaining and star-filled Gruffalo is the likely winner here. However, 'arty' short animated films often appear as winners: in which case, go for Madagascar.

Best Guess: The Gruffalo

Technically Impressive Dark Horse: Madagascar, A Journey Diary

Documentary (Short Subject)

Always a very difficult category to predict. It really is a toss-up between three films, of whichStrangers No More may actually be your wisest choice: a global classroom of 48 nationalities in a Tel-Aviv school. Touching, hopeful, topical. But I'm going for Killing in the Name, which follows a man waging his own vendetta against jihadism after a suicide bomber attacked his wedding. Still, don't rule out any of the others in this tie-breaking category.

Best Guess: Killing in the Name

Close Behind: Strangers No More

Once Again, What Do I Know?: Warriors of Qiugang

Art Direction

One of the most difficult categories of the night, and a three-way race. (In fact, I may be switching this at the last moment.) One thing to consider is that every Tim Burton film that has been nominated here has won the award, starting with Batman in 1989 and most recently withSweeney Todd. That, and the overkill art direction of the film, may be enough to push it over the edge -- but was it all that successful as a CGI explosion? Last year's winner, the equally CGI-drenched Avatar did its fantastical environment much better. Many are calling The King's Speech as the likely winner, in case it pulls a sweep on us. I for one am not anticipating such a sweep happening, and I think this is one category in which its competition is too strong.Inception is such a film, full of memorable moments that hinge on its elaborate sets. For now, I'm going with a Tim Burton continuation, but I'm really tempted to call an Inception win.

Best Bet: The King's Speech

"Most Art Direction" Dark Horse: Alice in Wonderland

Memorable Dark Horse: Inception

Costume

Another difficult category, because any of these will make a good Oscar story -- but two nominees have been splitting the experts. If we anticipate a sweep, The King's Speech could easily pick this one up, and not undeservingly so. Alice in Wonderland's costumes were one of the few elements that I actually thoroughly enjoyed from the film, designed by master costumer Colleen Atwood. Indeed, the experts are split between the two -- but all the ones that I trust the most are behind Speech. I agree.

Best Bet: The King's Speech

Close Behind: Alice in Wonderland

Makeup

Always a toss-up category, but I'm anticipating a 'most makeup' award going to The Wolfman. But then again, how many voters actually saw the film, and how many are willing to award it? Don't be surprised if either Barney's Version (aging!) or The Way Back takes it.

"Most Makeup"/Best Bet: The Wolfman

If They Couldn't Sit Through That: Barney's Version

Visual Effects

One of the few slam-dunks of the night. Alice in Wonderland may shock à la Golden Compass, but voters will probably want to reward Nolan's film somewhere: this is the most logical, competition-free place.

Best Bet: Inception

Dark Horse: Alice in Wonderland

Original Score

Another one of the most anticipated categories of the night, a tight two-way race between the prolific Alexandre Desplat with his fourth nomination since 2003 for The King's Speech and newcomers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their much acclaimed work on The Social Network. Who would've thought a decade ago that Reznor would be up for an Oscar one day? It's a great score and a delicious story... but if there's a sweep going on and they finally want to reward the great Desplat, The King's Speech could easily take this.

Best Bet: The Social Network

Close Behind: The King's Speech

Original Song

Opinion seems to fall behind Randy Newman's "We Belong Together" -- but is anyone else having difficulty remembering any song from the film? I just can't imagine it. Nevertheless, I suspect the general good-will towards the film and Newman (who only has a single Oscar to date among 20 nominations) will lead him to victory here. Rahman and Dido's song "If I Rise", then again, is a great track that was predominantly featured in a climatic moment in Boyle's 127 Hours, which seems unlikely to get an award anywhere else. Is this where they will reward it?

Best Bet: "We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

Close Behind: "If I Rise", 127 Hours

Sound Mixing

Virtually everyone is predicting Inception to take both sound categories. I think there's some logic to this, but I have a feeling we're going to see a repeat of The Dark Knight's fate: everyone predicts it to win both, but it only walks away with Sound Editing. Why? Numerous complaints about how loud his films are, and the frankly muddy sound mixing. My bet is that True Grit will take it, finally rewarding the Coens' excellent sound designs. But don't be shocked if Salt takes it. Or how about one of the most-talked about sound mixing moments of the year, the crystal clear conversation in a thumping club featured in The Social Network? None would be all that surprising, frankly.

Best Bet: Inception

Dark Horse/My Ballot: True Grit

Sound Editing

Best Bet: Inception

Dark Horse: True Grit

Cinematography

It's time for Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men, Fargo, The Assassination of Jesse James, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Revolutionary Road), one of the greatest living cinematographers, to finally win an Academy Award -- at least this is the thinking that has been going around. Will they want to finally reward him for one of his lesser, though still excellent, works? Or will Inception with its recent ASC win and memorable lensing take it? It's a distinct possibility, and some may even say the obvious conclusion. But this category is a strange one at the Academy: let's not forget some past losers include Children of Men and Black Hawk Down.But the online community seems to lean towards a Deakins win here -- and if not him, then Matthew Libatique for Aronofsky's Black Swan. Sure, it's his first nomination, but unlike the acting categories, voters don't really seem to pay attention to how 'due' any of the craftspeople are. (Kevin O'Connell, with 20 nominations and no wins, anyone?) And of any of the nominees,Black Swan strikes me as having the most memorable images. I wouldn't count it out.

Best Bet: True Grit

Dark Horses: Inception and Black Swan

Sweeper Possibility: The King's Speech

Editing

This category should also be known as "Most Obvious Editing", as the winners here usually follow that rule. I also find that winning films tend to not rely so much on editing, but screenwriting. Take for example the most likely winner (and ACE winner) The Social Network: the parallel editing patterns were written in the screenplay. But I digress. 127 Hours is your biggest competition, with maybe-maybe-maybe Black Swan as an outsider pick. (No,Inception was not nominated here. A crime for some people, barely a blip on my radar.)

Best Bet: The Social Network

Dark Horse: 127 Hours

Original Screenplay

Will they shock us and go for a sophisticated, socially relevant comedy? No. They'll go for the handsome, moving, excellent and deserving The King's Speech.

Best Bet: The King's Speech

Very Dark Horse: The Kids Are All Right

Adapted Screenplay

Seemingly the most locked category of the night, next to Leading Actor. Aaron Sorkin, he that is humble, will win the Oscar.

Best Bet: The Social Network

If Hell Freezes Over: Toy Story 3

Actress in a Supporting Role

The most difficult major category of the night, a seeming 3-way race with 2 very distinct upset possibilities. Really, it could go to any of these ladies. Melissa Leo was dominating the season with her baity role in Best Picture nominated The Fighter, but has she turned voters off with her rather, er, interesting behaviour as of late? Considering that I don't think she was that far ahead of her competitors in the first place, that could just be the case. Helena Bonham Carter is overdue for an Oscar, but does she deserve it for her somewhat lightweight, if delightful, performance? Or what about one of my current favourites, Amy Adams in her third nomination since bursting onto the scene in 2005's Junebug? And for the hell of it, critical darling and Australian veteran Jacki Weaver? But I think the winner will be the most obvious case of category fraud in a long time, 14-year old Hailee Steinfeld for her brilliant performance in True Grit. This category is kind to young actresses and she's the lead in a film that the Academy obviously liked very, very much. Smart money is on Leo, but I'm taking a bit of a chance here and placing my bet on Steinfeld.

Best Guess: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Would Have Won: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Could Win: Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech

Wouldn't Be Shocked: Amy Adams, The Fighter

Delicious Alternative: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Actor in a Supporting Role

Seems to be a slam-dunk for first-time (!) nominee Christian Bale in a juicy, Oscar-bait performance that has been sweeping the circuit. But then again, Rush's performance in a certain frontrunner is perhaps the most delightful of the bunch. It's definitely Bale's to lose, but if Rush wins, I won't be (completely) shocked.

Best Bet: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Dark Horse: Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Actress in a Leading Role

Bening seems to have been making a bit of a comeback in recent weeks according to the gossip. She's Hollywood Royalty, still without an Oscar, in a critically acclaimed Best Picture nominee and a subtle, complex performance. And there's no Hilary Swank to compete against! Sounds good for Bening, right? Too bad Portman gave what some are calling the 'performance of the year' in an even more acclaimed Best Picture and Director nominee that rests on her shoulders. Oops.

Best Bet: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Dark Horse: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Actor in a Leading Role

Moving on.

Will Win: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

If Hell Freezes Over: You're kidding, right? Uh... James... Franco?

Directing

In a shocking move, the DGA awarded Tom Hooper for his understated, elegant work on the frontrunner The King's Speech, beating out the seemingly unbeatable David Fincher. Ever since then, the online Oscar community has become suddenly, fiercely split. The DGA is one of the most accurate awards in relation to the Oscars, some argue. Never before has someone swept *every single* critics award, others retort. Predicting a split between Picture and Director is a tricky business; the last few times it happened, the eventual Best Picture winner was a shockingly close race: Crash/Brokeback, Chicago/Pianist, Shakespeare/Ryan. But you know what? I'm still calling a win for Fincher. Why? Even I am tempted to vote for him over Hooper, and I hated his film. Consider this a vote of good-will for his past films and a nod to the critics. But if I'm wrong, I won't be all that surprised.

Best Bet: David Fincher, The Social Network

Close Behind: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Motion Picture

It's been down to two films since October, but The King's Speech has shown its mettle with wins at the major industry guild awards. Yes, The Social Network dominated the critics -- but the critics don't vote. When King's Speech won both the PGA and the DGA, awards that seemed to be destined for Social Network, we all knew it was over. Some are still holding out on a surprise win, but I think the ranked ballot, the Weinstein's excellent campaign and the sheer quality of the film mean that we have a handsome winner for the 83rd Academy Awards.

Best Bet: The King's Speech

Dark Horse: The Social Network

Shocker: Toy Story 3 or The Fighter

Rundown

Picture: The King's Speech

Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Original Screenplay: The King's Speech

Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network

Cinematography: True Grit

Editing: The Social Network

Art Direction: The King's Speech

Costume: The King's Speech

Makeup: The Wolfman

Visual Effects: Inception

Score: The Social Network

Song: "We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

Sound Mixing: True Grit

Sound Editing: Inception

Documentary: Inside Job

Foreign Language: In a Better World

Animated: Toy Story 3

Short Doc: Killing in the Name

Short Animated: The Gruffalo

Short Fiction: God of Love

The King's Speech: 5

The Social Network: 4

True Grit: 3

Toy Story 3: 2

Inception: 2

Post-Nomination Round Up

I did very well this morning, managing 86/105. I correctly predicted the difficult category of Supporting Actress and all of The King's Speech's nominations. Didn't see two of Inception's snubs coming, but it deserves it: the film was a pompous mess. Other surprises:

Tron misses out in Visual Effects, Hereafter makes it in.

Black Swan misses Original Screenplay and only racks up 5 nominations.

Alice in Wonderland misses Makeup, which I'm guessing has something to do with too much computer manipulation.

I Am Love's single nomination for Costume, which makes me very happy.

Waiting for Superman misses nods for Feature Documentary and Original Song.

Dogtooth makes it in for Foreign Language Feature.

The Sound categories only have 2 films (True Grit and Inception) in common.

Andrew Garfield misses in Supporting Actor.

Best Picture 10/10

Best Director 4/5

In a welcomed surprise, Nolan gets snubbed and the Coens get in.

1. David Fincher, "The Social Network"

2. Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"

4. Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"

5. David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

6. Joel & Ethan Coen, "True Grit"

Actress 5/5

Actor 4/5

Javier Bardem makes it in, Gosling drops out in an unsurprising move.

1. Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

2. Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

3. James Franco, "127 Hours"

4. Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

6. Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"

Supporting Actress 5/5

I surprisingly managed to get them all here, correctly predicting Jacki Weaver.

Supporting Actor 4/5

Hawkes repeats his surprise SAG nomination here at the expense of Garfield.

1. Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

2. Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

3. Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"

5. Jeremy Renner, "The Town"

6. John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"

Original Screenplay 4/5

"Black Swan" gets replaced with Leigh's "Another Year". Not surprised that Leigh made it in.

1. The King's Speech

2. The Kids Are All Right

3. Inception

5. The Fighter

6. Another Year

Adapted Screenplay 5/5

Editing 4/5

"Inception" shows how weak it really was by missing out here and Directing, two supposed 'locks'.

1. Social Network

3. Black Swan

4. The Fighter

5. The King's Speech

6. 127 Hours

Cinematography 5/5

Art Direction 4/5

1. Inception

2. The King's Speech

3. Alice in Wonderland

4. True Grit

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

Costume 4/5

"I Am Love" makes a very, very welcome surprise addition here.

1. Alice in Wonderland

2. The King's Speech

3. True Grit

4. The Tempest

n/a I Am Love

Makeup 2/3

Too much CGI probably killed "Alice in Wonderland" here.

2. The Wolfman

3. Barney's Version

6. The Way Back

Sound Mixing 4/5

I get total bragging rights for correctly predicting "King's Speech" here. Notice that there's only 2 common films between the Sound categories: very interesting!

1. Inception

3. True Grit

4. Social Network

5. The King's Speech (No Guts, No Glory!)

9. Salt

Sound Editing 3/5

1. Inception

3. True Grit

5. Tron Legacy

6. Toy Story 3

10. Unstoppable

Visual Effects 3/5

Huh? Double whammy: "Hereafter" makes it in a complete shocker, and "Tron" is snubbed.

1. Inception

2. Alice in Wonderland

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

6. Iron Man 2

7. Hereafter

Score 4/5

"Alice" misses yet again, and Rahman shows he's no one-hit wonder with the Academy.

1. The Social Network

2. The King's Speech

3. Inception

5. How to Train Your Dragon

6. 127 Hours

Song 3/4

Only 4 nominees this year, so do I count my #5 spot for making it in? I will, because my 3-5 slots were actually a tie for me.

1. "We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

2. "I See The Light", Tangled

5. "If I Rise", 127 Hours

- "Coming Home", Country Strong

Foreign Language 4/5

"Dogtooth" makes it in!

1. Incendies (Canada)

2. In a Better World (Denmark)

3. Biutiful (Mexico)

5. Dogtooth (Greece)

6. Outside the Law (Algeria)

Animated 2/3

"Illusionist" makes it in over Disney's "Tangled" in a pleasant, if not wholly unsurprising, move.

1. Toy Story 3

2. How to Train Your Dragon

4. The Illusionist

Documentary 3/5

"Waiting for Superman" shockingly gets left out here.

1. Inside Job

3. Exit Through the Gift Shop

4. Restrapo

7. Waste Land

8. Gasland

It's That Time Again: Oscar Nominations Predictions

I don't feel like writing explanations, so instead I simply split up each list as I see fit.

Best Picture

Top Tier/Locks

1. The King's Speech

2. The Social Network

3. Black Swan

4. Inception

5. The Fighter

Second Tier

6. True Grit

7. The Kids Are All Right

8. Toy Story 3

Third Tier

9. 127 Hours

10. Winter's Bone

11. The Town

Dark Horses

12. Shutter Island

13. Ghost Writer

14. Another Year

15. Blue Valentine

16. The Way Back

17. How To Train Your Dragon

18. Rabbit Hole

19. Hereafter

20. Conviction

Best Director

Top Tier

1. David Fincher, "The Social Network"

2. Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"

3. Christopher Nolan, "Inception"

4. Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"

5. David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

Possibilities

6. Joel & Ethan Coen, "True Grit"

7. Danny Boyle, "127 Hours"

Long Shots

8. Debra Granik, "Winter's Bone"

9. Lisa Cholodenko, "The Kids Are All Right"

10. Ben Affleck, "The Town"

11. Mike Leigh, "Another Year"

12. Martin Scorsese, "Shutter Island"

13. Roman Polanski, "Ghost Writer"

14. Peter Weir, "The Way Back"

Best Actress

1. Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

2. Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"

3. Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"

4. Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"

5. Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

6. Julianne Moore, "The Kids Are All Right"

7. Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"

8. Lesley Manville, "Another Year"

9. Tilda Swinton, "I Am Love"

10. Hillary Swank, "Conviction"

Best Actor

1. Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

2. Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

3. James Franco, "127 Hours"

4. Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

5. Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine"

6. Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"

7. Mark Wahlberg, "The Fighter"

8. Robert Duvall, "Get Low"

9. Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Vision"

10. Leonardo DiCaprio, "Shutter Island"

Best Supporting Actress

1. Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"

2. Amy Adams, "The Fighter"

3. Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"

4. Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"

5. Jackie Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

6. Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"

7. Lesley Manville, "Another Year"

8. Olivia Williams, "Ghost Writer"

9. Miranda Richardson, "Made in Dagenham"

10. Dianne Wiest, "Rabbit Hole"

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

2. Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

3. Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"

4. Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"

5. Jeremy Renner, "The Town"

6. John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"

7. Sam Rockwell, "Conviction"

8. Matt Damon, "True Grit"

9. Peter Postlethwaite, "The Town"

10. Bill Murray, "Get Low"

Original Screenplay

1. The King's Speech

2. The Kids Are All Right

3. Inception

4. Black Swan

5. The Fighter

6. Another Year

7. Blue Valentine

8. Get Low

9. The Illusionist

10. Made in Dagenham

Adapted Screenplay

1. The Social Network

2. Toy Story 3

3. Winter's Bone

4. True Grit

5. 127 Hours

6. Ghost Writer

7. The Town

8. Shutter Island

9. Rabbit Hole

10. How To Train Your Dragon

Editing

1. Social Network

2. Inception

3. Black Swan

4. The Fighter

5. The King's Speech

6. 127 Hours

7. Shutter Island

8. True Grit

9. The Town

10. The Kids Are All Right

Cinematography

1. True Grit

2. Inception

3. Black Swan

4. The King's Speech

5. The Social Network

6. 127 Hours

7. Shutter Island

8. The Way Back

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

10. The Fighter

Art Direction

1. Inception

2. The King's Speech

3. Alice in Wonderland

4. True Grit

5. Black Swan

6. Shutter Island

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

8. Tron Legacy

9. Robin Hood

10. The Chronicles of Narnia

Costume Design

The performance costumes in "Black Swan" were not designed by Westcott: this is why I'm placing it so low.

1. Alice in Wonderland

2. The King's Speech

3. True Grit

4. The Tempest

5. Burlesque

6. Black Swan

7. Robin Hood

8. Made in Dagenham

9. Shutter Island

10. Tron Legacy

Makeup

From the bake-off shortlist of 7 films.

1. Alice in Wonderland

2. The Wolfman

3. Barney's Version

4. The Fighter

5. The Way Back

6. True Grit

7. Jonah Hex

Sound Mixing

"Inception" is really the only lock here: the rest is a crap-shoot. My No Guts, No Glory pick is "The King's Speech", which probably won't materialize.

1. Inception

2. Black Swan

3. True Grit

4. Social Network

5. The King's Speech (No Guts, No Glory!)

6. 127 Hours

7. Shutter Island

8. Toy Story 3

9. Salt

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

11. Tron Legacy

12. How to Train Your Dragon

Sound Editing

1. Inception

2. Black Swan

3. True Grit

4. How To Train Your Dragon

5. Tron Legacy

6. Toy Story 3

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

8. Salt

9. 127 Hours

10. Unstoppable

11. Iron Man 2

Visual Effects

1. Inception

2. Alice in Wonderland

3. Tron Legacy

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

6. Iron Man 2

7. Hereafter

Original Score

1. The Social Network

2. The King's Speech

3. Inception

4. Alice in Wonderland

5. How to Train Your Dragon

6. 127 Hours

7. The Ghost Writer

8. Never Let Me Go

9. Tron Legacy

10. The Way Back

11. Let Me In

Original Song

1. "We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

2. "I See The Light", Tangled

3. "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", Burlesque

4. "Shine", Waiting for Superman

5. "If I Rise", 127 Hours

Other Possibilities:

"Bound to You", Burlesque

"Welcome to Burlesque", Burlesque

"Chansons Illusioniste", The Illusionist

"Coming Home", Country Strong

"Despicable Me", Despicable Me

Foreign Language Film

1. Incendies (Canada)

2. Biutiful (Mexico)

3. In a Better World (Denmark)

4. Life, Above All (South Africa)

5. Dogtooth (Greece) (No Guts, No Glory!)

5. Outside the Law (Algeria)

7. Confessions (Japan)

8. Even the Rain (Spain)

9. Simple Simon (Sweden)

Feature Animated Film

1. Toy Story 3

2. How to Train Your Dragon

3. Tangled

4. Illusionist

5. Despicable Me

Feature Documentary

1. Inside Job

2. Waiting for Superman

3. Exit Through the Gift Shop

4. Restrapo

5. The Tillman Story

6. Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer

7. Waste Land

8. Gasland

The tally of nominations:

The King's Speech: 12

Inception: 10

The Social Network: 9

Black Swan: 9

True Grit: 9

The Fighter: 7

Alice in Wonderland: 5