Oscar Predictor?
It's Facebook's year: The Social Network is big winner at Houston Film Criticsawards
"The Social Network" was the big winner, with four top awards
Jesse Eisenberg, left, won the Best Actor award for "The Social Network"
Natalie Portman won the Best Actress award for her role in "Black Swan"
Could it be that members of the Houston Film Critics Society are inordinately influenced by Time Magazine? Or do they simply like – really, really like -- The Social Network?
Whatever the reason, HFCS announced Saturday – just a few days after Time anointed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as Person of the Year – that the organization had chosen The Social Network, the near-universally acclaimed drama about , well, Zuckerberg’s founding of Facebook, as the Best Picture of 2010.
But wait, there’s more: During its annual awards presentation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Saturday, HFCS also named Jesse Eisenberg – who memorably and fearlessly portrays Zuckerberg as an often-insufferable enigma in Social Network – as Best Actor.
And the kudos just kept on coming: Social Network claimed top HFCS trophies for Best Director (David Fincher) and Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) as well.
The sci-fi thriller Inception emerged as runner-up in the final awards tally, with two HFCS prizes – Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister) and Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) – to its credit.
For Best Original Song, HFCS ventured way outside of the box to select a tune from the criminally under-rated Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – “We Are Sex Bob-Omb!” (music and lyrics by Beck). No, really.
And in its brand new Worst Picture category, HFCS chose to dishonor the ill-fated, critically reviled comic book adaptation, Jonah Hex.
On the other hand, most other HFCS selections could be considered, if not more predictable, certainly more conventional: Natalie Portman of Black Swan, Best Actress; Christian Bale of The Fighter, Best Supporting Actor; Hailee Steinfeld of True Grit, Best Supporting Actress; Restrepo, Best Documentary; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Best Foreign Film; Toy Story 3, Best Animated Film.
HFCS also announced four special tributes – two for Oscar-winning notables, two for dedicated local heroes – during the Saturday program at MFAH. George Clooney was named winner of the Humanitarian of the Year Award, while Texas native Sissy Spacek was honored with a Lifetime Achievement accolade. The HFCS 2010 Cinematic Achievement awards went to Hector Luna, founder and editor of C-47 Houston magazine, and Charles Dove, director of the Rice University Media Center.
Here's the video of "We Are Sex Bob-Omb!":
