After the top five, we have a pretty large amount of fall-off. The King’s Speech, our sixth place finisher, as it winds up a full 40 points behind Toy Story 3. A decent number of us agree with the notion that this is the film that should be the front-runner for the Oscar, but it doesn’t quite have the overwhelming support that it does amongst people from that organization. Our voters in this case find the heartwarming story of a royal who overcomes adversity to be inspiring and heartfelt, and also recognize some masterful directorial touches that aren’t obvious on the surface. Colin Firth won the Calvin for Best Actor, so we’re clearly all in agreement that his performance helps to set The King’s Speech apart, and Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter also offer much to the film’s success.

Seventh and eighth go to two treasures, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and How to Train Your Dragon. There are those of us on BOP who have been fans of writer/artist Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels for years now, and the prospect of seeing director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) putting his touch on the story was tantalizing. He delivered a kinetic, hilarious tale of love and music that is conveyed through means that members of our short attention span generation will appreciate – it’s shiny, videogame-y and chock full of lines we’ll quote from now until the end of time. As for How to Train Your Dragon, the reason we love it is simple. A lot of us are pet lovers, and this gentle, colorful film from DreamWorks completely understands that unique relationship a person has with a pet that loves unconditionally. It might not have beaten out Toy Story 3, but How to Train Your Dragon definitely has ardent supporters.





We close out the top ten with the two smallest box office performers on our list – Exit Through the Gift Shop and Winter’s Bone. Exit Through the Gift shop is our winner in the Overlooked Film category, and is definitely deserving of a viewing if you haven’t caught it. Ostensibly a documentary about street art, the movie actually turns the tables and begins to explore what is and is not art – and who should be “allowed” to create it. It’s funny and crafty and ambiguous, just as Banksy probably wants it to be. Winter’s Bone is far from funny. Indeed, it’s a stark, bleak portrayal of a young girl’s difficulties in her rural community in the Ozarks, and the steps she must take to help her family. It’s a quiet film, but it packs an emotional wallop.

We list our top 25 vote receivers for Best Picture below. A couple that just barely missed the top ten were The Town, Easy A and The Fighter.

The Calvins Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

---

Continued:       1       2       3