'King's Speech,' 'Social Network' seek Oscar glory

LOS ANGELES – Two dramas unfolding in a new world of global communications could emerge as front-runners at the Academy Awards.

Director David Fincher's "The Social Network" is set in modern times as the founders of the Web site Facebook battle over their creation. Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" takes place in the 1920s and '30s as Queen Elizabeth II's dad struggles with his speech impediment at a time when the royal family is counted on to voice reassurance through the new medium of radio.

"The Social Network" has almost universal acclaim, a hip subject and impressive box-office results since it opened Oct. 1. "The King's Speech" does not open until late November, but it's an old-fashioned awards contender, a classy period piece that has been an audience favorite at film festivals for its heart and humor.

"We didn't realize it was a comedy as well as a drama. We had no idea people enjoyed it on so many levels," said Colin Firth, who stars as the stammering King George VI, reluctantly taking the throne after his brother abdicates and finding unexpected kinship with a wily Australian speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush).

"It ticks a lot of boxes that are notorious for being supposed nomination bait, you know — monarchs and disabilities and that sort of thing. But it has very little to do with that as far as I'm concerned. The substance of this is to do with this friendship."

"The Social Network" also deals with friendship — the unraveling kind. Jesse Eisenberg stars as Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg, playing him as an abrasive, socially inept genius who ends up in ferocious legal feuds with his former best buddy (Andrew Garfield) and others claiming he stiffed them on the site's proceeds.

Fincher said he's hopeful but that Oscar talk is premature. "Social Network" screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is even more tightlipped about awards.

"I just won't talk about it," Sorkin said. "I can tell you that right now, what means something to me is that people who have seen the movie seem very moved by it. It's everything we could have hoped for when we began the project."

Nominations come out Jan. 25, with the Oscars presented on Feb. 27.

Here's a look at more possibilities for best picture as well as for other top Oscar categories:

BEST PICTURE:

Assuming "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network" make the cut, eight other films will compete for the remaining slots as the Oscars go with 10 best-picture nominees again, continuing an experiment started last year that broadened the field to include mainstream hits such as "The Blind Side" and smaller productions such as "The Hurt Locker," which won for best picture.

The category was expanded partly because of "The Dark Knight," the 2008 Batman blockbuster that earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar but missed out on a best-picture nomination, despite rave reviews. This bodes well for "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan's followup, last summer's sci-fi smash "Inception," one of Hollywood's smartest action thrillers in years.

It also elevates the prospects for the year's top-grossing hit, Lee Unkrich's animated comedy "Toy Story 3," along with Ben Affleck's heist drama "The Town" and perhaps David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," the next-to-last film in the fantasy franchise.

Smaller releases could slip into the field of 10, including Ozark thriller and top Sundance winner "Winter's Bone," the family comic drama "The Kids Are All Right," the survival story "127 hours," and "Never Let Me Go," a tragic tale set in an alternate reality.

Two-time best picture and director winner Clint Eastwood cannot be counted out for his afterlife drama "Hereafter," and several upcoming films have Oscar buzz after becoming favorites on the festival circuit, including the ensemble drama "Another Year," the father-daughter tale "Somewhere"; the curmudgeon chronicle "Barney's Version," and the dance drama "Black Swan."

Two films from Oscar-winning directors are on the awards radar, though they do not come out until year's end and have not been seen by Oscar watchers: Joel and Ethan Coen's new take on the Western "True Grit" and James L. Brooks' comic drama "How Do You Know."

BEST DIRECTOR:

With 10 best-picture selections, it seems like five directing slots just aren't enough to go around.

Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech," David Fincher for "The Social Network" and Christopher Nolan for "Inception" look like solid bets.

Past winners Danny Boyle for "127 Hours" and Clint Eastwood for "Hereafter" have fresh prospects, as does Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan," Ben Affleck for "The Town" and Mike Leigh for "Another Year."

Animation continues to gain in critical esteem, so Lee Unkrich might have a shot for "Toy Story 3."

The question marks remain the filmmakers behind December's latecomers: past winners Joel and Ethan Coen for "True Grit" and James L. Brooks for "How Do You Know."

And a year after the first woman won the directing Oscar, Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker," past nominee Sofia Coppola could be back in the running for "Somewhere," along with indie longshots Lisa Cholodenko for "The Kids Are All Right" and Debra Granik for "Winter's Bone."