LOS ANGELES – ere are two movies that figure in Hollywood’s Oscar race, and there is good reason why “Toy Story 3” and “The Social Network” are the best-reviewed films of the year.
As 2010 draws to an end, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who received their Oscar nomination ballots this week, will be looking at which movies earned the most stars from critics.
Aimated film “Toy Story 3” is at No 1 with critics, scoring a 99 percent rating based on an average from 247 reviews.
Facebook film “The Social Network” is not far behind with a 97 percent positive average from 258 reviews, but critics say that with a few days left in 2010, more critiques for the October release could possibly come in and tilt the balance. “If five or six more positive reviews came in, it could change that. But what I can tell you is that it is down to those two movies, “Atchity said when poring over the list of seeking the moniker, “best-reviewed film” of 2010.
“Toy Story 3” was released in June, and all its reviews have been read and scored. Critics gave an outside chance to another Oscar hopeful, western “True Grit,” saying that if “another few dozen reviews” came in and were all positive, it could be in contention.
Currently “True Grit,” which premiered only a week ago, scores a 95 percent positive rating from a compilation of some 167 reviews, and is just behind November drama “The King’s Speech” with 96 percent from some 142 reviews saying it was a good choice at movie theaters. Critics said that in the past, generally speaking, there has been a good correlation between the best-reviewed films of the year and Academy Award nominees. Reviewers and academy members are both made up of film professionals, and they both know good films.
Academy members give out nominations on January 25, and award winners will be named at a ceremony on February 27. Meanwhile, the question of which movies are the best-reviewed begs the opposite of what titles were the most rotten. Critics said they had not perused final numbers yet, but a quick look at the site shows little-known title “Vampires Suck” with only three positives from a total 71 reviews for a 4 percent rotten rating. They are not alone, big-time Hollywood studio production “The Last Airbender” from “Sixth Sense” director M. Night Shyamalan scored a mere 6 percent positive ranking.
