127 is an internal film and credit to Boyle for his ability to harness just the right amount of his signature kineticism to paint a complete portrait of Ralston (the movie is based on a non-fiction book). Ralston is never played as a victim or for that matter, blameless. The various delirious flights of fancy and moments of forced introspection hint at a growing self-awareness on Ralston's part that anchor the empathy that comes from watching his ordeal. Sure, Boyle missed a chance at a graceful conclusion, but for 90 of the film's 94 minutes Franco keeps us riveted to his plight. And the arm removal scene? Every bit as hideous as it sounds. Too bad he's going to lose to Colin Firth in The King's Speech.

If removing one's own body parts is a bit much, hold off for Blue Valentine (February 17), an intensely independent failed marriage drama starring contender Michelle Williams as Cindy and Ryan Gosling - who many believe was robbed - as her directionless husband Dean. Documentary filmmaker Derek Cianfrance brings a verite aesthetic to the proceedings, and if you're allergic to that mumbling, half-sentence, plinking soundtrack, static style you'll grow impatient with Valentine fast. But if you can take the deliberate pacing, the film has a naturalistic and, yes, uncomfortable tone that works for it. It's easy to see why Cindy is initially attracted to Dean - he's all modern sensitivity and playful charm. Conversely, Dean's inner caregiver finds Cindy just the right kind of needy that makes him feel useful. The combination is toxic. Gosling is strong as Dean, but Williams' nomination in the less flashy role, as the "stable" one, is deserved. But she's going to lose to Natalie Portman.

Speaking of which ... At the end of the month, just before the ceremony and in enough time to have informed opinions for your Oscar pool come True Grit and its 10 nods and Black Swan with its five (both open February 24). Joel and Ethan Coen's remake of the 1960s Western that won Hollywood legend John Wayne his Oscar is a very, very different film from the first. In true Coen fashion, it is meticulous cinema, slightly distant, and extremely studied where the brothers' No Country for Old Men was more emotional. Jeff Bridges takes on John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn role, the marshal that helps Mattie (supporting actress nominee Hailee Steinfeld, likely loser to Melissa Leo in The Fighter) find the man who killed her father. Unlike the original Grit, this version is about Mattie. She's the character with the true grit.

The weakest entry all around is Black Swan, the much fawned over showbiz melodrama that plays at being high art when it's simply a lurid soap opera. Far from being director Darren Aronofsky's (Requiem for a Dream) best film, Swan is a messy fetishized mash-up of body horror and Mommie Dearest. Wispy-voiced Nina Sayers (Portman, who alternates between being on the verge of tears and outright weeping) is a driven dancer who covets the lead role in a modern re-do of Swan Lake (prepare to be exhausted by the ballet's overture). There's a skeevy artistic director, a rival to obsess over (a thankfully entertaining Mila Kunis), a retiring diva (Winona Ryder, bringin' da crazy) and of course some lesbian action - just because. Ostensibly about sacrifice and killing oneself for one's art, Swan devolves into a laughable series of cornball cliches and half-baked images long before Nina takes the stage. Let's just hope Portman reigns in the weeping during her acceptance speech.