December Oscar Predictions

I'm not sure what's going to happen during Oscar season this year. Who wins Best Picture? Les Miserables, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, and Argo all have a shot. At the moment, it's next to impossible to correctly predict all of the nominees, let alone the winners. But I'll give it a shot. 

Predicted winners indicated with an asterisk (*).

Best Picture:
--Amour
--Argo
--Les Miserables*
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln
--The Master
--Silver Linings Playbook
--Zero Dark Thirty

So, I'm calling it for Les Mis...for now. I think the ZDT love will fade, but Argo and Lincoln could still end up winning. Also, I think The Master still has a shot at a nomination if it gets enough #1 votes. I predicted The Tree of Life would get a Best Picture nod last year, so I'm sticking with this prediction.

Best Director:
--Ben Affleck, Argo
--Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
--Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
--Tom Hooper, Les Miserables*
--Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Hooper could win this, but so could Bigelow, Affleck, or Spielberg. Also, I think the directors could still throw PTA in the mix, like they did Malick last year.

Best Actor:
--Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
--Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln*
--John Hawkes, The Sessions
--Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
--Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

It looks like DDL is going to take this after all. Still see Denzel Washington getting snubbed for Cooper's or Jackman's nod.

Best Actress:
--Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty*
--Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
--Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
--Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
--Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Chastain vs. Lawrence. Chastain has picked up momentum, but Lawrence could come back around. Naomi Watts might have to sit this one out.

Best Supporting Actor:
--Russell Crowe, Les Miserables
--Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
--Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained*
--Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
--Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Until more awards are given out, I see DiCaprio winning this. If my lineup happens, he'd be up against four winners, so that could work in his favor. Meanwhile, Alan Arkin could miss here.

Best Supporting Actress:
--Amy Adams, The Master
--Samantha Barks, Les Miserables
--Sally Field, Lincoln
--Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables*
--Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Hathaway should take this rather easily. The other nominees appear to be solidifying.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
--Argo
--Beasts of the Southern Wild
--Lincoln* 
--The Sessions
--Silver Linings Playbook

Lincoln is out in front. Expect competition from Argo and Silver Linings Playbook.

Best Original Screenplay:
--Amour
--Arbitrage
--The Master
--Moonrise Kingdom
--Zero Dark Thirty*

Mark Boal could win his third Oscar here. And it looks as if PTA's film will walk away empty-handed.

Best Production Design:
--Anna Karenina*
--Cloud Atlas
--Les Miserables
--Lincoln
--The Master

Anna Karenina will probably take this. Les Mis and Lincoln are just behind it.

Best Cinematography:
--Anna Karenina
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln
--The Master
--Skyfall*

Love for Deakins' work in this moneymaker (and critic favorite) could propel him to the win. Anna Karenina and Life of Pi have a shot, and Les Mis or ZDT could sneak in.

Best Costume Design:
--Anna Karenina*
--Django Unchained
--Les Miserables
--Mirror Mirror
--A Royal Affair

Anna Karenina wins. If they love Les Mis, it could win instead.

Best Film Editing:
--Argo*
--Les Miserables
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln
--Zero Dark Thirty

If AMPAS gives Argo something, it might be rewarded here. ZDT and Les Mis could also happen.

Best Original Score:
--Anna Karenina*
--Argo
--Cloud Atlas
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln

Anna Karenina is perfect for Academy voters. I really don't see any of the other scores winning.

Best Original Song:
--"Learn Me Right", Brave
--"Skyfall", Skyfall
--"Still Alive", Paul Williams: Still Alive
--"Suddenly", Les Miserables*
--"Who Were We?", Holy Motors

Les Mis is the likely winner. Who knows? Only one or two of these could be nominated. Holy Motors could get a surprise nod here, like Paris 36 and The Chorus did.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
--Cloud Atlas
--The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
--Lincoln*

Lincoln all the way. Hitchcock or even Holy Motors could still show up here though.

Best Sound Mixing:
--The Avengers
--The Dark Knight Rises
--Django Unchained
--Les Miserables* 
--Skyfall

Les Mis could win this, even if it loses Best Picture. Skyfall is probably the only other option.

Best Sound Editing:
--The Avengers
--The Dark Knight Rises
--Django Unchained
--Les Miserables
--Skyfall*

Skyfall might take this, but it's hard to tell. Maybe The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises could win.

Best Visual Effects:
--The Avengers
--Cloud Atlas
--The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
--Life of Pi*
--Prometheus

Life of Pi gets its reward here, and deservedly so.
 
Best Animated Feature Film:
--Brave*
--Frankenweenie
--The Painting
--ParaNorman
--Wreck-It Ralph

Brave is the safe bet, but I wonder about Frankenweenie's and Wreck-It Ralph's chances.

Best Documentary Feature Film:
--The Gatekeepers
--The House I Live In*
--How to Survive a Plague
--The Invisible War
--Searching for Sugar Man

I've no idea. Perhaps The Gatekeepers wins instead. I don't see Sugar Man or The Invisible War winning though.

Best Foreign Language Feature Film:
--Amour (Austria)
--The Intouchables (France)*
--Lore (Australia)
--No (Chile)
--A Royal Affair (Denmark)

Still see Amour losing, even if it gets a Best Picture nod. You never know with the Academy.

Winner Predictions Tally:
Anna Karenina - 3
Argo - 1
Brave - 1
Django Unchained - 1
The House I Live In - 1
The Intouchables - 1
Les Miserables - 5 (including Best Picture)
Life of Pi - 1
Lincoln - 3
Skyfall - 2
Zero Dark Thirty - 2