December Oscar Predictions

Just how many nods can American Hustle score?

Right now, it's the calm before the storm. The nominees are in less than four weeks, and many categories appear to be solidifying. Since my last predictions, the music, makeup, visual effects, documentary feature, and foreign language film categories have been narrowed down. Also, American Hustle has arrived as a viable contender. Saving Mr. Banks seems to have lost some momentum, but the guilds could show some support in January. Though The Wolf of Wall Street seems almost dead, BAFTA and the guilds could prove otherwise. Of course, Gravity and 12 Years a Slave are still out in front, with a potential Best Picture/Director split in the works.

Best Picture:
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Changes: Replaced Lee Daniels' The Butler and Philomena with Dallas Buyers Club and Her

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle

Changes: Replaced Martin Scorsese with Alexander Payne

Best Actor:

Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All is Lost

Changes: None

Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

Changes: None

Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Brühl, Rush
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club 

Changes: Replaced James Gandolfini and Tom Hanks with Daniel Brühl and Jonah Hill

Best Supporting Actress:

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler

Changes: Replaced Octavia Spencer with Julia Roberts

Best Adapted Screenplay:

August: Osage County
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave

Changes: Replaced The Wolf of Wall Street with Philomena

Best Original Screenplay:

American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

Changes: None

Best Production Design:

The Great Gatsby
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave

Changes: Replaced Oz the Great and Powerful with Inside Llewyn Davis

Best Cinematography:

Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Prisoners
Rush
12 Years a Slave

Changes: Replaced Captain Phillips with Rush

Best Costume Design:

American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
Oz the Great and Powerful
12 Years a Slave

Changes: None

Best Film Editing:

American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Rush
12 Years a Slave

Changes: Replaced The Wolf of Wall Street with Rush

Best Original Score:

The Book Thief
Gravity
Philomena
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave

Changes: None

Best Original Song:
"Let It Go" from Frozen
"The Moon Song" from Her
"So You Know What It's Like" from Short Term 12
"You and I Ain't Nothin' No More" from Lee Daniels' The Butler
"Young and Beautiful" from The Great Gatsby

Changes: Replaced The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug with Short Term 12

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
The Lone Ranger

Changes: Replaced The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Lee Daniels' The Butler, and Rush, which are ineligible.

Best Sound Mixing:
All is Lost
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Rush
12 Years a Slave

Changes: Replaced Captain Phillips with 12 Years a Slave

Best Sound Editing:

All is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Lone Survivor
Rush

Changes: None

Best Visual Effects:

Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
Star Trek Into Darkness

Changes: Replaced The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (ineligible) with Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Animated Feature Film: 
The Croods
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
Monsters University
The Wind Rises

Changes: None

Best Foreign Language Film:

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
The Grandmaster (Hong Kong)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)
Two Lives (Germany)

Changes: Replaced Child's Pose (Romania), Gabrielle (Canada), The Past (Iran), and Wadjda (Saudi Arabia), which are ineligible.