It’s been one heck of a topsy-turvy Oscar season. Since September, there seemed to be a different film out in front each week with Lincoln, Les Miserables, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook all looking like the film to beat. However, after all of the Guild Awards (SAG, DGA, PGA) and the Golden Globes, it has become clear that Argo is the true front-runner and likely will win Best Picture. If it does, it will be the first film to do so without a Best Director nomination since Driving Miss Daisy in 1989. And it may also be one of the only wins the film takes home. It has a shot in Screenplay, Editing and Score, but we’ll see… There are other sure things but there are 3 big races totally up in the air and we may see the awards spread over several different films… So, just who do I think will win? Take a look at my big, bold and totally unscientific Oscar predictions below and watch the big Academy Award show Sunday the 24th on ABC.
Best Picture:
Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Will win: Argo
Should win: Les Miserables
~ spoiler: Lincoln
Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Denzel Washington (Flight)
Will win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Should win: Hugh Jackman (hello, degree of difficulty people)
~ spoiler: Hugh Jackman, but let’s be honest. Daniel Day-Lewis has this in the bag.
Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Quevanzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Will win: Jennifer Lawrence
Should win: Jessica Chastain
~ spoiler: Emmanuelle Riva
* This race is really becoming a toss-up. Lawrence is the smart money, but many feel Chastain deserves it more and Riva has the growing buzz and would be the oldest Best Actress winner ever…
Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin (Argo), Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook), Tommy Lee Jones (Licoln), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Master), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Will win: Robert DeNiro
Should win: Tommy Lee Jones
~ spoiler: Christoph Waltz
* this is the biggest toss-up race of all. Any of the five could win (even Arkin if there’s an Argo sweep). Weinstein company is spending tons of $ to remind voters that DeNiro hasn’t won in 32 years, so I think that may give him the edge.
Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
Will & Should win: Anne Hathaway
~ spoiler: Sally Field, but let’s be honest Hathaway can not lose.
Best Director:
Michael Haeneke (Amour), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), David O’Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), Benh Zeitlan (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Will win: Steven Speilberg
Should win: Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow or Tom Hooper (oops they’re not nominated!)
~ spoiler: Ang Lee
* this race is also incredibly close with Spielberg, Lee and Russell all having a strong shot…
Best Original Screenplay:
Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty
Will win: Django Unchained
Should win: Zero Dark Thirty
~spoiler: Amour
Adapted Screenplay:
Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook
Will win: Argo
Should win: Lincoln
~ spoiler: Silver Linings Playbook
Editing:
Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Will win: Argo
Should win: Zero Dark Thirty
~ spoiler: Zero Dark Thirty
Cinematography:
Anna Karenina, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Will win: Life of Pi
Should win: Skyfall
~ spoiler: Skyfall
Production Design:
Anna Karenina, The Hobbit, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln
Will & Should win: Les Miserables
~ Spoiler: Anna Karenina
Costume Design:
Anna Karenina, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman
Will & Should win: Anna Karenina
~ Spoiler: Les Miserables
Makeup & Hair:
The Hobbit, Les Miserables, Lincoln
Will & Should win: Les Miserables
~ spoiler: The Hobbit
Original Score:
Anna Karenina, Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Will win: Life of Pi
Should win: Skyfall
~ spoiler: Lincoln (it’s John Williams after all)
Song:
“Before My Time” (Chasing Ice), “Everybody Need’s a Friend” (Ted), “Pi’s Lullably” (Life of Pi), “Skyfall” (Skyfall), “Suddenly” (Les Miserables)
Will & Should win: “Skyfall”
~ spoiler: “Suddenly”
Sound Editing:
Argo, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty
Will & Should win: Zero Dark Thirty
~ spoiler: Skyfall
Sound Mixing:
Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Will & Should win: Les Miserables
~ spoiler: Life o Pi
Visual Effects:
The Avengers, The Hobbit, Life of Pi, Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman
Will win: Life of Pi
Should win: The Hobbit
~ spoiler: The Hobbit
Animated Film:
Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates: Band of Misfits!, Wreck it Ralph
Will win: Wreck it Ralph
Should win: ParaNorman (but, hey Wreck It Ralph was pretty damn good)
~ spoiler: Frankenweenie
Foreign Language Film:
Amour, Kontiki, No, A Royal Affair, War Witch
Wil win: Amour
Should win: No
~ spoiler: A Royal Affair
Documentary:
5 Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers, How to Survive a Plague, The Invisible War, Searching for Sugar Man
Will win: Searching for Sugar Man
Should win: How to Survive a Plague
~ spoiler: The Gatekeepers