Growing up, The Academy Awards have been like my Superbowl; staying up late to see what took home Best Picture were some of the most exciting moments of my childhood. Now, I'm actually able to see the films in contention, and Oscar season is more exciting than ever.
Keep in mind that these predictions are very rough seeing as a majority of the films haven't been seen yet. These predictions will be updated many times before nominations are announced. Also, some categories are virtually impossible to predict at this point. So, for now, I'll predict the 'Big 5' awards and will add the other awards to my roster as the year goes on. Following my bracket, which will ranked from most likely to be nominated to least likely, I'll have two alternatives per category and a brief analysis. Feel free to post your own brackets in the comments. I'll be updating these lists quite a bit, especially as the films mentioned below are released and more film festivals take place.
Now, let's kick off the Oscar season right!
BEST PICTURE-
- The Master
- Lincoln
- Les Miserables
- Life of Pi
- Anna Karenina
- Argo
- Django Unchained
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Moonrise Kingdom
ON THE BORDERLINE: Trouble with the Curve, The Sessions, Hyde Park on the Hudson, The Impossible and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
ANALYSIS: At this point, enough people have seen The Master to make me almost certain it will be nominated. Will it win? Who knows, it might be too dark or controversial to take home Best Picture, but it will certainly be a major contender. Given the pedigree of those involved, Lincoln, Les Miserables and Life of Pi are almost guaranteed nominations as well, unless the finished product isn't as good as the trailer promises. Anna Karenina looks like a possible contender judging by the trailer, but until reviews come in I feel like it's not a definite nomination. It's certainly a major possibility, however. The trailer for Argo makes it look like a major Oscar movie, but the fact that Ben Affleck's previous directorial features weren't nominated despite positive reviews makes me a bit hesitant. Tarantino's Django Unchained looks phenomenal but, given the subject matter of the picture, might be too controversial for the Academy. Also, based on the tone of the trailer, this looks more Kill Bill than Inglourious Basterds, and the former was snubbed by the Academy. Both Beasts of the Southern Wild and Moonrise Kingdom have already been released and have received much acclaim, but they will have to retain momentum for the rest of the year in order to be contenders in the Best Picture race. If anything, one of those films will be nominated, and I feel the Academy will choose the highly ambitious Beasts of the Southern Wild instead of Moonrise Kingdom. The films on the borderline all seem like potential contenders, but I'll have to wait to see more reviews before fully deciding.
