My FINAL Oscar Predictions

Well, tomorrow it will all be over. Tomorrow the Academy will announce their nominations for the 2013 Oscars and we can stop predicting what will be nominated and start talking about what will win. These are my final predictions for what will be nominated and I'll be waking up early tomorrow morning to watch the announcements and see who will win!

BEST PICTURE:

• Argo
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Django Unchained
• Les Miserables
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Zero Dark Thirty

ANALYSIS: My Best Picture predictions remain the same as they did the last time I uploaded Oscar predictions. At this point, I just can't imagine The Master being nominated and while I may be trying to be accurate with my predictions I wouldn't mind being wrong if it means getting Moonrise Kingdom a nomination. But, I don't see either one happening. As for these eight, they all seem quite likely. The only one that's got me second guessing myself is Beasts of the Southern Wild but I have faith in it getting a slot. 

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

• Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
• Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• John Hawkes, The Sessions
• Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
• Denzel Washington, Flight

ANALYSIS: Another category where my predictions remain the same. A snub for Cooper is, I suppose, possible, but with the help of the Weinsteins and the fact that Joaquin Phoenix has lost almost all of his momentum, I can't help but feel confident in these five choices. 

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

• Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
• Marion Cotillard, Rust & Bone
• Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
• Quevanzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Naomi Watts, The Impossible

ANALYSIS: Yet again, I'm keeping my predictions the same. Wallis is a bit of a risky pick, but filling the slot with Riva also feels like a bit of a risk and I just can't imagine Mirren getting in there for a lackluster film that most people have forgotten about. Wallis just seems like the best pick out of the bunch, and the other four are almost locked at this point. I feel confident in my choices. 

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

• Alan Arkin, Argo
• Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
• Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
• Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

ANALYSIS: This was, by far, the toughest category to predict. A part of me really wants to swap in Christoph Waltz in Leonardo DiCaprio's place, and I can also foresee Javier Bardem getting in there for Skyfall. This one could definitely go in a number of different directions though, so I'm just gonna play it safe.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

• Amy Adams, The Master
• Sally Field, Lincoln
• Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
• Helen Hunt, The Sessions
• Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

ANALYSIS: Another difficult category to predict as Field, Hathaway and Hunt are all locked for an award and the last two spots are up for grabs. I could definitely see Samantha Barks sneaking in there (and would love to see that happen!) or, possibly, Nicole Kidman, but Amy Adams feels like a safe (and deserved) nomination to predict and I feel the most confident selecting Smith above all the other possible nominees. 

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING:

• Ben Affleck, Argo
• Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
• Tom Hooper, Les Miserables
• Ang Lee, Life of Pi
• Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

ANALYSIS: This is the category where I feel, by far, the most optimistic. Hooper and Lee are, I suppose, not locks, but I see them getting in before O. Russell and Tarantino and, even then, I can't imagine both of them getting locked out. 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

• Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• David Magee, Life of Pi
• David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
• Chris Terrio, Argo
• Tony Kushner, John Logan and Paul Webb, Lincoln

ANALYSIS: Another relatively easy category. Lincoln, Argo and Silver Linings Playbook are all locked and Life of Pi feels more than likely. Perks is, by far, the wildcard of the bunch but with a WGA nomination in it's pocket I definitely see this getting in long before Les Miserables or Beasts of the Southern Wild.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: 

• Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
• Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
• Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
• John Gatins, Flight
• Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

ANALYSIS: Another easy category. I suppose I could see Amour getting in there but I get the sense that the love for Amour is being overblown by fans of the film on message boards. After all, it's not even the Foreign Film frontrunner. 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: 

• Roger Deakins, Skyfall
• Greig Fraser, Zero Dark Thirty
• Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln
• Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master
• Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi

ANALYSIS: It was between Lincoln or Django Unchained for the final slot, and I'm giving Lincoln the edge simply because Lincoln feels more up the Academy's alley than Django, and I predict that Lincoln will end up with the most nominations for any film this year. 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

• Rick Carter, Jim Erickson and Peter T. Frank, Lincoln
• Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, Anna Karenina
• J. Michael Riva, Django Unchained
• Eve Stewart, Les Miserables
• David Crank, Jack Fisk and Amy Wells, The Master

ANALYSIS: A part of me could see Life of Pi sneaking on here but this is a fairly tough field to break into. I'm sticking with these five. 

BEST FILM EDITING:

• Chris Dickens, Les Miserables
• William Goldenberg, Argo
• Michael Kahn, Lincoln
• Tim Squyres, Life of Pi
• Dylan Tichenor, Zero Dark Thirty

ANALYSIS: Common knowledge suggests that the Best Picture contenders tend to earn nominations in this category, so I'm going with the five biggest contenders for the prize. Makes sense to me.

BEST SOUND EDITING: 

• The Dark Knight Rises
• Django Unchained
• Flight
• Skyfall
• Zero Dark Thirty

ANALYSIS: I can't pretend I know anything about this category. These are just five random guesses. 

BEST SOUND MIXING: 

• The Dark Knight Rises
• Flight
• Les Miserables
• Skyfall
• Zero Dark Thirty

ANALYSIS: See above.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

• Sharen Davis, Django Unchained
• Paco Delgado, Les Miserables
• Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
• Joanna Johnston, Lincoln
• Anna Maskrey and Richard Taylor, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

ANALYSIS: I could see Argo getting in there, but I'm giving the edge to The Hobbit, as two of the three LOTR films earned nominations in this category. Granted, response to The Hobbit hasn't been nearly as strong as the other films in the franchise, but I could still see this getting in there. 

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR STYLING:

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 
• Les Miserables
• Lincoln

ANALYSIS: Another relatively easy category to predict. A part of me could see Hitchcock making it in there instead of Les Miserables but it's a chance I'm willing to take. 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

• The Avengers
• Cloud Atlas
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Life of Pi
• Prometheus

ANALYSIS: It's either Cloud Atlas or Snow White & the Huntsman getting the last spot, and I'm sending goodwill to Cloud Atlas by giving it a slight edge. I don't understand how it could possibly be ignored in this category.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

• Myhcael Danna, Life of Pi
• Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek andTom Tykwer, Cloud Atlas
• Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
• John Williams, Lincoln
• Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

ANALYSIS: Yet again, I'm giving Cloud Atlas a very slight edge here. I really want it to make it into the top 5, but at the same time wouldn't be surprised if it gets snubbed. But, I have a Golden Globe nomination on my side with this one, so I'm rooting for it. The other four, however, are most definitely getting in. 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

• "Learn Me Right" by Birdy and Mumford & Sons from Brave
• "Skyfall" by Adele from Skyfall
• "Still Alive" by Paul Williams from Paul Williams Still Alive
• "Suddenly" by Hugh Jackman from Les Miserables
• "Who Did That To You?" by John Legend from Django Unchained

ANALYSIS: I made a slight switch in terms of which Django Unchained song gets nominated, but this is a pretty hard category to predict regardless. I feel like the songs from Brave, Les Miserables and Skyfall are almost guaranteed though, so three out of five ain't bad. On a side note, have you heard "Who Did That To You?" from the Django Unchained soundtrack yet? It is, by far, the best song of the bunch.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

• Brave
• Frankenweenie
• ParaNorman
• The Rabbi's Cat
• Wreck-it-Ralph

ANALYSIS: Another category that is (hopefully) easy to predict, all five of the predictions make sense in my opinion. A part of me could see ParaNorman getting snubbed, but we'll just have to see. 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

• The Gatekeepers 
• The House I Live In
• How to Survive a Plague 
• The Invisible War
• Searching for Sugar Man

ANALYSIS: I'm going against my gut by putting The Gatekeepers instead of The Imposter or Bully but these are five of the most talked about documentaries at the moment, and I feel that the Academy will honor them. 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

• Amour (Austria)
• The Intouchables (France)
• Lore (Australia)
• No (Chile)
• A Royal Affair (Denmark)

ANALYSIS: The hardest category to predict outside of Amour and The Intouchables. Fingers crossed that this gamble pays off. 

That's all for me! Leave your predictions, or your thoughts on mine, and we'll see how it all turns out tomorrow!

A Wish List for 2013 Cinema...

It's New Years Day, so I, naturally, have quite a bit of celebrating to do, but I thought I'd write this up first...

My Top 10 List of 2012 won't be posted until Oscar night, February 24th, but I feel it's safe to say that this year has been one of the very best years in recent memory in terms of film quality. I still have some catching up to do, but I've already got 15 films in contention for a spot on my list, and I have a feeling out of the ten or so movies I have left to watch there are bound to be a few additions to the list. It'd be nothing short of a miracle if Hollywood manages to maintain this level of quality in 2013, and there are a number of films which would lead me to believe that we are in for another very good year at the movies. Here's a bit of a list as to what I'd love to see at the movies this year. Feel free to add your on, or disagree with me, in the comments:

• That we get some solid releases during the January/February "dumping ground. Last year, we had The Grey and Chronicle released during what is typically known as "the dumping ground" for Hollywood. Filmgoing levels tend to be low during these months, and if audiences are flocking to see something, it's probably from November or December. I wasn't a huge fan of either those films, but they were shockingly great for such an early time period and really hope that we get some more pleasant surprises. I'm looking forward to Gangster Squad, Warm Bodies and especially Side Effects, so let's keep our fingers crossed for something worth seeking out. 
• That Steven Sodergbergh won't retire, and if he does, that Side Effects is pretty good. I'm not sure if it will make my Top 10, but Magic Mike is one of the best films of 2012 and proves that Steven Sodergbergh is one of the best filmmakers working today. His stellar resume- which includes the Oceans trilogy, Traffic, the modern day classic Out of Sight and more- remains one of the most consistent in terms of quality, and even his lesser films (Contagion) are worth watching. Side Effects looks fantastic, and features four wonderful actors. If it is Soderbergh's last, let's hope it will rank amongst his finest. And either way, let's keep our fingers crossed he'll take himself out of retirement. 
• That Oz: The Great and Powerful and Carrie are more than just shameless rip offs/ remakes. Both these films have some talented people involved both in front of and behind the camera. Yet, I can't help but get this feeling that I'm going to end up being disappointed with the finished project. Both projects look decent, but I've been burnt in the past by a number of other similar projects. But, Sam Raimi and Kimberly Peirce are both incredibly talented directors, so I'll hope for the best!
• That G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra will be as much fun as it looks. I was extremely excited for this movie. Yes, I know, I'm ashamed. OK, not that ashamed, but it's still a bit embarrassing. Yet, getting delayed almost nine months is quite shameful in terms of film quality. So, why am I still so excited for this movie? I'm holding out hope that this movie lives up to the batshit insanity the trailer promises.
• That The Heat is a worthy follow up to Bridesmaids for McCarthy and Paul Feig. I think that pretty much spells it out. 
• That The Great Gatsby is as good as I hope. Baz Luhrman is one of my favorite directors, and I was extremely excited once casting began. Both trailers got me excited (message board hatred be damned!) and, while I'm not necessarily thrilled by Tobey Maguire's casting, the work of Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan kept me interested. Add onto it a sure to be stellar soundtrack (Lady Gaga! Prince! Jay-Z!) and I'm more than excited. 
• That I get to see Star Trek Into Darkness at midnight in IMAX. A personal goal, I know, but I'm extremely excited to see this film. In fact, it's my most anticipated blockbuster of the year. I want to see it in the most extravagant way possible. 
• That Man of Steel isn't as disappointing as some of Zack Snyder's other films. Looking back on it, being excited for Sucker Punch was not one of my finest moments. The film was a train-wreck. And, while not nearly as bad, to call Watchmen anything more than an OK attempt at greatness is being kind. Yet, here I am again, getting really excited for a Zack Snyder film. Let's hope that this is more than just a well cut trailer. By the way, when I'm wishing for things, let me add that I do not want a Justice League film. Ever. 
• That Monsters University is a return to form for Pixar. What the hell has been going on at Pixar? And, I gotta say, I'm not looking forward to Monsters University as much as I would like. But, I guess that's the best way to be! If it's bad, I won't be disappointed, and if it's good, I'll be surprised.
• That Pacific Rim is the nerdgasm it looks like it could be. Let's be honest, Pacific Rim looks like it could be two hours of living in nerd heaven. Guilmero del Toro is one of the best directors working today, so this could be quite a bit of fun. But, nerd heaven has let out a few duds in the past. So, a wish for the best is more than necessary. 
• That The Conjuring is another solid horror flick from James Wan. James Wan is one of the few modern horror directors that I actively look forward to checking out, even if his films tend to be heavily flawed. Insidious, for example, was one of the best horror movies in ages even with a heavily flawed third act. While I'm not too excited for that film's upcoming sequel, The Conjuring sounds interesting and stars the wonderful Vera Farmiga. So, James Wan has persuaded me to see his film yet again. 
• That The Wolverine will make us forget about X-Men Origins. The last time Wolverine got his own solo film, it was a disaster. I truly hope that this film can renew my faith in this franchise. 
• That Machete Kills gets a release date in late 2013 so we get a double dosage of Rodriquez this year. Sin City and Machete are two of the finest genre films I've seen in the past few years, and I'm extremely excited to check out both their sequels. Granted, I expect more from Sin City and am happy that it has a release date set already, but if Robert Rodriquez can set a date for this other highly anticipated sequel, it'll be another wonderful year for film nerds. 
• That the Oldboy remake doesn't change the original's ending! If you haven't seen the original  Oldboy, do me a favor: go see it right now and do not get the twist ending spoiled for you. Now, I'm not necessarily excited for this upcoming remake, but I'm not dreading it either. In fact, I'd love to see another director's interpretation of this story. But, if they change the ending, I will be extremely disappointed. 
• That Frozen is more like Tangled and less like The Princess and the Frog. I don't usually get excited for Disney movies, but the last film in their Princess lineup was the terrific Tangled. I'd love it if Frozen continues the series at that level of quality. But, prior to Tangled was the forgettable Princess and the Frog. So, let's hope Disney can deliver another phenomenal animated film.
• That The Bling Ring is a return to form for Sofia Coppola. The first two films of Sofia Coppola's career are terrific, with Lost in Translation remaining one of my favorite films and a film I believe will be ranked amongst the greatest of all time years from now. Yet, Marie Antoinette was a (noble) disappointment, and while I didn't see Somewhere I couldn't get the slightest bit excited for it, and critics didn't seem all that happy about it. The Bling Ring has a wonderful cast and an interesting plot. Here's hoping that Coppola can return to the good graces of the film nerd community. 
• That Diablo Cody can impress me again with her directorial debut. Young Adult was my favorite film of 2011 and I'm of the camp that Juno was a terrific film. Sure, Jennifer's Body wasn't the best movie but the people that rail against it, I feel, are overdramatic and simply jumping on the ridiculous Megan Fox hate bandwagon. But, I digress. Diablo Cody's new film sounds terrific and features one of my favorite actresses, Holly Hunter. Plus, films exploring religion always fascinate me. Seeing a writer as talented as Cody handle that theme is leaves my mouth watering. 
• Most importantly, that the latest films from Alexander Payne, Martin Scorsese, Jason Reitman, Nicholas Winding Refn and the Coen Brothers set release dates for their next few films. These directors are some of the very best working today. If they set release dates for their next few films, we are in for quite a year.