Oscar Talk 2013: What to Watch For

The 85th Annual Academy Awards is now done with, so is it too soon to start looking at the upcoming year and making some predictions? Yeah, it probably is too soon, but here are a few films that I think will receive a lot of attention come awards season:

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August: Osage County

Based on the award-winning play, John Wells will bring the play to the screen with quite a cast: Meryl Streep, Ewan McGregor, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Abigail Breslin. While John Wells isn’t a name you see around film, he’s an award-winning name in the television world with 6 Primetime Emmy awards with ER and The West Wing. I think this is going to be a serious contender come awards season next year.

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Captain Phillips

Set to be released in October of 2013, Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum) will release a drama based on a true story about the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Keener, this is going to be one to keep a close eye on. While Hanks has recently stepped away from the Oscar spotlight, he’s still one of the finest actors of our time.

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Gravity

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Alfonso Cuaron? There has been a lot of talk around this science fiction project using a vision from Cuaron that will really ‘wow’ everyone. As if I needed more reason to be excited for this release. This will be Cuaron’s first feature since Children of Men (2006), so a lot of anticipation is building. Oh, I forgot to mention it also stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

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Labor Day

There’s a pattern here. Jason Reitman adapts a novel himself, then allows Diablo Cody to pen a screenplay. Reitman directs them all. Since Young Adult was from a Cody screenplay, it’s Reitman’s turn. Adapting the Joyce Maynard novel, this film is about a mother and a son who offer an escaped convict a ride. Starring Josh Brolin, Kate Winslet, and Tobey Maguire, this seems to be a little outside of Reitman’s comfort zone but nonetheless, he’s become an Oscar regular and this film should be on everyone’s radar this year.

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Foxcatcher

Bennett Miller is relatively new to feature films, but has directed Capote and Moneyball, two films that received plenty of Oscar exposure. His next film is a drama about John du Pont, a man who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and killed Olympic wrestler David Schultz. Starring Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Sienna Miller, it’s not your typical Oscar cast but it’s definitely one that could be by the end of the year.

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Inside Llewyn Davis

If there is any directing duo that screams Oscars, it’s the Coen brothers. Ethan and Joel’s latest film revolves around a singer-songwriter who navigates New York’s folk music scene during the 1960s. Starring Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, and Oscar Isaac, never bet against the Coen brothers.

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Nebraska

Alexander Payne has made Sideways and The Descendants, two excellent and small-scaled dramas about family and friends. His latest film is about an alcoholic father traveling with his estranged son from Montana to Nebraska. I am very excited for this film and you should be too.

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The Monuments Men

George Clooney has won two Oscars, one for producing Argo and the other for acting in Syriana. He’s been nominated 8 times for writing, acting, and directing. He’s the real deal and the Academy loves him, so be smart and pay attention to his new film. Here’s the plot synopsis: In a race against time, a crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover renown works of art stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them. Starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, and Daniel Craig. I think we have ourselves a front-runner.

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Saving Mr. Banks

John Lee Hancock isn’t a stranger to extracting emotion from the audience. With The Rookie, The Alamo, and The Blind Side on his resume, his next film revolves around P.L. Travers trying to sell her novel, Mary Poppins, to Walt Disney Pictures. Starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, and Paul Giamatti. This sounds like it’s going to be a heart-felt, crowd-pleasing film that will catch the Oscars’ eyes.

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The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese is once again teaming up with his partner-in-crime, Leonardo DiCaprio, for his next film. The plot: A New York stock broker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. But seriously, Scorsese and DiCaprio. You know what to expect here.

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Diana

I’m torn about this one, but I had to include it for two reasons. First and foremost, Naomi Watts is going to play Princess Diana in this biopic. If there was ever a chance for the wonderful Naomi Watts to win an Oscar, this might be her ultimate chance. Secondly, Oliver Hirschbiegel is behind this project. Downfall is still one of the best films ever about Adolf Hitler, but then again, The Invasion wasn’t very good. So this seems like a hit-or-miss, but I’m really hoping that it will become a hit.

Predictions: 85th Academy Awards

Here are my final predictions for the Academy Awards this Sunday:

Best Picture

• “Amour” Nominees to be determined
• “Argo” Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
• “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers
• “Django Unchained” Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers
• “Les Misérables” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers
• “Life of Pi” Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers
• “Lincoln” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
• “Silver Linings Playbook” Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
• “Zero Dark Thirty” Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers

This is going to be a year to remember in Oscar history.I don’t feel like throwing the stats at you (because I’m tired from all my previous posts), but Argo is making history when it wins Best Picture. It’s a great story, especially for Ben Affleck. For those who don’t understand that there is a lot of campaigning during the awards season, everything fell into the right place to allow for Argo’s huge momentum swing. The hands down critics’ favorite movie of the year was Zero Dark Thirty, but we all know what bad publicity did for that film during awards season. And when the nominees were submitted before the guilds, leaving Affleck off of the Best Director category, well that’s the best thing that could’ve happened for Argo.

Prediction: Argo

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Best Lead Actor

• Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”
• Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”
• Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables”
• Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master”
• Denzel Washington in “Flight”

Some are saying Bradley Cooper has a legitimate shot at winning this. If that happens, then my faith will be completely lost because out of these 5 performances, Cooper is the one that doesn’t fit. But I guess that’s just my opinion. This award is going to DD-L and it will be his third Oscar award, making him the only actor in history with three Best Lead Actor awards. Man, this Oscars telecast is going to be historic!

Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

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Best Lead Actress

• Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook”
• Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”
• Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
• Naomi Watts in “The Impossible”

While Jessica Chastain was great in Zero Dark Thirty (and the only nominee who is actually the sole main character in her movie), this category looks all but locked for the most popular actress in the world right now, Jennifer Lawrence. Though I’m hearing that quite a few voters are going for Emmanuelle Riva, so she’s on the alert for an upset possibility.

But when it comes down to it, Chastain’s performance was great but how many voters can really find an emotional connection to her Maya? And for Riva, it would be a great story for her to win on her birthday, but how many voters actually watched Amour (or even enjoyed it)? The same goes for Naomi Watts. Meanwhile, the gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence was the star in a very crowd-pleasing movie. Oh and btdubbs, Lawrence will become the third youngest winner in Oscar history for this category.

Prediction: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

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Best Director

• “Amour” Michael Haneke
• “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Benh Zeitlin
• “Life of Pi” Ang Lee
• “Lincoln” Steven Spielberg
• “Silver Linings Playbook” David O. Russell

Here’s a tricky category. If Ben Affleck was nominated, he’d definitely win. But he’s not nominated. Common sense would point to a win for Steven Spielberg since Lincoln is dealing with great success across the board (12 nominations + highest gross of all Best Picture nominees). But then again, if Lincoln was REALLY being perceived so well in the Academy, then why is it losing everything? Aside from Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln has practically been shut out of the awards season. This makes me believe that Spielberg won’t win Best Director, because if he did then Lincoln should win Best Picture.

The same thing can be said about Ang Lee and Life of Pi. With a whopping 11 nominations, if Ang Lee were to really win Best Director, don’t you think Life of Pi would be a major player for Best Picture. And just like Lincoln, it’s not. I don’t believe they’ll win. Which leaves me to the Haneke vs. Russell debate (because frankly, Benh Zeitlin’s award is being nominated). David O. Russell and Silver Linings Playbook is very well-received in the Academy, enough so that I’ll consider him as the front-runner of this category (even though he’ll be the first director to win this award WITHOUT a DGA nominee. But heck, this is a history-breaking Oscar ceremony so let’s keep the ball rolling!). But I’m going to use my upset pick here and say Haneke will get the award.

Prediction: Michael Haneke (Amour)

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Best Supporting Actor

• Alan Arkin in “Argo”
• Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook”
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”
• Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln”
• Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained”

This is another tricky category. Everyone here has won an Oscar before, so there’s none of that newcomer vs. veteran discussion. I think it’s going to come down to how much the Academy likes certain movies. If they absolutely love Argo that much, then Alan Arkin will win. Then again, there seems to be a lot of support for Silver Linings Playbook and they’re pushing for De Niro since he hasn’t won in 31 years. And then there’s Christoph Waltz, whom EVERYONE likes. Man, this is a tough one but I think they’ll actually reward the actor who gave the best performance.

Prediction: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

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Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams in “The Master”
• Sally Field in “Lincoln”
• Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables”
• Helen Hunt in “The Sessions”
• Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Some will make an argument for Sally Field, but I don’t see that happening.

Prediction: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)

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Best Original Screenplay

• “Amour” Written by Michael Haneke
• “Django Unchained” Written by Quentin Tarantino
• “Flight” Written by John Gatins
• “Moonrise Kingdom” Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
• “Zero Dark Thirty” Written by Mark Boal

At first, it looked like Mark Boal was on his way to another Oscar for his screenplay, but Zero Dark Thirty hit a wave of bad publicity practically ruining it. So we have Haneke vs. Tarantino, and Tarantino can’t walk away without an Oscar, right?

Prediction: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)

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Best Adapted Screenplay

• “Argo” Screenplay by Chris Terrio
• “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
• “Life of Pi” Screenplay by David Magee
• “Lincoln” Screenplay by Tony Kushner
• “Silver Linings Playbook” Screenplay by David O. Russell

Another toss up here between Chris Terrio and Tony Kushner. Does the Academy love Argo that much, or just Ben Affleck? We’ll find out soon.

Prediction: Chris Terrio (Argo)

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Best Animated Feature

• “Brave” Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
• “Frankenweenie” Tim Burton
• “ParaNorman” Sam Fell and Chris Butler
• “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” Peter Lord
• “Wreck-It Ralph” Rich Moore

Prediction: Wreck-It Ralph

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Best Cinematography

• “Anna Karenina” Seamus McGarvey
• “Django Unchained” Robert Richardson
• “Life of Pi” Claudio Miranda
• “Lincoln” Janusz Kaminski
• “Skyfall” Roger Deakins

Will this be the year that Roger Deakins finally wins the Oscar? You have to feel for the guy, but nonetheless year after year he does great work. But how do you contend with the cinematography in Life of Pi?

Prediction: Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)

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Best Film Editing

• “Argo” William Goldenberg
• “Life of Pi” Tim Squyres
• “Lincoln” Michael Kahn
• “Silver Linings Playbook” Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
• “Zero Dark Thirty” Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg

This is a packed category. I’d like to imagine that if there were only five Best Picture nominees, these would be the five films. But I feel the Argo train will take this one.

Prediction: William Goldenberg (Argo)

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Best Foreign Language Film

• “Amour” Austria
• “Kon-Tiki” Norway
• “No” Chile
• “A Royal Affair” Denmark
• “War Witch” Canada

Prediction: Amour

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Best Costume Design

• “Anna Karenina” Jacqueline Durran
• “Les Misérables” Paco Delgado
• “Lincoln” Joanna Johnston
• “Mirror Mirror” Eiko Ishioka
• “Snow White and the Huntsman” Colleen Atwood

Prediction: Jacqueline Durran (Anna Karenina)

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Best Documentary

• “5 Broken Cameras”, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
• “The Gatekeepers”, Nominees to be determined
• “How to Survive a Plague”, Nominees to be determined
• “The Invisible War”, Nominees to be determined
• “Searching for Sugar Man”, Nominees to be determined

Prediction: Searching for Sugar Man

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Best Documentary, Short Subject

• “Inocente” Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
• “Kings Point” Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
• “Mondays at Racine” Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
• “Open Heart” Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
• “Redemption” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill

Prediction: Inocente

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Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• “Hitchcock” Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
• “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
• “Les Misérables” Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Prediction: Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)

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Best Original Score

• “Anna Karenina” Dario Marianelli
• “Argo” Alexandre Desplat
• “Life of Pi” Mychael Danna
• “Lincoln” John Williams
• “Skyfall” Thomas Newman

Prediction: Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)

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Best Original Song

• “Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice” Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
• “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted” Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
• “Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi” Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
• “Skyfall” from “Skyfall” Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
• “Suddenly” from “Les Misérables” Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Prediction: Skyfall

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Best Production Design

• “Anna Karenina” Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
• “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
• “Les Misérables” Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
• “Life of Pi” Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
• “Lincoln” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Prediction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer (Anna Karenina)

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Best Animated, Short

• “Adam and Dog” Minkyu Lee
• “Fresh Guacamole” PES
• “Head over Heels” Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
• “Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”” David Silverman
• “Paperman” John Kahrs

Prediction: Paperman

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Best Live Action, Short

• “Asad” Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
• “Buzkashi Boys” Sam French and Ariel Nasr
• “Curfew” Shawn Christensen
• “Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)” Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
• “Henry” Yan England

Prediction: Death of a Shadow

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Best Sound Editing

• “Argo” Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
• “Django Unchained” Wylie Stateman
• “Life of Pi” Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
• “Skyfall” Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
• “Zero Dark Thirty” Paul N.J. Ottosson

Prediction: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton (Life of Pi)

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Best Sound Mixing

• “Argo” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
• “Les Misérables” Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
• “Life of Pi” Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
• “Lincoln” Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
• “Skyfall” Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

Prediction: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes (Les Misérables)

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Best Visual Effects

• “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
• “Life of Pi” Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
• “Marvel’s The Avengers” Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
• “Prometheus” Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
• “Snow White and the Huntsman” Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Prediction: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott (Life of Pi)

Predictions: 84th Annual Academy Awards

The Oscars are tomorrow and therefore my final predictions are listed below. Feel free to win your Oscar pools by stealing my picks.

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Best Picture

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
• The Help
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

Prediction: The Artist

The Artist has too much momentum to stop. Winners of the DGA, PGA, and the BAFTA, it has won the majority of major awards on the road to the Oscars. Even though it has one of the lowest grosses of the nine nominees, the year of nostalgia in the eyes of The Academy will award The Artist. If there is another movie that could play the upset role, it would be The Help, but don’t count on it.

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Best Actor

• Demián Bichir for A Better Life
• George Clooney for The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin for The Artist
• Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Prediction: Jean Dujardin

While all of the actors nominated deserve this award, the momentum of The Artist will benefit Jean Dujardin. Did he have the best performance of the year? That’s debatable, but nonetheless this will be one of the three major awards The Artist will walk away with by the end of the night.

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Best Actress

• Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis for The Help
• Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn

Prediction: Viola Davis

The match-up is Meryl Streep against Viola Davis, and I believe Davis deserves the Oscar and will win. Her leading performance in The Help was exceptional and arguably the best performance of any actor in 2011. Can she breeze past the legend of Meryl Streep? We’ll find out soon enough.

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Best Supporting Actor

• Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn
• Jonah Hill for Moneyball
• Nick Nolte for Warrior
• Christopher Plummer for Beginners
• Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Prediction: Christopher Plummer

For some reason, Albert Brooks wasn’t nominated in this category. Therefore, this is all Christopher Plummer. His performance as a elderly man who comes out of the closet in the indie-gem, Beginners, was a delight to watch.

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Best Supporting Actress

• Bérénice Bejo for The Artist
• Jessica Chastain for The Help
• Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer for The Help

Prediction: Octavia Spencer

While Berenice Bejo could steal another one here for The Artist, expect Octavia Spencer of The Help to continue their dominance in the acting awards. Boasting the strongest ensemble cast of the year, it’s only fitting that Davis and Spencer win their respected categories.

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Best Director

•  Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
• Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life
• Alexander Payne for The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese for Hugo

Prediction: Michel Hazanavicius

Winning the DGA is a great indicator that Michel Hazanavicius is going to win this award on Oscar night. While Martin Scorcese has a chance to upset the big favorite, I’m sticking with my gut that The Artist is going to lead the night with the most Oscars, this being one of them.

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Original Screenplay

• The Artist: Michel Hazanavicius
• Bridesmaids: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
• Margin Call: J.C. Chandor
• Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen
• A Separation: Asghar Farhadi

Prediction: The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius

This one is down to Midnight in Paris or The Artist. There is a chance that The Artist will sweep, meaning not only will they win the major awards, but the secondary awards as well. While Midnight in Paris won the WGA, I have a feeling that the Woody Allen film will be shut out and Michel Hazanavicius will leave the Oscars with a few trophies in his hands.

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Adapted Screenplay

• The Descendants: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
• Hugo: John Logan
• The Ides of March: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
• Moneyball: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Prediction: The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

While Tinker Tailor might have the strongest screenplay of this category, The Descendants will be the film to win this award. As one of the best films of the year, The Academy usually awards great films with at least one Oscar, and this will be the one for The Descendants.

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Best Animated Feature

• A Cat in Paris
• Chico & Rita
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Puss in Boots
• Rango

Prediction: Rango

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Best Foreign Language Film

• Bullhead (Belgium)
• Footnote (Israel)
• In Darkness (Poland)
• Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
• A Separation (Iran)

Prediction: A Separation

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Best Cinematography

• The Artist: Guillaume Schiffman
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Jeff Cronenweth
• Hugo: Robert Richardson
• The Tree of Life: Emmanuel Lubezki
• War Horse: Janusz Kaminski

Prediction: The Tree of Life

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Best Editing

• The Artist: Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
• The Descendants: Kevin Tent
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
• Hugo: Thelma Schoonmaker
• Moneyball: Christopher Tellefsen

Prediction: The Artist

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Best Art Direction

• The Artist: Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
• Hugo: Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
• Midnight in Paris: Anne Seibel, Hélène Dubreuil
• War Horse: Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

Prediction: Hugo

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Best Costume Design

• Anonymous: Lisy Christl
• The Artist: Mark Bridges
• Hugo: Sandy Powell
• Jane Eyre: Michael O’Connor
• W.E.: Arianne Phillips

Prediction: The Artist

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Best Makeup

• Albert Nobbs: Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnson, Matthew W. Mungle
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
• The Iron Lady: Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland

Prediction: The Iron Lady

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Best Original Score

• The Adventures of Tintin: John Williams
• The Artist: Ludovic Bource
• Hugo: Howard Shore
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Alberto Iglesias
• War Horse: John Williams

Prediction: The Artist

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Best Original Song

• The Muppets: Bret McKenzie(“Man or Muppet”)
• Rio: Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett(“Real in Rio”)

Prediction: The Muppets, “Man or Muppet”

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Best Sound Mixing

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Bo Persson
• Hugo: Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
• Moneyball: Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, David Giammarco, Ed Novick
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Peter J. Devlin
• War Horse: Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Stuart Wilson

Prediction: Hugo

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Best Sound Editing

• Drive: Lon Bender, Victor Ray Ennis
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Ren Klyce
• Hugo: Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl
• War Horse: Richard Hymns, Gary Rydstrom

Prediction: Hugo

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Best Visual Effects

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler, John Richardson
• Hugo: Robert Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning
• Real Steel: Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Danny Gordon Taylor, Swen Gillberg
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, Daniel Barrett
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew E. Butler, John Frazier

Prediction: Hugo

My 2011 Oscar Nominations Predictions

It’s that time of year again. Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST the nominations for the Oscars will be announced. The year of 2010 was a great one for movies. I’m sure The Academy will do a fine job awarding the films worthy of merit. After following the awards season and the best movies of the year, here are my predictions:

Best Picture:

I think it’s safe to say that these ten films will receive a nomination tomorrow. There aren’t too many films that I can foresee to squeak in. Maybe Winter’s Bone, or even a bigger stretch would be Somewhere, Another Year, or Ghost Writer… but I highly doubt it. The PGA’s ten should match the Oscar’s ten.

- 127 Hours
- Black Swan
- The Fighter
- Inception
- The Kids Are All Right
- The King’s Speech
- The Social Network
- The Town
- Toy Story 3
- True Grit

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Best Director:

The nomination for this category has become incredibly more prestigious since they expanded the Best Picture category to ten movies. That being said, the five directors The Academy will reward with a nomination should be an indication of the top five films out of the ten Best Picture nominations.

- Ethan and Joel Coen (True Grit)
- David Fincher (The Social Network)
- David O. Russell (The Fighter)
- Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
- Chris Nolan (Inception)

Upset Alert! – Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) – While Aronofsky got the DGA nod over the Coens, I feel The Academy would squeak in the beloved brothers instead of a cult-mastermind. But I could be wrong and there is a very good chance the DGA’s five will match the Academy’s five.

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Best Actor:

This race seems to be pretty much locked, and there isn’t much question about Colin Firth walking away with this award come February 27.

- Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
- James Franco (127 Hours)
- Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
- Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
- Robert Duvall (Get Low)

Upset Alert! – Javier Bardem (Biutiful) – There is a chance Bardem could sneak into this category and knock out Duvall. This would be a big surprise, but one that would just be irrelevant since Firth is almost guaranteed this award.

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Best Actress:

This was a phenomenal year for women in the leading position. Portman and Bening seem to be the two front-runners going into the final stretch. Lawrence is the breakthrough star of the group and Kidman gives one of her best performances in her career. There is a slight chance Hailee Steinfeld of True Grit could be thrown into this leading category instead of the supporting category she’s being marketed for. If that’s the case, that can really mix things up.

- Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
- Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
- Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
- Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)
- Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Upset Alert! – Hilary Swank (Conviction)

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Best Supporting Actor:

This looks like a race between Christian Bale and Geoffrey Rush. These two films with a superb ensemble cast will battle it out in the acting categories. Meanwhile, Ruffalo and Garfield should be sure to receive nods. I’m only a bit concerned with my pick for John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone, but my gut says he will be reward a nomination for his brilliant performance.

- Christian Bale (The Fighter)
- Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)
- John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)
- Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
- Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)

Upset Alert! – Jeremy Renner (The Town) – Just a year after he was nominated for The Hurt Locker, Renner give another outstanding performance in The Town. There is a good chance he could be in instead of Hawkes.

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Best Supporting Actress:

There’s no surprise The King’s Speech and The Fighter clogs up this category. Leo and Adams seem to be locks and if Steinfeld is really going for this category she should be a lock as well. Helena Bonham Carter was excellent and chances are she will receive a nomination. As for Manville, she’s been receiving all kinds of support that makes it hard for me to believe she will be snubbed.

- Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
- Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
- Amy Adams (The Fighter)
- Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
- Lesley Manville (Another Year)

Upset Alert! – Mila Kunis (Black Swan) – If Kunis does get into this category, that will show how powerful Black Swan is in this year’s Academy Awards. I don’t think she is really deserving for a nod. I see this more as weighing Black Swan as a movie, competing against the heavy-weights.

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Best Adapted Screenplay:

There are a lot of well-known writers in this category. The only upset I foresee is the writing team for Winter’s Bone to sneak in past the Oscar-winning team of Boyle and Beaufoy.

- Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
- Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)
- True Grit (Ethan and Joel Coen)
- Robert Harris, Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer)
- Debra Granik, Anne Roselli (Winter’s Bone)

Upset Alert! – Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)

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Best Original Screenplay:

I believe these five films will be up for this category. All five films are up for Best Picture and therefore have a lot of positive publicity going for them. My spoiler alert is for Mike Leigh, someone who should definitely receive more recognition than he gets, but I doubt he sneaks in.

- David Seidler (The King’s Speech)
- Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right)
- Christopher Nolan (Inception)
- Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John. J. McLaughlin (Black Swan)
- Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy (The Fighter)

Upset Alert! – Mike Leigh (Another Year)

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I know there are other categories, but these are the major ones that I am most concerned about. Let’s see how well I do tomorrow morning.

The 82nd Academy Awards: My Predictions

Hey everyone’s doing the whole “Who will win, who should win” formula… so I will too!  Let’s get to it!

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Best Picture

Who Will Win:  The big award of the night will either go to slightly favorite The Hurt Locker, insanely popular Avatar, or the hilarious and entertaining darkhouse, Inglourious Basterds.  Although I am VERY uneasy at The Hurt Locker’s chances, I’m still going to go with my gut and the safe choice by saying The Hurt Locker will win.

Who Should Win:  The Hurt Locker.  It’s the only film from the ten nominees that really leaves you with a lingering effect.  Last night I watched Inglourious Basterds and enjoyed it just as much as I did when I watched it the first time.  It’s an awesome, cool movie.  Very entertaining.  But then right after (at 1 a.m.) I watched The Hurt Locker and I was simply in awe.  This was the third time watching the film and it only gets better.  There’s no doubt that The Hurt Locker is the best film of the year… now will The Academy award the best film?  Or will they give it to a film more popular like Avatar or Inglourious Basterds?

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Best Director

Who Will/Should Win:  Kathryn Bigelow.  This will be the first time a female director walks away with this award and Bigelow deserves it.  Sure, Avatar was visually stunning and Basterds was witty… but The Hurt Locker is on its own level.  The small cast of characters in the film are all brought to life.  The guerilla style camera-work gave the film its gritty, documentary feel.  It’s the closest film to perfection from any film in 2009 and Bigelow should be awarded for the accomplishment.

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Best Lead Actor

Who Will/Should Win:  Jeff Bridges.  Unless there’s a unanimous sweep for The Hurt Locker and Jeremy Renner steals this award (which I would honestly be fine with).  But Bridges has done his time and he is a great, established actor who was excellent in Crazy Heart.

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Best Lead Actress

Who Will Win:  Sandra Bullock.  It was clear in my mind once The Blind Side recieved a Best Picture nomination that The Academy really loves that movie.  On top of Bullock being a fan favorite wherever she goes, this is hers to lose.

Who Should Win:  Carey Mulligan.  She’s a very talented and young actress who was the star in An Education.  She’s a lot more than just a pretty face invading Hollywood.  She has personality and subtle strengths that makes her one of the best up-and-coming actresses.  I look forward to when she’s back in this category for years to come.

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Best Supporting Actor

Who Will/Should Win:  Christoph Waltz.  If you have seen Inglourious Basterds, then you know that this man deserves this award.  He steals every single scene and gives his menacing villain a lot of layers.  I hope he stays in the States for more films instead of continuing his legacy in German cinema.

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Best Supporting Actress

Who Will/Should Win:  Mo’Nique.  A prediction that I thought I would NEVER make in my lifetime.  But yes, Mo’Nique was stunning in Precious and she deserves this golden statue, and she will get it.

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Best Original Screenplay

Who Will/Should Win:  Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds.  This is probably the tightest race of the evening.  Between The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds, it’s basically a coin-flip to determine who’s going to win.  I feel that since The Academy will be awarding The Hurt Locker with two of the biggest awards of the night, Tarantino will get his due in this writing category.

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Best Adapted Screenplay

Who Will/Should Win:  Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner – Up in the Air.  It’s not easy taking a pretty serious and dismal occupation and bringing out so much charm, humor, and romance in a movie.  It all starts with the screenplay and Up in the Air was one of the best.

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Best Animated Feature

Who Will/Should Win:  Up.  It was nominated for Best Picture.  No other animated films were.  That should be enough reason for it to win.  Plus, it’s a Pixar film.  Seriously, when has a Pixar film done you wrong?

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The rest of my predictions are listed below:

Best Foreign Film:  The White Ribbon
Best Documentary Feature:  The Cove
Best Original Score:  “Up” – Michael Giacchino
Best Orignal Song:  “The Weary Kind” – Crazy Heart
Best Cinematography – The Hurt Locker
Best Costume Design:  The Young Victoria
Best Art Direction:  Avatar
Best Makeup:  Star Trek
Best Sound Mixing:  The Hurt Locker
Best Sound Editing:  Avatar
Best Film Editing:  The Hurt Locker
Best Visual Effects:  Avatar

Box Office Predictions (Feb. 5-7)

Okay… Round 8.  Can any movie knock-out the power of Avatar?  We have two new releases this weekend.  One’s a romance film by the author who brought us The Notebook, and the other is a blow-’em-up, action flick.  Which will audiences flock to?

For those teenage girls looking for a melodramatic romance film starring two beautiful actors in Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum, Dear John is the movie for them.  Nicholas Sparks has authored some memorable romance flicks such as The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Nights in Rodanthe.  I believe his name is enough of a sell for some romance-lovers.  The film will face a little competition with When in Rome, but I have a pretty strong feeling that this film will do well (unless this snow storm on the East coast has something to say about that).

The other film released this weekend is From Paris With Love starring John Travolta who teams up with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as they battle it out with terrorists.  Here’s the film for those bad-ass action lovers.  Or if you really like John Travolta.  This film has competition with other action movies like Avatar, Edge of Darkness, and The Book of Eli, which might hurt its box office.

Here are my predictions:

1.  Avatar – $25 million
2.  Dear John – $18 million
3.  From Paris With Love – $13 million
4.  Edge of Darkness – $10 million
5.  When in Rome – $6 million

Box Office Predictions (Jan. 29-31)

All right, so Avatar has finally done it.  It is now the number one movie of all time in worldwide gross.  Okay, so that’s over with, let’s check out the two new releases this weekend.

First and foremost is the action/thriller, Edge of Darkness, starring Mel Gibson as a detective investigating and avenging the death of his daughter.  This is a complete filler during the bye-week for guys who need to find something to watch.  With an R-rating, this movie won’t be smashing any box office records, but is probably the movie with the best shot to dethrone Avatar from its continuous number one ranking.

For those looking for a light romantic comedy, there is a movie called When in Rome starring the lovely Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.  The two leads aren’t particularly known, which might hurt its box office totals, but the genre will be the go-to date movie of the weekend.

So can any movie beat out Avatar this weekend?  Here are my predictions:

1.  Avatar – $27 million
2.  Edge of Darkness – $19 million
3.  The Book of Eli – $10 million
4.  When in Rome – $8 million
5.  Tooth Fairy – $7 million

Box Office Predictions (Dec. 24-26)

Howdy folks!  Hope everyone’s having a fantastic holiday weekend with all of your friends and family.  After you exchange gifts and eat your holiday feast, go out and see a movie!  There are a lot of goodies for all types of audience this weekend.  Let’s break it down…

Probably the biggest competitor to top Avatar this weekend at the box office is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.  Yes, the “squeakquel.”  This is your family and kid-friendly film for the weekend.  I didn’t really expect the first chipmunk CGI film to hit it off in 2007, but it ended up grossing a total of $217 million.  It’s only right to expect at least the same from the “squeakquel.”  But will it be enough to take down the extremely strong Avatar?

Next, Robert Downey Jr. stars in Sherlock Holmes.  Also starring Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, this Guy Ritchie film should hit a note with the teen and young adult demographic.  Robert Downey Jr. has had a pretty quiet year after his enormous 2008, so this seems to be his all-or-nothing fame for 2009.  Can it really sell to the public?  With stiff competition surrounding this weekend, it’s going to be tough for Sherlock Holmes to debut in the #1 or #2 spot.

Now for the films that fit a more mature audience.  The R-rated romantic comedy, It’s Complicated, stars Meryl Streep and the two hosts of the Academy Awards in Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.  We all know that Streep can hold her own, but can the men keep up with her?  This is pretty much the only film out now that zones in on the mature women audience, so I expect this film to make the Top 5.

And then we have two Oscar-competitors receiving an expansion this weekend.  First, Jason Reitman’s (Juno) critically acclaimed Up in the Air starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick (all whom should receive acting nominations for the Oscars).  You can read my review for Up in the Air here.

Secondly, Daniel Day-Lewis stars in the musical Nine along with a number of gorgeous, supporting women:  Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Fergie, etc.  Mixed reviews will probably hurt this film from the box office success of other musicals like Chicago and Dreamgirls… but the movie will rely on its star-power alone to fill the theater seats.

Here are my predictions:

1.  Avatar – $56 million
2.  Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – $45 million
3.  Sherlock Holmes – $40 million
4.  It’s Complicated – $21 million
5.  Up in the Air – $15 million

Box Office Predictions (Dec. 18-20)

The time has finally come.  After twelve years of waiting, James Cameron’s Avatar hits the theaters in standard screens, 3-D presentations, and IMAX.  Reminder: this is the man that brought you The Abyss, Aliens, and Terminator.  Oh, and not to mention a little film called Titanic.  Cameron has a knack for reinventing the wheel and Avatar is no different.

I guess there’s still a question whether or not people are going to see this epic adventure that takes us to another world of Pandora with blue people.  Nonetheless, I am excited to see this film.

Oh yeah, there’s another film coming out this weekend.  It’s a romantic comedy called Did You Hear About the Morgans? starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker.  I’m not so sure if those two actors can really attract an audience, but both have been known for their romantic comedies and fans of the genre will know that.

Here are our predictions:

My Predictions:

1.  Avatar – $80 million
2.  The Princess and the Frog – $17 million
3.  Did You Meet the Morgans? – $14 million
4.  The Blind Side – $9 million
5.  Invictus – $5 million

Phil’s Predictions:

1.  Avatar – $90 million
2.  Did You Hear About the Morgans? – $20 million
3.  The Princess and the Frog – $13 million
4.  The Blind Side – $8 million
5.  Invictus – $6 million

Sheehan’s Predictions:

1.  Avatar – $50 million
2.  The Princess and the Frog – $20 million
3.  The Blind Side – $12 million
4.  Did You Hear About the Morgans? – $8 million
5.  Invictus – $7 million

Box Office Predictions (Dec. 11-13)

In the second weekend of December, the power-houses of cinema are coming to life in time for the holiday season along with awards season.  Many high-caliber films are in limited releases such as The Lovely Bones, A Single Man, Me and Orson Welles, and Up in the Air.  But if you aren’t lucky enough to be in areas where those movies are playing, just sit tight because they’ll receive a wide release soon.

Meanwhile, there are two big releases this weekend.  First and foremost is Disney’s return to the 2-D animation that we all loved before all this CGI and 3-D madness hit.  The Princess and the Frog is the latest from those who made The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.

I feel that Disney and The Princess and the Frog have their work cut out for them to be a box office success along with receiving the critical acclaim their past animations got.  Has the public already moved on from the traditional animations?  Does a story about an African American princess limit the film’s demographic?  We’ll just have to wait and see.

The other big film to hit the screens this weekend is Clint Eastwood’s Invictus.  This is a biopic of Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) and also co-starring Matt Damon as the captain of the South African rugby team.  The star power in the film will be the reason if Invictus does well at the box office for its opening weekend.  Like a lot of Eastwood’s films, their longevity will last through the awards season to accummulate a decent total gross.

Here are our predictions…

My Predictions:

1.  The Princess and the Frog – $28 million
2.  Invictus – $16 million
3.  The Blind Side – $15 million
4.  New Moon – $7 million
5.  Brothers – $6 million

Sheehan’s Predictions:

1.  The Blind Side – $20 million
2.  The Princess and the Frog – $19 million
3.  Invictus – $15 million
4.  New Moon – $12 million
5.  Brothers – $7 million