2013 Oscar Predicitions

Over the last couple of years, the Academy Awards have been dull. With an endless drudge of awards dished out before the Oscar ceremony, pundits predict virtually every category with great success. The last two Best Picture winners – The Artist and The Kings Speech were practically guaranteed weeks before the show began. This year, however, a genuine sense of intrigue surrounds a great deal of the major awards. For the first time in years it really seems like the Awards ceremony will be full of surprises, and with the best selection of films nominated since the expansion from only five Best Picture nominees in 2009, The 85th Academy Awards ceremony could be the best yet.

**The Locks**

Best Actor, Daniel Day Lewis
Best Supporting Actress, Anne Hathaway
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Visual Effects, Life of Pi
Best Original Song, Skyfall

While previous years had locks in virtually every category, there is far more suspense surrounding this year’s ceremony. Daniel Day Lewis is as sure as sure can be, it would take a miracle for anyone to beat Anne Hathaway, and Haneke’s film doesn’t look like it has any real competition. Nothing can stop the visual spectacle that is Life of Pi, and Adele looks poised to win her first Oscar for co-writing Skyfall.

**The Safe Bets**

Best Picture, Argo

Best Cinematography, Life of Pi

Best Original Score, Life of Pi

Although Lincoln was the favourite before the awards ceremony began, Argo has since won virtually every award and is now the heavy favourite, but as the film is missing a Best Director nomination, its status is still up in the air, and Lincoln could still win Best Picture, and even Silver Linings Playbook could pull of a humongous upset. Silver Linings was an enormous crowd pleaser, and with surprise nominations in all four acting categories (the first time since Reds in 1981) and in editing, the film has the best chance of usurping Argo for the throne. Roger Deakins work in Skyfall or Janusz Kaminski for Lincoln could upset Claudio Miranda’s magnificent work on Life of Pi, but it doesn’t seem likely, and the battle for original score between John Williams for Lincoln and Michael Dyanna for Life of Pi appears to have cooled down with Dyanna sitting on top.

**Up in the Air**

Best Director
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor

Here’s where things really get interesting. As Best Picture favourite Argo is missing its Best Director nomination, the award is a four-way race between Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) and Michael Haneke (Amour). Though Spielberg is the current favourite, Ang Lee is surging and a case could certainly be made for any of the four.

Best Actress appeared to be a two-way battle between Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), 85 year old Emmanuelle Riva (who turns 86 on Oscar night) appears to be gaining steam after her BAFTA win.
The Best Supporting Actor could be the most interesting field. All five nominees have won an Oscar, and there does not appear to be a definite frontrunner. The latest man to make noise is Robert DeNiro, whose work in Silver Linings Playbook has won great acclaim, and DeNiro hasn’t won since 1980, and hasn’t been nominated since 1991. He faces very stiff competition from both Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) and Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), both of whom have won the majority of the awards this season.
Simply put, I can’t wait to watch the Oscars this year. For the first time in ages, it seems like the show can finally deliver on its promise of genuine suspense.

All my predictions are below. In 2012 I went 16/24, and in 2011 I was 18/24.

Best Picture: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln

Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Best Supporting Actor: Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Best Original Screenplay: Amour

Best Adapted Screenplay: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph

Best Foreign Film: Amour

Best Documentary Feature: How To Survive A Plague

Best Production Design: Lincoln

Best Cinematography: Life of Pi

Best Costume Design: Mirror Mirror

Best Editing: Zero Dark Thirty

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Miserables

Best Score: Life of Pi

Best Song: Skyfall

Best Sound Editing: Life of Pi

Best Sound Mixing: Life of Pi

Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Best Animated Short: Paperman

Best Documentary Short: Open Heart

Best Live Action Short: Curfew