The Hollywood elite will be bringing their lavish dresses, sharp suits and fake smiles to the 85th Academy Awards this February, but who will take home the biggest prize in Hollywood?
1. Best Picture – Zero Dark Thirty – This category is as wide open as it’s ever been. Political thrillers, like always, are the top contenders. The Ben Affleck directed Argo is a close second, and historical drama and Steven Spielberg directed Lincoln will get some consideration, but Kathryn Bigelow’s take on the United States’ tracking of Osama bin Laden is to politically relevant to ignore. With brilliant acting performances and one of the most captivating opening scenes in cinematic history, Zero Dark Thirty will take the cake. Bigelow has already won once for The Hurt Locker, and ZDT is three times the movie.
2. Best Director – David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook – The two best directors this year, Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck (the latter which won The Golden Globe) weren’t nominated and this year’s list is as bizarre as ever. This should have been Affleck’s award, and the fact he wasn’t nominated is embarrassing. Michael Henke (Amour) and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild) are nice to have been nominated, but neither stands a chance. Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) and Ang Lee (Life of Pi) will challenge, but out of the five movies, Russell deserves it the most. He’s been nominated before (The Fighter) and made arguably his best movie with Silver Linings.
3. Best Actor – Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables – This is the hardest category to predict. Bradley Cooper gave the best performance of the year in the David O. Russell directed Silver Lining’s Playbook, but the academy often shies away from romantic dramas. Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) both gave their annual Oscar-time brilliance, but both have won before. Hollywood loves Jackman (he won the Golden Globe this year) and audiences love Jean Valjean. It will be tight, but Jackman will come out the victor.
4. Best Actress – Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty – Jessica Chastain has made the step from indie star to A-list actress with her recent performances in The Help and Tree of Life. Her performance in Zero Dark Thirty was ground breaking. Jennifer Lawrence might sneak in with her performance in Silver Linings Playbook, but Chastain will win because of her presence. Chastain commanded the screen, the movie depended on her. Lawrence was aided by Bradley Cooper and De Niro. Lawrence will win many Oscars in the future, but this isn’t her time.
The rest:
Best Supporting Actor – Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress – Anne Hatheway – Les Misérables
Best Writing Original Screenplay – Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal
Best Writing Adapted Screenplay- Argo – Chris Terrio
Best Animated Feature – Wreck It Ralph
Best Foreign Language Film – Amour (Austria)
Best Documentary – Searching for Sugar Man – Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn
Best Original Score – Argo – Alexandre Desplat
Best Original Song – Skyfall – Adele and Paul Wepworth
