The 85^th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will be held February 24, 2013 which will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane. After the list of nominations was released, the predictions started coming in from left and right, now it is my turn to give my predictions for the upcoming Academy Awards.

Best Picture

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

Who Will Win: Argo
Who Should Win: Lincoln

Explanation: Before the Critics´ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, Lincoln was the favorite to win Best Picture. Now that Argo won Best Picture at the Critics´ Choice Awards and Best Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes, the favorite has changed to Argo. While the chances of Argo winning are high, I still feel that Lincoln was overall a better film, with a better cast and more impressive acting. It can go either way, especially after seeing that Ben Affleck did not even get a nomination for Directing. Both films are worthy but only one will win the Oscar.

Actor in a Leading Role

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

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Explanation: After winning this category at both the Critics´ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, it is safe to say that the very talented Daniel Day-Lewis will be bringing home his third Oscar. There isn´t anyone who can go up against Daniel Day-Lewis this year, purely because his acting as Abraham Lincoln was above and beyond great.

Actress in a Leading Role

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

Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Should Win: Emmanuelle Riva

Explanation:While it has been said that it will be a close one between Jessica Chastain and some of the other nominated actresses, I feel that she will win this award because she won a Critics´ Choice Award and a Golden Globe for her role in “Zero Dark Thirty”. Jessica Chastain of course acted extremely well in “Zero Dark Thirty”, so if she would win, that should not surprise anybody. Emmanuelle Riva is someone who I think deserves to win, she acted incredibly well and made the movie “Amour” a success. While Jessica Chastain and Emmanuelle Riva were both incredible in their roles, Jennifer Lawrence can easily be thrown into the mix as her acting in “Silver Linings Playbook” was on point.

Actor in a Supporting Role

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

Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones
Who Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Explanation: This will be a close one between Tommy Lee Jones, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christoph Waltz, as they all did a brilliant job in their respective movies. This is by far the most difficult category to pick a winner from just because all of the three actors named above have won an award for their supporting roles this year. Philip Seymour Hoffman won this category at the Critics´ Choice Awards, Christoph Waltz at the Golden Globes and Tommy Lee Jones won the Screen Actor´s Guild award. While it will most definitely be a close one, I feel that Tommy Lee Jones has the highest chance of winning this category just because of the importance of his role and the movie he acted in. Philip Seymour Hoffman should win it though, with phenomenal acting and a much more difficult acting role, he simply deserves it. Philip Seymour Hoffman acted in “The Master”, a movie with a budget of 35 million dollars that only earned around 20 million at the box office. Both “Lincoln”, where Tommy Lee Jones acted in, and “Django Unchained”, where Christoph Waltz acted in, earned more than 180 million at the box office each. Philip Seymour Hoffman acted brilliantly in a movie that most people have not even heard about.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams – The Master
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway
Who Should Win: Anne Hathaway

Explanation: Anne Hathaway was brilliant in “Les Misérables” and should win an Oscar for her role in it. This year she has no real competition either, as all of the nominated actresses did not impress as much as Anne Hathaway did as Fantine in “Les Misérables”. She pulled off her role beautifully and has recently shown that she is much more than just a girl next door type of actress. She acted very well and deserves the recognition for it.

Animated Feature Film

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates!
Wreck-It Ralph

Who Will Win: Wreck-It Ralph

Who Should Win: Brave

Explanation: “Brave” and “Wreck-It Ralph” are both animated films with excellent voice acting, beautiful humor and a great story. Both films have an equal shot at winning this but I feel that “Wreck-It Ralph” might win it because the overall theme it had and the creativity behind it.

Cinematography

Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Who Will Win: Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Lincoln

Explanation: Cinematography is very difficult to judge but after careful consideration, I feel that “Life of Pi” will win this award as visually, everything was near perfect. “Lincoln” should be neck-and-neck with “Life of Pi” as both films were beautifully created and deserve the recognition for it.

Costume Design

Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Who Will Win: Les Misérables
Who Should Win: Les Misérables

Explanation: All films nominated have a chance of winning this category, but if there is one film I feel that can win an Oscar for Costume Design, it would have to be “Les Misérables”. The costumes created were immaculate and seemingly very well constructed as well. They fit into the film perfectly and a couple of outfits actually stood out and were quite impressive. “Anna Karenina” might be a threat to “Les Misérables”, but I guess we will have to wait and find out.

Directing

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

Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg
Who Should Win: Steven Spielberg

Explanation: First and foremost I have to say that I was shocked when Ben Affleck was snubbed for a nomination in this coveted category. Not only does Ben Affleck deserve this nomination for directing but he should be the one winning it as well. Why the Academy felt like Ben Affleck did not deserve the nomination is beyond me. Nevertheless, without Ben Affleck the only person I feel that could win the Oscar is Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”. While Steven Spielberg most definitely did a great job with “Lincoln”, Ben Affleck has won every directing category this award season, so to predict a winner is still rather difficult without the favorite not even being nominated. Spielberg did a brilliant job with “Lincoln”, I would be lying to say otherwise, and out of the directors nominated, he is a worthy winner.

Film Editing

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Who Should Win: Argo

Explanation: “Zero Dark Thirty” was a movie that was brilliantly created, the film editing was on point and will most likely win an Oscar for it. “Argo” has a great shot at winning as well though as the films editing was very smoothly put together. Both films had near perfect editing so whichever film takes the Oscar for Film Editing, I will be totally fine with it.

Foreign Language Film

Amour – Austria
Kon-Tiki – Norway
No – Chile
A Royal Affair – Denmark
War Witch – Canada

Who Will Win: Amour
Who Should Win: Amour

Explanation: “Amour” is not only going to win the Oscar for Foreign Language Film, but it is one of the best foreign language films created this past decade. It is extremely different from any movie you will ever see as it is quite unique. From the story to the acting to the directing, this movie is a masterpiece which not only deserves this recognition, but should be handed an Oscar without it even having to go through the nomination process. It is impossible for any other film to win purely because “Amour” is nominated for several other Oscars including “Best Picture”, “Directing” and “Actress in a Leading Role”. If any other film will win over “Amour” in this category, I will lose all hope in the Academy Awards.

Makeup and Hairstyling

Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Who Will Win: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Who Should Win: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Explanation: All three films had impeccable Makeup and Hairstyling but “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is just above the two other films nominated, merely because of the effort and creativity put behind every character seen in the film. If there is anything that The Hobbit movie is instantly recognized for, besides the obvious of course, it is the amazing makeup and hairstyling.

Music – Original Score

Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Who Will Win: Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Lincoln

Explanation: In this category I fear that “Life of Pi” will win, while I strongly believe that “Lincoln” should be the film winning in this category.Mychael Danna who provides the original score for “Life of Pi” and John Williams who created the music for “Lincoln” are both incredibly talented. John Williams has already won 5 Oscars and he should be receiving his sixth this year but Mychael Danna who has been nominated for the first time this year, will most likely take the Oscar home with him.

Music – Original Song

“Before My Time” – from Chasing Ice
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” – from Ted
“Pi´s Lullaby” – from Life of Pi
“Skyfall” – from Skyfall
“Suddenly” – from Les Misérables

Who Will Win: “Skyfall”
Who Should Win: “Skyfall”

Explanation: It is hard to see any other song winning besides “Skyfall”, not only is it one of the most talked about songs of the year but it is the perfect James Bond song. The music is brilliant and Adele is simply phenomenal. Adele will surely do what Eminem did back in 2003, win an Oscar for a brilliant song that will never be forgotten.

Production Design

Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Who Will Win: Les Misérables
Who Should Win: Les Misérables

Explanation: When it comes to Production Design, I find it very difficult to give the Oscar to any other film besides “Les Misérables”. It was a brilliant film and an even better production behind it. The world looks so alive and the way everything looks is just breathtaking and believable.

Sound Editing

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Who Should Win: Argo

Explanation: To make the long story short, I feel like this will be a close one where “Zero Dark Thirty” will win. While both films have solid sound editing, it is a coin toss between the two films as while “Argo” had great sound editing, there were a couple of mistakes here and there but they were far and few between. “Zero Dark Thirty” was rather flawless though.

Visual Effects

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel´s The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Who Will Win: Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Life of Pi

Explanation: Visual Effects are very difficult to judge as movies these days usually have brilliant effects. “Life of Pi” sticks out like a sore thumb though, the visuals were excellent and what made them even better was that they were not in an action movie. In an action movie, visuals are added to make the creatures, monsters or whatever it is they are trying to create, come alive. In “Life of Pi” we are able to see the strength of visual effects and see how far technology has come.

Writing – Adapted Screenplay

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Who Will Win: Argo
Who Should Win: Argo

Explanation: When it comes to the Adapted Screenplay, I feel that “Argo” is exactly what the Academy is looking for when trying to find a winner in this category.

Writing – Original Screenplay

Amour – Michael Haneke
Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino
Flight – John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal

Who Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Who Should Win: Django Unchained

Explanation: “Zero Dark Thirty” might be a controversial movie but one this is for sure and that is that the movie is incredibly well created, produced and has a solid screenplay. The same could be said about “Django Unchained” and this category is also the only one where the film might win an award from. Both films have well written Screenplay´s, I´m personally leaning towards “Django Unchained” while feeling that “Zero Dark Thirty” will win.

(Picture via MarcoNews)