2013 Oscar Predictions

Yes, with the 85th Annual Academy Awards airing tonight on ABC, hosted by Seth MacFarlane who I suspect will do a good job. And, as I did last year, I will predict some of the categories we'll see tonight. I'll be doing the same twelve as last year, plus to more, Best Animated Short Feature and Best Foreign Film. And with some of these, I make not have a "Who Should Win" choice simply because I may not feel informed enough to do so. On with the show!

Best Foreign Language Film

Nominees: Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, A Royale Affair, War Witch

Will Win: Amour. This film seems to be a favorite of a lot of critics, even taking some Best Movie of the Year choices. Plus, it's nominated for Best Picture, so it's probably a safe bet.

Best Original Score

Nominees: Anna Karenina, Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

Will Win: Lincoln. It's a great score and it's John Williams. Pi could take it, but I think it will go here.

Should Win: Lincoln. It's epic, it's grand. The rest are good, but this one is just great.

Best Original Song

Nominees: "Before My Time" (Chasing Ice), "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" (Ted), "Pi's Lullaby" (Life of Pi), "Skyfall" (Skyfall), "Suddenly" (Les Miserables)

Will Win: "Suddenly". It's close between that and "Skyfall", but I think the voters will side of the musical nominated for Best Picture.

Should Win: "Skyfall". When I think of the movie, I think of the song. The rest are all nice and the one from Ted is great, just not one I associate with the film. Would be cool to see MacFarlane actually win though.

Best Animated Short Film

Nominees: Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare", Paperman

Will Win: Paperman. A Disney short and an inventive one at that. 

Should Win: Paperman. It's got romance and it's funny. What more do you want?

Best Visual Effects

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

Will Win: Life of Pi. I'm not even sure the Academy members would have sat through the other films.

Should Win: Prometheus. The effects in Prometheus are great, though The Hulk alone could be enough for Avengers.

Best Adapted Screenplay

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

Will Win: Argo.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty

Will Win: Django Unchained.

Should Win: Django Unchained. It's classic Tarantino and it tackles some dark subjects. In other words, it's classic Tarantino.

Best Animated Film

Nominees: Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Wreck-It Ralph

Will Win: Brave. It really comes down to this or Ralph, and it's probably best to air of the side of folk tales and not video games.

Should Win: ParaNorman. If I need to explain why, read this blog more.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

Will Win: Hathaway. Duh.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Alan Arkin (Argo), Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master), Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Will Win: Waltz.

Should Win: Waltz. I mean, he just loves this category.

Best Actress

Nominees: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

Will Win: Lawrence. Probably the toughest call of the night. Could also go Riva, could go Chastain.

Should Win: Chastain. She was great and it would be ZDT's only win of the night.

Best Actor

Nominees: Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Denzel Washington (Flight)

Will Win: Day-Lewis. Next.

Best Director

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

Will Win: Spielberg. Think of it as a consolation.

Best Picture

Nominees: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty

Will Win: Argo. Lincoln was an early front-runner, but it looks like Argo is going to pull out the win after all. Not bad.