\Think you know who will win big at the Oscars this year? Fill out our handy ballot and tune in this Sunday to see if you’re correct. In the meantime, check out Assistant Entertainment Editor David Dixon’s predictions
BEST PICTURE
Lincoln
Argo
Les Misérables
Zero Dark Thirty
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
Django Unchained
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
WHAT WILL WIN?
Argo: This isn’t a lock because Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated for best director. However, the beloved thriller, drama and dark comedy won best picture at many other award shows including the Screen Actors Guild Awards, British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Golden Globes. While “Argo” isn’t my No. 1 choice for the best movie of 2012, it’s still one of my favorites of last year. The only picture with a chance of winning against the unconventional crowd-pleaser is the profoundly powerful “Lincoln.” The other seven films don’t seem to have as much momentum in the race for the biggest award.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper-Silver Linings
Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
WHO WILL WIN?
Daniel Day-Lewis: If Day-Lewis wasn’t in “Lincoln,” the competition would probably be between Joaquin Phoenix’s unforgettably intense performance as Freddie Quell and Hugh Jackman’s touching work as the classic protagonist Jean Valjean of “Les Misérables.” However, Day-Lewis gives such an emotionally complex and sympathetic portrayal of the 16th President he’s automatically the front-runner, once again reminding audiences he is one of the best in the business.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings
Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of
the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Jennifer Lawrence. Many critics are saying that the gold will either go to Jennifer Lawrence or Jessica Chastain. Chastain may have actually given the best performance in her category as the mysterious Maya in “Zero Dark Thirty,” but there’s so much overblown controversy about the use of torture in the film that her chances of winning aren’t as good as they once were. Lawrence shines brightest in a very strong ensemble as the mentally unstable Tiffany Maxwell in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin – Argo
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings
Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman-
The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Christoph Waltz-
Django Unchained
WHO WILL WIN?
Tommy Lee Jones: Some say De Niro is overdue for another Oscar win, but I think Jones left a lasting impression as the liberal abolitionist, Thaddeus Stevens. Voters will likely ignore some bizarre interviews as well as his ultra-serious appearance at the Golden Globes, instead of focusing on his many electrifying scenes in “Lincoln.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams-The Master
Sally Field-Lincoln
Anne Hathaway-
Les Misérables
Helen Hunt-The Sessions
Jackie Weaver-Silver
Linings Playbook
WHO WILL WIN?
Anne Hathaway: Ever since the teaser trailer of “Les Misérables” was released with Hathaway singing “I Dreamed a Dream,” people assumed that she would be nominated as the factory worker turned prostitute Fantine. That buzz only grew once the beloved musical actually came to theaters. There’s no way anyone else has a chance of winning this award.
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: Haneke and Russell are long shots for making movies that are well-directed, but intimate in scope. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” has inventive direction, but this is only the first full-length feature Zeitlin has directed. Lee’s amazing direction of “Life of Pi” and he could be a surprise winner, but Spielberg will likely be rewarded for beautifully recreating what life was like in 1865. Spielberg doesn’t let visuals get in the way of the incredible acting and the scenes when people vote on the 13th Amendment, keeping the film wonderfully suspenseful.
WRITING-ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty
WHAT WILL WIN?
Amour: Director and screenwriter Haneke has created a dark drama about an elderly woman who becomes partially paralyzed as a result of a stroke. The dialogue is surprisingly lively with many extended conversations that feel true to life. Even as events become drastically more bleak toward the end, the writing is relatable and occasionally funny.
WRITING-ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
WHAT WILL WIN?
Lincoln: Celebrated playwright Tony Kushner is one of the few who has written wonderful dialogue for both theater and film. His screenplay for “Lincoln” showcases his sense of humor and hope for humanity that was also prominent in his classic play “Angels in America.”
BEST DOCUMETARY
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man
WHAT WILL WIN?
Searching for Sugar Man
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
Kon-Tiki
No
A Royal Affair
War Witch
WHAT WILL WIN?
Amour
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
WHAT WILL WIN?
Wreck-It Ralph: “Frankenweenie” and “ParaNorman” received a lot of acclaim, but because they both celebrate horror movies, voters will unfairly say they’re thematically similar. “Wreck-It Ralph” was both a critical and commercial hit that was far too clever and original to be labeled as an extended video game promo.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Seamus McGarvey
-Anna Karenina
Robert Richardson
-Django Unchained
Claudio Miranda-Life of Pi
Janusz Kaminski-Lincoln
Roger Deakins-Skyfall
WHAT WILL WIN?
Life of Pi: For all the deep themes and thought-provoking questions that are in “Life of Pi,” the first thing I think about when someone mentions the survival adventure is the cinematography. While the first third of Pi’s journey is more about him growing up in India, once he’s on the lifeboat with tiger Richard Parker, the eye candy on screen rarely ever stops.
COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsmen
WHAT WILL WIN?
Anna Karenina
SHORT FILM-ANIMATED
Adam and Dog
Paperman
The Simpsons:The Longest
Daycare
Head over Heels
Fresh Guacamole
WHAT WILL WIN?
Paperman
MUSIC-ORIGINAL SCORE
Dario Marianelli-Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat-Argo
Mychael Danna-Life of Pi
John Williams-Lincoln
Thomas Newman-Skyfall
WHAT WILL WIN?
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi: I personally want John Williams to win for his soulful and sometimes fun score in the film“Lincoln,” but Danna is the favorite to win. Danna’s playful music adds to the enchanting tone of the picture. The music is at its best during some of the more upbeat moments, when a sense of wonder is effectively expressed.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
WHAT WILL WIN?
Les Misérables: As she did with “The King’s Speech,” production designer Eve Stewart created a memorable depiction of old Europe with each distinct setting.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
J. Ralph – “Before My Time”
Seth Macfarlane and Walter Murphy – “Everybody Needs a Best Friend”
Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri – “Pi’s Lullaby”
Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth -“Skyfall”
Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg – “Suddenly”
WHAT WILL WIN?
Skyfall: “Suddenly” and “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” are enjoyable tunes, but “Skyfall” is one of the better James Bond songs in a while.
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel’s The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsmen
WHAT WILL WIN?
Life of Pi: It will win mostly because of the motion capture that was used to make the tiger Richard Parker a terrifyingly original character.
