By Kevin Finnerty
This is the big weekend in Hollywood when all the stars will be coming out to walk the red carpet, say and wave hi to the fans, and see who will go home with Oscar. The 85th Annual Academy Awards are this Sunday night with first time host Seth MacFarlane, so it’s time for my predictions of who should walk off with Oscar and who will.
BEST PICTURE:
The Nominees:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
WHO SHOULD WIN: ARGO
WHO WILL WIN: ARGO
Hands down the best picture of the year, Argo is way out in the lead for obtaining the Oscar. With the film’s stellar direction, great writing, and wonderful performances, and the fact it tops almost every critics’ Top 10 list of 2012, Argo is the sure bet to go home with Oscar.
BEST ACTOR:
The Nominees:
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day Lewis – Lincoln
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
WHO SHOULD WIN: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
WHO WILL WIN: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
Considered by most to be the best actor of his generation, Daniel Day-Lewis gave yet another outstanding performance as President Lincoln struggling to obtain the votes he needs to abolish slavery forever in America. It’s a sure lock for Day-Lewis and Oscar.
BEST ACTRESS:
The 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
WHO SHOULD WIN: JESSICA CHASTAIN
WHO WILL WIN: JENNIFER LAWRENCE
Even though Jennifer Lawrence seems to have the inside track for Oscar in this category for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook and will most likely walk off with it, Jessica Chastain deserves it even more for being the first and best reason to see Zero Dark Thirty. Her raw, powerful, and strong performance as the CIA agent dedicated to the capture of Osama bin Laden is mesmerizing – and the finest of her career so far.
BEST DIRECTOR:
The 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
WHO SHOULD WIN: BEN AFFLECK
WHO WILL WIN: STEVEN SPIELBERG
It’s a crime and an insult that the Academy chose not to nominate Ben Affleck for best director. He truly deserves to be honored for such a flawless piece of filmmaking and for bringing to the screen such a riveting story. Alas, since he’s not in the running, the Oscar will go to Steven Spielberg for Lincoln. This will make the third Oscar for Spielberg, although he himself deserved many more for such films as Raiders of the Lost Ark and JAWS.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
The Nominees:
Alan Arkin – Argo
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
WHO SHOULD WIN: CHRISTOPH WALTZ
WHO WILL WIN: TOMMY LEE JONES
The only reason Christoph Waltz will most likely not go home with Oscar for Django Unchained is because he just won the award for Inglourious Bastards. The Academy rarely gives an actor the same award so close together even if he’s deserving, which Waltz is. So the race falls to Tommy Lee Jones who will pull out in front with his performance in Lincoln.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
The Nominees:
Amy Adams – The Master
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
WHO SHOULD WIN: ANNE HATHAWAY
WHO WILL WIN: ANNE HATHAWAY
It simply is Anne Hathaway’s year. First with her fantastic performance as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises and then as the tragic character Fantine in Les Miserables, there seems to be no stopping this lovely, talented young actress. Winning both the Golden Globe and SAG awards for her work in Les Mis, there is no doubt Oscar will be hers this Sunday.
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