The Oscars

I have an impressive and well-researched set of picks this year. I'm sure to stay reigning champ of the Oscar pool! My choices are in bold and CAPS.

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight

I'm going with the heavy favorite.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin in Argo
Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
TOMMY LEE JONES in Lincoln
Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

Personally, I would give the award to Christoph Waltz but I think Tommy Lee Jones is going to win. My biggest problem with Tommy Lee's performance is that I didn't believe he was a native Pennsylvanian, just like I didn't believe George Clooney was a native Hawaiian in The Descendents. His wig was pretty good though.

BEST ACTRESS
JESSICA CHASTAIN in Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts in The Impossible

This one is tough but I'm going heart over favorite on this one. I both Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain's performances, but I think Jessica had the harder role.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams in The Master
Sally Field in Lincoln
ANNE HATHAWAY in Les Misérables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook

I dreamed a dream that Les Mis didn't have as many closeup shots of runny noses and dirty teeth, but sadly it did not come true.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
WRECK-IT RALPH

I really liked The Pirates and Brave, but from what I hear Wreck-It Ralph was the best in this category. I haven't seen it yet.

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Anna Karenina
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

My heart says Hobbit.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
LIFE OF PI
Lincoln
Skyfall

Like all Ang Lee movies, it was beautifully shot. Good job Claudio!

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina
LES MISÉRABLES
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Two words: Paco Delgado. How do you not vote for a guy with that name?

BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

The reason I'm voting for this one may be because it's the only one I've heard of or it may be La Raza!

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
Inocente
Kings Point
MONDAYS AT RACINE
Open Heart
Redemption

An emotional story about women with cancer who meet at a beauty salon (on Mondays at Racine, I would guess.) Sounds like a winner to me!

BEST FILM EDITING
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
ZERO DARK THIRTY

I'm going with the war film since it had to be tough editing all the night vision-goggle footage.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
AMOUR - Austria
Kon-Tiki - Norway
No - Chile
A Royal Affair - Denmark
War Witch - Canada

I never need to see that movie again, and I'm not really sure I'm glad I saw it the first time. So sad and depressing. And I know it's Austrian, but it was such a French film!

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
LES MISÉRABLES

Never mind hearing the people sing, you could almost smell those miserable bastards!

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
LINCOLN
Skyfall

I have a hard time not voting for John Williams, but Argo might win it. Or Life of Pi.

BEST 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

Everybody likes that cheeky Brit, Adele, so she's a shoo-in to win this. I hope she curses in her acceptance speech.

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
ADAM AND DOG
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
Paperman

It's the indie favorite to win. Yeah, I have no idea.

BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
CURFEW
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

Apparently, it is the one to beat.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
ZERO DARK THIRTY

I'm guessing helicopter crashes are hard to sound edit.

BEST SOUND MIXING
ARGO
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

I'm splitting my sound vote since I'm not sure about Best Picture.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
LIFE OF PI
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

The animals were pretty boss especially the tiger.

BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Amour
DJANGO UNCHAINED
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

I'm rooting for Moonrise Kingdom since that was my favorite movie of last year and it got the shaft in nominations, but I'm going with Quentin, who wrote himself a great death scene.

BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
ARGO
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

The Hollywood connection is going to win this movie the award and maybe others.

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

BEST DIRECTOR
Amour (Michael Haneke)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin)
LIFE OF PI (ANG LEE)
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell)
Lincoln (Steven Spielberg)

I'm splitting my vote so I'm screwed if both go to Silver Linings Playbook.