Academy Award Predictions

March Madness. The Super Bowl. The Fall Classic. The Rose Bowl. The Oscars.

Yes that’s right. It’s awards season aka one of my favorite times of the year. Movies and sports are like peanut butter and jelly. They are two of my favorite things life. This Sunday night, the Oscars take center stage, and I could not be happier. I am a huge (amateur) movie buff if I do say so myself. I spend more time scrolling through IMDB than ESPN.com. In fact, I can name the past 20 winners for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (my roommates can attest to this).

When it comes to my predictions, it has been a difficult year. There has been a new movie getting steam every month. Let me also remind you, the Oscars tend to shock the audience more times than one. In 1999, Shakespeare in Love took home Best Picture over some movie about a war company trying to find Private James Francis Ryan. More recently, in 2010, James Cameron’s breath taking Avatar lost to, ironically, his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. Needless to say, there are as many upsets as the opening round in the NCAA Tournament.

Now, to the good stuff. I have to warn you, I am no expert and I have not seen every movie in the field. I do have some taste though, seeing that The Shawshank Redemption and The Silence of the Lambs are my favorite movies. In turn, I will argue that Project X is one of the best comedies of our decade.  So let’s go

****Warning: This article may contain spoilers

Best Supporting Actor

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

The frontrunner seems to be Waltz for his performance as a bounty hunter/dentist in Tarantino’s blood bath. I was not a huge fan of Django Unchained, and would’ve been bored if it wasn’t for Waltz’ witty and charismatic character. However, history is against Waltz because he was already awarded an Oscar for Inglorious Bastards in this very category. The Academy might not award Waltz the Oscar due to his previous win in a Tarantino movie. Both Jones and Hoffman have already won awards this season, so it will be down to the wire when the pick comes in.

Who Should Win: Cristoph Waltz

Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones

 Best Supporting Actress

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

If you want to go all in on one category, this is the place to spend the money. This is one category where you have to trust the critics. Everyone is picking Anne Hathaway to win, and frankly, I do not blame them. Her rendition of “I dreamed a dream” was very surprising to me because I had no idea she could sing. There is one person who sang it better though, and that’s Susan Boyle (if you want to be amazed, watch this). Sally Field did a nice job as Lincoln’s wife, but I particularly enjoyed Weaver’s performance in Silver Linings. If I were Bradley Cooper, I would’ve loved to have the “crabby snacks” on game day.

Who Should Win: Jacki Weaver

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway

Best Director

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

This is the one category that will forever be tainted. The fact that Ben Affleck is not a nominee is the biggest travesty of the century. Affleck has resurrected his once downward spiraling career with his directing ability, spewing out the very underrated The Town or Gone Baby Gone. The Academy messed this up big time, but then again, the Academy is all politics and you have to be on the inside circle in order to win. Don’t worry Ben, you can shove it up the Academy’s ass when you take home Best Picture. If I had to choose someone though, it would be Ang Lee, mainly for the fact that the guy is a genius and used an 87% digitally mastered tiger in his movie.

Who Should Win: Ben Affleck (not nominated)

Who Will Win: Ben Afl…….I mean Ang Lee

Best Actor

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

It is a shame this year because I thought Bradley Cooper did an excellent job in Silver Linings. For once in his life, he didn’t play a complete douchebag (granted, he was a psychotic maniac who just wanted someone to love). He actually proved he is not a one trick pony and can actually act. The only problem: he is going up against arguably the greatest actor of our generation, Daniel Day-Lewis as President Lincoln. First off, the guy is crazy. His unique strategy of method acting is insane! For instance, Day-Lewis played Christy Brown in My Left Foot (which he won the academy award for), an artist who could only control his left foot because of cerebral palsy. On the set, Day-Lewis refused to get out of character off the set, which meant the crew would have to carry him in around in a wheelchair and struggle to talk with him. Since1997, Day-Lewis has starred in 6 movies, with 2 Academy Award nominations for Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood (which he won). Regardless, this is Day-Lewis’ night, which could cement him as the best ever.

Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress

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

This is probably the most competitive award of the night. I can honestly say every actress has a chance to win. Watts’ heroic portrayal as wife looking for her family, during the great tsunami, is a tearjerker. I know nothing about Beasts of the Southern Wild, besides Quvenzhane Wallis is 9 years old. 9 YEARS OLD! That is like a 3^rd grader walking on the moon. It doesn’t happen. Riva has been gaining some steam for the hopeless love story, Armour. In my opinion, it will be a heavyweight bout between Chastain and Lawrence. Without Chastain, there is no Zero Dark Thirty. She singly handily carried that movie, and drew me in from the start. In the other corner, you have the beautiful and extremely talented, Lawrence, whose role as a sex addicted-widow won me over and gave me the urge to marry her on the spot (yes, she is my most desirable woman and I would marry her today). Bias aside, she is an amazing actress, having already been nominated in this category a few years back. Let’s just say this pick will be highly debated up to the drawing.

Who Should Win: Everyone (seriously, every actress deserves this award)

Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence

Best Picture

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

On paper, this is an easy one. Argo should receive Best Picture. The only problem is the Academy votes, which makes this category very hard to predict. Seriously, trying to figure out the Academy is like trying to put Pandora back in the box; it’s impossible. Just when you think the movie is a shoe in, BAM, the Academy shocks the world and goes against public opinion. If I was voting, my top 3 would be:

Argo

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

As I mentioned in the Best Directing category, Ben Affleck deserves this award. I was on the edge of my seat throughout Argo, which is weird because I already knew the ending. Affleck’s ability to connect with the audience really makes you feel that you are on the mission.

Who Should Win: Argo

Who Will Win: Argo

Well there you have it folks. I hope you enjoyed reading my (Un)Official Picks for the Academy Awards. I hope you all tune in and enjoy the soap opera that is the Oscars. If you’re not down with that, then you can go Argof***yourself.

-Dan Giolamo

Follow Dan @DannyG3242

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