Need Help In Your Oscar Pools? Here’s My 2012 Academy Award Predictions
Despite the inevitable conclusion to this year’s awards season, I get excited for the Oscars every year. The Academy Awards bring about great opportunity for cinephiles to win a little extra money in Oscar pools at the office or among friends. Need help? You’ve come to the right place. I’ve gotten minimum 70% every year since tracking the Oscars, and in a year so predictable, I’m hoping to nail even more this go around. Follow my picks– I won’t lead you astray.
HELPFUL HINTS:
1. Put The Artist for anything that you’re not sure of. It is the most beloved film, and there is a distinct possibility it could sweep.
2. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will win for The Help. Actors are the largest group within the Academy, and as shown at the SAG Awards, actors loved The Help.
3. As revealed recently in the LA Times, the Academy is mostly old white men. Pick films to win that old white men would like and be comforted by. Hugo and Midnight in Paris are comfort food to elderly voters.
4. In short film categories, keep in mind several Academy voters, like you, haven’t seen the films. Things such as subject matter, name recognition, and a title (yes, a title) helps your film stand out from the pack. The Fantastic Flying Books is whimsical, clean, and has a great title. The Shore comes from two-time Academy Award nominee Terry George and stars Ciaran Hinds from the Harry Potter films. Injustices and atrocities being exposed are great for the docs– Saving Face is about women tortured by acid in Pakistan, and Paradise Lost 3 is about three men wrongfully convicted of murder. They’re pretty strong bets.
5. Pick the same film to win both sound categories. Picking something nominated for Best Picture usually helps.
Below is my full list.
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”
WINNER: The Artist.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: None
Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
WINNER: Jean Dujardin.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: George Clooney.
Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
WINNER: Viola Davis.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Meryl Streep.
Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
WINNER: Christopher Plummer.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Max Von Sydow.
Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
WINNER: Octavia Spencer.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Jessica Chastain.
Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
WINNER: Michel Hazanavicius.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Very small chance for Martin Scorsese or Terrence Malick.
Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
JC Chandor, “Margin Call”
Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, “Bridesmaids”
WINNER: Midnight in Paris.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: The Artist.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
John Logan, “Hugo”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, “Moneyball”
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughn, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
WINNER: The Descendants.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Moneyball.
Best Animated Feature
“A Cat In Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
WINNER: Rango.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Chico & Rita.
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)
WINNER: A Separation.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: In Darkness.
Original Score
“The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams
“The Artist,” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo,” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse,” John Williams
WINNER: The Artist.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: War Horse.
Best Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
WINNER: Man or Muppet.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Real in Rio.
Best Achievement in Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“War Horse”
WINNER: Hugo.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: The Artist.
Best Achievement in Cinematography
“The Artist”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
WINNER: Tree of Life.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: The Artist.
Best Achievement in Costume Design
“Anonymous”
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”
“W.E.”
WINNER: The Artist.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Anonymous.
Best Documentary Feature
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”
WINNER: Paradise Lost 3.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Hell and Back Again.
Best Documentary Short Subject
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?”
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
“Incident in New Baghdad”
“Saving Face”
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”
WINNER: Saving Face.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom or God Is The Bigger Elvis.
Best Achievement in Film Editing
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
WINNER: The Artist.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Hugo.
Best Achievement in Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“The Iron Lady”
WINNER: The Iron Lady.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Harry Potter.
Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life
WINNER: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: A Morning Stroll.
Best Live Action Short Film
“Pentecost”
“Raju”
“The Shore”
“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”
WINNER: The Shore.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Tuba Atlantic.
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
“Drive”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”
WINNER: Hugo.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: War Horse.
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”
WINNER: Hugo.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: War Horse.
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
WINNER: Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Hugo.
The Password is Swordfish 