Predictions for Academy awards 2013

Predictions for Best Picture

Amour: Warm, emotional and authentic. Good pick for the top10.
Argo: Has all the steam going forward to the oscar night. Might get the top prize.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Nomination is enough.
Django Unchained: Nomination is enough. Not in top 3.
Les Misérables: Nomination is enough.
Life of Pi : Wonderful adaptation of the book. Deserved the nomination.
Lincoln: Excellently written and directed with some wonderful performances.
Silver Linings Playbook: Usual American family draman entry on the lines of 'The blind side' and 'The kids are all right'
Zero Dark Thirty : Better than the the hurt locker in every aspect, movie would've gone places had it been edited better.

Top 3 out of the nominations are Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln.
My Prediction: Lincoln
Reasons: American, Anti-slavery, Biopic, Oscar's baby Spielberg

Predictions for Best Director 

·         Michael Haneke – Amour

·         Ang Lee – Life of Pi

·         David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook

·         Steven Spielberg – Lincoln

·         Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Ben Affleck should’ve been in the top 5 in place of Benh Zeitlin and Paul Thomas Anderson in place of David O Russel. I guess, Paul Thomas Anderson paid the price for Church of scientology lobbying.  I was glad to see Michael Haneke’s nomination. He has his unique style and vision in directing movies and Oscar nomination is just an affirmation to his craft. Ang Lee’s nomination comes on the heels of adapting a tough book to movie. Over all, Steven spielberg stands tall in this list and sure to get his second Oscar trophy.

 Predictions for Best Actor: 

·         Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook

·         Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln

·         Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables

·         Joaquin Phoenix – The Master

·         Denzel Washington – Flight

Bradley Cooper is unbelievably good and very convincing in his role. Denzel Washington carried a rather a weak movie with his brilliant performance. However, of the five nominees, his performance doesn’t stand out as much as others. Hugh Jackman gave sterling performance. But best two performances of the year belonged to DDL and JP.  Joaquin Phoenix has given a monumental performance. If academy doesn’t like to give record third Oscar to DDL, Phoenix has a chance to win the coveted trophy. But as far as my prediction goes, Daniel Day-Lewis will be adjudged Best actor of 2012.

Predictions for Best Actress: 

·         Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty

·         Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook

·         Emmanuelle Riva – Amour

·         Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild

·         Naomi Watts – The Impossible

9 year old Wallis’s nomination surprised many but no-one can escape the charm of her innocence and brilliant acting in BOSW. Naomi Watts was superb in heart wrenching tsunami drama ‘The Impossible’.  Jennifer Lawrence is like a breeze in Silver linings playbook and she has already on the radar of  Academy with her chilling performance as a teenager in ‘Winter’s bone’ (I rank that performance higher ).  Jessica Chastain has been giving amazing performances over the years. She was brilliant in 2011 with some amazing performances. With Zero dark thirty, she touches a new level.  The transformation of a hesitant new comer to a ruthless, obsessive and confident CIA agent is absolutely brilliant. Emmaunulle Riva also portrayed the transformation of a lively old lady to bed ridden due to deterioting health conditions. The performance is touchy and equally supported by male protagonist Jean-Louis Trintignant.  Out of these two performances, Riva’s performance is closer to my heart and I predict it to win the top prize.  However, I won’t be sad if Jessica Chastain wins it.

Predictions for Best supporting Actor: 

·         Alan Arkin – Argo

·         Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook

·         Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master

·         Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln

·         Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained

One of the most competitive categories in Academy is Best supporting Actor/Actress due to the volume of performances. There are times when a supporting actor looms larger than the lead actor and sometimes acts as a perfect folly to the stellar acting by the lead.
Out of these 5 brilliant performances I’ll put Niro, Tommy, Hoffman at one level and Alan Arkin, Christoph Waltz at one level above them. The main fight for the award is between Arkin and Waltz. Arkin’s quirky portrayal of Lester Seigal is very convincing and entertaining. But Christoph waltz inches past Alan Arkin. Waltz is immense in Django Unchained. So much that the movie dips considerably once he’s off screen and lights up whenever he appear.

Christoph Waltz> Alan Arkin > Philip Seymour Hoffman>Tommy Lee Jones>Robert De Niro

Predictions for Best supporting Actress: 

·         Amy Adams – The Master

·         Sally Field – Lincoln

·         Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables

·         Helen Hunt – The Sessions

·         Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook

Another bunch of beautiful performances.  Amy Adams is convincing. Jacki Weaver is brilliant. Haven’t watched The sessions so can’t comment on Helen Hunt. Two standout performances out of this pack are that of Sally Field and Anne Hathaway. Sally Field as Mrs. Lincoln is amazing  in her performance. She is intense, sad and angry and eases out in her role. But Anne Hathaway is phenomenal. Sometimes a single scene works wonder. I remember Viola Davis getting an academy nod for best supporting actress for ‘Doubt’ for one single remarkable scene in her already small role. Anne Hathway’s heart wrenching and emotionally draining rendition of  ‘I dreamed a dream’ is so intense that she’s sure to get the trophy. Not to undermine her overall performance which is also great. The trophy will be the perfect testament to her performance.

Anne Hathaway> Sally Field >Jacki Weaver > Amy Adams---( Helen Hunt)

Let's see how many of these predictions come true.  

Image credit: Wikipedia.org