Best Actor

• Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo
• George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King
• Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin
• Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane

Will win and should win: Expect Jean Dujardin to walk away with the statue tomorrow night for his terrific performance in The Artist. At first, I was rooting for George Clooney because he was really great in The Descendants. However, it’s Jean’s charm that will likely win over the voters. Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, and Bichir are great in their roles, but they have no chance beating out Dujardin in this category.

Best Actress

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs as Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help as Aibileen Clark
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Lisbeth Salander
• Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher
• Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe

Will win and should win: I think it’s time for another great black actress to win this category. With that said, Viola Davis is the actress I will bet my money on. I haven’t seen Glenn Close’s performance, but I doubt she has a chance at winning. As for Rooney Mara, she seems to be too much of a random card to win. Streep and Williams’ wins at the Golden Globes did put them a bit further in the Oscar race. However, I’m really looking forward to Viola to give another heartfelt speech tomorrow night for her win.

Best Supporting Actor

• Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn as Laurence Olivier
• Jonah Hill – Moneyball as Peter Brand
• Nick Nolte – Warrior as Paddy Conlon
• Christopher Plummer – Beginners as Hal Fields
• Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as The Renter

Will win and should win: Christopher Plummer. Hands down. He has won every single awards in this category. He gave the strongest performances out of the five (I haven’t seen Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I doubt Max von Sydow’s performance is better than Plummer’s) nominees. Plus, I can’t bear to see Jonah Hill win this one. If the Academy wants to shock us, they may give it to Kenneth Branagh, but again, very unlikely.

Best Supporting Actress

• Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller
• Jessica Chastain – The Help as Celia Foote
• Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids as Megan Price
• Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs as Hubert Page
• Octavia Spencer – The Help as Minny Jackson

Will win and should win: What’s amazing about the Academy this year is that the two nominees are TV stars who got an opportunity to play in great films. Who would have though that Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy would end up as Oscar nominees, definitely not when I was watching Bridesmaids. However, Octavia Spencer will definitely win this one because she’s the frontrunner and very much like Christopher Plummer, she has won a whole lot of fucking awards for this category. I would have rooted for Jessica Chastain if she was nominated for her role in Take Shelter. She gave a stronger performance in that film. As for Bejo, her character seems more like a leading actress to me so I have no idea why she is up for best supporting actress. But yeah, Octavia Spencer for the win!

Best Director

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
• Alexander Payne – The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Will win and should win: I adore all of these director, especially Woody Allen. I was totally sold when I saw The Descendants and believed that Alexander Payne would take home the prize up until I saw The Artist. I know for a fact that Michel Hazanavicius will take home the Oscar just because he had a fair share of winning best director at the Director’s Guild and SAG Awards. There is a small chance that Scorsese could win for Hugo (which I think would be awesome), but the race is leaning toward Michel to win for his film.

Best Original Screenplay

• The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
• Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo
• Margin Call – J.C. Chandor
• Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
• A Separation – Asghar Farhadi

Will win: The Artist. Yes, the movie has no dialogues, but it will still win just because the film is THAT good.

Should win: Midnight in Paris. It’s probably Woody Allen’s best screenplay in very, very long time. The story is intriguing and smart and I hope the Academy voters feel the same as I do. Either way, it would also be very awesome to see Kristen Wiig win just so she can take over the world.

Best Adapted Screenplay

• The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash from The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
• Hugo – John Logan from The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon from Farragut North by Beau Willimon
• Moneyball – Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin from Moneyball by Michael Lewis
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

Will win and should win: I love all of these films, but The Descendants have the best chance at winning this category. Aaron Sorkin could win, but it’s unlikely since he has won the same category last year for The Social Network. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy may deem too British for certain voters. The Ides of March has a smart, gripping script, but it really has no chance at winning. With that said, The Descendants’ writers will take this one. Can you believe by tomorrow night, the dean from Community will likely be an Academy Award winner? That shit cray.

Best Animated Feature

• A Cat in Paris – Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
• Chico and Rita – Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• Kung Fu Panda 2 – Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• Puss in Boots – Chris Miller
• Rango – Gore Verbinski

Will win: Rango. With the flop that is Cars 2, Pixar can try again next year. I’ve only seen Rango and Kung Fu Panda 2 and I really like both. But Gore Verbinski’s unique and creative vision in Rango will convince the voters for a guarantee win in this category.

Best Foreign Film

• Bullhead (Belgium) in Dutch and French – Michaël R. Roskam
• Footnote (Israel) in Hebrew – Joseph Cedar
• In Darkness (Poland) in Polish – Agnieszka Holland
• Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) in French – Philippe Falardeau
• A Separation (Iran) in Farsi – Asghar Farhadi

Will win: It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the winner in this category. A Separation has won many awards for this category and it’s unlikely to miss this one.

Best 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

Will win and should win: Ludovic Bource. It takes a lot of heart to rely a film heavily on score because there were no dialogues and I think Bource did a wonderful job on his part. It’s one of the strongest factors that made me fall in love with The Artist so there’s no doubt that he will take home the big prize. (Sorry, John Williams)

Best Original Song

• “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets – Bret McKenzie
• “Real in Rio” from Rio – Sérgio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, and Siedah Garrett

Will win: Is this even relevant? Anyway, MAN OR MUPPET for the win. Duh.

Best Picture

• The Artist – Thomas Langmann
• The Descendants – Jim Burke, Jim Taylor, and Alexander Payne
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Scott Rudin
• The Help – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, and Michael Barnathan
• Hugo – Graham King and Martin Scorsese
• Midnight in Paris – Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum
• Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt
• The Tree of Life – Dede Gardner, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, and Bill Pohlad
• War Horse – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy

Will win and should win: Now, time for the biggest category and nine films were chosen as best picture nominees for this year. The Descendants, The Help, and Hugo are the three films that may have a chance at winning. However, I will bet my money that The Artist will be named best picture this year. It has the charm, the performances, the music, and pretty much the overall package of a best picture.

Anyway, the other categories are too technical so I won’t get into them. Let’s see how I do tomorrow night! Happy Oscar Sunday!

(Source: garunriot)

Best Actor

• Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo
• George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King
• Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin
• Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane

Will win and should win: Expect Jean Dujardin to walk away with the statue tomorrow night for his terrific performance in The Artist. At first, I was rooting for George Clooney because he was really great in The Descendants. However, it’s Jean’s charm that will likely win over the voters. Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, and Bichir are great in their roles, but they have no chance beating out Dujardin in this category.

Best Actress

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs as Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help as Aibileen Clark
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Lisbeth Salander
• Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher
• Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe

Will win and should win: I think it’s time for another great black actress to win this category. With that said, Viola Davis is the actress I will bet my money on. I haven’t seen Glenn Close’s performance, but I doubt she has a chance at winning. As for Rooney Mara, she seems to be too much of a random card to win. Streep and Williams’ wins at the Golden Globes did put them a bit further in the Oscar race. However, I’m really looking forward to Viola to give another heartfelt speech tomorrow night for her win.

Best Supporting Actor

• Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn as Laurence Olivier
• Jonah Hill – Moneyball as Peter Brand
• Nick Nolte – Warrior as Paddy Conlon
• Christopher Plummer – Beginners as Hal Fields
• Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as The Renter

Will win and should win: Christopher Plummer. Hands down. He has won every single awards in this category. He gave the strongest performances out of the five (I haven’t seen Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I doubt Max von Sydow’s performance is better than Plummer’s) nominees. Plus, I can’t bear to see Jonah Hill win this one. If the Academy wants to shock us, they may give it to Kenneth Branagh, but again, very unlikely.

Best Supporting Actress

• Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller
• Jessica Chastain – The Help as Celia Foote
• Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids as Megan Price
• Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs as Hubert Page
• Octavia Spencer – The Help as Minny Jackson

Will win and should win: What’s amazing about the Academy this year is that the two nominees are TV stars who got an opportunity to play in great films. Who would have though that Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy would end up as Oscar nominees, definitely not when I was watching Bridesmaids. However, Octavia Spencer will definitely win this one because she’s the frontrunner and very much like Christopher Plummer, she has won a whole lot of fucking awards for this category. I would have rooted for Jessica Chastain if she was nominated for her role in Take Shelter. She gave a stronger performance in that film. As for Bejo, her character seems more like a leading actress to me so I have no idea why she is up for best supporting actress. But yeah, Octavia Spencer for the win!

Best Director

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
• Alexander Payne – The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Will win and should win: I adore all of these director, especially Woody Allen. I was totally sold when I saw The Descendants and believed that Alexander Payne would take home the prize up until I saw The Artist. I know for a fact that Michel Hazanavicius will take home the Oscar just because he had a fair share of winning best director at the Director’s Guild and SAG Awards. There is a small chance that Scorsese could win for Hugo (which I think would be awesome), but the race is leaning toward Michel to win for his film.

Best Original Screenplay

• The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
• Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo
• Margin Call – J.C. Chandor
• Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
• A Separation – Asghar Farhadi

Will win: The Artist. Yes, the movie has no dialogues, but it will still win just because the film is THAT good.

Should win: Midnight in Paris. It’s probably Woody Allen’s best screenplay in very, very long time. The story is intriguing and smart and I hope the Academy voters feel the same as I do. Either way, it would also be very awesome to see Kristen Wiig win just so she can take over the world.

Best Adapted Screenplay

• The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash from The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
• Hugo – John Logan from The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon from Farragut North by Beau Willimon
• Moneyball – Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin from Moneyball by Michael Lewis
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

Will win and should win: I love all of these films, but The Descendants have the best chance at winning this category. Aaron Sorkin could win, but it’s unlikely since he has won the same category last year for The Social Network. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy may deem too British for certain voters. The Ides of March has a smart, gripping script, but it really has no chance at winning. With that said, The Descendants’ writers will take this one. Can you believe by tomorrow night, the dean from Community will likely be an Academy Award winner? That shit cray.

Best Animated Feature

• A Cat in Paris – Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
• Chico and Rita – Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• Kung Fu Panda 2 – Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• Puss in Boots – Chris Miller
• Rango – Gore Verbinski

Will win: Rango. With the flop that is Cars 2, Pixar can try again next year. I’ve only seen Rango and Kung Fu Panda 2 and I really like both. But Gore Verbinski’s unique and creative vision in Rango will convince the voters for a guarantee win in this category.

Best Foreign Film

• Bullhead (Belgium) in Dutch and French – Michaël R. Roskam
• Footnote (Israel) in Hebrew – Joseph Cedar
• In Darkness (Poland) in Polish – Agnieszka Holland
• Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) in French – Philippe Falardeau
• A Separation (Iran) in Farsi – Asghar Farhadi

Will win: It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the winner in this category. A Separation has won many awards for this category and it’s unlikely to miss this one.

Best 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

Will win and should win: Ludovic Bource. It takes a lot of heart to rely a film heavily on score because there were no dialogues and I think Bource did a wonderful job on his part. It’s one of the strongest factors that made me fall in love with The Artist so there’s no doubt that he will take home the big prize. (Sorry, John Williams)

Best Original Song

• “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets – Bret McKenzie
• “Real in Rio” from Rio – Sérgio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, and Siedah Garrett

Will win: Is this even relevant? Anyway, MAN OR MUPPET for the win. Duh.

Best Picture

• The Artist – Thomas Langmann
• The Descendants – Jim Burke, Jim Taylor, and Alexander Payne
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Scott Rudin
• The Help – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, and Michael Barnathan
• Hugo – Graham King and Martin Scorsese
• Midnight in Paris – Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum
• Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt
• The Tree of Life – Dede Gardner, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, and Bill Pohlad
• War Horse – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy

Will win and should win: Now, time for the biggest category and nine films were chosen as best picture nominees for this year. The Descendants, The Help, and Hugo are the three films that may have a chance at winning. However, I will bet my money that The Artist will be named best picture this year. It has the charm, the performances, the music, and pretty much the overall package of a best picture.

Anyway, the other categories are too technical so I won’t get into them. Let’s see how I do tomorrow night! Happy Oscar Sunday!