It’s Oscar Season again! On Jan. 10, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards.
Most of the categories consist of five nominees. Members of the Academy are only able to nominate in their respective areas of work. For example, actors nominate actors, whereas directors nominate directors. The only exception to this is for the Best Picture category. Steven Zeitchik, reporter for the Los Angeles Times, states that “All 5,755 voting members choose their top 10 best picture nominees.”
As an avid moviegoer, here are my predictions for the Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress Academy Award nominations.
The Best Picture category will most likely consist of a variety of genres. The film adaptation of “Les Miserables”, the iconic musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel, is directed by Tom Hopper and stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway. Kayla McNamara, music therapy major, thinks Les Miserables will win the Oscar “without a doubt.” Miss McNamara goes on to say, “I’ve been a fan of the musical since high school and I’m excited to see a lot of big name celebrities in the movie adaptation.”
Kathryn Bigelow, the first female director to win an Oscar, returns to the Middle East to chronicle the decade long manhunt for Osama bin Laden in “Zero Dark Thirty.” “The Fighter” director, David O.Russell, guides a bipolar Bradley Cooper who falls for Jennifer Lawrence in the comedy-drama “Silver Linings Playbook.” Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) makes his 3-D debut in the adaptation of the bestseller about a shipwrecked boy trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger in “Life of Pi.” Steven Spielberg’s period piece about the final four months of Abraham Lincoln’s life is the film to beat. “Lincoln” will shine all the way to the stage of the Kodak Theater.
The Best Actor category should be renamed this year to “Daniel Day-Lewis versus the other four guys.” Lewis’s portrayal of the title character in “Lincoln” is absolutely breathtaking and will earn the brilliant actor his third Oscar. Anthony Hopkins is my pick for runner-up. He stars as the legendary director, Alfred Hitchcock, in the film “Hitchcock.” Denzel Washington has been earning rave reviews for his performance as a drug addict and alcoholic pilot who saves his crew and passengers and must stand trial in “Flight.” Bradley Cooper, the “Hangover”star, gets both funny and serious as a man with bipolar disorder looking for love in “Silver Linings Playbook.” The final slot will probably go to Hugh Jackman, for his performance as a former prisoner turned aristocrat in the film adaptation of “Les Miserables.”
Unlike its predecessor, the Best Actress category will be competitive. The face-off will be between “Silver Linings Playbook” heroine Jennifer Lawrence and “Zero Dark Thirty” C.I.A. agent Jessica Chastain. Helen Mirren may earn another nomination for her portrayal of the famed director’s wife in “Hitchcock.” Naomi Watts has also been earning buzz for her performance as a mother trying to survive in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami in “The Impossible.” The final slot will go to a former Oscar nominee, Kiera Knightly, for portraying the title character in “Anna Karenina.”
The 85th annual Academy Awards will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane. The show will air live on ABC on Sunday, February 24, 2013.