The Oscars: Who Will Win

While an easy year to predict the Oscars might be good for your betting pool, it’s never much fun. That’s why I’ve gotten quite a kick out of this Oscar season. My picks just kept changing and changing.

At first, I saw “Precious” as the frontrunner. It opened with an amazing amount of festival buzz and strong opening numbers. Suddenly, it’s box office glow began to fade and an unfortunate backlash followed. Then, “Up in the Air” became the critical smash of December and seemed to be the perfect Best Picture material. Then “Avatar” came along and broke every box office record imaginable and picked up a few Golden Globes on the way. At that point, “Avatar” was unstoppable.
But then, an underdog with very little Oscar qualities suddenly jumped ahead. “The Hurt Locker,” indeed a fantastic and worthy film, seemed like it would just have to be happy with a nomination. It grossed a mere $12 million (it’s the second lowest grossing Best Picture nominee this year, after “A Serious Man”), and first released in theaters last July. However, praise was beginning to overshadow clout. As “The Hurt Locker” swept the Guilds and every critics’ award imaginable, it was clear what this year’s frontrunner was.
Here now, are the films, filmmakers, actors, writers, and crew members you can bet on to take home the gold this Sunday night. I will present my predictions commentary free because I believe I’ve analyzed most of the following to death at this point:
Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz
Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique
Best Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds
Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air
Best Animated Film: Up
Best Documentary: The Cove
Best Foreign Film: A Prophet
Best Editing: The Hurt Locker
Best Cinematography: The Hurt Locker
Best Visual Effects: Avatar
Best Score: Up
Best Song: The Weary Kind
Best Sound Editing: Avatar
Best Sound Mixing: Avatar
Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria
Best Makeup: Star Trek
Best Art Direction: Avatar
Best Live Action Short: The New Tenants
Best Documentary Short: Music By Prudence
Best Animated Short: A Matter of Loaf and Death
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/02367637364833516523 Robert
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03765769414974526653 bubbabinga

    A Matter of Loaf and Death didn’t win. I thought it would win too, but I hoped it would be French Roast. I hated Logorama, it totally shouldn’t have won.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11467079939476560484 Alex

    Best picture: HOT TUB TIME MACHINE!!