I'm checking out for the weekend, folks. My work here is done. At this point, there's nothing left to do but wait for the inevitable. With the nomination dominance of Hugo and The Artist, you'd think it would be easier to guess things this year. If anything, it's made it harder. Many categories (particularly the crafts) feel like coin tosses. I'm prepared to eat it this year. I think could get as many as fourteen wrong! At least I can hope for a decent show. Billy Crystal is so pro at this thing.
My official predictions are as follows:
Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Cinematography: Hugo
Best Film Editing: The Artist
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Costume Design: Anonymous
Best Original Score: The Artist
Best Original Song: The Muppets ("Man or Muppet")
Best Sound Mixing: War Horse
Best Sound Editing: War Horse
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Makeup: The Iron Lady
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Foreign Language Film: In Darkness
Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Best Animated Short: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best Live-Action Short: Tuba Atlantic
Best Documentary Short: Saving Face
*Notes:
-I feel like upsets are coming, I just can't pinpoint where. Rather than try to predict them, I'm just gonna tow the party line and hope for the best. But the two categories where I sense them the most are Supporting Actor and (believe it or not) Visual Effects.
-One race where I am actively predicting the upset is in Foreign Film. This doesn't so much reflect my honest guess, but I just couldn't stand to predict A Separation and end up being wrong! I learned my lesson last year, when Roger Deakins' disappointing loss left a sour taste in my mouth that resided the entire show.
-Don't know what to do about Costumes, Cinematography, or Documentary. Those could go any which way.
-Score and Art Direction are the only two locked craft categories. I could indeed get the other eight wrong! Granted, that's a worst-case scenario.
