As the festival season starts to wind down, the first awards are starting to come in.
November is the official first awards of the season with the National Board of Review giving out their annual top ten awards and the best film of the year announcement. However before these the Hollywood Film Festival awards the best films of the year by giving awards for best actor, actress and so on. Though these awards are never accurate most of the winners go on to get nominated for Oscars. In light of these awards and end of the season festivals here are the next predictions for the Oscars in the best picture category, actor, actress, director and supporting acting categories.
The Best Picture Race
The best picture category continues to look crowded without a real front runner. Silver Linings Playbook continues to be the strongest contender after having won the audience award at Toronto and now at the Hamptons Film festival. In addition reviews have been very strong.
A couple of films have emerged in the past few weeks in the New York Film festival. Life of Pi opened the Festival to near perfect reviews with critics praising it for its visual style and incredible story. All the praise has already brought it to the top of many lists. Additionally Lincoln played in an unfinished cut with critics also praising the performances.
Other news that shifted the race was Fox Searchlight releasing Hitchcock. The film was supposed to be released next year, but was bumped up just in time for a November release and the Oscar race. The film is slated to open the AFI Film Festival and is already receiving buzz for Best Picture.
The race can also shift when Les Miserables (currently on most people's list as the top of the year) Flight, The Hobbit, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, Cloud Atlas and Promised Land are seen by critics. Another big contender is Amour, a top contender for the Foreign Film Award.
Argo, The Master, Beast of the Southern Wild and The Sessions continue to receive buzz but it is difficult to say if these films will remain on the board for much longer. Other films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Anna Karenina, Moonrise Kingdom, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Killing Them Softly can start to say goodbye to their Oscar hopes as their buzz it lagging.
Best Picture predictions
1 Silver Linings Playbook
2 Life of Pi
3 Argo
4 Lincoln
5 The Master
6 Les Miserables
7 Beasts of the Southern Wild
8 Hitchcock
Other possibilities
Cloud Atlas
Flight
Promised Land
Zero Dark Thirty
Fell out of the race
Anna Karenina
The Dark Knight Rises
Moonrise Kingdom
The Director Race
The directing field currently looks opaque with no one standing out. David O. Russell looks like the first lock as he has already claimed the directing award at the Hollywood Film awards. With his film Silver Linings Playbook receiving lots of positive notice, O. Russell seems like the one to beat at the moment.
Ang Lee has emerged as a big contender as his film Life of Pi is flashy and well told. Ben Affleck's Argo is his third and has gotten a great deal of positive press. It seems like this will be the film to get him a nomination. Tom Hooper has just come off a win and with the buzz for Les Miserables, it seems like Hooper can do no wrong. However the film has not been seen and there is a likely possibility that the film could disappoint and not live up to the hype. If this happens, Hooper's could dwindle. Another director who seems like a lock is Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master. While the film could go unnoticed, the performances and look and feel of the film are part of Mr. Anderson's accomplishments.
Other directors who can receive notice are Steven Spielberg for Lincoln. He has not been nominated in 7 years and if the film is as solid as they are saying that he is sure to be a big threat. Let us not forget that the Academy adores him. Michael Haneke's Amour is receiving buzz and with such a legendary director never being nominated the academy will try to rectify that.
Other directors who should still be taken seriously are Quentin Tarentino for Django Unchained, Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty, Joe Wright for Anna Karenina, Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom, Benh Zeitlin for Beats of the Southern Wild and Robert Zemeckis for Flight.
Best Director Predictions
1 Paul Thomas Anderson-The Master
2 Ben Affleck-Argo
3 David O. Russell-Silver Linings Playbook
4 Ang Lee-Life of Pi
5 Tom Hooper- Les Miserables
Other Top Contenders
Steven Spielberg-Lincoln
Michael Haneke-Amour
Joe Wright-Anna Karenina
Benh Zeitlin-Beast of the Southern Wild
Best Actor Race
The actor race is generally one of the most crowded fields with lots great performances. This year however is probably one of the weakest races with already four performances called locks by the Film Experience and Rope of Silicon. Joaquin Phoenix is being called the frontrunner with an intense performance in The Master. Not far behind him is Daniel Day Lewis for Lincoln. While his performance is being called subdued, many are still praising it. John Hawkes is also receiving lots of buzz for The Sessions and Denzel Washington (Flight) while not seen yet is receiving buzz.
The fifth slot is yet to be determined but some names have been thrown around. Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables, Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock and Jean-Louis Trintignant for Amour. And then there is Bradley Cooper who already received an award at the Hollywood Film Awards for Best Actor in Silver Linings Playbook. He maybe a long shot but with an award already in his hand he could continue getting more as awards season progresses.
Best Actor Predictions
1 Joaquin Phoenix-The Master
2 Daniel Day-Lewis-Lincoln
3 John Hawkes-The Sessions
4 Denzel Washington-Flight
5 Bradley Cooper-Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress Race
Aside from the tech categories which are always crowded the actress race has become of one of the most competitive in years. At the top of Awards Daily, The Film experience, and Rope of Silicon is Jennifer Lawrence who is being praised for Silver Lining's Playbook. Other than that no one has a concise idea as to what the race will eventually look like.
Quvenzhane Wallis of Beats of the Southern Wild is being thrown into the race but the problem is that she is too young and that will ultimately hinder her possibilities with the academy always nominating older people.
Marion Cotillard has just been awarded the Best Actress Award from the Hollywood Awards for the new French film Rust and Bone. However since the film is in French it will be hard for the Academy to pick a French language film especially when she already won an Oscar for a French language film (La Vie en Rose).
Other big names include Helen Mirren for Hitchcock, Naomi Watts for The Impossible, Keira Knightley for Anna Karenina, Mary Elizabeth Winstead for Smashed and Emmanuelle Riva for Amour.
Best Actress Predictions
1 Jennifer Lawrence-Silver Linings Playbook
2 Quvenzhane Wallis-Beast of the Southern Wild
3 Marion Cotillard-Rust and Bone
4 Helen Mirren-Hitchcock
5 Keira Knightley-Anna Karenina
The supporting Categories
The male supporting category has four actors most are prompting as early front runners. Phillip Seymour Hoffman in The Master, Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, Alan Arkin for Argo and recent recipient of the Best Supporting Actor award at the Hollywood Awards Robert De Niro for the Silver Linings Playbook.
For the fifth slot many critics are talking about Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike, Leonardo DiCaprio for Django Unchained, Ewan McGregor for The Impossible, Russell Crowe for Les Miserables and Christopher Walken for Seven Psychopaths.
Best Supporting Actor Predictions
1 Phillip Seymour Hoffman-The Master
2 Tommy Lee Jones-Lincoln
3 Robert De Niro-Silver Linings Playbook
4 Alan Arkin-Argo
5 Leonardo Dicaprio-Django Unchained
Very little has been mentioned regarding the supporting actress race. Early talks prognosticate a win for Amy Adams' turn in The Master. Adams won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Hollywood Film Awards. Other potential contenders include Helen Hunt for The Sessions, Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables, Ann Dowd for Compliance, Pauline Collins for Quartet and Maggie Smith for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Best Supporting Actress Predictions
1 Amy Adams-The Master
2 Anne Hatheway-Les Miserables
3 Helen Hunt-The Sessions
4 Pauline Collins-Quartet
5 Ann Dowd-Compliance