Academy Award (Oscar) Predictions

I thought it might be fun to give my predictions of who I think will win some of the key awards at the Oscar's on Sunday 26th February. The best part is that we can look back after the winners are announced and realise just how wrong I was!

Best Picture: The Artist

It is a hard one to call against a film like The Descendants especially since the Golden Globes had them in seperate categories but I think for pure ingenuity they will go with Michel Hazanavicius' silent movie. It was a novel idea that nobody thought would be Oscar nominated when production started and has made a world renowned star out of Jean Dujardin.

Best Actor: George Clooney - The Descendants

This was easily Clooney's best performance for many years, his role as the Dad suddenly forced to look after two daughters he feels he doesn't know anymore and the situation with his wife was going to be tough to pull off but he certainly does it. It's a tough call between Clooney & Dujardin though.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

I decided this would be my predictions of who will win and not who I want to win (Rooney Mara). Streep is superb as Margaret Thatcher in the present where she is suffering from Alzheimer's and carries off her mannerisms and accents very well. The lack of recognition for the film elsewhere shows it wasn't a great film but that doesn't stop Streep's performance from being memorable.

Best Supporting Actor: Jonah Hill - Moneyball

This is my surprise pick as I think, considering Hill's previous roles, this was a step into the unknown and he pulls off the shy role of Peter Brand in Moneyball brilliantly. There are obviously some other great performances in this category, notably Christopher Plummer who is probably the favourite, but I think Hill will finally receive recognition here.

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer - The Help

Her character in the film is slightly cliché but that doesn't stop her from being a superb part of this movie. It's another tough category but I think the acting performances in The Help will be rewarded in some way.
Directing: Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Payne managed to capture the beauty and realism within The Descendants which can be a very hard thing to do on such a beautiful set of islands. Some of the shots were truly breath-taking and I believe this will be recognised by the panel.

As I mentioned in my review of the BAFTA's, Jeff Cronenweth should definitely be rewarded for his cinematography work on Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.