Best Animated Feature
Will Win: Brave. Not much of a contest here. The Academy has not outgrown its love of Disney-Pixar productions, so I expect nothing less than another gold star on Disney's roster come February 24th.
Should Win: Wreck-It Ralph. Though the odds are stacked against it, this 3D computer-animated piece actually does something that Disney films are not known for -innovating. The movie effectively and convincingly repackages nostalgia for 1980s arcade games like Donkey Kong and Q*bert into a visually-pleasing pastiche entertaining to kids for whom 1982 might as well be the Civil War. Not many animated flicks can do that.
Best Visual Effects
Will Win: Life of Pi. It took teams of visual artists from India, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Canada to put together the shimmering, surreal movie that might become director Ang Lee's most commercially successful film. Claudio Miranda's cinematography is beyond compare and, for once, 3D feels like a legitimate art form instead of a cheap-thrills gimmick.
Should Win: Life of Pi. This visually stunning work deserves the accolades.
Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty. Despite Quentin Tarantino's surprise victory at the Golden Globes, the Academy is more academic and, seemingly, quite unsettled by the over-the-top racism and violence of Tarantino's Django Unchained. The terse, Hurt Locker-esque writing of Zero Dark Thirty is almost a sure thing.
Should Win: Django Unchained. Tarantino is a screenwriter's screenwriter. The man handwrites his scripts, for crying out loud. Though he's not on his Pulp Fiction game, Tarantino is still head and shoulders above any contemporary in the business.
Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Anne Hathaway. Vegas oddsmakers Bet365 put her chances at 1/50. It won't even be close.
Should Win: Helen Hunt. Though The Sessions went mostly under the radar, there's no denying that this is Hunt's best role in years. Unfortunately for Hunt fans, she's competing with a younger actress who lost 40 lbs. and shaved her head. It is worth noting however, that, unlike Hathaway's, Hunt's character does not (this is where those of you not familiar with the story arc of Les Mis should look away) drop dead 3o minutes into the movie.
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones. In Lincoln, Jones's character is a staunch abolitionist who forces the slavery issue at a delicate time. He's as grumpy as ever, making you wonder if Tommy Lee Jones is not just getting roles to play Tommy Lee Jones.
Should Win: Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Allow me to expose my prejudice: I'm a huge PSH fan. He had me at Almost Famous. But even his biggest detractor could not dispute the genius of his latest role: an intricate portrayal of an L. Ron Hubbard-like 1950s cult leader. Hoffman and co-star Joaquin Phoenix play off each other with theatrical ease not seen since Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco. Its his best role since Capote.
Stay tuned for next week's predictions: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, and more...
Images courtesy of IMDB and www.imdb.com.
