Awards season recap, Academy Awards predictions

Sunday, Feb. 23 is the 85th Annual Academy Awards and the outcome is anybody’s guess.

The last two months actors have dressed up and got prepared for award show after award show. Sunday, Feb 24 is the granddaddy of them all and the biggest achievement an actor can reach in his or her career.

Top films nominated in this year’s slew of awards include: “Silver Linings Playbook”, “Django Unchained”, “Lincoln”, “Les Misérables”, “Zero Dark Thirty”, and “Argo”.

The Critic’s Choice Movie Awards was the first to begin the awards season followed by the Peoples Choice Awards. It is not a big predictor of the upper echelon of Awards Shows, but it is always a fun way to start the awards season.  Next were the 70th Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the British Academy Film Awards.

Some of the top awards were swept at every show, while others were not so predictable. Every award show has given us something new and predicting the Oscars is harder than usual this year.  Now for the predictions, here we go.

Best Picture Nominees:

“Amour”

“Argo”

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”

“Django Unchained”

“Les Misérables”

“Life of Pi”

“Lincoln”

“Silver Linings Playbook”

“Zero Dark Thirty”

Should win: “Lincoln” and “Silver Linings Playbook” both deserve the award because both films are incredible.  If it were up to me, the latter would win because it was such an amazing film. I really loved it and of all the movies I could have sat in the theater and watched it right over again.

Will win: While deep in my heart I have hope for a silver lining upset, “Argo,” will probably claim the top prize. It has won the exact same award at every award show it has been nominated. It is not undeserving at all, but it just is not as good as others. Politics may play a part in its win as well. I am crossing my fingers for an upset, but we shall see.

Best Actor Nominees:

Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”

Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables”

Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master”

Denzel Washington in “Flight”

Should win:  Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal as Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest performances by an actor of all time and his performance deserves this award. His acting in this movie is far and away from the rest of the competition. I will say this, however, Bradley Cooper deserves a runner-up Oscar because his performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” was excellent. Cooper had to work extremely hard to craft his performance in the film and his hard work paid off because peopel now consider him a serious actor. Although he has not received any mainstream awards for his role, there is no doubt that he is runner up for the lead actor statue.

Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis has swept the rest of the award shows in this category and his Academy Award collection will only get bigger Sunday.

Best Actress Nominees:

Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”

Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”

Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Naomi Watts in “The Impossible”

Should win: Jennifer Lawrence gave a dazzling and stunning performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” and it was her best performance to date. Previously being nominated for Winter’s Bone, Lawrence is not a stranger at the awards. At twenty-two years old, she is only beginning what looks to be one impeccable career, but her time has come and deservingly so.

Will win: Throughout the awards season, Lawrence and fellow nominee Jessica Chastain have been dueling it out for the top prize. Each won a Lead Actress Golden Globe for her respected film’s category, but when drama and comedy categories are combined the outcomes have been different. Chastain took home the Critic’s Choice Award, while Lawrence won the Screen Actors Guild Award. Also at the BAFTA’s, which is the British version of the Academy awards, Emmanuelle Riva took home the top prize. Sunday only one will walk away with the statue and all my bets are in for Jennifer Lawrence.

Best Supporting Actor Nominees:

Alan Arkin in “Argo”

Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”

Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln”