2014 Oscar Predictions and Thoughts

Of course, these are my predictions to win, not who or what movie I wish would win.


Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze, Her

Best Adapted Screenplay: John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave

Best Animated Film: Frozen

Best Foreign Film: The Great Beauty

Best Documentary Film: 20 Feet from Stardom

Best Original Score: Steven Price, Gravity

Best Original Song: "Let It Go", Frozen

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity

Best Film Editing: Joe Walker, 12 Years a Slave

Best Production Design: The Great Gatsby

Best Costume Design: Michael Wilkinson, American Hustle

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Sound Editing: Wylie Stateman, Lone Survivor

Best Sound Mixing: Gravity

Best Visual Effects: Gravity

Best Documentary (Short Subject): The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Best Animated Short Film: Feral

Best Live Action Short Film: Just Before Losing Everything


Yeah, not much of a shocker when it comes to Best Picture or most of the top awards.

I really do think that the Academy will favor DiCaprio over McConaughey. He has picked up a lot of public and press fanfare during the Oscar campaign. It really seems to be the right time and role to award him with the gold that has alluded him for so long now. If he doesn't, I understand the reasoning but there surely will be a pity Oscar down the line. I have nothing against McConaughey, but giving him Best Actor just continues the stereotype of afflicted character roles being prime bait.

Gravity is absolutely expected to be second-named on news articles on Monday, unless it somehow wins Best Picture, thanks to the many expected wins in the technical categories.

Except for a possible upset over Catherine Martin's costume work in The Great Gatsby, which I do see happening, American Hustle might possibly walk away empty-handed. Jennifer Lawrence is still a possibility but the latest entertainment buzz has mostly surrounded the great breakthrough performance of Nyong'o. Having a killer dress at the Golden Globes also helped her cause.

Remember When Actual Pop Songs Were Nominated & Would Win Best Original Song? Part 4: It's a two-man race between "Happy" and "Let It Go", unless that stupid, stupid U2 song steals the glory. As of this writing, "Happy" is the highest charting of the two songs, currently resting comfortably at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while "Go" is stubbornly unable to move past #18. It will truly boggle me if "Let It Go" doesn't win, especially since its the only nominated song that has impacted the American zeitgeist for the past four months. And if the award is claimed by the Lopez duo, maybe it will finally reach the top of the pops.

I hope that my picks for the shorts categories end up as the winners: Feral is a foreseeable upset over the Mickey Mouse 3D-infused toon Get a Horse!, the only one of those nominated to be seen widely by the public; Just Before Losing Everything has been raved to be a chilling thriller but it still could lose to Helium, a saccharine-soaked film about a dying kid and dreams; And The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life is kind of an easy choice, given that it taps into the Oscar-friendly material that was the Holocaust, but it genuinely looks moving and the recent news of the death of its central figure is sure to win the sympathy vote.

Again, not much to digest since it seems too cut and dry this year.


See you on Monday with my reactions to the awards.