Oscar Predictions: The Rest...

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Will Win: Brave
Should Win: Wreck-It Ralph
-For the first time since this category was installed, we have no frontrunner. It seems to be a three-way race between Brave, Wreck-It Ralph and Frankenweenie. While it’s not Pixar’s best effort, the industry seems to be responding to Brave, and I think it will take it, with the other two, and more deserving winners, waiting to spoil.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will Win: Django Unchained
Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty
-Seems to me that it’s close between Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Michael Haneke’s Amour. The momentum seems to be in Tarantino’s favor, though I wouldn’t be surprised in an outcome in favor of Haneke, or even Mark Boal, who delivered a far better screenplay than the one he won the Oscar for three years ago.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will Win: Argo
Should Win: Lincoln
-I am so tempted to predict Silver Linings Playbook to take this award, but if Argo is winning Best Picture, I can’t see it dipping below two wins. For that reason alone I’m sticking with the Best Picture frontrunner to carry coattails through this category. Personally, nothing came close to Tony Kushner’s writing achievement this year, but that’s just me.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Will Win: Anna Karenina
Should Win: Anna Karenina
-It’s a close call between Anna Karenina and Les Misérables, with a potential Lincoln spoiler. In the end, though, I think the deserved winner will triumph.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Will Win: Anna Karenina
Should Win: Anna Karenina
-While Production Design is slightly contested, I don’t think Anna Karenina is going to lose this one. Among this selection, I’d agree, though I was a little more impressed with Sharen Davis’s threads for Django Unchained.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Will Win: Life of Pi
Should Win: Skyfall
-This category has shown favor to colorful visual spectacles, which gives a heavy tip in favor of Life of Pi. Despite Deakins being fairly overdue, I think this award is going to yet another 3D film. Out of the bunch, I would vote for ASC winner Skyfall, but for shame that the cinematographers branch did not nominated the marvelous and genius work of The Master.

BEST FILM EDITING
Will Win: Argo
Should Win: Argo
-Arguably the most important below-the-line category which generally matches up pretty well with Best Picture. For that, it seems like Argo is going to take it. It is the only award that I agree 100% with it winning.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Will Win: Life of Pi
Should Win: Skyfall
-Life of Pi seems to have the right amount of elements to take the prize, and given the surprising Best Original Song nomination, it shows how much support the music has. Personally, I didn’t have a strong response to any of these scores, so I’d vote for Skyfall if only to reward Thomas Newman for a decent enough job. It’s a crime that the true winner, Cloud Atlas, couldn’t muster at least a nomination.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Will Win: “Skyfall” - Skyfall
Should Win: “Skyfall” - Skyfall
-Another one of the few categories where you can be confident in this prediction. As soon as it cleared that hump in getting nominated, it was sure to win. It’s a great song, but I do think “Who Did That To You” from Django Unchained (another Paul Epworth song, by the way) was slightly better.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Will Win: Les Misérables
Should Win: The Hobbit
-I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if any of these nominees ended winning, but I think people are going to respond to Les Misérables adding layers of grime to their attractive stars. I’d personally opt for The Hobbit, but even for a movie I didn’t like that much, Holy Motors defined what should be celebrated within this category.

BEST SOUND MIXING
Will Win: Les Misérables
Should Win: Skyfall
-Musicals tend to do very well in this category, and with such a push for the “live singing” narrative, I think this will triumph. Life of Pi or Skyfall is a threat to take this as well. I thought Zero Dark Thirty had the best sound design, but its absence in this category leads me to pick Skyfall’s mixing team.

BEST SOUND EDITING 
Will Win: Skyfall
Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty
-Going back and forth between Skfyall and Life of Pi, and when in doubt, go for the well respected action blockbuster. With Zero Dark Thirty nominated in this sound category, I would pick it for the winner.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Will Win: Life of Pi
Should Win: Life of Pi
-The safest of safe bets this year. I can’t imagine any scenario where Life of Pi doesn’t deservedly take this.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Will Win: Amour
-With its chief competition, The Intouchables, not nominated, Amour will more than likely take this. This category has been prickly in the past, but with the film reaching nominations in so many major categories, this has to be the least bit that it wins.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Will Win: Searching for Sugar Man
Should Win: 5 Broken Cameras
-The entire Academy is voting for this award, instead of a small committee, and that would suggest the popular title will win. That gives the advantage to Searching for Sugar Man. Out of the nominees, 5 Broken Cameras is a miracle in documentary filmmaking, though I wish Samsara could have made the shortlist, which is not only the best documentary of the year, but one of the best films of the year period.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Will Win: Paperman
Should Win: Adam and Dog
-For the very first time, the entire membership is allowed to vote on the live action and animated shorts. Before that switch, I’d have predicted the beautiful and deeply moving Adam and Dog to impress the animators, but the general Academy will probably opt for the popular studio presentation, which would be a fine choice as well.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Will Win: Death of a Shadow
Should Win: Curfew
-It feels like it’s between Curfew and Death of a Shadow, and I have a hard time deciding whether the emotional arch of the former or the high production values of the latter will rule in the end. I’m going to go with Death of a Shadow, with the slightly better Curfew being just as likely a contender, but honestly just as worthy.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Will Win: Inocente
-This story of a homeless, 15-year-old immigrant with dreams of artistry sounds like it has the right amount of buzz and emotion to go the distance. But unlike the other shorts, the voting block is still the much smaller size. Guess at your own risk.