Complete Oscar Winners list!

From ABC.

1. Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

2. Animated Short Film: "Paperman"

3. Animated Feature Film: "Brave"

4. Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for "Life of Pi"

5. Visual Effects: "Life of Pi"

6. Costume Design: "Anna Karenina"

7. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Les Miserables"

8. Live Action Short Film: "Curfew"

9. Documentary Short Subject: "Innocente"

10. Documentary Feature: "Searching for Sugar Man"

11. Foreign Language Film: "Amour"

12. Sound Mixing: "Les Miserables

13. Sound Editing: "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall" (A tie)

14. Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway

15. Film Editing: "Argo"

16. Production Design: "Lincoln"

17. Original Score: "Life of Pi"

18. Original Song: "Skyfall"

19. Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for "Argo"

20. Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantion for "Django Unchained"

21. Directing: Ang Lee

22. Actress: Jennifer Lawrence

23. Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

24. Best Picture: "Argo"

FINAL OSCAR PREDICTIONS!

A third year of prognostication comes to a close, and its another year where the true best picture of the year DOES NOT WIN! (You can view all my picks here.)

Best Picture:
ARGO

Best Director:
 STEVEN SPIELBERG, LINCOLN

Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN

Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Best Supporting Actor:
Tommy Lee Jones, LINCOLN

Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway, LES MISERABLES

Best Original Screenplay:
Mark Boal, ZERO DARK THIRTY

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Chris Terrio, ARGO

Oscar Opinions: Argo (2012)

QUICK OPINION:

Argo was once my favorite film of 2012. Now its not even on my top 10. I was overcome by hype. 96% on RottenTomatoes. I loved The Town, which I saw for the first time a day before Argo. I think about it more and more, and the more I realize how... dull it is. The script is fine, the performances aren't bad or anything, but it's just nothing special. Chris Terrio took too many liberties with the facts, and there was honestly no scene that blew me away. It's good, but it really is nothing special.

BEST MOMENT:

The opening when the US Embassy gets raided is a pretty cool scene.

BEST PERFORMANCE:

I really can't explain any performance that was extraordinary, so I'll cheat a little: Ben Affleck... as the film's director. His work with the basic subtleties of each scene was deft, and his style for the three different locations sounds like the work of a true talent.

Check back soon for re-evaluated thoughts on Beasts of the Southern Wild. 

The best original screenplay race.

Some say Amour. At this point, I don't think it is a contender. Just because Amour got a Best Director nomination DOES NOT mean it gets an extra boost. That's like saying 'Beasts' is ahead of 'Argo' just because of a directing nomination. Fortunately the Adapted race is locked up for Chris Terrio.

So it's a two-horse race between Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained. The bad thing is that both films have their fair share of controversy. 'Zero Dark' won the WGA, 'Django' won the BAFTA, and is the expression of voter overlap. I say 'Zero Dark' has the advantage due to the fact it's ahead of Django in the Best Picture race.

If the Globes expressed voter overlap, I would say 'Django' would be leading, but I also have to give 'Zero Dark' a boost due to impulsive voting with the WGA.

PREDICTED WINNER
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

WGA winners!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio, Argo

WGA predix.

WGA tonight. Zero Dark Thirty will finally get its due.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Chris Terrio, Argo

BAFTA Winners!

*BAM* JUSTICE *BAM*       BAFTA emitting too much intelligent voting. 

Django might now be the Original Screenplay frontrunner... unless one considers impulsive ballot filling for Zero Dark Thirty, since it is the only frontrunner contending for WGA. So happy for Christoph Waltz, I honestly hope he wins again.

BEST FILM: Argo

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: Skyfall

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER: The Imposter

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: Amour

DOCUMENTARY: Searching For Sugar Man

ANIMATED FILM: Brave

DIRECTOR: Argo - Ben Affleck

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Silver Linings Playbook - David O. Russell

LEADING ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

LEADING ACTRESS: Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

ORIGINAL MUSIC: Skyfall - Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Life Of Pi - Claudio Miranda

EDITING: Argo - William Goldenberg

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Les Miserables - Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson

COSTUME DESIGN: Anna Karenina - Jacqueline Durran

MAKE UP & HAIR: Les Miserables - Lisa Westcott

SOUND: Les Miserables - Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: Life of Pi - Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer

SHORT ANIMATION: The Making of Longbird - Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson

SHORT FILM: Swimmer - Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public): Juno Temple

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA: Tessa Ross

THE BAFTA FELLOWSHIP: Alan Parker

BAFTA predictions.

BAFTA's are one thing I unfortunately have been undermining in my prognostication career. The BAFTA's this year could quite possibly be the turning point for three of the big categories this year- Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. As lazy as I am, I have decided not to predict in every category. Like most teens, I am simply too lazy.

The winners will be...

BEST FILM- Argo
BEST BRITISH FILM- Les Miserables (boo boo! Skyfall 4 LYFE!)
BEST DIRECTION- Ben Affleck, Argo
BEST ACTOR- Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
BEST ACTRESS- Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (If Chastain wins, I will be happy because she did have the best performance of the year. If Riva wins, I'll be happy for a correct prediction. How cynical of me.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Since BAFTA really liked Django, then it is Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY- Michael Haneke, Amour (In reality, I think Zero Dark Thirty will take either of Amour's two big prizes. This is about predicting, and I'm playing it safe with Amour winning both)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY- Chris Terrio, Argo (boo boo! Lincoln!)
BEST FOREIGN FILM- Amour (duh!)

a legitimate mess: The Best supporting Actor race.

I still have faith that Chastain will win BAFTA, so this year's Best Actress race is as messy as ever. Even messier is the Best Supporting Actor race, where everyone has legitimate reasons that they could win. Any name announced on the 24th (that is incorrectly predicted) would be a real slap to the head. "Oh, yeah, they were gonna win all along!"

Right now I would say Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, Robert De Niro, Christoph Waltz, and Alan Arkin are the ones in order to win. The order I listed is in likelihood of winning. De Niro was supposed to win SAG, but didn't. Just because he is doing this random bout of press interviews doesn't mean he'll win. I think Hoffman was the strongest supporting performance this year. It has the distinct advantage of being a lead, which benefited Helen Hunt's nomination. Hoffman dominates the film, and he SINGS!

Jones was good in Lincoln, but I must be blind or something because nothing truly stuck out. Waltz could win, but something speaks to me about Django's controversial side toward violence. Seriously, action figures will NOT help your campaign. Arkin was good, but he could've easily been excised from the film and I wouldn't have noticed any difference. The film would lack its wit, but still, he wasn't a pivotal character or anything.

WEINSTEIN v. WEINSTEIN v. WEINSTEIN

Hoffman, De Niro, and Waltz are all performances held under the Weinstein company. Weinstein is obviously campaigning for De Niro, which gives Waltz and Hoffman a distinct disadvantage. Still, I think Hoffman is going to win the BAFTA, and possibly win the Oscar.

I won't be surprised though if Jones wins the BAFTA, then the Oscar.

Director's Guild Winners.

Now who will win the Oscar?!

BEST DIRECTOR:
Ben Affleck, Argo

BEST DOCUMENTARY DIRECTION
Searching for Sugar Man

When did the frontrunners fall?

2010. The Social Network is poised to win the PGA. But in a sudden upset, it loses to The King's Speech. Every year brings out the big upsets, and this year is no exception.

Argo- It fell right after the Oscar nominations were announced... and then something miraculous happened. Globes, SAG, PGA, and soon-to-be PGA and BAFTA. That was the second fall.
The first fall for Argo was the sudden buzz for Les Miserables. The Academy screening that garnered praise more overblown than Elizabeth Banks' Hunger Games hairdo.

Les Miserables- Mixed critical reception. 'nuff said.

Zero Dark Thirty- The film that should win Best Picture will not because of torture controversy that is fortunately falling apart right before the Oscars. Also, the lack of a SAG nomination was a bad sign right from the beginning.

Lincoln- The lack of a BAFTA best director nom was ignored because Lincoln nabbed the most total noms at the ceremony. It's getting the nominations, but not the wins.

The Master- PT Anderson's revenge, a film riddled with hype and attention all summer. I don't know how it fell so quickly. Bad box office, I guess.

Silver Linings Playbook- Fell out of the conversation a little bit due to the expansion-release-style. It was all part of Weinstein's plan, the film did nab four acting nominations, so the fall was almost intentional.

And when fall, one must rise. Ergo, Argo.

SAG Winners!

I was able to get 3/5 on my predictions. In my defense, Argo winning Best Cast was a surprise, and Supporting Actor was a mess this year.

BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
BEST ACTRESS: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
BEST CAST: Argo

A funny thing happened on the way to the Oscars...

So, Argo just won the Producers Guild, and now I'm truly convinced it might win Best Picture at the Oscars. This is a most unusual occasion, and I'm pleased so that his is one of my big 'upsets' I was hoping for. I knew something would happen, but I am honestly still surprised the Producers liked it so much after such a shabby turnout with the nominations.

Tonight's SAG award can be another game-changer in all ways (except for Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). If  Lincoln wins, we (the prognosticators) know that the film is still the contender. If Silver Linings wins, we know Argo has some competition. If Argo wins, the race would practically end.

Also, Megan Ellison's demand for a recount might become a reality.

Look beyond the jump for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress thoughts at SAG:

Thoughts on the Golden Globes.

@Michael_Haneke  heres me havin a secret nap when @benaffleck was
doin his speech! Wot did I miss? Did he announce daredevil 2 yet lol

I DON'T CARE IF I'M TOO LATE FOR THIS. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

The Golden Globes were almost two Sundays ago, but I'm hoping I'm not two late for this.

Should I have been shocked by the Les Miserables victory? No. But I was. I did more reading after the show to learn that the Globes go more for good musicals than great comedies. Here is a recent track record.

2006: Dreamgirls > Little Miss Sunshine
2007: Sweeny Todd > Juno

This year was no different. I am happy I did reasonably well with my predictions, despite losing in both big categories. In all seriousness, Argo was a bit of a surprise. The Globes loves themselves some George Clooney (a producer of Argo). It does make sense for Lincoln to have won, since it did nab the most nominations in Globes history. Films dream of getting 7 nominations at the Oscars!

There were no big surprises in the acting categories, which is probably a bad sign to Naomi Watts' Oscar campaign. It is weird to see that Affleck won the Globe for Best Director, despite not getting an Oscar nomination.

Spielberg has been left in the cold. He has hardly won any directing prizes, yet his two prime competitors Bigelow (NYFCC, National Board of Review) and Affleck (Critics Choice, Golden Globes) did not get nominations.

THIS IS ONE MESSED UP YEAR.

Golden Globe predictions!

The Golden Globes announce today, and I feel today is going to be a very good show (Poehler + Fey). I hope the winners are also surprising too, especially Breaking Bad for TV drama. That show better win tonight.

Anyways....

BEST MOTION PICTURE- DRAMA
All 5 nominees in this category have gone on to be Best Picture nominees. I'm going to have to say Lincoln will win this one because it is the current frontrunner. I won't be surprised by an Argo upset, and I would be delighted by a Zero Dark Thirty win.

BEST MOTION PICTURE- COMEDY/MUSICAL
The Golden Globes bring  welcome surprises. I feel that the force with Silver Linings Playbook is strong, but any musical in this category is usually a strong contender. In 2007, Sweeny Todd beat out Juno. Still, I'm going with Silver Linings.


BEST DIRECTOR
It's weird what Oscar did. They left out Ben Affleck for Argo, and yet, I think he is going to win Best Director. (Golden Globes hardly predict the Oscar winner. Scorsese won last year, then Fincher, Cameron, Boyle won the Oscar, but then before was Schnabel, Inarritu...)

Final Oscar Predictions!

The nominations are tomorrow, and with this year being all over the place, we can honestly quote Lawrence of Arabia... "Nothing is written."

BEST PICTURE:
1. Lincoln
Breaking the bank and breaking nomination records, Spielberg is back and with a vengeance.
2. Argo
Free of controversy currently, and was in attendance at every guild thing, like Lincoln.
3. Zero Dark Thirty
Strong critical praise and has been the film getting more love than Argo, but Argo is more well-liked.
4. Les Miserables
Makes the Academy feel warm and fuzzy. Based on a musical that's based on classic literature, and the acting branches love it.
5. Silver Linings Playbook
Actors love it, writers love it, and the direction is perfect.
6. Life of Pi
A visual treat that has a bold vision that is well-told. Thumbs up.
7. Django Unchained
It's a work of near-perfection. The supporting performances are off the charts, and the film's script is richer than Spielberg's current bank account.
8. Moonrise Kingdom
It has surprisingly a lot of necessary stops required for a nomination. Great cast for the acting branch to chew on, and great script for the writers to envy.
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild
The little indie that could.
10. The Master
I still think this film has got what it takes to sneak in. I'm making a bold prediction, which is something I missed last year (Extremely Loud). There is an audience for this film, and the audience will vote for this.

BEST DIRECTOR:
1. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
2. Ben Affleck, Argo
3. Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
4. Ang Lee, Life of Pi
5. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ACTOR:
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
2. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
3. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
4. John Hawkes, The Sessions
5. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
I think Phoenix is going to squeak in over Denzel, especially since Flight has nothing going for it besides Washington's performance. The audience for The Master is going to vote for Phoenix, giving him the nomination.

BEST ACTRESS:
1. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
4. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
5. Emanuelle Riva, Amour
I absolutely adore Jess Chastain and her repertoire of work, and hope she wins. She is going to win... a nomination.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
1. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
2. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
3. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
4. Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
5. Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Waltz and DiCaprio were amazing in their parts, and Bardem was the best thing in the near-perfect Skyfall. I mean, Bardem got a nomination for BIUTIFUL! Also, Arkin has yet to win any critics groups prizes, if that's any indicator.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
1. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
2. Sally Field, Lincoln
3. Amy Adams, The Master 
4. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
5. Judi Dench, Skyfall
Skyfall has picked up a lot of steam in the past weeks. Judi Dench recently got a BAFTA nomination, and I don't think Milennium has the capabilities to send out too many Paperboy screeners.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
1. Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
3. Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
4. Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
5. Michael Haneke, Amour
Would love Looper to sneak in.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
1. Tony Kushner, Lincoln
2. Chris Terrio, Argo
3. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
4. Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
5. Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Screenplay categories are perfect for littler films to get recognized, like Perks and Beasts.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
1. Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
2. Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln
3. Robert Richardson, Django Unchained
4. Roger Deakins, Skyfall
5. Mihai Malimare Jr, The Master
I hate to leave off Zero Dark Thirty, but the Academy loves themselves some Robby Richardson. I mean, he did beat Emmanuel Lubezki last year.

BEST EDITING:
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Argo
3. Life of Pi
4. Lincoln
5. Skyfall

Check back tomorrow for complete list of winners, and perhaps a nomination rant... we'll see.

DGA Nominee predictions!

DGA announces tomorrow, and despite it being so close to announcement day, they still remain crucial.

1. Spielberg, Lincoln
2. Affleck, Argo
3. Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
4. Lee, Life of Pi

5 is a tough cookie. The DGA will probably nominate O. Russell for Silver Linings because they usually aren't as sentimental as the Academy. They nominated Dark Knight, Academy chose The Reader. Just because O. Russell will be nominated here at the DGA's doesn't mean he will at the Oscars. Gods (or any other god believed by Piscene Molitor Patel,) will he does.

The Master, Argo, Flight, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Looper all nominated at the WGA's!!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures

Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures

The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company

Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features

Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures

Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox

Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book; Summit Entertainment

Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick; The Weinstein Company

PGA Nominees!!

Yet again, more Master snubbery. I can now confidently say that The Master IS this year's The Tree of Life.

“Argo” (Warner Bros.)Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn

“Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher

“Les Misérables” (Universal Pictures)Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh

Life of Pi” (Fox 2000 Pictures)Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark

“Lincoln” (Touchstone Pictures)Producers:  Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

“Moonrise Kingdom” (Focus Features)Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales

“Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon

“Skyfall” (Columbia Pictures)Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

“Zero Dark Thirty” (Columbia Pictures)Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison

James Berardinelli's (ReelViews) Top 10.

Honorable mentions:
The Avengers
End of Watch
Ruby Sparks
Moonrise Kingdom

10 (tie): The Dark Knight Rises
             Les Miserables
9: Argo
8: Skyfall
7: Silver Linings Playbook
6: Django Unchained
5: Amour
4: A Separation (A 2011 holdover)
3: Lincoln
2: Zero Dark Thirty
1: Looper

You can read his thoughts on each film here.