Oscar awards Prediction thread

82nd Oscar awards will be announced on March 7th.. so let's start the prediction game :-)

Here are Chicago Tribune's Critic Michael Phillips picks:

COURTESY : Chicago Tribune.

  

Best picture

 (Courtesy of 20th Century Fox )

Nominees: "Avatar"; "The Blind Side"; "District 9"; "An Education"; "The Hurt Locker"; " Inglourious Basterds" ; "Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push' by Sapphire"; "A Serious Man"; "Up"; "Up in the Air."


The dope: Why 10 nominees? In theory, doubling the nominees mean more moviegoers staying home and tuning in, with a stake in the outcome. If the Academy has its druthers we will never again see an Oscar telecast where the big films in contention are "No Country For Old Men" and " There Will Be Blood." Film historian Neal Gabler calls the expanded best picture category a case of cultural inflation — "a growing number of opportunities for the less deserving to get a taste of ultimate victory, as part of a growing aversion to disappointing anyone." At least there's no "Hangover."


Will win: Very close. I suspect this one goes to "Avatar" (pictured above), and Cameron's ex will (deservedly) win for best director. This is, after all, the year the Oscars are reasserting rear-ends-in-seats populism.

 

 

Who should win best picture?

(Courtesy of Summit Entertainment)

Of the probables, "The Hurt Locker" (pictured above). Of the nominees who don't have a chance, "Up" was my favorite film last year, even with that blobby last half-hour. And I'd love to see "A Serious Man" win, just to watch the entire human contents of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre turn to stone.  

 

Best actor (Courtesy of 20th Century Fox) Nominees: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart" (pictured above); George Clooney, "Up in the Air"; Colin Firth, "A Single Man"; Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"; Jeremy Renner, " The Hurt Locker." The dope: If Clooney hadn't won for "Syriana" we might have something to talk about. But he did, so we don't. Will win: Bridges.    Who should win best actor? Three-way tie, courtesy of the Oscar ceremony currently taking place in my head, between (from left) Jeremy Renner; Colin Firth; and Bridges.    Best actress (Courtesy of Warner Bros.) Nominees: Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side" (pictured above); Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"; Carey Mulligan, "An Education"; Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"; Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia." The dope: Bullock starred in two of the most profitable modestly-budgeted studio pictures of 2009, "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side." Hollywood appreciates stars like that. Meryl Streep snags her 16th nomination. Hold on….late-breaking news…Meryl Streep has just read a headline from the newspaper out loud, and has received a 17th nomination! Will win: Bullock.    Who should win best actress? (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics) Carey Mulligan for "An Education" (pictured above, right). She has everything it takes to rival Kate Winslet or Helen Mirren in a decade or two.     Best supporting actor (Courtesy of The Weinstein Company) Nominees: Matt Damon, "Invictus"; Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"; Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"; Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"; Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds" (pictured above). The dope: Tucci nominated for the wrong movie. Vastly more accomplished in "Julie & Julia." Re: "Lovely Bones," I wish all pedophiliac serial killers were so easy to spot. Nice surprise for Harrelson here, though. Will win: Waltz. Should win: Waltz. I'd also nominate Plummer's Tolstoy for best supporting beard.    Best supporting actress (Courtesy of Lionsgate) Nominees: Penelope Cruz, "Nine"; Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"; Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"; Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"; Mo'Nique, "Precious" (pictured above). The dope: One surprise here is Gyllenhaal, for her role as the free-lance journalist with a soft spot, for long-overdue Oscar winners. The other is Penelope Cruz — deserving in other years for other films, but… Will win: Mo'Nique. Should win: Mo'Nique.   Best animated feature film (Courtesy of Disney/Pixar) Nominees: "Coraline"; "Fantastic Mr. Fox"; "The Princess and the Frog"; "The Secret of Kells"; "Up." The dope: Few, if any, even in Ireland, predicted the inclusion of the Irish animated feature "The Secret of Kells." I think the Academy showed some backbone in this category, simply by not throwing in "Monsters Vs. Aliens" or "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" simply because it made a pile. Will win: "Up." Should win: "Up." Though I surely did admire "Coraline" as well.    Best director (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha) Nominees: "Avatar," James Cameron; "The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow (pictured above); "Inglourious Basterds," Quentin Tarantino; "Precious," Lee Daniels; "Up in the Air," Jason Reitman. The dope: Not much doubt here. Will win: Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker." Should win: Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker."    Best original screenplay (Courtesy of The Weinstein Company) Nominees: "The Hurt Locker," by Mark Boal; "Inglourious Basterds," by Quentin Tarantino (pictured above); "The Messenger," by Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman; "A Serious Man," by Joel and Ethan Coen; "Up," screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter; story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy. The dope: A strong field. Glad to see "Up" rewarded, as well as the little-seen drama "The Messenger." Will win: Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds."    Who should win best original screenplay? (Courtesy of Focus Features) Joel and Ethan Coen, "A Serious Man" (pictured above).   Best adapted screenplay (Courtesy of Paramount Pictures) Nominees: "District 9," by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell; "An Education," by Nick Hornby; "In the Loop," by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche; "Precious," by Geoffrey Fletcher; "Up in the Air," by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (pictured above). The dope: Another strong field, and lest we forget: It all begins on the page. Will win: Reitman and Turner, "Up in the Air."