2014 Academy Award Predictions

For those of you watching the big show this evening and looking for tips on how to fill your Oscar ballot, here’s the way I think the awards will play out. My guesses are based on a fair amount of reading I did over the past few weeks (and hasn’t this taken awhile to get here?) of those who spend a lot more time than me worrying about this kind of competition. Can we all just agree that choosing “the best” movie or performance is an inherently flawed activity and just enjoy it for the glitzy sideshow it is?

With that in mind, here’s who I think will go home with something (in those categories where I’ve seen at least some of the films in the running):

Best Picture: 12 Years A Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Curaon for Gravity
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze, Her
Best Adapted Screenplay: Terrence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty
Best Animated Feature: Frozen
Best Sound Editing: Gravity
Best Visual Effects: Gravity
Best Film Editing: Gravity
Original Score: Her
Original Song: “Ordinary Love” by U2 from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Production Design: Gravity
Cinematography: Gravity
Costume Design: American Hustle
Makeup and Hairstyling: Dallas Buyers Club
Documentary Feature: The Act of Killing
Sound Mixing: Gravity

And if I was a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Here’s how I’d have voted:

Best Picture: Her
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years A Slave
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Julia Roberts for August: Osage County
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: James Gandolfini for Enough Said
Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze, Her 
Best Adapted Screenplay: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy and Richard Linklater, Before Midnight
Best Foreign Language Film: The Past (Le Passé)
Best Animated Feature: The Wind Rises
Best Sound Editing: Gravity
Best Visual Effects: Gravity
Best Film Editing: Captain Phillips
Original Score: Her
Original Song: “Ordinary Love” by U2 from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Production Design: Her
Cinematography: Gravity
Costume Design: American Hustle
Makeup and Hairstyling: American Hustle
Documentary Feature: The Act of Killing
Sound Mixing: Gravity
 

I hope everyone enjoys it! I hope we’re all surprised! If you’re interested in my Oscars post-mortem, I’ll be in CTV Morning Live on Monday at 7:45am Atlantic Time, and I’ll post the online link here later in the day.

About the author

flawintheiris

Carsten Knox is a massive, cheese-eating nerd. In the day he works as a journalist in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At night he stares out at the rain-slick streets, watches movies, and writes about what he's seeing.

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