The Oscars 2013 - My predictions, hopes and choices

This sunday it's time for Oscars once more and as always I'll make my guesses and voice out my opinion who should have won. Though instead of multiple lists, I'll just put them all here.

My prediction: As most of you already know the winner is decided mostly by politics, whoever lobbied their picture the best for the Academy and the alignment of the stars. So actual artistic merits have very little to do with the choosing of the winner. So judging from all that these are my guesses on who will walk away with the prize.

My hope: This is the one from the nominations which I'm rooting for and hoping to win.

My choice: If I had the power, this would be the one to receive the Oscar. So this one is out of all the movies, not just the ones nominated.

Anyway here's my predictions, hopes and choices for 2013.

Best Motion Picture of the Year:
My prediction: Argo (2012)
My hope: Django Unchained (2012)
My choice: Cloud Atlas (2012)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
My prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln (2012)
My hope: Joaquin Phoenix for The Master (2012)
My choice: Joaquin Phoenix for The Master (2012)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
My prediction: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
My hope: Naomi Watts for The Impossible
My choice: Naomi Watts for The Impossible

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
My prediction: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln (2012)
My hope: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln (2012)
My choice: Javier Bardem for Skyfall (2012)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
My prediction: Sally Field for Lincoln (2012)
My hope: Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables (2012)
My choice: Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables (2012)
This is by far the hardest category this year. I'd be happy to give it to basically anyone nominated.

Best Achievement in Directing:
My prediction: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
My hope: Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
My choice: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained (2012)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:
My prediction: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained (2012)
My hope: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
My choice: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published:
My prediction: Tony Kushner for Lincoln (2012)
My hope: Chris Terrio for Argo (2012)
My choice: David Mitchell, Tom Twyker, Andy and Lana Wachowski for Cloud Atlas (2012)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:
My prediction: Rich Moore for Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
My hope: Sam Fell, Chris Butler for ParaNorman (2012)
My choice: Sam Fell, Chris Butler for ParaNorman (2012)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:
My prediction: Amour (2012)
My hope: War Witch (2012)
My choice: Intouchables (2011)
Unfortunately I have only seen two of the movies nominated here so can't say for sure. I would be surprised if Amour didn't take this one, though I do think War Witch was a better movie. But what I'm wondering is why Intouchables wasn't nominated, it was released in 2012 and has Oscars written all over it, hence my choice, even though again I'd say War Witch was better.

Best Achievement in Cinematography:
My prediction: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi (2012)
My hope: Roger Deakins for Skyfall (2012)
My choice: Roger Deakins for Skyfall (2012)

Best Achievement in Editing:
My prediction: Tim Squyres for Life of Pi (2012)
My hope: Tim Squyres for Life of Pi (2012)
My choice: Alexander Berner for Cloud Atlas (2012)

Best Achievement in Production Design:
My prediction: Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson for Les Misérables (2012)
My hope: David Gropman, Anna Pinnock for Life of Pi (2012)
My choice: David Gropman, Anna Pinnock for Life of Pi (2012)

Best Achievement in Costume Design:
My prediction: Paco Delgado for Les Misérables (2012)
My hope: Joanna Johnston for Lincoln (2012)
My choice: Joanna Johnston for Lincoln (2012)

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling:
My prediction: Peter King, Rick Findlater, Tami Lane for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
My hope: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, Martin Samuel for Hitchcock (2012)
My choice: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, Martin Samuel for Hitchcock (2012)
Even though Anthony Hopkins doesn't look exactly like Hitchcock, that makeup is still just amazing.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score:
My prediction: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi (2012)
My hope: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi (2012)
My choice: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek and Tom Twyker for Cloud Atlas (2012)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:
My prediction: Adele, Paul Epworth for Skyfall (2012)
My hope: Adele, Paul Epworth for Skyfall (2012)
My choice: Adele, Paul Epworth for Skyfall (2012)
I think this will be the only category where I'm going to agree with the Academy.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:
My prediction: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik De Boer, Donald Elliott for Life of Pi (2012)
My hope: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Daniel Sudick for The Avengers (2012)
My choice: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Daniel Sudick for The Avengers (2012)


As for the rest of the categories, I can't really say anything about them. I don't know what's the difference between sound editing and sound mixing, so can't judge that in any way. I haven't seen any of the short films competing this year so can't say anything about that one either. And as I've only seen one of the documentaries that wouldn't be enough to judge them in any way. We'll see on sunday how horribly wrong my predictions were and if maybe we'll see some positive surprises, I'm kind of rooting for Beasts of the Southern Wild, would be quite a shock if that one cleaned up the table.