Oscars Watch 2012!!!!

It's October again. One of my favorite times of the year: Football is in full swing, Baseball is coming to an epic close, the leaves are changing, there's an autumn-ish smell in the air, so on and so forth. But....it is also time for award season in Hollywood, with films aiming to garner praise from critics and audiences alike. One of my favorite things to do each year is to see as many films as I can, review them with my fellow film-enthusiast Michael Napoli, and make predictions on what films will get nominated for the top awards. Usually, we will predict the Oscar nominations around October (almost as a round-up of top films to see based on word of mouth and film-crews), then make final predictions the week before the nominations are announced. (Sidenote: We like to bet burgers on who will come closest to the final nominations. Try it, it's a hoot). Then we predict the winners. Welp, here are my choices for the nominations from the 2011 films. Leave comments on who you think will be nominated this year, films you cannot wait to see, and what you feel about my rankings.

Final note: The #1 slot is who I am predicting to win at this moment. This is all based on trailers, predictions, word of mouth, actor praise, etc. Yes, they are ranked in order.

Best Supporting Actress

1. Keira Knightley: A Dangerous Method

2. Bernice Bejo- The Artist

3. Vanessa Redgrave- Corialus

4. Octavia Spencer- The Help

5. Carey Mulligan- Shame

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christopher Plummer- Beginners

2. Albert Brooks- Drive

3. Kenneth Branagh- My Week with Marilyn

4. Robert Forster- The Descendants

5. Alan Rickman- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Actress

1. Glenn Close- Albert Nobbs

2. Michelle Williams- My Week With Marilyn

3. Viola Davis- The Help

4. Rooney Mara- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

5. Elizabeth Olsen- Martha Marcy May Marlene

*I am also watching out for Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia. Must note this.

Best Actor

1. Leonardo Dicaprio- J. Edgar

2. Gary Oldman- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

3. Jean Dujardin- The Artist

4. George Clooney- The Descendants

5. Michael Shannon- Take Shelter
*Johnny Depp for The Rum Diary is also a very big contender.

Directing

1. Steven Spielberg- War Horse

2. Michel Hazanvicius- The Artist

3.   Clint Eastwood- J. Edgar

4. David Fincher- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

5. Alexander Payne- The Descendants

Best Picture

1. War Horse

2. The Artist

3. The Descendants

4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

5. The Help

6. J. Edgar

My reasoning is this. Kiera Knightley seems to be bringing her "Oscar game" in the A Dangerous Method trailer. She's been nominated before. I think she may have a real shot this year. Glenn Close is playing a woman pretending to be a man and is getting critical buzz for her performance so she's a frontrunner at Best Actress. Christopher Plummer is a veteran actor who has NEVER WON. This is nuts. This could be his year. Finally, Dicaprio has been crying out for an Oscar ever since The Aviator. He is a multiple nominee that everyone wants to see win. He is teamed up with Clint Eastwood's direction in a biopic that seems to be fully utilizing him in a vehicle showcasing his craft. If this isn't his year...then I don't know what to say. 

I'm a David Fincher guy and my most anticipated film of the year is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But War Horse is a Tony Award winning play adapted into a film by one of the greatest film-makers of all time who hasn't won Best Director or Picture since Schindler's List. The Oscars may want to show him some love if he can pull this off. Also, if you haven't seen The Artist trailer, go NOW and see it. If pulled off as a crowd-pleaser, it could win it all.

-Daniel Bayley