Best Actress View this image '
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company; Darius Khondji / Sony Pictures Classics
The closest Oscars race. Nominees Jessica Chastain,Zero Dark Thirty Jennifer Lawrence,Silver Linings Playbook Emmanuelle Riva,Amour QuvenzhanĂŠ Wallis,Beasts of the Southern Wild Naomi Watts,The Impossible Should win: Sigh. Can 'all of the above' be an acceptable answer? Jessica Chastain has shown such range in her recent surge into movie stardom - her portrayal of Maya, the bin Ladenobsessed CIA officer ofZero Dark Thirty, is the opposite of the flighty, friendless, sweet Celia ofThe Help. Naomi Watts carriesThe Impossible from potential movie-of-the-week territory into excellence. And QuvenzhanĂŠ Wallis: How can a tiny person do what she did inBeasts? I keep returning to this bit fromA.O. Scott'sNew York Times review ofBeasts from last June: 'This movie is a blast of sheer, improbable joy, a boisterous, thrilling action movie with a protagonist who can hold her own alongside Katniss Everdeen, Princess Merida and the other brave young heroines of 2012.' Without Wallis, there is noBeasts, that is for sure. But the two front-runners here are Jennifer Lawrence and Emmanuelle Riva. And it's so close! They're both wonderful performances, with Riva's Anne falling apart because of age, and Lawrence's Tiffany falling apart because of grief. For me,Lawrence was a revelation, and I wish she would win. Will win: But I thinkEmmanuelle Riva has the momentum, and will take it. This pick is based on inexpressible Oscar fortune-telling that is sometimes correct (yes, last year George Clooney's Best Actor chances forThe Descendants did mysteriously deflate for no real reason) and sometimes not: last year, common wisdom on Oscars day was that Meryl Streep would lose to Viola Davis because Davis had campaigned so well forThe Help, whereas Streep had done her usual (nothing). But Streep won anyway. Here, Lawrence was a favorite for months, and her biggest competition was Chastain. But thenZero Dark Thirty's torture controversies escalated, andAmour got more nominations than expected, so Riva entered the scrum. She turns 86 on Sunday. I think she will get an Oscar as her present.
Best Editing
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Warner Bros.
Unless there's a shock, this one should be easy. Nominees Argo, William Goldenberg Life of Pi, Tim Squyres Lincoln, Michael Kahn Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers Zero Dark Thirty, Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg Should win: I'm not going to take to the streets in protest whenArgo wins, but of courseZero Dark Thirty deserves it more. For the bin Laden raid scene alone. Will win:Argo is going to win. Ben Affleck wasn't nominated for Best Director, and that was a shock. But withArgo in the lead for Best Picture, it is the clear favorite in this related category.
Other category predictions: Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Screenplay Best Foreign Language Film Best Feature Documentary Best Animated Feature Film Best Original Song Best Original Score Best Cinematography Best Costume Design Best Makeup and Hairstyling Best Sound Editing Best Sound Mixing Best Visual Effects Best Animated Short Best Live Action Short Best Documentary Short
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