We've spent the last two weeks analyzing all the major Oscar categories and ranking each nominee on their likelihood to win. Being the last ceremony in a long awards season, there are always going to be some no-brainers come Oscar night -- and that's certainly the case this year, with Jared Leto, Cate Blanchett, and Alfonso Cuarón all locks for their categories. But the 86th Annual Academy Awards are shaping up to be the most exciting ceremony in recent memory, with several major awards virtually up for grabs, including Best Picture. In case you missed an article or two in our Prediction series, here is a handy list of who we think will win, as well as our picks in all 16 other categories. Impress your friends and win your office pool with our 100% infallible predictions!**
The Oscars will air this Sunday, March 2, on ABC; the red carpet broadcast starts at 7pmET, and the ceremony begins at 8:30.
**Results not guaranteed
"12 Years A Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Gravity"
"Her"
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"The Wolf Of Wall Street"
Given the Academy's preferential ballot system, we're predicting widespread appreciation for this awe-inspiring space epic will tip it ever so slightly past the more divisive "12 Years A Slave"
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Picture race here.
Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years A Slave"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"
David O. Russell, "American Hustle"
Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf Of Wall Street"
With no clear frontrunner for Best Picture, the award will go to the director voters perceive as having had the hardest job. And with his impressive technological innovation, that's clearly Cuarón.
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Director race here.
Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf Of Wall Street"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years A Slave"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
While not as certain a lock as his "Dallas" costar Jared Leto, McConaughey is still heavily favored to win. But deep respect for "12 Years" could push Ejiofor over the edge, and Leonardo DiCaprio is the dark horse candidate for his unhinged performance in "The Wolf Of Wall Street".
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Actor race here.
Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"
Blanchett has been a shoo-in since "Jasmine" was released last summer, and recent controversies surrounding director Woody Allen shouldn't change that. As the only nominee in this category without a prior win, Adams is also the only one with a chance for a surprise victory.
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Actress race here.
Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender, "12 Years A Slave"
Jonah Hill, "The Wolf Of Wall Street"
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"
The surest thing of the night. As the transgender Rayon, Leto's performance was the definition of transformative. Abdi's cinderella story and BAFTA win make him the only other possibility.
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Supporting Actor race here.
Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years A Slave"
Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"
June Squibb, "Nebraska"
By far the closest acting race of the night. In a toss-up between Nyong'o and Lawrence, we give the slight edge to the former because Lawrence just won last year (for "Silver Linings Playbook") and the Academy likes to award newcomers in this category. But Lawrence has fierce star power right now, so it could go either way.
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Supporting Actress race here.
"American Hustle" - David O. Russell & Eric Warren Singer
"Blue Jasmine" - Woody Allen
"Dallas Buyers Club" - Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
"Her" - Spike Jonze
"Nebraska" - Bob Nelson
Jonze's inventive future-world sci-fi love story is the most unique film on the list, but if its vision of a technology-obsessed society alienates some viewers, general love for "Hustle" could push it ahead.
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Original Screenplay race here.
"12 Years A Slave" - John Ridley
"Before Midnight" - Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater
"Captain Phillips" - Billy Ray
"Philomena" - Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope
"The Wolf Of Wall Street" - Terence Winter
Expertly-built tension, a large cast of memorable characters, and the weight of history make the script for "12 Years" the one to beat. But could the emotionally nuanced "Philomena" be the one that beats it?
Read our in-depth analysis of the Best Adapted Screenplay race here.
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Ernest & Celestine"
"Frozen"
"The Wind Rises"
Disney's spectacular musical adaptation of "The Snow Queen" will ice out the competition, unless the Academy wants to honor legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki's career by awarding his last film.
"20 Feet From Stardom"
"The Act Of Killing"
"Cutie And The Boxer"
"Dirty Wars"
"The Square"
It's close, but this crowd-pleasing doc about backup singers will likely win out over the compelling but difficult-to-watch recreations of Indonesian genocide.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" (Belgium)
"The Great Beauty" (Italy)
"The Hunt" (Denmark)
"The Missing Picture" (Cambodia)
"Omar" (Palestine)
Italy's surreal visual feast is the heavy favorite to win, although the thought-provoking Danish tale of a teacher falsely accused of molestation has a chance.
"12 Years A Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Gravity"
A tight race, but with "Gravity" sure to sweep most of the technical awards, voters might give this one to the real-life tension of "Phillips", which won the editing guild's award this year.
"The Grandmaster"
"Gravity"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"Prisoners"
The impressive long-takes and feats of camera trickery are sure to give this one to "Gravity", although the stark black-and-white photography of "Nebraska" put that film in second place.
"12 Years A Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Gravity"
"The Great Gatsby"
"Her"
If there was one thing Baz Luhrmann's messy adaptation of the classic novel got right, it was visual spectacle. The jazzy decadence on display is exactly what this award was made for.
"12 Years A Slave"
"American Hustle"
"The Grandmaster"
"The Great Gatsby"
"The Invisible Woman"
The gowns and tuxes of "Gatsby" may be more glamorous, but the plunging necklines, velour suits and disco gowns of "Hustle" will likely pull that film ahead due to the nostalgia factor alone.
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa"
"The Lone Ranger"
Do you really think Academy voters are going to give a statuette to the "Jackass" franchise or the much-maligned "Lone Ranger"? "Dallas" is the only serious contender here.
"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug"
"Iron Man 3"
"The Lone Ranger"
"Star Trek Into Darkness"
Wait. There are other nominees in this category?? A game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe chooses "The Hobbit" as the runner-up, although nobody stands a chance against "Gravity".
"All Is Lost"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug"
"Lone Survivor"
The team behind "Gravity" will handily beat the competition for their ingenious use of muffled sound in the noiseless vacuum of space.
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Lone Survivor"
Yes, there's a difference between the two sound awards. Editors are responsible for creating all the sounds that might go into a movie (aside from the dialogue and the soundtrack), while mixers are responsible for choosing which sounds to use and inserting them into the actual film. Think of it this way: editors pick the ingredients, and the mixers cook the dish. This year, "Gravity" should take both awards.
"The Book Thief" - John Williams
"Gravity" - Steven Price
"Her" - William Butler & Owen Pallett
"Philomena" - Alexandre Desplat
"Saving Mr. Banks" - Thomas Newman
Since you can't hear hurtling debris or exploding stations in space, Price instead had to use music to build excitement and tension, and he did so masterfully.
"Despicable Me 2" - Happy
"Frozen" - Let It Go
"Her" - The Moon Song
"Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" - Ordinary Love
Although "Ordinary Love" won the Globe, there's not a person in the English-speaking world who can't sing along to the ubiquitous empowerment pop ballad from Disney's insta-classic. And if that's not the definition of the year's "best" song, I don't know what is.
"Feral"
"Get A Horse!"
"Mr. Hublot"
"Possessions"
"Room On The Broom"
Since there's no way to ensure that all Academy voters have seen every nominee, this award is likely to go to the one that almost everyone has seen -- it played in front of "Frozen", all but guaranteeing it a win here.
"CaveDigger"
"Facing Fear"
"Karama Has No Walls"
"The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life"
"Prison Terminal: The Last Days Of Private Jack Hall"
An emotional look into the life of a 109-year-old pianist and Holocaust survivor, "Lady" is a safe bet. But "Prison"s behind-bars look at a terminally-ill maximum-security inmate was also compelling.
"Do I Have To Take Care Of Everything?"
"Helium"
"Just Before Losing Everything"
"That Wasn't Me"
"The Voorman Problem"
The Danish short about a dying boy being told tales of a fantastical land by the hospital's janitor is the sentimental favorite. But the harrowing "Just Before", a French film about a woman leaving her abusive husband, could steal the gold.
Who are you pulling for this year? Do you think it will be "12 Years A Slave" or "Gravity"? Lupita Nyong'o or Jennifer Lawrence? Will Leo pull an upset and finally win his first Oscar? Tweet us @Stagebuddy to give us your predictions!
