As we continue our look forward to what's in store in the coming movie year, we need to determine what we think the big Oscar contenders will be. Here is Movie Ninja's first annual way too far in advance Oscar preview:
*Note- The list of movies being released this year is very limited, most Oscar season films don't get announced or release dates until late in the year. For example The Artist and The Descendants were not even a thought in the public's mind at this time last year. But I work with what I am given.
Best Supporting Actress:
Kerry Washington: Django Unchained. Has all the makings of a big Oscar film, and getting to play the still captive wife of a freed slave should provide a lot of material.
Emma Stone: Gangster Squad. I think this role will give her the material she needs to shine against heavyweights Brolin, Penn, and Gosling.
Jessica Chastain: Wettest County. Another gangster film, but coming off Chastain's breakout year, she should get noticed in 2012. My Odds on favorite.
Carey Mulligan: The Great Gatsby. Should be a big Oscar film, and Mulligan is already one of critics favorite actresses.
Blake Lively: Savages. She showed in The Town she could really act, so this should be a good opportunity.
Best Supporting Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio: Django Unchained. Could be in the Actor category, but Great Gatsby should put him there. As the villain, he will be relegated to the Supporting category. And is my current odds on favorite.
Christoph Waltz: Django Unchained. Rare to see two actors from the same film, but I think this film has a great chance at it.
Russell Crowe: Les Miserables. Hard to predict who is supporting vs primary in this film, but my guess is on Crowe.
Richard Armitage: The Hobbit Part 1. Most people would say Ian McKellan here, but I think the character of Thorin Oakenshield gives the most scene chewing opportunities.
Gary Oldman: Wettest County. Really tough to choose this fifth spot, but will say Oldman gets back to back nominations after waiting so long for his first.
Other possibilities: Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, Tobey Maguire for The Great Gatsby, Michael Shannon for Premium Rush, Sasha Baron Cohen for Les Miserables.
Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence: The Silver Linings Playbook. Hard to tell if will be primary or supporting, but from the description of the film, we'll go primary. My current favorite for this award.
Mireille Enos: World War Z. A blind guess until the movie comes out but sounds promising.
Halle Berry: Cloud Atlas. Sounds like a movie with many supporting performances, but should be Berry's chance to get back into real movies.
Noomi Rapace: Prometheus. Film comes out early, so a long shot, but I like it to shake things up.
Sally Field: Lincoln. Will have to wait and see if everyone is supporting Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln, or if Mary Lincoln is a supporting role, but for now I'll put it here.
Other Possibilities: Charlize Theron gets some love for her evil performance in Snow White and the Huntsmen.
Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio: The Great Gatsby. Would be awesome to see him win two in one year after being ignored his entire career.
Daniel Day-Lewis: Lincoln. The favorite right now. No explanation necessary.
Jamie Foxx: Django Unchained. Not much needed here either.
Ryan Gosling: Gangster Squad. Maybe he gets recognized this year since his 3 eligible performances last year were ignored.
Brad Pitt: Cogan's Trade. World War Z could also be a surprise entry here, but Cogan's sounds more promising.
Other Possibilities: Tom Hardy for Wettest County. Bradley Cooper for The Silver Linings Playbook. Tom Hanks for Could Atlas. Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables.
Director:
Quentin Tarantino: Django Unchained. Seems like a lock after how good Inglorious Basterds was, and how good Django should be. My current odds on favorite.
Terrence Malick: Unknown film. He has two scheduled films this year, neither with titles, release dates, or casts, but he is still a good bet here.
Steven Spielberg: Lincoln. No explanation necessary.
Ben Affleck: Argo. Affleck is 2 for 2 in his directing career, and this Iranian hostage crisis drama could make it 3 for 3.
Christopher Nolan: The Dark Knight Rises. Wishful thinking for me? Nolan should be a two time Best Director nominee, but instead has been shut out. He should get rewarded if TDKR avoids the curse of 3.
Other Possibilities: Tom Hooper: Les Miserables. A strong possibility coming off his win last year.
Baz Luhrman: The Great Gatsby. Will it be Moulin Rouge or Australia?
Ruben Fleischer: Gangster Squad. All depends if the movie gets overall support.
John Hillcoat: Wettest County. A movie that could get overlooked, or loved.
Peter Jackson: Hobbit Part 1. Will the Academy love the prequel, or feel they rewarded Return of the King enough?
Katheryn Bigelow: Untitled Bin Laden movie. Need to see if the movie actually gets released or delayed. And would like to know who will be in it.
Ridley Scott: Prometheus. Can this movie be as big as I think it could?
Best Picture:
The Hobbit Part 1: With a possibility of ten picture nominees, should get support.
Django Unchained: If it even comes close to being as good as it should be, will be here next year.
Lincoln: Depends if it ends up being a great movie or just a bunch of great performances.
The Great Gatsby: This and Les Miserables may help each other, or cancel each other out.
Les Miserables: See above.
Gangster Squad: Great cast, great material.
Argo: Same as gangster squad. Can Ben Affleck finally get a movie nominated?
Wettest County: Might get overshadowed by Gangster Squad, but might not.
Life of Pi: At this point I had to put a small, less blockbuster type movie in here, and this story of a boy stranded with a bunch of zoo animals on a boat, might be quirky enough.
Other possibilities: The Silver Linings Playbook, World War Z, Cogan's Trade, Untitled Bin Laden movie, Cloud Atlas, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, Brave, Of Men and Mavericks, Rise of the Guardians, Two Untitled Terrence Malick films.
So here is my year in advance Oscar preview. Most likely many of these movies will disappoint. My guess on some movies that are considered contenders now and will end up being ignored are The Silver Linings Playbook, Of Men and Mavericks, Wettest County, and Cloud Atlas.
-Maximus
