CINEMATOGRAPHY Anna Karenina Django Unchained Life of Pi Lincoln Skyfall Roger Deacons did a great job with “Skyfall,” but its status as a Bond movie hurts its chances. Go with “Life of Pi,” which is both visually stunning and the current frontrunner.
COSTUME DESIGN Anna Karenina Les Miserables Lincoln Mirror Mirror Snow White and the Huntsman With talented “Mirror Mirror” designer Eiko Ishioka’s sudden death, the Julia Roberts flop might actually become an winning movie.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 5 Broken Cameras The Gatekeepers How to Survive a Plague The Invisible War Searching for Sugarman “The Invisible War” presents a controversial topic in a powerful way. The press it received will boost it to the top of a strong category.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM Adam and Dog Fresh Guacamole Head over Heels Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” Paperman Disney’s meet–cute story is technically impressive, narratively flawless and completely charming.
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Asad Buzkashi Boys Curfew Death of a Shadow Henry Belgium’s “Death of a Shadow” manages to create an unforgettable landscape and an emotional journey within twenty minutes, a true feat for any category.
SOUND EDITING Argo Django Unchained Life of Pi Skyfall Zero Dark Thirty Sound editing usually goes for big blockbuster action movies (even “Transformers” was nominated in 2007). “Skyfall” fits in the tradition perfectly.
SOUND MIXING Argo Les Miserables Life of Pi Lincoln Skyfall “Les Mis” will probably win this category for the (shockingly) novel move of having its cast perform live.
VISUAL EFFECTS The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Life of Pi Marvel’s The Avengers Prometheus Snow White and the Huntsman. Between “Prometheus” and “Life of Pi.” However, “Pi” gets the edge for integrating CGI for both stylized sequences and for a main character; the tiger is truly a marvel.
WRITING: ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Amour Django Unchained Flight Moonrise Kingdom Zero Dark Thirty “Django” is quotable and moralistic—surprising coming from Tarantino. It might be considered linear compared to his past films, but “Django” is undeniably satisfying.
WRITING: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook This category always favors big names and quick dialogue. Tony Kushner and “Lincoln” have this in the bag.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Amour Kon–Tiki No A Royal Affair War Witch “Amour,” duh. This should be considered cheating.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING Hitchcock The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Les Miserables Despite the fact that Hitchcock didn’t look like Hitchcock, the film's supporting cast sported outfits and styles accurate to the times, and some of them even looked like their counterparts.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Anna Karenina Argo Life of Pi Lincoln Skyfall It’s tight between “Lincoln” and “Argo,” but the former has the traditional sweeping, epic score that the Academy loves.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from Ted “Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi “Skyfall” from Skyfall “Suddenly” from Les Miserables The surest best of the night. No one can resist Adele's siren song!
PRODUCTION DESIGN Anna Karenina The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Les Miserables Life of Pi Lincoln Theatrical, innovative, and polished, “Anna Karenina” deserves this one for its movie–as–a–stage–show setup.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT Inocente Kings Point Mondays at Racine Open Heart Redemption No idea! There’s no rhyme or reason to who wins this category each year. Besides, these films are pretty obscure, even for us.
FILM EDITING Argo Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Zero Dark Thirty “Argo” was able to make a trip to an airport the most nerve–wracking cinematic experience in years, a true show of editing mastery.
