The Oscar nominations will be announced only 5 days from now, and if you want to be prepared with some idea of who and what will be recognized, then I may be able to be of some service. The following is a list of all the films that I can think of that have a legitimate chance of receiving at least one nomination (excluding documentaries and shorts, which I am not that familiar with, and including foreign films only to a limited degree). Each potential nominee is categorized in one of four ways:
-Sure Thing: It would be a heart attack-inducing shock if this nomination does not happen.
-Best Bet: It would be surprising if this nomination does not happen, but it is by no means the overwhelming favorite.
-Possible: If there were no limits on the number of nominees per category, then surely this nomination would happen, but the limited number of spots means that at least some in this category will not make the cut.
-Long Shot: Only if someone much more expected is left off will those from this category make it in.
The Adventures of Tintin
Best Bet: Animated Film; Possible: Sound Editing; Long Shot: Visual Effects
Albert Nobbs
Best Bet: Glenn Close (Lead Actress); Possible: Janet McTeer (Supporting Actress), Makeup, “Lay Your Head Down” – Sinéad O’Connor (Original Song)
Anonymous
Possible: Art Direction, Makeup
The Artist
Sure Thing: Picture, Michel Hazanavicius (Director), Jean Dujardin (Lead Actor), Michel Hazanavicius (Original Screenplay); Best Bet: Editing, Costume Design, Ludovic Bource (Score); Possible: Bérénice Bejo (Supporting Actress), Guillaume Schiffman (Cinematography), Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Makeup
Arthur Christmas
Best Bet: Animated Film
Beginners
Sure Thing: Christopher Plummer (Supporting Actor); Long Shot: Mike Mills (Original Screenplay)
A Better Life
Possible: Demián Bichir (Lead Actor)
Bridesmaids
Best Bet: Melissa McCarthy (Supporting Actress), Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (Original Screenplay); Possible: Picture; Long Shot: Kristen Wiig (Lead Actress), Editing
Cars 2
Possible: Animated Film
Contagion
Possible: Cliff Martinez (Score)
Coriolanus
Possible: Vanessa Redgrave (Supporting Actress)
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Long Shot: Ryan Gosling (Supporting, or Lead, Actor), Dan Fogelman (Original Screenplay)
A Dangerous Method
Possible: Viggo Mortensen (Supporting Actor), Peter Suschitzky (Cinematography), Art Direction; Long Shot: Michael Fassbender (Lead Actor), Keira Knightley (Supporting Actress)
The Descendants
Sure Thing: Picture, Alexander Payne (Director), George Clooney (Lead Actor), Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, and Jim Rash (Adapted Screenplay); Best Bet: Editing; Possible: Shailene Woodley (Supporting Actress), Phedon Papamichael (Cinematography)
Drive
Best Bet: Albert Brooks (Director); Possible: Ryan Gosling (Lead Actor), Editing, Newton Thomas Sigel (Cinematography), Cliff Martinez (Score); Long Shot: Picture, Nicolas Winding Refn (Director), Carey Mulligan (Supporting Actress)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Possible: Picture, Max von Sydow (Supporting Actor), Eric Roth (Adapted Screenplay); Long Shot: Stephen Daldry (Director)
50/50
Possible: Will Reiser (Original Screenplay); Long Shot: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Lead Actor)
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
Long Shot: Makeup
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Bet: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Score), Editing; Possible: Picture, David Fincher (Director), Rooney Mara (Supporting Actress), Steve Zaillian (Adapted Screenplay), Jeff Cronenweth (Cinematography), Sound Mixing
Gnomeo and Juliet
Possible: “Hello Hello” – Elton John (Original Song); Long Shot: Animated Film
Hanna
Possible: Sound Mixing; Long Shot: Saoirse Ronan (Lead Actress), The Chemical Brothers (Score)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Best Bet: Sound Editing, Visual Effects; Possible: Sound Mixing, Costume Design; Long Shot: Picture, Alexandre Desplat (Score)
The Help
Sure Thing: Viola Davis (Lead Actress), Octavia Spencer (Supporting Actress); Best Bet: Picture; Possible: Jessica Chastain (Supporting Actress), Tate Taylor (Adapted Screenplay), Costume Design, “The Living Proof” – Mary J. Blige (Original Song)
Hugo
Best Bet: Picture, Martin Scorcese (Director), John Logan (Adapted Screenplay), Editing, Bob Richardson (Cinematography); Possible: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Costume Design, Howard Shore (Score), Visual Effects, Makeup; Long Shot: Asa Butterfield (Lead – or, incorrectly, Supporting – Actor)
The Ides of March
Possible: Picture, Ryan Gosling (Lead Actor), George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon (Adapted Screenplay); Long Shot: George Clooney (Director), George Clooney (Supporting Actor)
The Iron Lady
Sure Thing: Meryl Streep (Lead Actress); Best Bet: (Makeup)
Jane Eyre
Possible: Costume Design
J. Edgar
Possible: Leonardo DiCaprio (Lead Actor), Art Direction; Long Shot: Armie Hammer (Supporting Actor), Tom Stern (Cinematography)
Kung Fu Panda 2
Possible: Animated Film
Like Crazy
Long Shot: Felicity Jones (Lead Actress)
Machine Gun Preacher
Possible: “The Keeper” – Chris Cornell (Original Song)
Margin Call
Possible: Kevin Spacey (Supporting Actor), J.C. Chandor (Original Screenplay)
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Long Shot: Elizabeth Olsen (Lead Actress)
Melancholia
Possible: Kirsten Dunst (Lead Actress), Manuel Alberto Claro (Cinematography), Art Direction
Midnight in Paris
Sure Thing: Woody Allen (Screenplay); Best Bet: Picture; Possible: Director (Woody Allen), Editing, Art Direction; Long Shot: Corey Stoll (Supporting Actor)
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Possible: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Moneyball
Sure Thing: Brad Pitt (Lead Actor), Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, and Stan Chervin (Adapted Screenplay); Best Bet: Picture; Possible: Bennett Miller (Director), Jonah Hill (Supporting Actor), Editing
The Muppets
Possible: “Man or Muppet” and “Life’s a Happy Song” – Bret McKenzie and “Pictures in My Head” – Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis, and Chen Neeman (Original Song); Long Shot: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (Adapted Screenplay)
My Week with Marilyn
Sure Thing: Michelle Williams (Lead Actress); Kenneth Branagh (Supporting Actor), Costume Design; Long Shot: Judi Dench (Supporting Actress), Editing
Pina
Possible: Foreign Language Film
Pirates of the Caribbean
Possible: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing; Long Shot: Costume Design, Visual Effects
Puss in Boots
Possible: Animated Film
Rango
Best Bet: Animated Film
Rampart
Long Shot: Woody Harrelson (Lead Actor)
Rio
Possible: Animated Film
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Sure Thing: Visual Effects; Best Bet: Sound Editing; Possible: Andy Serkis (Supporting Actor), Sound Mixing
A Separation
Sure Thing: Foreign Language Film; Possible: Asghar Farhadi (Original Screenplay)
Shame
Possible: Michael Fassbender (Lead Actor); Long Shot: Carey Mulligan (Supporting Actress), Steve McQueen (Director)
The Skin I Live in
Long Shot: Pedro Almodóvar and Agustín Almodóvar (Adapted Screenplay)
Snow Flower and The Secret Fan
Possible: Costume Design
Super 8
Possible: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects; Long Shot: J.J. Abrams (Original Screenplay)
Take Shelter
Long Shot: Michael Shannon (Lead Actor)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Possible: Gary Oldman (Lead Actor), Alberto Iglesias (Score), Hoyte van Hoytema (Cinematography), Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Costume Design; Long Shot: Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughn (Adapted Screenplay)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Possible: Sound Editing, Visual Effects; Long Shot: Sound Mixing
The Tree of Life
Sure Thing: Emmanuel Lubezki (Cinematography); Possible: Picture, Terrence Malick (Director), Editing, Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects; Long Shot: Brad Pitt (Lead, or Supporting, Actor), Terrence Malick (Original Screenplay)
War Horse
Best Bet: Picture; Possible: Steven Spielberg (Director), Lee Hall and Richard Curtis (Adapted Screenplay), Editing, Janusz Kaminski (Cinematography), Sound Mixing, John Williams (Score), Visual Effects
Warrior
Possible: Nick Nolte (Supporting Actor); Long Shot: Tom Hardy (Lead Actor)
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Possible: Tilda Swinton (Lead Actress); Long Shot: Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear (Adapted Screenplay)
Winnie the Pooh
Possible: Animated Film
Win Win
Possible: Tom McCarthy (Original Screenplay)
Young Adult
Possible: Charlize Theron (Lead Actress), Patton Oswalt (Supporting Actor), Diablo Cody (Original Screenplay); Long Shot: Editing
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