Oscar Predictions: Prepare for ‘Lincoln’ Victory, ‘Silver Linings’ Snub

The Oscars will be held on Feb. 24 and speculations on who will take home the wins are flying around the Internet. Here are my own predictions for Best Picture, Actor, Actress and Director.

Best Picture:
There are a lot of impressive films nominated for this category. I would love to see Silver Linings Playbook take home the Oscar. It has such a unique storyline and pushes the boundaries by showing the audience how messed up everyone can be, with or without a mental illness. Along with Silver Linings Playbook, a close chance at a win is Zero Dark Thirty. This is an extremely powerful film. It portrayed the subject of Osama bin Laden so tastefully. Sadly, even though I loved Les Misérables, I have a feeling it won’t make the cut for the Oscar. It was a moving film with a star-packed cast, but its competing power plays definitely defeat it. If either Silver Linings Playbook or Zero Dark Thirty wins then I will be very happy. However, I have a feeling this will not be the case. The film that will most likely be crowned the winner is Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. This film has been talked about non-stop since its release. With talented actors, amazing effects and a strong storyline it is difficult to argue that it is not deserving of a win. Not all of the audience appreciated the long-winded monologues dominating the plot, but, regardless, Lincoln is the foreseen winner.

Best Actor:
You would think this category would have a close call for who the winner might be, but it seems as though Daniel Day-Lewis from Lincoln will take the gold home. He already has two Oscars under his belt, and Day-Lewis did an incredible portrayal of President Lincoln. It doesn’t even seem like a competition. I would like to see Bradley Cooper from Silver Linings Playbook win. His performance of a recently released bipolar patient was captivating. Showing such an array of intense emotions should earn him something. Even though I may not personally like Day-Lewis (I think he’s a dry actor or maybe just dried up from old age), he will most likely take the win this year.

Best Actress:
The nominees all have somewhat of an equal chance in this category. There has been a lot of buzz about the rising talent Jennifer Lawrence. This past year she has really come out to show the acting world what she is made of. With one of her latest films, Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence really stood out as a star actress. She has been gaining a lot of recognition as her career picked up after her role as Katniss in The Hunger Games. Lawrence has a lot to offer. She has even been compared to Meryl Streep. Recently, Lawrence was awarded both a Gold Globe and a Screen Actor’s Guild award. However, another more seasoned actress has entered the running and may give Lawrence a close race to the finish. Jessica Chastain, the actress from Zero Dark Thirty, is also a popular choice for the Oscars.

Best Director:
It seems like Steven Spielberg will have an easy win because of his work on Lincoln. Although, I want to see a change-up. I want to see Ang Lee, the director of Life of Pi, or David O. Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook, prove to be strong competitors against Spielberg. All three directors are incredibly talented, but I have a feeling it will come down to Spielberg. Although predictable, he already has many awards under his belt and I doubt it will stop here. I hope to see Lee as the winner because he is a visionary director. Life of Pi has such a magical aura about it. Everything about it seems fresh and different than how so many other movies have been directed in the past. I’m holding my breath that Life of Pi takes home the Oscar, but it is a little difficult to tell if it can triumph over Spielberg’s historical saga.

Alyssa Hingre can be reached at hingrea@yahoo.com