Early-ish Oscar Watch

[amusic20]

The Oscars are 2.5 months away, which may seem far away, but it'll be here before we know it. And it's never too early to make predictions! Based on critical reception, in particular recent film festival and other types of awards, here are my predictions: (I'm ranking each category in terms of likelihood)

Best Picture
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Silver Linings Playbook
3. Argo
4. Lincoln
5. Les Miserables
6. Beasts of the Southern Wild
7. Moonrise Kingdom
8. Life of Pi
9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
10. Promised Land

Best Director
1. Kathryn Bigelow -- Zero Dark Thirty
2. David O'Russell -- Silver Linings Playbook
3. Ben Affleck -- Argo
4. Steven Spielberg -- Lincoln
5. Wes Anderson -- Moonrise Kingdom

Best Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis -- Lincoln
2. Bradley Cooper -- Silver Linings Playbook
3. John Hawkes -- The Sessions
4. Joaquin Phoenix -- The Master
5. Denzel Washington -- Flight

Best Actress
1. Jessica Chastain -- Zero Dark Thirty
2. Jennifer Lawrence -- Silver Linings Playbook
3. Emanuella Riva -- Amour
4. Quvenzhane Wallis -- Beasts of the Southern Wild
5. Keira Knightley -- Anna Karenina

Best Supporting Actor
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman -- The Master
2. Robert DeNiro -- Silver Linings Playbook
3. Leonardo DiCaprio -- Django Unchained
4. Tommy Lee Jones -- Lincoln
5. Matthew McConaughey -- Magic Mike

Best Supporting Actress
1. Anne Hathaway -- Les Miserables
2. Sally Field -- Lincoln
3. Helen Hunt -- The Sessions
4. Amy Adams -- The Master
5. Ann Dowd -- Compliance

Best Original Screenplay
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. The Master
4. Looper
5. Django Unchained

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Lincoln
2. Silver Linings Playbook
3. Argo
4. The Sessions
5. Life of Pi

Best Animated Feature
1. Frankenweenie
2. Wreck-It Ralph
3. Brave
4. Rise of the Guardians
5. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Best Foreign Film
1. Amour
2. The Intouchables
3. War Witch
4. Rust & Bone
5. A Royal Affair

Best Documentary Feature
1. Searching for Sugar Man
2. Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present
3. How to Survive a Plague
4. The Invisible War
5. The Central Park Five

Best Cinematography
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Beasts of the Southern Wild
3. Lincoln
4. Life of Pi
5. End of Watch