Oscar Predictions

If my predictions are correct, 12 Years a Slave will garner the most nominations (13) when the Motion Picture Academy announces their choices this morning.

The Academy Award nominations will be announced in a couple of hours so I’d better hustle to get my final predictions out there.

I have some caveats: Although I’ve listed the maximum number of pictures that can be nominated for the top award, I doubt the Academy will go with that many. This was an excellent year for movies, however, so there might be as many as nine nominees and, if that’s the case, The Butler will probably get bumped from the list. I’m also afraid the superb Inside Llewyn Davis, based on the guild nominations so far, may not make the final cut. And, although I don’t have it listed, nothing would make me happier than to see the magnificent Before Midnight make the cut.

I’m also nervous about including Tom Hanks in the supporting actor category. I would not be shocked to see him bumped by either the late James Gandolfini for Enough Said or Daniel Bruhl for Rush.

With that in mind, here are my picks:

PICTURE
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
The Butler
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
The Wolf of Wall Street

ACTOR
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All Is Lost

ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyongo, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler

DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 Years a Slave
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

ANIMATED FEATURE
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
The Wind Rises

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE
The Broken Circle Breakdown
The Grandmaster
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
Omar

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
20 Feet From Stardom
The Act of Killing
Blackfish
The Square
Stories We Tell

PRODUCTION DESIGN
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

CINEMATOGRAPHY
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

COSTUME DESIGN
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
Oz The Great and Powerful
Saving Mr. Banks

EDITING
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Wolf of Wall Street

MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING
American Hustle
Dallas Buyers Club
The Great Gatsby

SCORE
12 Years a Slave
All Is Lost
The Book Thief
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks

SOUND EDITING
12 Years a Slave
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Rush

SOUND MIXING
12 Years a Slave
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Rush

VISUAL EFFECTS
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
World War Z