July Oscar Predictions

Okay, so I'm new at this official Oscar prediction thing. Before this, I would just haphazardly post my predictions in a forum post and call it a day. But now I'm going to do it monthly like most of my colleagues and sooner to Oscar season, weekly. If not daily.

Check out other notable predictors from my fellow bloggers: Nathaniel R. at The Film Experience, Kris Tapley at InContention, and Julian Stark at Movies and Other Things.

Individual categories clickable in the above tabs.  All listed in alphabetical order.

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

The Descendants

A Dangerous Method

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Ides of March

The Iron Lady

J. Edgar

Midnight in Paris

My Week with Marilyn

Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy

BEST DIRECTOR

David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method

Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar

Michel Haznavicius, The Artist

Steven Spielberg, War Horse

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

George Clooney, The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Jean DuJardin, The Artist

Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method

Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Felicity Jones, Like Crazy

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Albert Brooks, Drive

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March

Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Zoe Caldwell, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method

Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus

Marisa Tomei, The Ides of March

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Techs and screenplay races coming soon.

George Clooney in "The Descendants"

Above is the new trailer for Alexander Payne's first film since the Oscar-winning critical darling Sideways.  The Descendants, staring George Clooney and The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Shailene Woodly (who looks fantastic) as a clashing father-daughter pair, is about family dynamic in the wake of the mother's illness.  Supporting roles by Beau Bridges and Robert Forester look fun, and from the trailer alone we get a good sense of Payne's signature drama/comedy tightrope walking.

Er, tightrope running, I mean.

For my money, Payne is a great storyteller, but he's been hit and miss for me.  However, his films have consistently increased their visibility at the Oscars come awards season, if all three ultimately disappointed in early-season expectations.  I'm a huge fan of Clooney doing drama, so I'm hoping this is going to be good.  Below is the poster (seen here on IMDb in better quality), released just a few days ago, which looks only slightly like a Lifetime Original Movie.