My Ballot for Oscar 2012

It's that glorious time of the year. The Super Bowl of Movies. We celebrate the year that was, a remarkable time we all had at the movies in 2011.

I have no stake in the Oscars. I don't get upset when people lose or are snubbed. I don't rally around the block screaming, "HE WON!"

Because, really, none of this stuff matters. It doesn't matter who wins, who loses, what she's wearing or who he's with. All of this will be forgotten a few weeks from now. I can't tell you how many times I have to stop and wonder, "Hey, who won Best Actor last year?" What matters is that good movies are celebrated and appreciated. It's not easy making a movie that entertains the hell out of people. So when it happens, a party is in order.

It's all in good fun.

Now, if anyone has money riding on this year's Oscars, I've got a sure thing for you. BET AGAINST ME! I'm notoriously sucky at correctly picking the Oscar winners. So, do what you will with that.

Best Picture

The Artist

The Descendants

The Help

Midnight In Paris

Moneyball

Hugo

The Tree Of Life

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

War Horse

SHOULD WIN: Of all of these films listed, my favorite of the bunch is Moneyball. But is it worthy of Best Picture? I love it, but not quite that much. In varying degrees, The Help, Midnight in Paris, The Tree of Life and The Artist are all rather enjoyable motion pictures. The rest are currently unseen by me. My heart simply does not belong to any one of these this year.

WILL WIN: The Artist is the frontrunner. Can't really argue with that.

Best Director 

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Terrence Malick - Tree Of Life

Woody Allen - Midnight In Paris

Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

SHOULD WIN: I think this one should go to Malick, because his Tree of Life, while a confounding, perplexing picture, is one of stunning ambition. He had the balls to make a movie like that and have it turn out to be as good as it is. Although, having not seen The Descendants and Hugo, and being big admirers of both directors, I hate saying they don't deserve to win.

WILL WIN: Hazanavicius will win this one. No one has made a hit silent film since the 1920's.

Best Actor

George Clooney - The Descendants

Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Demián Bichir - A Better Life

SHOULD WIN: This is a tough one. Really good actors and performances in this category. I'm thrilled for Oldman, but this isn't his movie or year. It's Pitt's best work in a long, long time. Dujardin is a pleasant surprise. Bichir is soulful and exquisite. I'm a big, big fan of Clooney's, and will watch him in anything. Though I can't judge this performance specifically, I am kind of hoping he wins.

WILL WIN: It's a toss up between Clooney and Dujardin, and I think Dujardin will be the surprise winner.

Best Actress 

Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Viola Davis - The Help

Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

SHOULD WIN: I haven't seen Dragon Tattoo or Rooney Mara in anything, except for that brief role in The Social Network. I don't think she has a chance here. But I absolutely adore each of the other actresses on this ballot, even if I've only seen The Help. I'll be pleasantly happy with either of them.
WILL WIN: For a while, Viola Davis was a front runner. But I'm feeling buzzy about an upset for Meryl Streep in what will be her first win in 29 years. It's time to give her another one!

Best Supporting Actor 

Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn

Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Nick Nolte - Warrior

Max Von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

SHOULD WIN: I really liked Hill in Moneyball, but I didn't think he was worthy of a nomination. Love Branagh, Nolte and Sydow, but didn't see their work here yet. Beginners was one of my favorite films of 2011, and Plummer was nothing short of extraordinary.
WILL WIN: Plummer will get what he deserves: a career-capping Oscar statuette.

Best Supporting Actress 

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Octavia Spencer - The Help

Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

SHOULD WIN: McTeer is the odd one of the bunch. Loved her in Tumbleweeds 10 years ago, haven't heard from her since! And I haven't seen Albert Nobbs yet. But I have seen and enjoyed The Help, Bridesmaids and The Artist, and these women are remarkable here. I have a deeper connection with McCarthy because I've seen her on Gilmore Girls for six seasons and absolutely adore her. But I think the nomination is the prize for her. Chastain had an amazing year, but The Help was not her best role. Spencer is a favorite here and deservedly so, but personally speaking, I thought the best thing about The Artist was Bejo. Her face is striking and gorgeous, and she played the ingenue part so very well. I think she deserves the win here.

WILL WIN: Octavia Spencer may very well be the sole winner for The Help on Oscar night...

Best Original Screenplay

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Margin Call

Midnight In Paris

A Separation

SHOULD WIN: I'm thrilled for the nomination for Margin Call. It's one of my favorite films of the year and one of the biggest surprises of this year's Oscar nominees. I'm also happy to see Bridesmaids nominated. It's not the funniest film of the year (that honor goes to The Trip) but it's nice to see a hard-R comedy get some love.

WILL WIN: Woody Allen's charming, well-received Midnight in Paris will get its sole win here.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants

Hugo

Ides Of March

Moneyball

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

SHOULD WIN: I love Alexander Payne, and he is very well-respected in the industry. But The Descendants seems to be losing traction with audiences. And the scripts for Hugo, Ides of March and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are not exactly what's making them so well-recieved.

WILL WIN: Moneyball is popping out here, and will get its sole win of the night. Sorkin's streak is currently unstoppable.

Best Animated Feature Film

A Cat In Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss In Boots

Rango

SHOULD WIN: I've only seen Rango, and liked it quite a bit. It's a fresh, funny and spirited comedy. I have no opinion on the others.

WILL WIN: Rango appears to be the front-runner

Best Foreign Film

Bullhead

Monsieur Lahzar

A Separation

Footnoote

In Darkness

SHOULD WIN: No opinion, haven't seen any of these.
WILL WIN: A Separation is well-loved worldwide. It's a clear cut winner.

Best Cinematography

The Artist

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Tree Of Life

War Horse

SHOULD WIN: The best looking movie of the year is The Tree of Life. There is no competition.
WILL WIN: The Tree of Life

Best Art Direction 

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

War Horse

SHOULD WIN: The Academy usually rewards extravagance here, and while I haven't seen Hugo, that one looks like a clincher for this award. That being said, I always thought all of the Harry Potter movies were designed beautifully and the finale was no exception. I'm rooting for Potter.
WILL WIN: Most likely, Hugo

Best Costume Design

Anonymous

Hugo

Jane Eyre

W.E.

The Artist

SHOULD WIN: I'm not going to pretend I know anything about costumes. 

WILL WIN: I'm going to take a stab and guess that Hugo will walk away with this one

Best Editing

The Artist

The Descendants

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Hugo 

Moneyball

SHOULD WIN: For a movie about statistics and baseball, Moneyball moved at a furious pace and didn't seem to waste a shot.  

WILL WIN: Usually the Best Picture winner walks away with the editing award. So, I'm picking The Artist.

Best Makeup

Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

The Iron Lady

SHOULD WIN: Our favorite muggles looked pretty convincing as 30-something-year-old parents, didn't they? I thought so. 

WILL WIN: Meryl Streep will win an Oscar for playing Margaret Thatcher and so will her makeup artist for making Streep look just like her.

Best Original Score

The Adventures Of Tintin

The Artist

Hugo

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

War Horse

SHOULD WIN: The only sound we hear in The Artist is the score. That's a huge undertaking and a big part of what makes the film so #winning.

WILL WIN: The Artist

Best Original Song

Man Or Muppet (The Muppets)

Real In Rio (Rio)

SHOULD WIN: No opinion here.

WILL WIN: Due to popularity, I'm going with the Muppets.

Best Sound Editing

Drive

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Transformers 3

War Horse

SHOULD WIN: Like much of America, I'm not well-versed in the area of sound editing and mixing. So, I really have no opinion.

WILL WIN: Let's give it to Hugo.

Best Sound Mixing

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

Transformers 3

War Horse

SHOULD WIN: See above.

WILL WIN: Hugo again.

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Hugo

Real Steel

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Transformers 3

SHOULD WIN: I would love to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes take the trophy here for its amazing use of motion capture. But I'm not sure if it's "big" enough for the Academy.

WILL WIN: I think Hugo will continue its sweep of technical awards here. The 3D supposedly is pretty amazing.

Best Documentary (Feature)

Hell And Back Again

If A Tree Falls

Paradise Lost 3

Pina

Undefeated

SHOULD WIN: No opinion, haven't seen any of these yet.

WILL WIN: Despite positive rumblings about Hell and Back Again, I have heard even more amazing things about Pina, so that's the winner. Plus, it's from Wim Wenders!

Best Documentary (Short)

The Barber of Birmingham

God Is the Bigger Elvis

Incident in New Baghdad

Saving Face

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

SHOULD WIN: No opinion
WILL WIN: God is the Bigger Elvis, based on the title alone. Yes, that's grounds for winning.

Best Short Film (Animated)

Dimanche/Sunday

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

La Luna

A Morning Stroll

Wild Life

SHOULD WIN: No opinion

WILL WIN: Hands down, without a doubt, it's clearly A Morning Stroll. Have you ever seen anything so pleasant? (That's my bullshit meter going in overdrive, by the way).

Best Short Film (Live Action)

Pentecost

Raju

The Shore

Time Freak

Tuba Atlantic

SHOULD WIN: No opinion
WILL WIN: Time Freak. But only because it describes me very, very well. Well, the freak part, anyway.