Well, all told I didn’t do all that badly, nailing  73% of all categories not icluding shorts (those were a crapshoot) and 80% if you include my alternates. I whiffed on Emmanuelle Riva, and Amour in general. I thought the film was too pessimistic, stoic, and taciturn for Hollywood voters to go for it. But I guess the subject matter and presentation united rather than divided the group. I now think Amour might be a threat considering the divisive nature of this Best Picture stack. I’m inclined to think Riva is actually the frontrunner for Best Actress.

I was sadly right about the Skyfall buzz being overblown and The Master being too difficult for many to bother with. Though each were thankfully recognized in key categories (bringing in 8 noms altogether). While the snubs of Bigelow and Affleck were surprising, I’m very happy to see Benh Zeitlin and Michael Haneke included. They made visionary pieces that deserve the award as much as anyone. I’m most happy (for some reason) about Prometheus getting in for Best Visual Effects. That film has had such an unfair trajectory. I think audiences have missed out on the fun, B-Movie charm and complex observations on the inherent concept of human nature vs. creation that it has to offer. At least it received one small crumb from the Academy, something that can’t be said for The Dark Knight Rises or Cloud Atlas.

The two biggest snubs that hardly anyone is talking about is that of The Intouchables and Moonrise Kingdom. The Intouchables, a favorite for Best Foreign Film (and even considered a contender in other races) was shutout while Moonrise Kingdom limped away with only a Best Original Screenplay nod. I had my money on Wes Anderson for a win in that category, but that will likely go to Haneke for the ever-danderous Amour.

It’s been a versatile, volatile, difficult, and exciting years for movies. The Oscars did their part to reflect that trend.

This lady might just be on the stage come February (looking a little older but just as beautiful):

Best Picture:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

PREDICTED: 8/9
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook
Les Misérables
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Moonrise Kingdom
Life of Pi
Django Unchained
Alt: Amour or Skyfall

Best Director:
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Ang Lee, Life of Pi

PREDICTED: 3/5
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Ben Affleck, Argo
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Alt: Tom Hooper, Les Misérables

Best Actor:
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

PREDICTED: 4/5
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Alt: Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

PREDICTED: 4/5
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Marion Cotillard, Rust & Bone
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Alt: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

PREDICTED: 5/5
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Alt: Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike

Best Supporting Actress:
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

PREDICTED: 4/5
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Alt: Ann Dowd, Compliance

Adapted Screenplay:
Argo, Chris Terrio
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Life of Pi, David McGee
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin/Lucy Alibar

PREDICTED: 4/5
Argo, Chris Terrio
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin/Lucy Alibar
Alt: The Sessions, Ben Lewin

Original Screenplay:
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson/Roman Coppola
Flight, John Gatins
Amour, Michael Haneke

PREDICTED: 5/5
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson/Roman Coppola
Flight, John Gatins
Amour, Michael Haneke
Alt: The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Cinematography:
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey

PREDICTED: 4/5
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Zero Dark Thirty, Greig Fraser
Alt: Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey

Costume Design:
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran

PREDICTED: 5/5
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Alt: The Master, Mark Bridges

Best Production Design:
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

PREDICTED: 3/5
Lincoln
The Master
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Cloud Atlas
Alt: Django Unchained

Best Film Editing:
Argo, William Goldenberg
Zero Dark Thirty, William Goldenberg/Dylan Tichenor
Lincoln, Michael Kahn
Life of Pi, Tim Squyres
Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy/Crispin Struthers

PREDICTED: 5/5
Argo, William Goldenberg
Zero Dark Thirty, William Goldenberg/Dylan Tichenor
Lincoln, Michael Kahn
Life of Pi, Tim Squyres
Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy/Crispin Struthers
Alt: Skyfall, Stuart Baird

Best Original Score:
John Williams, Lincoln
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Skyfall, Thomas Newman
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli

PREDICTED: 4/5
John Williams, Lincoln
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Cloud Atlas, Tom Twyker/Reinhold Heil
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Alt: The Master, Jonny Greenwood

Best Original Song:
Pi’s Lullaby, Mycheal Danna & Bombay Jayashri (Life of Pi)
Suddenly, Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)
Everybody Needs a Best Friend, Seth McFarlene (Ted)
Skyfall, Adele (Skyfall)
Before My Time, J. Ralph (Chasing Ice)

PREDICTED: 2/5
For You, Keith Urban (Act of Valor)
Suddenly, Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)
Still Alive, Paul Williams (Paul Williams Still Alive)
Skyfall, Adele (Skyfall)
Learn Me Right, Birdy/Mumford and Sons (Brave)
Alt: Strange Love, Karen O (Frankenweenie)

Best Documentary Feature:
Searching for Sugar Man
How To Survive A Plague
The Gatekeepers
5 Broken Camera
The Invisible War

PREDICTED: 3/5
Searching for Sugar Man
How To Survive A Plague
The House I Live In
Detropia
The Invisible War
Alt: Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

Best Documentary Short:
Kings Point
Redemption
Inocente
Monday’s at Racine
Open Heart

PREDICTED: 4/5
Kings Point
The Education of Mohammad Hussein
Inocente
Monday’s at Racine
Open Heart
Alt: The Perfect Fit

Best Animated Feature:
ParaNorman
Wreck-it Ralph
Frankenweenie
Brave
The Pirates! Band of Misfits

PREDICTED: 4/5
ParaNorman
Wreck-it Ralph
Frankenweenie
Brave
A Liar’s Autobiography
Alt: The Rabbi’s Cat

Best Foreign Film:
Amour (Austria)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
No (Chile)
War Witch (Canada)

PREDICTED: 4/5
Amour (Austria)
The Intouchables (France)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
No (Chile)
War Witch (Canada)
Alt: A Royal Affair (Denmark)

Best Visual Effects:
Prometheus
The Avengers
Snow White and the Huntsman
Life of Pi
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

PREDICTED: 4/5
Prometheus
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Life of Pi
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Alt: Skyfall

Best Sound Editing:
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

PREDICTED: 2/5
The Avengers
Zero Dark Thirty
Les Misérables
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
Alt: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Best Sound Mixing:
Argo
Life of Pi
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Skyfall

PREDICTED: 1/5 (whomp whomp)
Zero Dark Thirty
The Dark Knight Rises
Les Misérables
The Avengers
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Alt: Django Unchained

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Hitchcock
Les Misérables

PREDICTED: 1/3
Looper
Lincoln
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Alt: Men in Black 3

Live Action Short Film:
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

PREDICTED: 2/5
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
when you find me
A Fábrica (The Factory)
9meter
Alt: The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars

Animated Short Film:
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Head Over Heels
Paperman

PREDICTED: Didn’t Predict