Oscar Predictions

Oscar season has finally begun with the release of Moneyball, which has been met with unanimous critic praise and a fruitful public attendance. If only Warrior had met the same fate (I admittedly haven't seen it yet, excuse my hypocrisy.) There's an abundance of excellent films awaiting us in the coming months, hoisted by prominent names such as DiCaprio, Pitt, and Craig with lauded directors including Spielberg and Scorsese tackling new territory.

• Moneyball: With an excellent screenplay from Aaron Sorkin, previously known for The Social Network and Charlie Wilson's War, and great chemistry between Pitt and Hill, Moneyball will certainly be a prominent contender in the categories of Best Picture, Lead Actor, and Screenplay. Having seen the film on Saturday, I can confidently characterize the picture as this year's Social Network, taking an unorthodox approach towards the genre's common narrative, and depicting statistical analysis to the point where it becomes truly riveting, just as Zuckerberg's unintelligible hacking terminology touched us last year.
• J. Edgar: Directed by Clint Eastwood, Edgar looks to be a strong contender for best Director and Lead Actor. DiCaprio is one of the industry's greatest performers who remains without an Oscar, and with Edgar and Gatsby this coming year, his chances are promising.
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: If you haven't seen the film's latest extended trailer, you're in for a brilliant ride. Dragon Tattoo is easily the most impressionable film yet to be released this year, and my second most anticipated. With Fincher's directing (Social Network), Reznor's soundtrack (le Social Network), and Zaillian's screenplay (Schindler's List and American Gangster, anyone?), I expect numerous wins.
• War Horse: Easily my most anticipated film of this year, War Horse marks a return to form for Spielberg, and the trailer's cinematography is simply gorgeous. The cast list isn't particularly impressionable, but goodness sakes that trailer was fantastic.
• The Adventures of Tintin: Quite a bit of controversy surrounding this one, but under the eyes of Jackson and Spielberg I'm certain people's apprehensions will wain soon enough. Working at Weta Digital has been my dream career for quite some time, so I have my fingers crossed.
• The Descendants: Clooney hasn't had a substantial indie success since Up in the Air (which still isn't available for Netflix streaming), and his performance looks promising for a nomination.
• Past that, numerous art-house pictures such as Drive, A Dangerous Method, and The Tree of Life will likely be nominated in various categories. Scorsese, notable for Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Shutter Island, and a multitude of other fantastic films is releasing Hugo, which may aid the progression of 3D films as a substantial division of cinema.                                            

Those are my current predictions! If you're in film studies feel free to shamelessly draw from any of these points. I'm tempted to go into detailed reviews for each film upon its release, so we'll see.