2012 Oscar Predictions: My Final Guesses

It's been a season defined by unpredictability. As such, I'm predicting some surprises Tuesday morning. War Horse? Stick a fork in it, it's done. Instead, I'm buying last-minute tickets on The Tree of Life train. There's some debate over the final actor slot, which most feel is between Leonardo DiCaprio and Gary Oldman (and maybe Michael Shannon). But I'm going with SAG nominee Demian Bechir. And as far as total nominations go, I think Hugo will lead the way, rather than Best Picture favorite The Artist.

Read on for my complete 2012 Oscar nomination predictions. And check back Tuesday for reactions, snubs, and winner predictions.


Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life

Best Director
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo



Best Actor
Demian Bechir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Brad Pitt, Moneyball



Best Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn



Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners



Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Screenplay
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
Win Win

Best Animated Feature
The Adventures of Tintin
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rango
Rio

Best Documentary Feature
Bill Cunningham New York
Hell and Back Again
Pina
Project Nim
We Were Here

Best Foreign Language Feature
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
Pina (Germany)
A Separation (Iran)

Best Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 2
Hugo
Jane Eyre
War Horse

Best Cinematography
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Costume Design
The Artist
The Help
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Best Film Editing
The Artist
Hugo
Moneyball
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Tree of Life

Best Makeup
The Artist
Hugo
The Iron Lady

Best Original Score
The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse

Best Original Song
Albert Nobbs
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Help
The Muppets
The Muppets

Best Sound Editing
The Adventures of Tintin
Hugo
Rango
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Sound Design
The Adventures of Tintin
Hugo
Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Tree of Life



Total Nominations
12: Hugo
11: The Artist
6: The Help
5: The Descendants, Moneyball, The Tree of Life
4: The Adventures of Tintin
3: Midnight in Paris, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
2: Albert Nobbs, Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 2, The Iron Lady, Jane Eyre, The Muppets, My Week with Marilyn, Pina, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Super 8, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1: Beginners, A Better Life, Bill Cunningham New York, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cars 2, Drive, Footnote, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hell and Back Again, In Darkness, Kung Fu Panda 2, Margin Call, Monsieur Lazhar, Project Nim, Rio, A Separation, Shame, Warrior, W.E., We Need to Talk About Kevin, We Were Here, Win Win