2012 Academy Award Predictions

Here are my predictions and rankings for this year's Academy Awards. The number denotes where I'd rank the movie against its fellow nominees. Movies I've not seen are left unnumbered. An asterisk denotes a non-nominated movie that would have been my top overall choice in a category for the year. The list is in the order the show will supposedly proceed in.

Best Cinematography
1. War Horse
2. The Tree of Life
3. Hugo
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5. The Artist

Will Win: The Tree of Life
Could Win: The Artist
Should Have Been Here: Melancholia, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Jane Eyre


Best Art Direction
1. Hugo
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
3. War Horse
4. The Artist
5. Midnight in Paris

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Jane Eyre, Thor, Melancholia


Best Costume Design
1. Jane Eyre
2. Hugo
3. The Artist
Anonymous
W.E.

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Should Have Been Here: *X-Men: First Class, Midnight in Paris


Best Makeup
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2. The Iron Lady
3. Albert Nobbs

Will Win: The Iron Lady
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Contagion


Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Will Win: A Separation
Could Win: In Darkness
Should Have Been Here: *13 Assassins (Japan)


Best Supporting Actress
1. Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
2. Jessica Chastain (The Help)
3. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
4. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
5. Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Will Win: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: *Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), Marion Cotillard (Midnight in Paris)


Best Editing
1. Hugo
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3. The Artist
4. The Descendants
5. Moneyball

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Should Have Been Here: *Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Drive


Best Sound Editing
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2. War Horse
3. Hugo
4. Drive
5. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol


Best Sound Mixing
1. War Horse
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
3. Hugo
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5. Moneyball

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: War Horse
Should Have Been Here: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Rise of the Planet of the Apes


Best Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Force
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Will Win: Undefeated
Could Win: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Should Have Been Here: *Page One: Inside the New York Times, Life in a Day


Best Animated Feature
1. Kung Fu Panda 2
2. Rango
3. Puss in Boots
A Cat in Paris
Chico and Rita

Will Win: Rango
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Winnie the Pooh


Best Visual Effects
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
3. Hugo
4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
5. Real Steel

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Should Have Been Here: War Horse, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol


Best Supporting Actor
1. Nick Nolte (Warrior)
2. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
3. Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
4. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
5. Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

Will Win: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Could Win: Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Should Have Been Here: *Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Michael Fassbender (Jane Eyre)


Best Score
1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. War Horse
3. The Artist
4. The Adventures of Tintin
5. Hugo

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger


Best Song
1. "Man or Muppet" (The Muppets)
2. "Real in Rio" (Rio)

Will Win: "Man or Muppet" (The Muppets)
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: *"Star-Spangled Man" (Captain America: The First Avenger), "Hanna's Theme" (Hanna)


Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. The Descendants
3. Hugo
4. The Ides of March
5. Moneyball

Will Win: The Descendants
Could Win: Moneyball
Should Have Been Here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Adjustment Bureau


Best Original Screenplay
1. Midnight in Paris
2. Margin Call
3. Bridesmaids
4. The Artist
A Separation

Will Win: Midnight in Paris
Could Win: The Artist
Should Have Been Here: *50/50, Attack the Block, Contagion


Best Live Action Short
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantica

Will Win: The Shore
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: null


Best Documentary Short
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Will Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blosson
Could Win: Incident in New Baghdad
Should Have Been Here: null


Best Animated Short
Dimanche
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Will Win: La Luna
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: *Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation, Toy Story Toons: Small Fry


Best Director
1. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
2. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
3. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
4. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
5. Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Could Win: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Should Have Been Here: Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2), Gavin O'Connor (Warrior)


Best Actor
1. Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
2. George Clooney (The Descendants)
3. Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
4. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
5. Demian Bichir (A Better Life)

Will Win: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Could Win: George Clooney (The Descendants)
Should Have Been Here: Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class or Shame), Ryan Gosling (Drive)


Best Actress
1. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
2. Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
3. Viola Davis (The Help)
4. Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
5. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Will Win: Viola Davis (The Help)
Could Win: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Should Have Been Here: *Charlize Theron (Young Adult), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau)


Best Picture
1. Hugo
2. The Descendants
3. War Horse
4. The Tree of Life
5. Midnight in Paris
6. The Artist
7. Moneyball
8. The Help
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close


Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Warrior, Contagion, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, X-Men: First Class, 50/50, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo