October Update - Oscars 2014 Nominations Prediction

It is best I guess to do these at the end of every month. You never know when or where the abundance or lack of "Oscar buzz" takes a movie away. While there is still not much clarity in terms of the race because the critics awards and the major guilds have a lot of time left to start the whole mania, I have simply tried to go with the buzz, track record and my personal opinion. So, The Wolf of Wall Street is indeed in. Foxcatcher and The Monuments Men are going to be released in 2014. The Counselor got bad reviews, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty wasn't well received, the buzz for Labor Day has died. Then there are some significant and worthy indie titles from earlier this year which people are forgetting. Some 'significant' movies with awards favorite directors/actors/technicians which have yet to be seen by the masses. Too much confusion but still, here are my (end of October) Oscar nominations predictions.

Best Picture:-

Frontrunners

1) 12 Years a Slave
2) Gravity
3) American Hustle
4) Inside Llewyn Davis
5) Captain Phillips
6) The Wolf of Wall Street

Others

7) Lee Daniels’ The Butler
8) Nebraska
9) August: Osage County
10) Saving Mr. Banks
11) Blue Jasmine
12) Dallas Buyers Club
13) Fruitvale Station
14) Before Midnight
15) Her

Best Director:-

Frontrunners

1) Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
2) Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
3) David O. Russell (American Hustle)
4) Joel and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis)
5) Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips)

Others

6) Martin Scorcese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
7) Alexander Payne (Nebraska)
8) Lee Daniels (Lee Daniels’ The Butler)
9) Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station)
10) Woody Allen (Blue Jasmine)

Best Lead Actor:-

Frontrunners

1) Robert Redford (All is Lost)
2) Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
3) Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
4) Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips)
5) Bruce Dern (Nebraska)

Others

6) Forest Whitaker (Lee Daniels’ The Butler)
7) Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis)
8) Joaquin Phoenix (Her)
9) Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station)
10) Hugh Jackman (Prisoners)

Best Lead Actress:-

Frontrunners

1) Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
2) Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
3) Judi Dench (Philomena)
4) Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)
5) Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)

Others

6) Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color)
7) Berenice Bejo (The Past)
8) Kate Winslet (Labor Day)
9) Amy Adams (American Hustle)
10) Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)

Best Supporting Actor:-

Frontrunners

1) Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
2) Jared Leto (Dallas Buyer's Club)
3) Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
4) Tom Hanks (Saving Mr. Banks)
5) Daniel Bruhl (Rush)

Others

6) Josh Brolin (Labor Day)
7) Benedict Cumberbatch (August: Osage County)
8) Matthew McConaughey (Mud)
9) Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
10) John Goodman (Inside Llewyn Davis)

Best Supporting Actress:-

Frontrunners

1) Lupita Nyong'o (Twelve Years a Slave)
2) Oprah Winfrey (Lee Daniels' The Butler)
3) Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station)
4) Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
5) Margo Martindale (August: Osage County)

Others

6) Carey Mulligan (Inside Llewyn Davis)
7) June Squibb (Nebraska)
8) Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
9) Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
10) Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave)

Best Original Screenplay:-

Frontrunners

1) Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
2) Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)
3) American Hustle (David O. Russel, Eric Singer)
4) Nebraska (Bob Nelson)
5) Her (Spike Jonze)

Alternates

6) Lee Daniels' The Butler (Danny Strong)
7) Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)
8) Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack)
9) Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler)
10) Saving Mr. Banks (Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith)

Best Adapted Screenplay:-

Frontrunners

1) 12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)
2) Captain Phillips (Billy Ray)
3) The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter)
4) Before Midnight (Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater)
5) August: Osage County (Tracy Letts)

Others

6) Philomena (Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope)
7) The Book Thief (Michael Petroni)
8) The Spectacular Now (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)
9) Labor Day (Jason Reitman)
10) The Railway Man (Frank Cottrell Boyce, Andy Paterson)

Best Animated Feature:-

Frontrunners

1) The Wind Rises
2) Frozen
3) Monsters University
4) The Croods
5) Ernest and Celestine

Others

6) Despicable Me 2
7) A Letter to Momo

Best Foreign Language Film:-

Frontrunners

1) The Past (Iran)
2) The Hunt (Denmark)
3) Wadjda (Saudi Arabia)
4) Gloria (Chile)
5)  Gabrielle (Canada)

Others

6) Child's Pose (Romania)
7) The Great Beauty (Italy)
8) Ilo Ilo (Singapore)
9) Bethlehem (Israel)
10) Neighboring Sounds (Brazil)

Best Documentary Feature:-

Frontrunners

1) Stories We Tell
2) The Act of Killing
3) The Gatekeepers
4) Blackfish
5) Let the Fire Burn

Others

6) Our Nixon
7) The Crash Reel
8) We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
9) After Tiller
10) Leviathan

Best Cinematography:-

Frontrunners

1) Gravity
2) 12 Years a Slave
3) Captain Phillips
4) Rush
5) Inside Llewyn Davis

Others

6) Prisoners
7) The Great Gatsby
8) All is Lost
9) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
10) Nebraska

Best Editing:-

Frontrunners

1) Gravity
2) Captain Phillips
3) 12 Years a Slave
4) The Wolf of Wall Street
5) American Hustle

Others

6) Rush
7) All is Lost
8) Prisoners
9) Fruitvale Station
10) Her

Best Production Design:-

Frontrunners

1) The Great Gatsby
2) 12 Years a Slave
3) Gravity
4) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5) Oz the Great and Powerful

Others

6) Saving Mr. Banks
7) American Hustle
8) Star Trek Into Darkness
9) Pacific Rim
10) Elysium

Best Visual Effects:-

Frontrunners

1) Gravity
2) Pacific Rim
3) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
4) Elysium
5) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Others

6) Iron Man 3
7) Star Trek Into Darkness
8) Oz the Great and Powerful
9) Man of Steel
10) Enders Game

Best Costume Design:-

Frontrunners

1) The Great Gatsby
2) 12 Years a Slave
3) American Hustle
4) The Invisible Woman
5) Oz the Great and Powerful

Others

6) Saving Mr. Banks
7) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
8) August: Osage County

Best Makeup and Hair:-

Frontrunners

1) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
2) The Butler
3) 12 Years a Slave

Others

4) Star Trek Into Darkness
5) Rush
6) American Hustle
7) Dallas Buyers Club

Best Original Score:-

Frontrunners

1) 12 Years a Slave
2) Gravity
3) Saving Mr. Banks
4) Rush
5) The Book Thief

Others

6) Captain Phillips
7) All is Lost
8) August: Osage County

Best Sound Editing:-

Frontrunners

1) Gravity
2) Pacific Rim
3) All is Lost
4) Captain Phillips
5) Rush

Others

6) 12 Years a Slave
7) American Hustle
8) Elysium
9) Man of Steel
10) Iron Man 3

Best Sound Mixing:-

Frontrunners

1) Gravity
2) All is Lost
3) Captain Phillips
4) Rush
5) Inside Llewyn Davis

Others

6) 12 Years a Slave
7) American Hustle
8) Elysium
9) Iron Man 3
10) Fast and Furious 6