Oscars: Who takes the gold home?

With the Oscars just a week away, we predict the future of competing reel ventures.

The Artist and The Descendants are leading the pack of cinematic treats; the question, however, is will these films be able to keep up the momentum all the way to Oscars night? With the spectacle of glitz and glamour just around the corner, we predict the strongest contender from the six most significant categories of every awards ceremony and explain why they deserve the gold statuette more than their competitors.

Best Actor (male) in a leading role

The nominees: Demian Bichir for A Better Life; George Clooney for The Descendants; Jean Dujardin for The Artist; Gary Oldman for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Brad Pitt for Moneyball.

Who will win?

George Clooney is the best bet for this category: a favourite of the Academy, he’s been nominated for best actor category multiple times and won just once for Best Supporting Actor for Syriana (2005). His performance in Alexander Payne’s moving drama The Descendants sees him play a family man, a poignant shift that could move Oscar voters.

Best Actor (female) in a leading role

The nominees: Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs; Viola Davis for The Help; Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady; Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn

Who will win?

Even someone who is deathly allergic to cinema will know that Meryl Streep is a cast-iron favourite for Best Actress. For rejuvenating the British history by playing the iconic Margaret Thatcher, Streep surely deserves to bag the gong once more.

Best Actor (male) in a supporting role

The nominees: Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn; Jonah Hill for Moneyball; Nick Nolte for Warrior; Christopher Plummer for Beginners; Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Who will win?

Christopher Plummer has long been fancied as the winner in this category and much deserved too for his role in Beginners.

Best Actor (female) in a supporting role

The nominees: Berenice Bejo for The Artist; Jessica Chastain for The Help; Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids; Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs; Octavia Spencer for The Help

Who will win?

Jessica Chastain has had an amazing 2011 as far as cinematic performance is considered and she is on our winner-list for her outstanding acting in The Help.

Best Film

The nominees: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse

Who will win?

There are nine films vying for the big prize in 2012, and it’s surely between The Artist and The Descendants to take home the gold. Will the Oscars go for a celebration of classic Hollywood redux in the form of The Artist or will they ditch the ‘French and silent’ and go for the The Descendants.

Best director

The nominees: Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris; Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist; Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life; Alexander Payne for The Descendants; Martin Scorsese for Hugo

Who will win?

Usually the Best Picture and Best Director awards go to the same film and while our money is on Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist, we are still considering Martin Scorsese (director of Hugo) strong enough to overshadow The Artist and take the lady home.

SOURCES: mtv.com, timeout.com,abc.go.news

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2012.