My Oscar Predictions – UPDATED

(Updated Mar 3rd: I got 21 out of 24 right (red ones below are wrong)! Pretty good! :))

After much movie-watching and reading up on what the critics are saying (they even have Vegas odds on these categories…), here are my picks for tonight’s show:

• Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave
• Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
• Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
• Best Documentary Short: The Lady in No. 6: Music Saved my Life
• Best Director: Afonso Cuaron (Gravity)
• Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
• Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)
• Best Animated Feature Film: Frozen
• Best Animated Short Film: Get a Horse!
• Best Foreign Film: Italy – “The Great Beauty”
• Best Original Screenplay: American Hustle
• Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
• Best Makeup: Dallas Buyers Club
• Best Short Film (Live Action): The Voorman Problem
• Best costume Design: The Great Gatsby
• Best Original Score: Gravity
• Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom
• Best Film Editing: Gravity
• Best Visual Effects: Gravity
• Best Cinematography: Gravity
• Best Sound Editing: Gravity
• Best Sound Mixing: Gravity
• Best Production Design: The Great Gatsby
• Best Original Song: Let It Go (from “Frozen”)

I have a soft spot for American Hustle and the cast but after watching Dallas Buyers Club, I think the votes for the men will go that way. For the women – Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence did a remarkable job in American Hustle but Cate was amazing in Blue Jasmine and supporting actress usually goes to a newcomer so I’ve chosen Lupita there.

I was able to watch several of the nominees in the various categories: Dallas Buyers Club, American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, Captain Phillips, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Iron Man 3, Star trek Into Darkness  and Frozen.  I still want to see 12 Years a Slave and August: Osage County.

We’ll see what happens. 🙂 Good luck in your Oscar pool!