2014 Oscar Predictions

[Ricard 2,275]

Apparently it's not too early to speculate about next year's Academy Award nominations. Here are the latest predictions from The Awards Circuit, starting with the Best Original Score category:

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• Alexandre Desplat "The Monuments Men"
• Thomas Newman "Saving Mr. Banks"
• Steven Price "Gravity"
• John Williams "The Book Thief"
• Hans Zimmer "12 Years a Slave"

BEST MOTION PICTURE

• "12 Years a Slave"
• "American Hustle"
• "Captain Phillips"
• "Foxcatcher"
• "Gravity"
• "Inside Llewyn Davis"
• "Lee Daniels' The Butler"
• "Saving Mr. Banks"
• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
• "The Wolf of Wall Street"

BEST DIRECTOR

• Alfonso Cuaron “Gravity”
• Paul Greengrass "Captain Phillips"
• Steve McQueen "12 Years a Slave"
• David O. Russell "American Hustle"
• Martin Scorsese "The Wolf of Wall Street"

BEST ACTOR

• Bruce Dern "Nebraska"
• Chiwetel Ejiofor “12 Years a Slave”
• Matthew McConaughey “Dallas Buyers Club”
• Robert Redford “All is Lost”
• Forest Whitaker "Lee Daniels' The Butler"

BEST ACTRESS

• Amy Adams "American Hustle"
• Cate Blanchett "Blue Jasmine"
• Sandra Bullock “Gravity”
• Meryl Streep “August: Osage County”
• Emma Thompson “Saving Mr. Banks"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Michael Fassbender “12 Years a Slave”
• John Goodman “Inside Llewyn Davis”
• Tom Hanks “Saving Mr. Banks”
• Jared Leto "Dallas Buyers Club"
• Mark Ruffalo "Foxcatcher"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Cameron Diaz “The Counselor”
• Jennifer Lawrence "American Hustle"
• Lupita Nyong'o "12 Years a Slave"
• Julia Roberts "August: Osage County"
• Oprah Winfrey "Lee Daniels' The Butler"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• David O. Russell & Eric Singer “American Hustle”
• Alfonso Cuaron & Jonas Cuaron "Gravity"
• Spike Jonze “Her”
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen “Inside Llewyn Davis”
• Kelly Marcel & Sue Smith "Saving Mr. Banks"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• John Ridley "12 Years a Slave"
• Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy “Before Midnight”
• Billy Ray "Captain Phillips"
• E. Max Frye & Dan Futterman "Foxcatcher"
• Terence Winter "The Wolf of Wall Street"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• "Ernest & Celestine"
• "Free Birds"
• "Frozen"
• "Monsters University"
• "The Wind Rises"

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

• "12 Years a Slave"
• "The Great Gatsby"
• "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
• "The Monuments Men"
• "Saving Mr. Banks"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• "12 Years a Slave"
• "Gravity"
• "Inside Llewyn Davis"
• "Prisoners"
• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• "12 Years a Slave"
• "Grace of Monaco"
• "The Great Gatsby"
• "The Invisible Woman"
• "Saving Mr. Banks"

BEST FILM EDITING

• "12 Years a Slave"
• "American Hustle"
• "Captain Phillips"
• "Gravity"
• "Rush"

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

• "12 Years a Slave"
• "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug"
• "Star Trek Into Darkness"

BEST SOUND MIXING

• "Captain Phillips"
• "Gravity"
• "Inside Llewyn Davis"
• "Man of Steel"
• "Rush"

BEST SOUND EDITING

• "American Hustle"
• "Captain Phillips"
• "Gravity"
• "Man of Steel"
• "Rush"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• "Elysium"
• “Gravity"
• "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
• "Pacific Rim"
• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• "Frozen"
• "The Great Gatsby"
• "Her"
• "Inside Llewyn Davis"
• "One Chance"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• "Child's Pose"
• "Gloria"
• "The Past"
• "The Rocket"
• "Wadjda"

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• "20 Feet from Stardom"
• "Blackfish"
• "Stories We Tell"
• "Tim's Vermeer"

You may have noticed that The Book Thief is only listed in the Original Score category, while 12 Years a Slave (scored by Zimmer) seems to be this year's frontrunner. Good or bad sign for Mr. Williams?

[chuck 155]

Are there any other upcoming score contenders? Desolation of Smaug?

[Koray Savas 2,254]

This seems pretty spot on.

[KK 3,308]

I don't think The Hobbit will be acknowledged with a Best Score nomination until the third film possibly, but even en the chances are slim.

[mrbellamy 6,860]

Are there any other upcoming score contenders? Desolation of Smaug?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty looks ripe for good scoring possibilities, could be Theodore Shapiro's big break. And Zimmer could get a nomination for Rush, especially if it does well in other categories.

I think JW will have to settle for another nomination this time around, unless The Book Thief really surprises. At this early stage, Hans is looking pretty good to win his second Oscar for Twelve Years a Slave.

[publicist 4,647]

I think JW will have to settle for another nomination this time around, unless The Book Thief really surprises. At this early stage, Hans is looking pretty good to win his second Oscar for Twelve Years a Slave.

 

Why's that?

[mrbellamy 6,860]

The film's gotten exceptional notices out of the Toronto Film Festival, which usually churns out Oscar favorites, and it's being perceived as the awards frontrunner so it does look pretty likely to rack up a lot of those nominations it's predicted for. He's been nominated a lot since The Lion King but hasn't won, just seems like the movie could end up being big enough for him to win. Obviously the score could be less than memorable (for whatever it's worth, some reviews of the film have called his score a cross between Inception and The Thin Red Line) but that matters less often than it should when it comes to these things.

[indy4 155]

Yeah I'm not too excited about JW's chances. If he didn't win with Lincoln, I don't know how he's going to win. That was the perfect storm of a score to a well-recieved film that didn't have any impossible competition. Unless Book Thief the film ends up being really well recieved, it'll just be a nomination I think.

Btw, this will be an important one: while JW beat Alfred Newman's total nominations record in 2011, this one will make him the person with the most "best score (original or adapted)" nominations. Newman and JW are currently tied with I think 43 nominations each in this category.

[gkgyver 1,647]

Why would Zimmer be nominated? His ghost writers prevent a nomination, no?

[Koray Savas 2,254]

They aren't ghost writers, and that's why The Dark Knight was initially disqualified, because their names are on the cue sheets.

It also didn't stop them from nominating Gladiator, Sherlock Holmes, and Inception. In other words, the Academy doesn't give a shit about its own rules one year and then does the next.

[gkgyver 1,647]

Nobody gives a fuck about cue sheets, that's why they are still ghost writers.

Still, the point was that Zimmer won't be nominated because the ghost writers' names on the cue sheets.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

And no one gives a fuck about your CD cover semantics. They're all credited. No one looks in the booklets guys, that means they're ghost writers!!!

I see you still haven't learned to read. Ghost means invisible in this context, i.e. uncredited.

[TheUlyssesian 2,590]

I have a very horrifying feeling that not only will Zimmer get nominated, we will be double nominated for Rush and 12 Years A Slave.

And he will win for 12 Years A Slave.

I call this the rape and pillage of the art of film music composition.

And when Zimmer wins, he will get a standing ovation. And the great maestro has never received a standing ovation. Oh the cruelties of life. I think a mere 5 Oscars are absolutely paltry for such a career.

[chuck 155]

What if he gets a double nomination & a double win? And gets a standing ovation? And he won't be cut off by the music? And he will gloat as to how he toiled and sweated this score like no other in the history of film scores?

[King Mark 3,736]

I have a feeling Gravity will be the overhyped film of the year

[Naïve Old Fart 10,745]

Still looking forward to it, though.

Apparently, Cate Blanchett can get her acceptance speech ready right now.

[Brónach 1,307]

Of all these best picture nominations, I had only thought on seeing two.

[Jay 40,201]

Gravity is the only one of those listed really on my radar

I have seen trailers for Hustle, Philips, Banks, and Mitty one time each, and none of those or any other really seem to be getting hyped much yet. I guess it's early (I know The Butler already came and went)

[filmmusic 2,337]

Not a category that attracts must interest to many, but i hope the Wind Rises gets nominated and wins for Best animated feature!

[Jay 40,201]

why would you say that before you've even seen the movie?

[nightscape94 966]

It's a shame that Geisha wasn't a better film. That would have been his best chance to win. It was a different score for Williams, he did the press circuit and peformed with Yo-Yo Ma, and the competition that year was extremely light.

Brokeback won soley on the strength of the acclaim that the film received, and not so much on the baby-ish guitar playing. So don't think that Zimmer can't win oscar gold with simplistic nonsense on the back of a great film.

[Ricard 2,275]

why would you say that before you've even seen the movie?

He doesn't need to. Just like some people don't need to use a tech product in order to know if they like it

[filmmusic 2,337]

why would you say that before you've even seen the movie?

Because Ghibli films have generally very high quality, and they never disappoint me.

I'm sure I am not the only one that thinks in this way (wanting something to win before he sees/listens to it) here.

Don't at least half here want John Williams to win, before they even have heard a single note from the score?

I feel the same way about Ghibli.

why would you say that before you've even seen the movie?

He doesn't need to. Just like some people don't need to use a tech product in order to know if they like it

Hmmm... I'm not sure if you're with me or against me here.

[Ricard 2,275]

why would you say that before you've even seen the movie?

He doesn't need to. Just like some people don't need to use a tech product in order to know if they like it

Hmmm... I'm not sure if you're with me or against me here.

I'm against nobody. Just referencing Jason's comments in another thread

[TheUlyssesian 2,590]

The very name of Miyazaki means quality. At the very least, the film be good. And The Wind Rises is just so promising, rave reviews, a visually dazzling trailer and a momentous score.

[indy4 155]

It's a shame that Geisha wasn't a better film. That would have been his best chance to win. It was a different score for Williams, he did the press circuit and peformed with Yo-Yo Ma, and the competition that year was extremely light.

If Munich wasn't nominated he might have won.

[Jay 40,201]

Don't at least half here want John Williams to win, before they even have heard a single note from the score?

Well, not me! Every year I would love nothing more than to hear every nominated score, and root for the one I personally think is the best one. I am always happy when John Williams wins, obviously, but if I think another score this year is better, than that's the score I think should win.

Same with The Wind Rises. If I see it and love it I'll root for it to win, otherwise I'll root for whatever I've seen that I think is best.

I thought this was pretty standard.

[Ricard 2,275]

Indiewire expands the list of candidates but places Williams at #6...

Here's our take on the best original score race. Like basically half of all categories, "12 Years a Slave" (Hans Zimmer, also a possibility for "Rush") and "Gravity" (Steven Price) seem like near sure things already, while Randy Newman's score for "Monster's University" seems like a predictable bet to join them. Beyond that? We'll have to wait for "Saving Mr. Banks" (Thomas Newman), "The Monuments Men (Alexandre Desplat, also a possibility for "Philomena") and "The Book Thief" (John Williams, in a rare instance of him working outside of Spielberg/Lucas ville) before we can be too certain.

Strong Possibilities From What We've Seen:
1. Steven Price, Gravity
2. Hans Zimmer, 12 Years a Slave

3. Randy Newman, Monster's University

Still To Come, But Lots of Potential
4. Thomas Newman, Saving Mr. Banks
5. Alexandre Desplat, The Monuments Men
6. John Williams, The Book Thief
7. Theodore Shapiro, The Secret Life of Malter Mitty

Could Easily Be Major Contenders:
8. Hans Zimmer, Rush
9. Henry Jackman, Captain Phillips
10. Rodrigo Leao, Lee Daniels' The Butler
11. Alexandre Desplat, Philomena
12. Danny Elfman, Dallas Buyers Club

Longer Shots, But Who Knows:
13. Howard Shore, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
14. Johan Johansson, Prisoners
15. Carter Burwell, August: Osage County

2014 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score

[Jay 40,201]

Monsters University was nothing special! Everything Pixar related is not necessarily nomination worthy!

[chuck 155]

So does DreamWorks Animation.

[Hlao-roo 389]

Steven Price's biggest liability is his name. It lacks a certain je ne sais quois, a certain...santa o lalla.

[BloodBoal 7,541]

Well, not me! Every year I would love nothing more than to hear every nominated score, and route for the one I personally think is the best one.

"root"

If I see it and love it I'll route for it to win

"root"

otherwise I'll route for whatever I've seen that I think is best.

"root"

[Ricard 2,275]

Are there any other upcoming score contenders? Desolation of Smaug?

As listed a couple of posts above (from Indiewire):

Strong Possibilities From What We've Seen:

1. Steven Price, Gravity

2. Hans Zimmer, 12 Years a Slave

3. Randy Newman, Monster's University

Still To Come, But Lots of Potential

4. Thomas Newman, Saving Mr. Banks

5. Alexandre Desplat, The Monuments Men

6. John Williams, The Book Thief

7. Theodore Shapiro, The Secret Life of Malter Mitty

Could Easily Be Major Contenders:

8. Hans Zimmer, Rush

9. Henry Jackman, Captain Phillips

10. Rodrigo Leao, Lee Daniels' The Butler

11. Alexandre Desplat, Philomena

12. Danny Elfman, Dallas Buyers Club

Longer Shots, But Who Knows:

13. Howard Shore, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

14. Johan Johansson, Prisoners

15. Carter Burwell, August: Osage County

[TheUlyssesian 2,590]

Don't at least half here want John Williams to win, before they even have heard a single note from the score?

True for me and I will say this from personal experience. Everytime John Williams has a score out, it is atleast in Top 3 for me every time if not at No.1. And the years where Williams is nominated and doesn't win, I usually prefer his score to what ends up winning. So even sight unseen, it seems to be that Williams would atleast turn out something that will be worthy of a win.

A half assed score from Williams is more accomplished than the career best work of most composers today.

[JoeinAR 1,953]

looks like an uninteresting year for the Oscars. , wolf of wall street looks like scorcese took a dump on film.

[chuck 155]

Methinks this is an early Oscar campaign:

[Bilbo 3,906]

Rush is certainly not good enough to be nominated for best score. Everything else about that film is great though.

Methinks this is an early Oscar campaign:

"Did I mention Ramin Djawadi?"

[BloodBoal 7,541]

[Richard P 4,368]

Methinks this is an early Oscar campaign:

Out of all the questions posted on that page, they choose the oldest, most tired and endlessly asked questions? Don't see the point of that video at all.

Wouldn't say Zimmer looks ecstatic to be there either. But doesn't he refuse to allow his scores to be nominated? Sure I read that somewhere.

These nomination predications are just standard. Is the film likely to be big? Check. Is the score by a composer who is generally seen very favourably? Check.

[Bilbo 3,906]

Rush is certainly not good enough to be nominated for best score.

The same could be said about a lot of scores that were nominated for best score (or even that won).

Oh I know that but just because it happens doesn't make it right. Skyfall last year just seemed to get a nod because the film did really well but wasn't really good enough to win any of the major acting or directing nominations so they stuck it in for Best Score.

Methinks this is an early Oscar campaign:

Out of all the questions posted on that page, they choose the oldest, most tired and endlessly asked questions? Don't see the point of that video at all.

Wouldn't say Zimmer looks ecstatic to be there either. But doesn't he refuse to allow his scores to be nominated? Sure I read that somewhere.

These nomination predications are just standard. Is the film likely to be big? Check. Is the score by a composer who is generally seen very favourably? Check.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/hans-zimmer-withdraws-from-this-years-oscar-race

Is this what you're talking about?

[Richard P 4,368]

I thought I read somewhere that he generally abstains from the oscars, but I'm probably completely wrong and it was just the one year.

[Bilbo 3,906]

Well according to that he has 9 nominations so he doesn't seem to abstain too often.

[Richard P 4,368]

I meant that I thought he'd started abstaining within the last few years.

[Hlao-roo 389]

Well, not me! Every year I would love nothing more than to hear every nominated score, and route for the one I personally think is the best one.

"root"

If I see it and love it I'll route for it to win

"root"

otherwise I'll route for whatever I've seen that I think is best.

"root"

x^1/3

[filmmusic 2,337]

I meant that I thought he'd started abstaining within the last few years.

yeah,i remember too that I had read he wasn't going to submit a score of his for an Oscar like ever!

I guess he changed his mind.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Zimmer doesn't decide. The studio does.

[mrbellamy 6,860]

I meant that I thought he'd started abstaining within the last few years.

yeah,i remember too that I had read he wasn't going to submit a score of his for an Oscar like ever!

I guess he changed his mind.

There's a difference between simply submitting a score for a nomination and actively campaigning for it to be nominated. Zimmer said he didn't want to go around doing interviews during Oscar season to promote his music, but that doesn't mean his scores aren't still eligible to be nominated anyway.

[TheUlyssesian 2,590]

The artist has some say. Newman decided not to compete for Toy Story 3 score and subsequently won the grammy for it. The film was the biggest critical and box office success of the year and was a Best Picture nominee. I think he would have been nominated in a heart beat.

http://www.thewrap.com/awards/column-post/77-original-score-oscars-smallest-field-23534

Very little campaigning happens for Best Score anyways. Only the members of the music branch vote for Best Score and I doubt they are fancy enough to be invited all these shin-digs. The campaigning is heavy but mainly for the Top 8 categories - Picture/Director/Screenplay/Acting.

Tech people are really marginalized for much of the process unless they happen to be superstars like Zimmer. I daresay Zimmer receives much more coverage and attention and interviews than the maestro.

[chuck 155]

Well he is the face of modern film music, so...

[TheUlyssesian 2,590]

The disfigured face of face of modern film music....